Lonely Planet Epic Hikes of the World: Explore the Planet's Most Thrilling Treks and Trails

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There are also lots of beautiful pics with surprisingly detailed captions that explain a fair amount of history about geography, customs, local animals, etc. I learned a lot by reading them. Deep in the heart of mountainous South Island, in the fantastically named Mount Aspiring National Park, your trek begins in style: onboard a helicopter! Soar over the mountains for a birds-eye view before your landing in the excitingly named Siberia Valley. Here the trekking begins, with an adventurous ascent to the Siberia Hut – but that’s only the base camp. Pause to sample Valaisian Dôle (red) and Fendant (white) wines, perhaps over lunch at Le Cube Varone, an old winegrower’s hut. The hike is never lovelier than on a golden fall day when the grape harvest is in full swing, when you can enjoy a brisolée, the traditional harvest feast built around chestnuts, cheese, cold meats and vin nouveau (new wine).

hikes in Switzerland - Lonely Planet Best hikes in Switzerland - Lonely Planet

This 55km hiking trail has been rated one of the best in the world by the National Geographic, and it's easy to see why. The Laugavegur trail takes you through rainbow coloured mountains, past hot springs, over glaciers and volcanic slopes. It's not all hard work though. The trekking infrastructure is unparalleled: porters and guides wait on arrival at Lukla's tiny mountain airstrip, cosy teahouses provide warm beds and nourishing plates of dal bhat (lentils and rice) along the entire route, and side trails open up a mountain playground of summit ascents and high pass crossings for a taste of real mountaineering. Sure, the trails are mobbed in season, but the sense of camaraderie amongst trekkers is hard to beat.For a glimpse of the Swiss Alps before the dawn of tourism, there’s no place like the nature-gone-wild Swiss National Park in The Engadine in Graubünden, where Switzerland muscles its way into Italy. Squished into a remote corner of the country’s southeast, this off-the-radar national park punches high on every level. It’s often so silent that the only sound you’ll hear is that of your own footsteps.

Best Hikes in the World Right Now - Outside Online The 25 Best Hikes in the World Right Now - Outside Online

At the edge of the European continent, you can hike amid the spectacular volcanoes, glaciers and hot springs of Iceland. The 34-mile (55km) Laugavegur Trail takes in a plethora of these landscapes and there are six huts along the route for easy camping. The best hikes in Europe take you through the high passes of the Swiss Alps and around the dramatic volcanic coastlines of the Canary Islands. They lead you through the boreal forests and glaciers of Sweden, and across the windswept highlands of Scotland. There are plenty of other hikes in Georgia, if you're interested in exploring this underrated hiking destinations. The country's third highest peak, Mount Kazbek (5054m), can be climbed too.Bias of locations. The book isn’t so much great hikes of the world, but pretty good hikes NEAR YOU. Lonely Planet, the publisher, is at its heart an Australian company. The trouble is that a book purporting to be about the world’s epic hikes should be as agnostic as possible, with a small nod to practicalities. The upshot of this is that Australia receives 5 of the 50 hikes, USA gets 6 of the 11 bequeathed to all the Americas, yet Africa receives only 3 hikes in total. The balance is out and as such I'm sure there are many hikes which should have received deeper coverage that are missed. There are a few ways to summit, the easiest of which is using the Tramway du Mont Blanc to the Nid d’Aigle, then up the Aiguille Gouter and the Bosse ridge. Along the way, stay in Refuges, which must be booked in advance. Try an extended 7-day experience starting off with a dazzling training climb to Gran Paradiso. Leading from Chamonix in France through the southern Valais to Zermatt in Switzerland, the 2-week-long Walkers' Haute Route trek traverses some of the highest and most eye-popping scenery accessible anywhere in the Alps. Hiking here is a summertime endeavour, tracing a different course to the famous winter Haute Route for ski-tourers. Every stage will test your endurance, with ‘pass hopping’ that demands a high level of fitness on many sections of the walk. Europe is made up of over 40 countries and each boasts its own unique culture, as well as a distinct and diverse landscape. Add in its 10 major mountain ranges and 504 national parks, and you've got a whole lot of hiking territory to explore. Aysén (north Chilean Patagonia) offers world-class fly-fishing, particularly for rainbow and brown trout, with fly-fishing lodges such as the Cinco Rios Lodge, Patagonian BaseCamp, and Coyhaique River Lodge dotted around in the wilderness along the Palena and Simpson rivers, accessed from the city of Coyhaique. In Argentina, keen fishers head for the likes of Kau Tapen Lodge and Aurelia Lodge in Tierra del Fuego to try their hand at fly-fishing on the Rio Grande, home of the world’s biggest sea-run brown trout and golden dorado.

Epic Hikes of the World | Exodus Travels 19 Epic Hikes of the World | Exodus Travels

These mountains are vast and untamed; you’re far more likely to bump into a troop of bleeding-heart Gelada baboons than other trekkers. If you want an island traverse that's easier than Corsica's iconic GR20 hike, whilst serving up equally beautiful views, then consider hiking the lesser-known trails across Madeira. There are plenty of wonderful day hikes which can be linked together to create a coast to coast traverse. Read more: Everything You Need to Know About the Haute Route 13. Tatranská Magistrala, Slovakia The High Tatras are a highly protected area and an incredible hiking location.The Matterhorn Trek has been described as one of the most beautiful treks in the world taking in many ancient trails that have linked the Swiss Alps and Italian valleys for centuries. The 150km route offers a multicultural experience, crossing from the pristine surroundings of Switzerland to Italy through the Matterhorn Valley, and staying in remote mountain huts en route. The full length of the Jordan Trail traverses 400 miles in a country-crossing route that runs north-south across Jordan; we’ve selected the best bit, the finest eight days of desert trekking across the Wadi Rum towards the Rose-Red City of Petra. Start in the mountain village of Pravieux, hiking up the eastern side of the valley to Rifugio Tetras Lyre (1996m). As you climb, you'll have views of glaciers and mountains, including the north face of Gran Paradiso peak (4061m). Next up is a day of high alpine pastures and the stunning lakes of Col Nivolet Plateau. Then it's onto Col Rosset (3024m), one of the highest walkable passes in the Alps. The Canary Islands are well known for being a winter sun destination, and for resort tourism. But they are also fantastic year-round hiking destinations, with quiet trails crossing their unspoilt interiors. Gran Canaria is known as a 'continent in miniature', due to the diversity of its landscapes and microclimates. There are plenty of routes across it, many running through its barrancos (or gorges). This character-building slog through Corsica is legendary for the diversity of landscapes it traverses, and for the level of grit it requires from trekkers who brave its rugged trails. There are forests, granite moonscapes, windswept craters, glacial lakes, torrents, peat bogs, maquis, snow-capped peaks, plains and névés (stretches of ice formed from snow) to conquer, and the tough terrain weeds out all but the most dedicated hikers.