UNFORGETTABLE WALKS TO TAKE BEFORE YOU DIE
This is someone else’s list I found that has most of the best walks in the world. * indicates trips I have done (not many). I like my favorite backpack trips just as much.
1. Yellowstone national park*
2. Amalfi Coast, Italy. 70 km from Sorrento, south of Naples, to Salerno. dramatic road that twists above precipitous drops. ancient stone stairways and paths
3. Routeburn Tract*, New Zealand
4. West Highland Way, Scotland. start in south at Milngavie, 10 minutes by train from Glascow and ends in Fort William. May and September best.
5. Temples of Kyoto*, Japan. Several walks radiating out from Kyoto. late March or early April, autumn
6. Lofoten Islands, Norway. above Arctic circle. 4 islands with many day hikes.
7. Morne Trois Pitons Dominica. reach via Antigua.
8. Drovers Roads, Andalucia, Spain. walks around Grazalema and Zahara.
9. Freedom Trail*, Boston
10. Tour de Mont Blanc, France, Italy and Switzerland. 170 km. traditional departure point is Les Houches in the Vallee de Chamonix. loop that can be done clockwise or counterclockwise.
11. South West Coast Path, England. 1013 km from Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset. best are the north Cornwall sections between Tintagel Castle and Land’s Ened the most westerly point on the British Mainland. Need tide tables.
12. King Ludwig’s Way, Germany. 120 km in Bavaria. start at Leoni, near Starnbergand ends at Fussen, close to Neuschwanstein Castle.
13. Tiger Leaping Gorge, China. 70 km north of Lijiang in Yunnan province, close to Tibet and Myanmar. starts from Daju to avoid the gruelling ascent.
14. Dolomites, Italy. Alps in NE Italy.
15. Battlefields of the Somme, France. Need car. Walking the Somme by Paul Reed
16. Garden Route, S Africa. 200 km section of the N2 road between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Oystercatcher Trail linking Mosset Bay with Gourits river. 5 day route from the Wilderness NP to Knysna Lagoon.
17. Dogon Country, Mali. 10 hour rive from Bamako, the capital of Mali with stopovers in Segpi, Djenne or Mopti. Bankiagara, Songo, walk form Sanga to Douro over 2 days.
18. Fallingwater, near Ohiopyle in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. Frank Lloyd Wright house. many trail in Bear Run Nature Conservancy. reservations recommend – Western Pennsylvania conservancy
19. Darjeeling Tea Trek, India. April, May or October, November.
20. Meteora, Greece. rock spires crowned with Byzantine monasteries.
21. Canals of Amsterdam.
22. Inca Trail*, Peru. 23,000 kms of Inca trails between central Chile and south Columbia. 1980 km between Cuzco, Peru, the Inca capital and Quito, Ecuador. bus from Cuzco to one of several trailheads. most popular – km 82 is reached by bus. the Machu Picchu train to km 88, a 3 hr journey from Cuzco, miss the crowds but have one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world. cross an old cable bridge over the Urubamba to arrive at the Q‘ente campsite. 3 hr round trip hike to the rarely visited ruins of Machu Q;ente and Huayna Q’ente, high on the Cuzco Valley. day 2 follows river then turns into the Cusicharca Valley, past the vast stone terraces of the Patallaqta ruins. Take an hour-long detour up a steep path to the willkarakay ruins, high above the valley on an exposed ridge. On the main trail, a gentle ealk alongsie the Cusichaca river to Huayllabamba, last campsite before the climb to the highest point, 4215 m Dead Woman’s Pass. cloud forest and cold with chance of snow. camp at Llulluchapampa, 1 hr to pass to views of mountains and Amazon. then down to campsite at Pacamayo, then climb again past the circular stone ruins of Runkkurakay , a tambo for the Inca runners. go over second pass through rock tunnel to descend past Chaquacha Lake to the Sayacmarca ruins on a promontory overlooking the Aobamba Valley. close to Amazon so humid and warmer. trail traverses, often on hihg ramparrts with sweeping vistas, towards Cloud Town (Phuyupatamarca). camp on ridge above with 360 degree view from Urubamba river and peaks around Machu Picchu and 6271 m Salcantay. final section , 5-6 hrs descent narrow steep steps to the exquisite ruins at Qinay Waina. winding traverse through forest to Sun Gate, the entry point to Mach Picchu. Best to acclimatize in Cuzco at 3600 metres at least 2 days before starting.
23. Wolong Nature Reserve, China. Sichuan province. Wolong is 140 km nw of Chengdu.
24. Coast to Coast, England. 307 km connecting Irish Sea and North Sea. one way through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks. many potential routes. Preferred route starts west at Irish Sea at St Bees. past Cleator Moor, through Lake District (Helm Crag, Ullswater and Brothers Water. climb out of Patterdatle to Straits of Riggindale, follow Roman road linking Ambleside and Brougham, Kidsty Pike at 780 m. Shap Abbey, Kirby Stephen, Nine Standards yorkshire Dales, Swaledale, Wain Wath Force, Keld, Reeth, Richmond, Va;e pf Mowbray, cleveland escarpmetn and North yourk Moors NP. Robin Hoods Bay on North Sea. spring best.
25. Mount Kilamanjaro, Tanzania.
26. Lycian Way. Through the Toros Mountains along Mediterranean coast of SW Turkey. 500 km through Antalya in east to terminate south of Fetihye on west side of the Teke Peninsula. excellent week-long hike is from the mountain village of Ovacik on the eastern side near Gedelme to the lighthouse at Kitidonya. best april and may and september and october.
27. Karst country, Slovenia. excellent itinerary for a week goes from Prdgama Castle to the astonishing cave system at Skocjan.
28. Great Ocean Walk, Australia. 91 km on coast of Victoria. starts in Apollo Bay 9 (2 1/2 hour drive SW of Melbourne) to near Glenample Homestead. Continue 1 km on to the twelve Apostles and Lock Ard Gorge about an hour away.
29. Takesi Trail, Bolivia. ancient paved trading route 43 km from the high Andes to the gateway fo the Amazon. Hike the Sun island trail for full day. 4 different inca trails surround La Paz linking the Andes with the Yungas – the 3 day Takesi trail is the easiest of these.
