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Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek, India

Starting April 1, 2023 ➙ independent trekking in Nepal is no longer allowed. You MUST hire a guide.

Therefore, more foreign hikers should be looking at India.

The high mountains are stunning and less travelled than Nepal.

Logistics getting to and from trailheads can be complicated and problematic, however.

Next time I head for the Indian Himalaya I’m planning to use IndiaHikes. Prices are excellent. And they handle all the local transportation as well as guiding great adventures.

One example.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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#2 Hiking Town – Huaraz, Peru

Huaraz is a trekkers’ paradise. On one side of the valley you have the White Mountains (Cordillera Blanca). On the other side, the Black Mountains (Cordillera Negra). We hike the White Mountains, mountain bike the Black Mountains.

And only a short distance away is the remote, high Cordillera Huayhuash, ideal for hard core trekkers.

Huaraz is located in the central-northern part of the country at an altitude of 3052 m (10,013 feet), some 420 km north of Lima. Huaraz sits in the agriculturally important Callejón de Huaylas valley, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which includes Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru at 6768 m (22,204 feet). …

On May 31, 1970 the Ancash earthquake destroyed much of Huaraz, killing 10,000 people. Almost nothing was left of the old city with its narrow streets and big adobe casonas roofed with tiles. The main square was the only major structure that survived the earthquake so the city was rebuilt around it. …

Huaraz is connected to the rest of the country through the Panamerican Highway (187 km north of Lima) and can be reached from Lima … in seven hours. …

Huascarán National Park is a popular destination for tourism and trekking. Huaraz is a frequent base for expeditions to the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash. …

The population of the greater area is over 100,000 though you’d never guess it was that big. Huarez retains the feeling of a remote mountain town.

More interesting photos tagged Huaraz, Peru.

One of the best things about Huaraz is that there’s no airport. Regular Peruvian tourists all fly to Cusco, leaving this part of the Andes to us.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Huarez are:

• Huayhuash Circuit
• Alpamayo
• Santa Cruz Trek

Huayhuash

There are a half dozen more, just as good. And many, many more great treks in the Central Andes.

besthikers – Cafe Andino, Huaraz – Alpamayo Circuit 2004

Best months are May through September, the “Andean Winter”. Acclimatization to altitude is your main concern here. These treks are high.

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6 Best Hikes out of Ushuaia, Patagonia

Anyone who’s visited Ushuaia has vivid memories.

Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the closest large city (80,000) to the South Pole.

There is much to do and see — including great hiking.

  • Tierra del Fuego National Park
  • Martial glacier
  • Esmeralda and Turquesa lakes
  • Vinciguerra Glacier
  • Sierra Valdivieso Trail
  • Dientes de Navarino (across the Beagle Channel in Chile)

Click through for details – Discovering Ushuaia without Breaking the Bank: A Budget Traveler’s Guide (2023)

If you travel that far, we’d recommend spending time in both Ushuaia as well as doing the famed Dientes trek.

Beagle Channel from Chile

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#9 day hike – Puez-Odle Altopiano, Dolomites, Italy

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

  • fantastic vistas of jagged Dolomite peaks
  • family friendly as you can get to elevation with a cablecar
  • 9 miles / 14.5 km with 500 m ascent / 1100 m descent
  • Rifugio Puez is a good destination for lunch or hot drinks
  • extend the walk if you have good weather, time and energy
  • there are many more great hikes nearby

World → Europe → Dolomites → Italy → Puez-Odle Altopiano

photo by Away On The Road

For details click over to our Puez-Odle Altopiano information page.

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Alice Ford’s top Hikes in the World

The Alice Ford Adventures Channel on YouTube is terrific for hikers.

Subscribe.

Recently Alice posted a video of her top 20 hikes on planet Earth.

Tour du Mont Blanc, Alps
West Coast Trail, Canada
Skyline Trail, USA
Wonderland Trial, USA
GR 20, Corsica
Lost City, Columbia
Trans Bhutan Trail
Kalalau Trail, Hawaii
Paine Treks, Patagonia
Salcantay Trail, Peru
Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Alta Via, Italy
Banff Highland Traverse, Canada
Laugavegur and FimmvörðuhálsTrek, Iceland
Arctic Circle Trail, Greenland
Sentinal Trail Tugela Falls, South Africa
Buckskin Gulch, USA
Great Ocean Walk, Australia
Three Capes Track, Australia
Milford Track, New Zealand
Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, USA

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – BestHike TOP 10 Lists

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Nepal MIGHT Ban Independent Trekkers

I’ve hiked Nepal on 10 different vacations. But I’ll stop going if this NEW policy is upheld.

The nation is notoriously poorly governed. Don’t be surprised if Nepal Tourism Board suddenly reverses the policy once they foresee the economic damage.

As of March 2023 there is one major exception — the Everest region. The Khumbu Valley remains unaffected because they don’t use the TIMS card required everywhere else. For Everest, idependent hikers can instead buy a local Khumbu Trek Card.

Perhaps this exception will be changed before the start of the spring 2023 trekking season.

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BERMUDA Rail Trail TEASER

Over the years I’ve cycled and hiked the Bermuda Rail Trail many times.

18 miles (29 km) of a defunct rail line’s right-of-way were dedicated as the Bermuda Railway Trail.

Sounds wonderful. A long day hike on tropical islands. 🌴

However … there are a number of sections where you must walk busy roadways to regain the trail. And the Flatts bridge was not yet opened in February 2023.

This VIDEO is a TEASER for an upcoming post on how to BEST HIKE the Railway Trail.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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#2 best hiking region in the world is the …

South West USA

Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, White Sands National Monument, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. This part of the world is awesome.

We hike the SW USA every year and have yet to be disappointed.

Fascinating, diverse and mind-boggling. The best WOW geological zone we’ve seen anywhere.

More correct would be to call this region the Four Corners.

The high desert plateau intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado Plateau is not the deepest nor largest, but it’s by far the most stunningly beautiful on Earth.

Most of the best slot canyons and natural stone arches in the world are here. A desert, your views are unobstructed. The light is perfect for photography.

The best weather is Oct-Nov, Mar-May. Summers are too hot for most hikers.

Most of the hikes in the Four Corners are short due to lack of water and the real risk of getting lost. People die in this wilderness every year.

Our favourite hike in the Four Corners region is Paria Canyon on the border of Arizona and Utah. You enjoy many days beneath huge walls in a slot canyon.

more from our Paria photo set

if you hike Paria you’ll certainly add on a nearby day hike called The Wave.

more Wave photos

More information on on dozens more great adventures on our new SW USA information page.

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