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Gentle adventures in the Canadian Rockies

Gentle adventures in the Canadian Rockies

by Ralph Pina | Aug 9, 2018 | Banff National Park, Canada, Kootenay National Park

This year the nature of our mid-winter break was more commensurate with our newly-minted status of grandparents. From the moment little Elena was born in Calgary, there was only going to be one destination. Fortunately Calgary is an hour’s drive from the Rockies...

Gentle adventures in the southern Cape

by Ralph Pina | Jul 26, 2016 | Bontebok National Park, cycling, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Garden Route National Park, Swartberg Nature Reserve, Tsitsikamma National Park

Our mid-winter tour of the Garden Route and Little Karoo ran the gamut of weather from crystal-clear, windless days to fierce storms, from balmy Karoo days to icy nights. We set off to take the roads less travelled and to stay at least two nights in a place to get a...

Riviersonderendkloof zipline adventure

by Ralph Pina | Nov 3, 2015 | Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve

High up in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site between Stellenbosch and Grabouw, eleven steel cables spiral and zigzag down the Riviersonderendkloof (“river-without-end gorge”), forming a series of catenary for a thrilling,...

Welcome to RalphPina.com

Thank you for visiting my outdoor blog. RalphPina.com documents my experiences over many years of appreciating, and adventuring in, Nature. It celebrates visual beauty, advocates minimal impact, reflects on humans’ relationship with our ecosphere, spans the planet but focuses on the wild diversity of southern Africa. Photos, videos and GPS maps of hiking, cycling, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing and windsurfing..

Recent Posts

  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek
  • Three Sisters hike
  • Up the Cascades
  • Erdvark Trail
  • Rod’s Trail, Betty’s Bay
  • Spanning the red stone arches
  • Gamkaberg Plan B
  • Fonteintjiesberg
  • Swartberg Pass over the years
  • Cape of Good Hope Trail once again

Recent Comments

  • Ralph Pina on To the Rooiels source
  • Amadeus Rieck on Fighting aliens in De Hoop
  • Sonja Schäfer on Erdvark Trail
  • Gerard Scholtz on Erdvark Trail
  • Peter Breitenbach on Rooielsberg peak

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Friends

  • A friend cycles around the world
  • Nomadic NAMAS
  • Peter Groves
  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

Good Causes

  • Fire Information System for SA
  • The Cape Leopard Trust

Hiking sites I like

  • Boots and Fins
  • Ian Webb's Great Hikes in the Western Cape
  • Jacques Niemand – interesting hikes
  • Maps – Hike the Cederberg
  • Mountain Club of SA Stellenbosch Section
  • Mountain Meanders

Mountain & Hiking guides

  • Nomadic NAMAS
  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

Parks

  • Cape Nature
  • SANParks

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek
  • Three Sisters hike
  • Up the Cascades
  • Erdvark Trail
  • Rod’s Trail, Betty’s Bay
  • Spanning the red stone arches
  • Gamkaberg Plan B
  • Fonteintjiesberg
  • Swartberg Pass over the years
  • Cape of Good Hope Trail once again
  • Fairy Glen – Plateau – Kasteelkopnek trail
  • Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town recce
  • Paddling with wild horses
  • Rooielsberg peak
  • Karoo corridor MTB tour
  • A walk on the Wild Coast
  • A northern Kruger cultural safari
  • Twelve Apostles loop
  • Balloch High Rim hike
  • Namaqualand coast hike
  • Miaspoort Trail to Huguenot Peak
  • Boating the Lot River
  • Cycling Connemara

Recent Comments

  • Ralph Pina on To the Rooiels source
  • Amadeus Rieck on Fighting aliens in De Hoop
  • Sonja Schäfer on Erdvark Trail
  • Gerard Scholtz on Erdvark Trail
  • Peter Breitenbach on Rooielsberg peak
July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    

Recent Posts

  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek
  • Three Sisters hike
  • Up the Cascades

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