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

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Climbing to 18,193 feet (5,545m) at its highest point, the 2-week trek to Everest Base Camp is Nepal's best-loved trek, with 8849m Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) rising ahead like a petrified giant. Tracing winding river valleys and the creaking mass of the Khumbu glacier, this mighty mission visits mountain monasteries, soaring lookouts and precariously balanced Sherpa villages, with gruelling days of altitude gain that will test your muscles and endurance to breaking point. The Markha Valley is the Indian Himalaya’s classic trek, leaving behind surprisingly cosmopolitan Leh with its Wi-Fi and coffee shops and heading out into the mountains. This is a route you won’t have to share with many others; Ladakh remains an underrated trekking destination, one created by the forces of nature over millennia. The sights: Naturally, there is no shortage of Patagonian splendour. Like the famed Torres del Paine, the spiky Dientes rise from the sea and reach almost 4,000 feet at the Dientes de Navarino massif. But unlike trekking in popular Torres del Paine, the Dientes offer an unadulterated man-on-the-moon experience that is almost unheard of these days, and any group of trekkers will likely be the only ones on the circuit.

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. When to go: The maritime hiking season is best November through March, when Austral temperatures hover between 55° and 75° F Make 2023 the year you conquer one of our epic hikes of the world. There’s a whole planet out there full of incredible, life-changing hikes that will transform next year into an adventure. The trek: Formally established in 2015, The Jordan Trail is the Middle Eastern country’s first and only long-distance hiking trail, traversing the length of Jordan from Um Qais in the north to Aqaba in the south. The alluring desert landscape, Biblical history, ancient ruins and Bedouin camps extol a sense of timeless antiquity that captivated T.E. Lawrence (of Lawrence of Arabia fame) in his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom . The entire route is an ambitious undertaking, requiring 40-days and covering 420 miles of trails that pass through 75 hamlets, villages and towns.The trek: Spain's Camino de Santiago is having a moment. The pilgrimage that began in the ninth century was nearly lost to history until the past couple of decades when historians uncovered obscure literature describing the significance of the pilgrimage. Now, the Camino is one of Europe’s premier thru-hikes, growing massively from under 10 certified hikers in 1976 to over 350,000 in 2019. The focus and namesake of the Camino de Santiago is the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain 's far northwest. Legend says it was here that the martyr St. James is buried, which became a rallying point for Europeans fighting the Moors in the eighth century after a shepherd claimed to have seen a bright light in the skies. While there are many routes to “the Camino,” the most popular continues to be the nearly 500-mile Camino Frances , or the French Way, which begins at St. Jean Pied-du-Port, France, traverses the Pyrenees Mountains with a challenging 4,600-foot ascent, then heads west across Spain. Mother Nature pulled out all the stops in the Bernese Oberland, and the Faulhornweg might be the best day hike to take it all in. This moderately challenging ridge hike throws you in the scenic deep end. Beginning and ending on a high, you’ll take in the full glittering sweep of Lakes Thun and Brienz as you trudge from Schynige Platte to First, and colossal peaks like the dagger-shaped Wetterhorn and the big three of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Everest holds a unique place in the hearts of trekkers. It must be one of the most documented peaks on the globe, revelling in a dream-like status only enhanced by the many stories that surround it. The sights: Along the route, hikers will undoubtedly encounter koalas resting in eucalyptus treetops, wallabies scampering along the headlands, creek and river crossings, tall forests and deserted beaches with panoramic views from windswept headlands.

The 50 Most Epic Places to Hike Around the World

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.

Teton Crest Trail

Every southern summer, between December and March, the sunny mountain town of Futaleufú in Chile’s Aysén region (northern Patagonia), attracts adventurers in search of watery thrills. One of the world’s best rivers for white water rafting, the Futaleufú offers Class IV and V rapids challenging enough for any expert river junkie. Even if you’ve never done white water rafting before, as long as you’re a confident swimmer, you may ride the rollercoaster of river rapids under the instruction of expert river guides.

The 10 best treks in the world - Lonely Planet

The sights: Despite first-glance appearances, hikers are pleasantly surprised that the trail is not an endless desert. Throughout the trek, expect a diverse landscape that includes the rolling wooded hills of the north, the jagged cliffs rising above the Jordan Rift Valley, the mystic experience of the 'Lost City of Petra,' the dramatic desert sands and soaring mountains in Wadi Rum, and finally, the cool azure waters of the Red Sea at trip’s end. A legacy of empire traces its lines across the beauty of southern India. These trails wind through both past and present, connecting a bygone era of colonial hill stations to a vibrant, modern nation. The scenery stretches from fertile, green tea plantations to the coast where busy ports whisk desirable goods away to eager buyers all over the world. 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.

Iconic Hikes

The sights: The C2C gets extra high marks for undulating through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dells and the North York Moors. Unlike American parks, British parks are a different breed; there is no vast wilderness. Instead, they adapt to the realities of the English countryside and weave together a landscape that includes small villages, farms, B&Bs, crumbling castles, cow pastures and wandering sheep. While the hike doesn't take place at high altitudes, we've given it a challenging rating because you'll be hiking for up to 10 hours a day, and the heat can make it difficult for some people. The Aletsch Glacier is now your constant companion, as the trail skirts the deeply crevassed ice. Swiss stone pine forest and glittering tarns soften the Alpine picture as you continue along a ridge to the grassy slopes of Moosfluh, where a strategically placed bench offers staggering glacier views. Soon after, you’ll reach the glass-blue lake of Blausee. From here, it is just a stone’s throw to Bettmeralp. 6. Rigi Panorama Trail The sights: Like a Noah’s Ark for endangered Australian wildlife, the island is teeming with rare Forester kangaroos and Bennett’s wallabies, as well as other austral oddities like pademelons (think miniature kangaroos), wombats and fairy penguins. Cape Town’s Three Peaks (South Africa) Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) Camp to Camp in South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) Americas:

12 of the world’s most epic hikes - Lonely Planet

Begin your South America trekking adventure in Patagonia, where you can set your sights on the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park. The 62-mile (100km) W Trek takes in craggy mountain ranges, glaciers, lakes and the famed three torres – three soaring spires behind a turquoise lake. The five-day Mt Fitzroy Trek, located in Argentina’s Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, is another classic trek in southern Patagonia. Following a wide path that shadows the old Scheidegg Railway, this wheelchair- and stroller-accessible ridge trail from Rigi First to Rigi Scheidegg beautifully opens up the surrounding lakes, cow-grazed pastures and mountains, with plenty of options to pause for a picnic or barbecue en route. And there’s far more to hiking around Sion than enticing strolling between grape-heavy vines. What makes trails in this part of the Rhône Valley unique are the bisses, miniature canals built in the 13th century to irrigate these vertiginous terraced vineyards hemmed by stone walls. This half-day hike between Sion and St-Léonard is a treat, shadowing the Bisse de Clavau, a 550-year-old irrigation channel that carries water to the thirsty, sun-drenched vineyards and commanding grandstand views of hilltop chateaux, the snaking River Rhône and the not-so-distant Alps.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.

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