Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
I’m booked.
Starting from St. Ives on Sept. 14, 2026.
This section isย widely considered the most rugged, wild, and dramatic stretch of England’s entireย 630-mile South West Coast Path.
Aboutย 41 miles (66 km)ย across the remote West Penwith Peninsula, this point-to-point hike features steep cliff-top climbs, historical tin mining ruins, and sweeping Atlantic panoramas.
I do love coastal trails.
Thisย long-distance walking routeย is theย GR 223ย of theย Senderos de Gran Recorridoย network inย Spainย that connects some of the most inaccessibleย beaches of Menorca. …
The path is divided in 20 different stages, each of them between 5 and 14ย km.ย
Check it out on AllTrails.
Steve Berger did it wild camping. But setting up your own tent is actually illegal here. You might be fined.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
Super popular out of Skopje, North Macedonia, are kayak and boat rides on a manmade lake in Matka Canyon. You can paddle into caves.
I skipped those โย instead hiking a narrow trail carved out of the rock cliff.
It’s a maximum of 9.2 km out and back. The first 2 km are relatively easy โ and that’s all I had time for.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
Here’s the dam that created the lake.
This place is popular. On weekends you might have to park 15 minutes away.
Almost everyone signs up for a boat ride or kayak rental.
Almost everyone enjoys a drink in one of the restaurants.
I took off immediately on the FREE hike. And saw no more than a dozen others on a busy day โ and one dog.
It’s an interesting trail. Somebody decided to hang a kayak up on the cliffside.
Feel free to swim.
You can do this hike on your own. But it is included in many day tours out of Skopje. An easy way to get to the trailhead.
My tour included taking the cable car up to the Millennium Cross on Mount Vodno โย BUT the cable car had been closed for a number of months.
It also included a fascinating stop at the Church of St. Panteleimon. Highly recommended.
Great views back down to Skopje from up here.
Also known as the Karnischer Hรถhenweg, (KHW 403) orย Via della Pace, the Carnic Peace Trail is isย a historic 150-kilometer (93-mile) long-distance hiking route following the former World War I frontline along the Austrian-Italian border.
It’s one of those European hut-to-hut only hikes, so buy the guidebook and book months in advance.
If you opt to do the entire thing, it 170km (106 miles) along the crest of the Carnic Alps, this dramatic high-level trail combines panoramic summits, wartime history and classic alpine hut-to-hut trekking across a landscape shaped by geology and conflict.
There are some challenging sections.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
For me, Stingy Nomads offer the most expert advice on Europe’s best coastal trail.
They recommend Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontesย for those who want to walk just one day on the famed 230 km/143 mile Fishman’s Trail, just one part of the longer Rota Vicentinaย routes.
Based on Stingy Nomads advice, I started in Porto Covo and hiked 4 days to Zambujeira do Mar.
If you have the time, take the ferry from Milfontes and keep heading south.
Here’s my TRIP REPORT & PHOTOS from 2021.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
The best hike directly from the tourist trap old city is Kotor Fortress.
But it costs 15 Euros (17.30 US) in 2026. They keep raising the price of this short day hike.
An alternative is Ladder of Kotor which goes higher. And is free.
Climb as high as you like. Return the same way โย or on other trails down. It’s a maze of trails.
I stopped once I reached the goats. ๐
It’s very hot in the summer. Because I was there end of August, I started as early in the morning as possible.
I had the old city to myself early morning.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
Here’s the view over to the top of Kotor Fortress.
There are some ruins, as well. All open to exploration.
19th-century mountain pathย featuring roughly 70 hairpin switchbacks that climb from sea level up to the Krstac Pass.
Footing is not bad, but expect uneven, rocky switchbacks, loose gravel, and rugged limestone paths.
It’s a recommended short day hike.
Comparing the two main Kotor hikes.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
The most popular hike directly from the old city of Kotor, Montenegro, is Kotor Fortress..
I mostly took the trail on the way up. The steps on the way down. With headlamp.
As it was 30+C and humid, I waited until 8pm to start up the stairs.
From 8pm to 9am Fortress is effectively free as there are no guards at the gate.
Locals are irked that the daytime charge is 15 Euros (17.30 US) in 2026. They keep raising the price of this short day hike.
I started in the old city, a World Heritage site.
Though you can see the climb, it’s still a bit of a challenge to find one of the two trailheads in the maze of narrow streets. I used AllTrails.
Quite quickly you get great views of the Bay.
There’s no need to climb to the top. In fact, I think most people stop at this lookout.
The trail gets rougher from that point. I carried on.
Here’s the top of theย San Giovanni Castleย ruins. I was hoping for moonrise โ but didn’t get it while up there.
Bats feed off insects attracted to the lights shining up the mountain. Those white blurs are bats in time exposure.
It would be quite a different experience climbing in the day time. Here’s how the fortress sits above, protecting the old city of Kotor.
Many start at 5 or 6 am, trying to get back before the ticket takers arrive in the morning.
There’s an alternative hike to get similar great vista views.
I did the Ladder of Kotor Trail, as well, next morning.
Hong Kong is perhaps the BEST major city for urban hikes.
But โย what if you try to run them continuously?
Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challengeย (Chinese:ย ้ฆๆธฏๅๅพ่ถ ็ดๆๆฐ), orย HK4TUCย (Chinese:ย ๅๅพ;ย lit.ย ‘Four Trails’), is an annualย ultramarathonย race inย Hong Kong. (Begun 2012.)
Considered one of the most challengingย mountain racesย worldwide, participants have to run through within 72 hours the famous quadruple hiking trails in Hong Kong known as “Four Trails”:ย MacLehose,ย Wilson,ย Hong Kong, andย Lantau.
The ultramarathon spans a total distance of 298 kilometres with a cumulative elevation of 14,500 metres …
Four Trailsย (Chinese:ย ้ฆๆธฏๅๅพๅคงๆญฅ่ตฐ) is a 2023ย Hong Kongย documentary filmย directed by Robin Lee.
As I post it’s available to watch free on Tubi.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
BestHike editor Rick McCharles
I’m finally booked for Peaks of the Balkans starting Sept. 5, 2026.
In the Accursed Mountains, crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
Originally I wanted to do it independently, like my hero Cam Honan.
A Quick & Dirty Guide to the Peaks of the Balkans Trail
The most traveled hiker in the world, even Cam had to hire local tour operator, Albanian-basedย Zbulo.org,ย to arrange their cross-border permits.
It sounded too complicated to me.
SO I signed on with a guided tour with TRAVELBASE.
5-day highlights of the longer circuit. Still crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. They call it Balkans Trail, a section of the Peaks of the Balkans.
I’ll carry my own pack. Sleep in my own tent. But enjoy meals provided by my Dutch guides.
Click PLAY or watch highlights on YouTube.
A popular day hike is around Morskie Oko, the largest lake in the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is an easy trail, abundant in beautiful views and extremely varied.
AllTrails – Morskie Oko Loop
Getting to the lake is easy via a paved pathway. It’s about 9km return to the lake.
You don’t need your own vehicle as there are frequent private minibuses from the town of Zakopane. Getting to Zakopane from Krakรณw is 2-3 hours by bus or train.
Once at the lake, it’s another 3.9 km to add the shoreline loop walk. Unlike the smooth, paved access road you take to get to the lake, this loop is aย proper mountain trailย made of large, irregular stone blocks, boulders, and tree roots.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
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