Walking and trekking travel guide
Walking and trekking holidays allow you to experience destinations at your own pace. Whether it’s culture, wildlife, scenery or mountains you’re after, walking and trekking trips let you have it all
If God wanted us to walk, He would’ve given us… oh, hang on – He did. Those lumpy things on the end of your legs are good for more than just climbing the stairs onto planes.
And walking (hiking, trekking, call it what you will) is invariably more than just a way of getting exercise. It’s how you admire the best scenery, get close to wildlife, meet the locals on even terms, and – most important of all – justify that extra-huge portion of cake/paella/curry/tagine at the end of the day.
Well, first up, decide what you’re looking for in a hiking trip. If wildlife’s the thing, you don’t need to scale lofty peaks – an African walking safari, in Zambia or Tanzania, perhaps – is the (big) cat’s whiskers.
Want ancient history? Try Peru’s Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or a trek through Jordan to the rose-red city of Petra.
Meeting the locals? Try gentle hiking through India’s Himalayan foothills, or among the hilltribes of northern Vietnam. And don’t dismiss hut-to-hut hiking in Europe’s Alps (Austria, Switzerland, France) for fresh cheese platters and mountain bonhomie.
And for peak-baggers... Well, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Toubkal (Morocco) and Aconcagua (Argentina) are all accessible without technical climbing skills. You just need a sound pair of boots and a bit of training, plus some sound planning – pick the right season, suitable gear and heed health advice to ensure a spectacular and safe hike.
Whether you’re looking for a life-changing challenge or just a day’s stroll, heading out on the trail provides a new perspective on any destination. So go on – stick the boot in.