| Formosa Peak | |
| Other Name: | Peak Formosa |
| Photo Alt: | Ridge leading to Formosa Peak (marked) in the Tsitsikamma Mountains |
| Elevation M: | 1675 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Map: | Eastern Cape |
| Map Alt: | Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Label Position: | right |
| Range: | Tsitsikamma Mountains |
| Coordinates: | -33.8641°N 23.7033°W |
| Easiest Route: | Scrambling |
Formosa Peak or Peak Formosa is the highest point of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, a coastal range located along the Garden Route in South Africa, and forming part of the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve.
The peak was first mapped in 1576 during a voyage by the Portuguese navigator and cartographer, Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo, when his ship put in at Plettenberg Bay, which he named Bahia Formosa or "beautiful bay".[2] The peak, which is visible from the bay, had been named Formosa by the earlier Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, in 1488. This was corrupted to Moses, a name still used for the region north of the mountain.[2] Perestrelo, a survivor of the 1554 wrecking of the Portuguese carrack, the São Bento off Msikaba on the Wild Coast, wrote an account of the disaster.[3]
Because of its elevation and sweeping views, Formosa Peak is a popular hiking destination, the normal road approach being from the north via Langkloof and farm tracks. Although not technically difficult and requiring only steep scrambling, the hiking route follows a narrow ridge with precipitous drops on either side and along some sections, a fall would prove fatal. A recent death on 2 January 2013 was that of Ken Webb, a 72-year-old experienced hiker from Plettenberg Bay, who fell while descending the mountain.[4] [5]