Nahnalaud

Nahnalaud rises to around seven hundred and seventy metres in the middle of Pohnpei and is the island's highest point, standing in cloud forest that is wet almost every day and holds plants found nowhere else. The climb takes several hours through mud, roots and dense growth with no maintained path, and the summit is usually in cloud. A guide from the landowning community is required.

The landscape

• The summit - around seven hundred and seventy metres, the island's high point.
• The cloud forest - permanently wet forest with endemic plants.
• The unmaintained route - a climb through mud, roots and dense growth.
• The interior - the mountain heart of the island, rarely visited.

When to go

December to March is the drier season, relatively speaking. The summit is in cloud on most days of any month. Rain makes the descent genuinely dangerous.

Good to know

This is a hard, wet, muddy climb with no path and no view at the top most days. A guide and landowner permission are required. There is no rescue capability.

Nearby

Pwisehn Malek is northeast, and Kolonia is north.