Category: alpine

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World’s Best Trekking Destinations

Kudos to Open Travel for posting an excellent and original list.

Pack your pack. Here are some excellent options:

1. Colombia. The Andes.
2. Tajikistan. The Pamir.
3. The USA. California.
4. Argentina and Chile. Patagonia.
5. Iceland.
6. Slovakia. The Tatras.
7. Kazakhstan.
8. The USA. Alaska.

I’ve always been intrigued by this spot, in particular.

… The travelers are still rare in Kazakhstan, so the vastness of its highlands is literally all for those who decide to venture into this remote state in Central Asia. This huge country, the ninth largest in the world, contains two grand ranges: the Tian Shan and the Altai Mountains, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together. The beauty, remoteness and wilderness of the country go beyond imagination. Although the mountain areas cover around 10% of the Kazakhstan’s territory, their untouched and breathtaking landscapes make it one of the world’s most rewarding trekking and hiking destinations. …

read more, enjoy more great photos – Open Travel – World’s Best Trekking and Hiking Destinations

I once met a woman from Kazakhstan. She warned me that I’d be robbed or kidnapped should I trek independently in her beautiful country.

…

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hike Waterton National Park in Canada

Continuous with Glacier National Park in Montana, Waterton in Alberta is one of our favourite hiking destinations.

It’s home to our #6 best hike in the world, Glacier North Circle.

Rachel Tynan from Waterton Park Inns and Resorts recommends the ExperienceWaterton.com hiking page:

Waterton Lakes National Park boasts world class hiking trails with unparalled scenery and the opportunity for many wildlife encounters. There are 255 km (191 miles) of managed trails in Waterton Lakes National Park. Ranging in difficulty from short jaunts to steep advanced treks that can take days. …

read more

Our other favorite hikes in that park:

• Tamarack Trail
• Crypt Lake
• Carthew/Alderson

Besthike world headquarters is Calgary, Canada. We’ve been hiking Waterton for decades. Like Glacier, it’s one of the very best places in the world to see wildlife. (One day we saw 6 bears!)

more Waterton photos

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avoid crowds on the Tongariro Crossing

When adventure writer Richard Tulloch refers to the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand as ” the world’s greatest one day hike”, we don’t argue.

It’s fantastic.

If there’s one valid criticism, it’s that the tramp is too popular. On a clear day you’ll be only one of thousands of walkers.

Richard had some advice new to me. He signed on …

… with a tour group guided by Stewart and Chris from Adrift Outdoors, who have devised cunning ways of seeing the best of the area while avoiding the crowds.

Stewart guides walks starting in the dark to catch the sunrise, winter expeditions with crampons and ice-axes, as well as today’s planned adventure, an ‘off track’ loop taking us to the summit of Mt Tongariro itself, and across a part of the park where few people go. …

details on his blog: Richard Tulloch’s LIFE ON THE ROAD – TONGARIRO CROSSING – the world’s greatest one day hike?

besthike information page – Tongariro Alpine Crossing

An even better way to avoid the mob is our favourite multi-day hike in New Zealand, the Tongariro Northern Circuit. It includes all of the famed “Crossing”.

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5 great hikes in the USA

Outdoor Camping Survival personal favorites:

1 – Breakneck Ridge Trail, Hudson Highlands State Park in NY

2 – Glacier Gorge, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park

3 – Mount Whitney, California

4 – Appalachian Trail: The Pinnacle

5 – Conundrum Hot Springs, Colorado

Of these, only Mount Whitney is specifically on our list of the best hikes in North America, so far.

marklarson on the Pinnacle
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trek the Curzon Trail, India

Henry Wismayer authored an excellent article published by The Telegraph: Garhwal Himalayas: trekking the Curzon Trail

He points out how the Garhwal Himalayas in India might have been as popular with hikers as Nepal. This is an entertaining read.

… this five-day trek is the marquee route along the western rim of the Unesco-prescribed Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve – but there isn’t much accommodation in these parts so everything we need, including food, cooking rings and an antiquated A-frame tent, is coming with us.

It pays to come prepared. On the next terrace down are three bearded Bavarians who set off from the Ghat trailhead expecting the amenities of Annapurna.

“There is nowhere to buy food here?” had come the incredulous reply …

I’d love to hike there.

… There is no tourist paraphernalia in the mountain settlements – no tea-houses selling pizza and home-made chang – just corncobs hanging from the lintels and chillies scattered over sackcloth to dry. Outside Pana, an ancient goatherd asks Biru if I want to buy marijuana; this is the only clue that other trekkers have been here before us. …

read the article – Garhwal Himalayas: trekking the Curzon Trail

Wismayer has a photo set too. Click through to flickr – The Curzon Trail

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Everest Base Camp – gay weddings wanted

A gay politician in Nepal wants you to wed beneath the world’s highest peak.

Tourism is one of the main drivers of Nepal’s economy, worth about £228 million last year, and government officials are determined to double tourism to 1 million visitors next year.

They hope gay tourists will be far more lucrative than the backpackers who stay in cheap hotels and travel on shoestring budgets.

Stepping up tourism: Nepal is hoping to target gay travellers who are interested in more active holidays

“They do have a lot of income…they are high-spending consumers,” said Aditya Baral, spokesman for the Nepal Tourism Board. “If they behave well, if they have money, we don’t discriminate.”

The driving force behind the tourism push is Sunil Pant, a member of parliament, the nation’s most prominent gay activist and founder of the Pink Mountain tour company.

“The nation’s mountains, food and culture are a natural tourist magnet”, says Pant. Additionally, gay tourists could get married at Everest base camp and honeymoon on an elephant safari — though since Nepal doesn’t marry foreigners, such weddings would have no legal status, he said. …

Read more … or not

In a totally unrelated story, The Adventure Blogger, Kraig Becker, is planning on a trek to Base Camp during the Spring “flower” season.

In a totally unrelated photo, aren’t fishing babes wonderful?

Those Great Outdoors bloggers are still O.K.

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Machu Picchu reopens April 1st

The Inca Trail is still closed, but there’s been progress in getting one of the world’s top attractions back to business after severe flood damage earlier this year.

The vital rail link to Peru’s sacred ruins of Machu Picchu will reopen on 29 March, ready for the Inca site itself to open on 1 April …

Wanderlust

The cheap train is not opening, note.

On the bright side, the normally near useless Peruvian government is cutting air fares and hotel rates hoping to draw tourists to Cuzco.

All the alternative trails to Mach Picchu are open, including our favourite Choquequirao to Machu Picchu.

Consider, too, the 4 treks in Peru we like best:

• Ausangate Circuit TOP 10
• Huayhuash Circuit
• Alpamayo
• Santa Cruz Trek

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Biking Across the Alaska Range

An inspiring photo by Bill Hatcher for National Geographic.

(Photograph taken on assignment for, but not published in, “Biking Across the Alaska Range: A Wild Ride,” May 1997, National Geographic magazine)

The team of Carl Tobin, Paul Adkins, and Roman Dial completed a 775-mile (1250-kilometer) bike trip across the Alaska Range in seven weeks. Their aim was to travel light, with feather-light titanium bikes and less than 20 pounds (8 kilograms) each in food, clothing, and gear.

Photo of the Day

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Great Himalaya Trail – Nepal

AMAR DEV SINGH tried to cross the entire length of the western Himalaya with a group of friends in 2007.

… While we were able to complete large sections of the trek we were ultimately beaten by the red tape and bureaucracy of the Indian government. …

He’s recommended World Expeditions, “the first commercial trip along the Nepal section” of the longer Great Himalaya Trail.

Contact World Expeditions and be specific in a request for information on the new Great Himalaya Trail adventure, if you are interested. They’ll take care of the logistics and paperwork.

map

In fact, Sierra Blogging Post says you can sign up for a 150 day Great Himalaya Trekking Thru Hike. If that happens, I’d have to declare it the “best thru hike” in the world.

Wow!

(via The Adventure Blog)

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best hikes in the Himalaya

One World Trekking’s Andy Crisconi on ekoVenture:

In my humble opinion, these are five of the greatest trekking adventures in the world’s greatest mountain range. I call these “gourmet” treks – off the beaten path walks in the nooks and crannies of the Great Range. You won’t see Mount Everest on any of these trips (or many people for that matter), but you will have the opportunity to wander through obscure mountainous regions, visit remote villages, pitch a tent in picturesque campsites and immerse yourself in some of the world’s last enclaves of pure Buddhist culture. Go with greatness!

Bhutan: The Snowman Trek

Pakistan: The K2 Base Camp Trek

Nepal: Upper Dolpo & the Snow Leopard Trek

Nepal: The NarPhu Valleys and Annapurna Circuit

India: The Zanskar Traverse

Nepal: Humla & the Hidden Himalayas

ekoVenture – HIMALAYAN TREKKING: TOP 5 TREKKING JOURNEYS IN THE HIMALAYA

Click through to One World Trekking for details on Andy’s guided treks.

Of that list I’m personally most interested in K2 and Zanskar.