Thursday 14 / November / 2024
When fences, signs, and observation towers are made to make trekking or travel easier, the wild wonders of the outdoors are often destroyed in the process. But one cannot deny that there is something unique and attractive about these staircases roughly carved from stone or wood. Whether manmade or nature’s gift, they are indeed a sight to behold. So let’s revel in the simple feeling of climbing as we trail on stunning staircases.
1. El Peñon De Guatape, El Penol, Colombia
Once, this massive Colombian stone was seen as little more than a giant obstruction, but it’s hard to understand that view now given how stunning the site seems. The tall, stone was first ascended in 1954 when a group of friends climbed to the top over five days, using a system of slanted boards wedged into the single colossal crack in the rock. From that initial expedition, a permanent set of tightly zig-zagging stairs have been built into the crevasse. In addition to the stairs, today there is an observation tower on the top as well, and the whole feature is run by private landowners who will let visitors climb to the top for a small fee.
2. Ha’iku Stairs, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Called the “Stairway to Heaven,” the Ha’iku Stairs was once a little more than a wooden ladder leading to a submarine transmission relay among the high cliffs. While permanent steps and ramps were built later, the path remained officially closed to the public in 1987. But this did not deter the hikers from making the steep climb. The entrance to the stairs are now said to be guarded, and in February 2015 it was rumoured that a storm damaged the staircase so severely that it is now unusable.
3. Punta Pite, Zapallar, Chile
This M.C. Escher-like installation of winding stairs and twisted paths was carved out of the Chilean shoreline not for any practical purpose, but as a work of land art. Finished in 2006 by landscape architect Teresa Moller, the site incorporates the stairs and pathways right into the natural curves of the seaside rocks. They almost look naturally occurring were it not for the unnatural and somewhat surreal twists in the pathway. It took months for 40 stonecutters to shape the rocks to Moller’s designs. Now the 27-acre property is open to the public who can traverse the odd paths from the beach up to the top of the sea cliffs and vice-versa.
4. Chilzina And The Forty Steps Of Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Maybe this is the shortest staircase on the list, but The Forty Steps of Kandahar are no less stunning for their small number. Carved into a mountainside around the 14th century by Babur, the first emperor of the Mughal Empire, the stone stairs lead up to a cave mouth. Inside the cave, Babur etched an account of his adventures and conquests. At the mouth of the cave, Babur had a pair of chained lions carved out of the mountain stone as well that could guard his tales.
5. Tianmen Shan, Zhangjiajie, China
This epic stair leads right into a natural formation known as the “Gateway to Heaven” and it looks the part. The stairs leading up to the gaping maw of the nearly 500-foot-tall stone arch number 999, and are located on a road that is said to have 99 bends. Sometimes dense fog blankets the area making the ascent to the Gateway really charming. The site can unfortunately become quite crowded, thanks to the site’s well-known beauty, but the 999 stairs is indeed phenomenal.
