Malealea

Went to Malealea this past weekend with some of the short term residents (KH and JM). Driving was pretty straight-forward, but I didn't pay attention to the left turn we needed to make, and totally missed the orange sign that said "Malealea Lodge."  Thank goodness for "Here maps" app that doesn't require data.

 Since we were doing a day trip, we decided on the 3 hour gorge/pool hike. We hired a guide for R20/hr/person because we heard it's so easy to get lost here. Our guide, Josias, taught us about lingala (this evergreen tree type shrub that ppl drink if they have a stomach upset) and mukutwane (piles of rocks signaling the boundaries of the territory) and some type of aloe.

First got to the river gorge! Look what nature's river has carved out!

The hike down to the pool was pretty easy, and the view was nice.

Another enormous cave carved out by the river

Got to the pools! Refreshing dip after a hot hike. There are about 3 large pools, so deep I couldn't touch the bottom

Josias led us up a different route going up the gorge, and it was definitely more difficult than going down. It was essentially climbing straight up a mountain.

Half way up the mountain. Can you believe we were all the way down there at the very bottom? We were on our hands half the time.

Yay! Got to the top! Great view!

But the view at the end of the climb was super rewarding!

Other options for trails/hikes. Some are multiday hikes!