Pieter Both, Mountain summit in Moka Range, Mauritius

Pieter Both is a mountain summit in the Moka Range, on the island of Mauritius, rising to around 820 meters. A large rounded rock sits naturally balanced at the very top, giving the mountain a shape that stands out clearly against the sky.

The first recorded ascent was made on 7 September 1832 by Captain Lloyd, Lieutenant Phillpotts of the 29th Regiment, Lieutenant Keppel of the Royal Navy and Lieutenant Taylor. The mountain is named after Pieter Both, the first Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. It is the second highest peak of Mauritius at 820 metres, eight metres below Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire.

Local legend says a milkman named Santaka from Crève Coeur fell asleep under a rock, saw fairies dancing on the mountain and promised to keep them secret. When he broke that promise, the fairies turned him to stone and set him on the summit. Another tale calls the boulder the petrified head of a shepherd boy punished by the fairies for straying onto the forbidden side of the mountain to catch a lost sheep.

The route starts near a football field in the village of La Laura and passes through sections that require safety equipment and some climbing experience. Going with someone who knows the trail well is a good idea for anyone attempting it for the first time.

The rounded rock at the top is nearly impossible to spot from directly below, but from a distance it clearly resembles a head resting on the mountain. The angle from which you look at it changes the shape quite noticeably, which is why many visitors prefer to photograph it from further away.