Category: Blog

Patagonia is massive and bleak. Yet we love the Patagonian Andes, 2000km (1243mi) in length, but averaging less than 100km (62mi) in width. You could take years exploring just the eastward (drier) side of the mountains.

Towering granite peaks, untouched lakes, massive glaciers, huge volcano trekking peaks. This land is phenomenal.

Mirador del Pliegue Tumbado, Fitz Roy, Argentina

Trekkers target five areas:

• The Araucania
• Lakes District
• Central Patagonia
• Southern Patagonia
• Tierra del Fuego

Start in Mendoza, Argentina and visit the highest mountain outside Asia, Aconcagua. Next bus to the Switzerland of South America (Lake District). Some of the highest volcanoes of the world are here. Finally, work your way south by air and ferry to the granite spires at the south tip of the continent.

Trekking season here is Nov-Apr. (Feb-Mar often the best weather) That said, the wind and weather in Patagonia is notorious. Independent hikers need be prepared for anything and everything.

Conversational Spanish highly recommended for those travelling independently.

More information on our new Patagonia information page.

Our favourite hike in the Patagonian Andes is the Paine Circuit in Chile.

John Grey Pass, Paine Circuit – flickr – Patagonia set – Michael Bollino

See our Paine Circuit Information page.

Our original hiking bible is the now discontinued Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes:

Saying the pair sounded as if they were going through enough as it was, a respectful grizzly bear told reporters Friday that he was waiting to attack a tent until the couple inside had finished their fight.

The Onion

The Haute Route in Europe is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Sometimes called …

• The Walker’s Haute Route
• “High Route”
• Mt Blanc to the Matterhorn
• Chamonix to Zermatt

Why?

Chamonix to Zermatt, Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn – in two weeks of mountain travel you will see the greatest collection of 4000 metre peaks in the Alps!

• Alpine charm: valleys, lakes, glaciers
• great food, history, culture
• from Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810m, 15,781ft) …
• … to the Matterhorn, the most beautiful peak in the alps
• 9-15 days
• 180+kms (112mi)
• best months June-Sept
• crosses 11 passes, gains more than 12,000m elevation
• difficult hiking

World → Europe → Alps → Haute Route

Click PLAY or watch a 1 minute preview on YouTube. 

For details click over to our Haute Route information page.

My main use case is taking a photo / starting video recording remotely.

Of course I put my iPhone on a tripod.

• Camera Remote on Apple Watch is fantastic. Within about 33 feet or 10 meters it provides these options:
  • photo timer delay
  • switch Camera (front or rear)
  • LIVE PHOTO (auto, on, or off)
• all iPhone camera modes work with the app — aside from panorama
• framing the photo / video from a distance is a plus
• I always use LIVE PHOTO to later choose the best image
• I set up the iPhone to get closer to birds / animals. And then click remotely when they are in frame.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Everyone considers the Amatola Hiking Trail one of the best in South Africa.

Most people do it hut to hut.

Distance is a minimum of 86.4 km. Elevation gain 4,661m.

Stingy Nomads hiked about 100km. Average walking time 7 hours per day, between 14-20 km.

Getting a permit can be problematic.

You can hike the trail all year round though in winter (June to August) days are shorter and temperatures are lower. Snowfalls can occur high in the mountains.

Summer months (December to February) are known as rainy months; it’s warmer than in winter and days are longer but heavy rains can be a pain.

December is as well a peak season due to the Christmas holidays so it can be crowded and you’ll probably have to book the trail beforehand.

October and November is a good time for hiking; the weather is nice and there are very few people on the trail.

We did it at the end of November – beginning of December and were the only people on the trail. It was very easy to book we did it just 2 days before the hike. In 6 days we didn’t see any other hikers or even people (only locals from far away). The trail is well-marked and easy to follow just always check for yellow footprints that you can find painted on trees or rocks.

Accommodation on the trail

Every night you sleep in a hut so no need to carry a tent and sleeping pad. All huts have beds with mattresses, showers, toilets, running water, fireplace, rubbish bin, and outside or inside dining area. No electricity on the trail don’t expect to charge your devices or read with electric light. …

Fantastic Amatola trail – a detailed guide and itinerary

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

Best slot canyon hike in the world.

• in Utah’s Zion National Park
• 16 miles (25 km) from Chamberlain’s Ranch to Temple of Sinawava in the Park
• June through October best months
• usually closed from mid-March to mid-May due to spring snowmelt and runoff
• in places chasm up to 1,968 ft deep and 20 ft wide
• about a 1500 ft descent
• walk in water up to half the time
• 9 – 13 hours. Confirm the time of the last shuttle out of the park!
• a long, tiring day or you can camp overnight. Be aware that there are only 12 campsites available and they book quickly. Start as early as possible if you are doing it in a day.
• Permit is required

World → North America → S.W. USA  → Utah → Zion Narrows

For details click over to our Zion Narrows information page.

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by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I’d argue that the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region is the best place to live in Canada — for year round outdoor recreation.

My parents live in Parksville. And — when visiting — I can cycle and hike year round.

Protected by Mt. Arrowsmith, the coast gets very little snow. And temperatures rarely drop below freezing.

Of course this is a rain forest.

Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

It was designated in 2000 by UNESCO to protect a large second-growth coast Douglas fir ecosystem in the watersheds of the Little Qualicum and Englishman Rivers from being developed. …

Protected areas located within the biosphere reserve include:^[5]

• Arbutus Grove Provincial Park
• Englishman River Regional Park
• Englishman River Falls Provincial Park
• Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park
• MacMillan Provincial Park
• Mount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park
• Qualicum National Wildlife Area
• Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
• Spider Lake Provincial Park

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I stayed in Grindelwald again in 2023. What a terrific hiking town.

Most hikers arrive by train from Interlaken. They share that journey with hundreds of thousands of camera clutching tourists all en route to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe.

Grindelwald is a municipality in the district of Interlaken in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at 1,034 metres (3,390 ft) above sea level in the Bernese Alps. …

Long famed as a winter tourist destination with slopes for beginners, intermediates and the challenges of the Eiger glacier for the experienced, there are activities for the non-skiers, from tobogganing to groomed winter hiking tracks. It is the usual starting point for ascents of the Eiger and the Wetterhorn. Nowadays Grindelwald is also a popular summer activity resort with many miles of hiking trails across the Alps. …

Grindelwald has a population (as of 2007) of 3,809 …

Many experienced hikers would pooh pooh Grindelwald as too touristy, basing themselves instead out of Lauterbrunnen, Mürren or even (our pick) tiny Gimmelwald, accessible only on foot or by aerial tramway.

There are no bad hikes out of Grindelwald. It is fantastic in every direction.

But the Tour of the Jungfrau Region, a 2wk ultimate adventure, is our best recommendation.

See more “best hikes” in the Alps.

The best day hike is the Eiger Trail.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of my June hike on YouTube.

Most hike June to mid-October but, surprisingly, there are trails open year round close to Grindelwald.

Kyrgyzstan is a fantastic hiking destination — BUT we wouldn’t recommend you trek there independently.

The Pamir Trail is a proposed 1000km+ route. A work in progress.

Jan Baaker, author of Cicerone Trekking in Tajikistan, hopes to connect the entire route soon.

Shorter and logistically easier to organize, is the Heights of Alay Mountains trail.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Angel Falls is the the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 metres (3,212 ft), and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft).

The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. …

… there is still uncertainty whether Angel Falls or South Africa’s Tugela Falls is the tallest …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Amazing.