On Thursday December 5, 2013 we went again to the Christoffelpark. We are exploring the mountains and valleys in the area of Zevenbergen (Seven mountains) and this time the Seru di Baha Hundu was our target. A mountain that is 206 meters high according to the topographical map from Kadaster '93. We parked our cars again close to the Seru Bientu; from there we went for about 100 meters in the direction of the top of the Seru Bientu; there we left the path and descended in the valley between the Seru di Palomba that we climbed last week and the Seru di Baha Hundu, our target for this week.
The descend of 50 meters was not easy because of a lot of loose rocks and a rather steep slope. But we all made it without falling. We continued through the 'rooi' which is where during and after heavy rainfall the water flows. The rooi was dry now, but it must be a magnificent sight when there is fast-flowing water here. For sure there will be many small waterfalls.
The hike through the rooi was not too difficult although we had to make some detours to avoid the densest vegetation. Gradually we descended another 50 meters while walking through the rooi till we reached a point almost immediately under the top of the Seru di Baha Hundu. The climb to the top took us almost 1.5 hours. The slope was very steep. My estimate is that we had an inclination of close to 60 degrees at some points with little grip from the shoes on the loose rocks and few trees that could give us support. But is was certainly worth it. The vegetation on the opposite slope looked like a rain forrest, very dense, high and green. And once again we had a nice view on the plantation house Knip.
The top itself is narrow but we all found a place to rest and to take our lunch. We knew beforehand that this would be an extra long hike so we all packed lunch and extra water. After a good rest we started our way back to the cars. Easier said than done because on this side of the mountain there were far more Prickly pears and Wabis and also large fields of ground Bromelias, so our progress was slow. Luckily we could walk on top of a dry-stone wall for some time where the vegetation was less dense. Two hours later we reached the dirt road where we took a rest and then continued to our cars.
A long hike (5.5 hours) with a total length of only 3.8 kilometers but certainly worth the effort. Walking through an undisturbed nature in hilly terrain with a group of friends is a great way to spend time.
The pictures below give you an impression of what we saw on this trip.
No rights may be derived from this report
The track in blue is our hike this time; the other colors are previous hikes here; yellow is a car track
View from where we descended in to the valley; to the right the Seru di Baha Hundu
Carel and Hetty still have to start their descend
Nice flowers along the way
Also some mushrooms
Here will be a waterfall when the rooi is full with water
Trees next to the rooi
A large field of ground Bromelias with in the background a dry-stone wall
A good time for a rest
Sometimes we had to stoop deep and crawl
The water makes nice patterns in the stones
Luckily there is a path through the Bromelias
This one is blooming
We had some rain
Once again lots of Bromeliads in the trees
Does Curaçao have a rain forrest?
Moss and a plant on a rock
Another mushroom
Hetty and Fred on their way to the top
A Palu di Sia Korá against the blue and white sky
The top where we were last week
A very small niche
Here it is extremely difficult to climb
View on Knip
A Melocactus
Close-up of a flower
Carel is also reaching the top
A deer was here
The trees are full with guests
Two small snails on moss-covered wood
This is natural paint
The Drymaeus snail is on its way
Flower of the Prickly pear
We reached the top; Fred tries to climb the highest point
Not stable enough to stand on
Carel is also on the top
A tree full of orchids
Walking on top of the dry-stone wall
Trio of White Orchids
