Coffee table books like this are a great way to daydream about exploring places you may not have ever considered. This particular book also has the distinction of having beautiful photography and artwork and the fantastic storytelling you'd expect from a Lonely Planet guide." For extra bragging rights, head for Tierra del Fuego’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, and hit the slopes at the world’s southernmost ski resort, Cerro Castor, with its superb views of the Beagle Channel, ten chair and surface lifts, and 28 ski runs, split pretty evenly between expert, intermediate, and beginner skiers. You can also whizz down Glacial Martial, with its single chair lift, three intermediate runs, one expert and one beginner. The Kungsleden (King's Trail), Sweden Camping in the valley surrounded by mountains on the Kungsleden. We normally associate husky sledding with the far north – the Arctic reaches of Scandinavia, Canada, Alaska. But where there’s snow, there are snow dogs. In the Valle de Lobos, 11 miles northeast of Ushuaia, off the main highway, local operator Gato Curuchet organizes short mushing outings with his husky teams. If you’re looking for longer husky adventures, head to Aurora Austral, near Villarica in Chile’s Lake District, where German operator Konrad Jacob offers anything from day introductions to mushing to multi-day husky-sledding tours of Araucanía, and an epic crossing of the Andes, where you’re in charge of your own dog team.

16 Best Hikes and Most Beautiful Trails in the World - Time Out

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. Vikos Aoos National Park, in northwest Greece, is a natural playground of deep gorges, green valleys, verdant forests and fast-flowing rivers. One of the most popular day hikes in the park takes you through Vikos Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. But you can continue hiking along the park's trails for a glorious multi-day hike.However, it is possible to steer clear or bypass some of these more challenging scrambles, as the Selvaggio Blu has several slightly easier variations - a guide (at the very least an accurate map) is highly recommended to navigate it. Alongside these tough scrambles and climbs, you can relax with a swim at some of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia. If you love to explore the outdoors and would rather find yourself surrounded by dazzling lakes, impressive mountains, cascading waterfalls and sprawling meadows, than be in a big city crowded with millions of pedestrians and cars, with your only views of towering dull colored skyscrapers, then you need to find yourself walking among one of these magnificent hiking trails from around the world. 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. The trek: There are other scenic and historical paths in England, but to see the best of the countryside, the Coast to Coast Path gets the Full Monty award. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, the late guidebook author and raconteur created the ultimate English puzzle by piecing together a maddening mosaic of time-worn bridleways, country roads, mountain trails and obscure public right-of-ways across private lands that link hamlets and villages roughly a day’s walk apart. Traversing England’s narrowest midsection from St. Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood’s Bay along the North Sea, the official distance is 182 miles.

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

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members!At 17,057 feet, Mount Kenya is Africa’s second-highest peak, but the dormant volcano receives far fewer trekkers than 19,341-foot Kilmanjaro. It also offers more wildlife, like elephants and Cape buffalo, and impressively varied and beautiful terrain, from bamboo rainforests to moors akin to the Scottish Highlands. The most scenic and interesting nontechnical route is Chogoria, which takes hikers through the gorgeous Gorges Valley, home to misty views and waterfalls that cascade over precipitous cliffs, to 16,354-foot Point Lenana, the closest you can get to the summit without technical climbing skills. It’s also the best place in Kenya to watch the sunrise and get a view of the mountain’s twin summits: 17,057-foot Batian and 17,021-foot Nelion. The driest months, January, February, and September, are the best time to hike. Outfitter Mountain Madness offers a combo trek that’s followed by safaris in Samburu National Reserve and Sweetwater Reserve. Farther south, the tiny town of El Chaltén is renowned as a world-class climbing and bouldering destination, with hundreds of routes in the Fitz Roy range above the town to suit climbers of all abilities – from straightforward sport climbing to epic, multi-day climbing routes up to the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre summits. Weather is a big factor, which is why climbers often spend weeks camping out during the southern summer, waiting for the ideal window of opportunity.

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

José Antonio Gil Martínez/ Creative Commons) Camino Primitivo, Camino de Santiago Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela, Spain It’s hard to think of another place on the planet that offers as much scope for varied outdoor adventure as Patagonia – a vast, sparsely populated slice of southern Chile and Argentina bristling with the Andes mountain range and criss-crossed with sinuous ribbons of glacial rivers. 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. 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. When to go: The maritime hiking season is best November through March, when Austral temperatures hover between 55° and 75° FMother 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. Trek through 7 national parks and numerous national forests, state parks, and wilderness areas on this hike. Along the way, you will experience the Mojave Desert and also reach heights of over 13,000 feet. After reading Wild, I kept thinking if she can do this, maybe wecan too! It’s only in the last ten years that teahouses and lodges have appeared in these remote mountains, and the pull of this phenomenal route is not just its beauty, but its tranquility. Expect a mere tenth of the trekkers you might spot on the more popular routes. Stewart Island’s kiwis (the southern brown kiwi) may be extra large, but that doesn’t mean that they’re any easier to spot. You’ll have to wait until dusk, then head for Ocean Beach in the Glory Cove Scenic Reserve, giving the protected sea lions a wide berth. Since you’ll need a permit to be there after 6pm, it’s worth joining a guided tour.