Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
El Camino de Costa Rica is a breathtaking 280 km / 174 mile hike from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which is no easy feat even for the most experienced hikers.
While it can be intimidating to take on this type of adventure, there are so many incredible things to see and do while trekking this route, from tropical beaches and dense trails to mountain villages and indigenous communities.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore‘s oldest. One of the island nation’s most popular parks.
Highlight for me was seeing 2 of the world’s smallest hoofed animals, the lesser mouse deer.
Not expecting these little guys — about 45 cm (18 inches) and 2 kg (4.4 lb) — my first thought seeing them in the foliage is that they were GIANT RATS. 😀
You can hike a multitude of trails at MacRitchie ➙ or go kayak / canoeing.
I tried the MacRitchie Reservoir and TreeTop Walk Loop.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the TreeTop Walk about 15 minutes after it closed — and, no, you cannot sneak across when locked up. 😀
I had to backtrack a bit. Then continue to the next landmark, Jelutong Tower.
I’m finding the flat jungle walks in Singapore mostly offer views of … jungle.
The tower finally gave me a chance to get up high and see the surrounding vista.
A big surprise is to see so few insects and spiders in October. Nice.
After a couple of months in S.E. Asia, I’m well used to macaques. You see them many times on this hike. But most on the Singapore Island Country Club.
Somewhat marshy in places, this park has a lot of high quality boardwalk.
I was on boardwalk as darkness fell. Lovely over the water.
I shortened the loop somewhat because it got very dark on narrow boardwalks.
Because I was still in the city, I caught a nearby bus and was quickly back to my hostel.
MacRitchie is a terrific urban hike.
by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Singapore Botanic Gardens is a huge tropical green space located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district.
I walked the Singapore Botanic Gardens Loop. Plus some side trips.
This 3.9km trail offers a delightful walk through the a lush tropical oasis and the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
IF you wanted to walk every trail, it would take perhaps 3 hours. The park is huge.
More than 10,000 species of flora are spread over its 82 hectares (200 acres) area, which is stretched vertically; the longest distance between the northern and southern ends is 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
The Botanic Gardens receives about 4.5 million visitors annually. …
The National Orchid Garden is the main attraction within the Botanic Gardens. Located on the mid-western side of the Garden, the hilly three-hectare site has a collection of more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids. …
The park is free. But there is an extra admission cost for the Orchard Garden.
It’s Singapore, so everything is done with quality.
You’ll see many different birds. Chickens. But the most interesting for me are the many Monitor Lizards. Mostly carnivorous. Growing to a length of 1 – 1.5m.
Read a detailed review with photos – A Visitor Guide to Singapore Botanic Gardens
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
I hiked the North Coast Trail in 2012.
Vowed to return to the beaches on the Cape Scott Trail. One day. The best part of the North Coast Trail.
In 2025 I waited for good weather. And headed back to this paradise.
The worst part of this adventure is the 60km drive in on a gravel road. Bring a good vehicle.
Highlights for many in this remote N.W. corner of Vancouver Island is wildlife. Especially bears and the quickly evolving coastal wolves.
The trail itself is super interesting. Plenty of boardwalk.
Some of the old growth trees were cut in the past. But there’s still plenty of fascinating greenery.
First stop is fantastic San Josef Bay (3-4km from the parking lot).
From there, I continued on to the biggest and best beach of all ➙ Nels Bight.
There are a couple of campsites on the way with platforms.
Continue to Nels if you have the time and energy.
This was close to where I camped in 2012.
Sunset was fantastic on the west coast.
Here’s the view from my tent.
Pit toilets are decent.
Be sure to lock up all your food on arrival as bear sightings are almost guaranteed. (I saw only 1 bear next morning. Unlucky. Everyone else saw more.)
Weather on awakening was far more typical. Overcast with fog.
It can be very muddy. Bring good footwear.
On the return to the parking lot, I stopped to read signboards and visit the historical sites.
From 1896-1907 approximately 100 Danish settlers attempted to establish a self-governing farming and fishing community. It was extremely difficult.
A 7-foot-high dyke built to protect these flatlands was wiped out the 1st year.
Later, the government offered incentives to all. By 1912 more than 600 people were homesteading in the Cape Scott area. By 1917 most of the settlers had left the area, leaving behind whatever they could not easily pack out, including farm tools, buildings, stoves, machinery, and vehicles.
Walking out seemed to go more quickly than walking in. That often happens to me on out and back hikes.
Always a pleasure to hike temperate rain forest.
I do hope I get back to the beaches at least once more in this lifetime. 😀
Surprisingly, I saw not one wolf in two days. I’d seen plenty in 2012.
We love Australia. Who doesn’t? What’s not to like? It’s paradise Down Under.
What an exotic treat to have kangaroos and wallabies hanging about your campsite!
“Stunning rocky headlands and perfect beaches, lush rainforests, sun-sharpened deserts and the muted beauty of the bush waking to the trail in Australia offers a kaleidoscope of colours, terrains and adventures for walkers of all levels.” – LP
You have such a wealth of choices: the Blue Mountains (NSW), Whitsunday Islands (QLD), dense subtropical rainforest in Lamington National Park (QLD), Larapinta Trail (NT) out of Alice Springs, wild Kakadu National Park (NT), the rugged Cape-to-Cape (WA) or pretty Wine Glass Bay in Freycinet National Park (TAS).
More information on our Australia information page.
Our favourite hike in Australia is The Overland Track in Tasmania.
See our Overland Track Information page.
First large flowers to bloom in March 2025 in Parksville were skunk cabbage.
It’s an impressive plant found in swamps and wet woods, along streams and in other wet areas of the Pacific Northwest. A distinctive “skunky” odor is characteristic of blooms.
About the same time, Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), also known as Kingcup start to pop up. Also near wetlands, marshes, and along streams and ponds.
Both are impressive, brightening up the trail after a long winter.
In fact, I saw tiny Daisies (Bellis perennis) even earlier. Late February.
Though pretty, we usually remove them from our lawn during the summer — along with dandelions.
Speaking of dandelions — they are among the first flowers to bloom in the spring, a crucial food source for bees as they emerge from hibernation and begin foraging. So I’ll leave the first flowers of the season alone.
The Pekoe Trail is a NEW 22 stage hike through Sri Lanka’s tea plantations.
You can walk it — or sections — year round. Low altitude. Mostly easy, scenic walking.
The major complaint I’ve heard is about leeches on rainy days.
I can relate. I once spent a month in Sri Lanka and was sometimes removing leeches with salt water while still on the move. 😀
AllTrails – Pekoe Trail
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mountain Kingdoms offers a 2-week walking holiday that follows the most scenic and culturally interesting sections of the Pekoe Trail including Horton Plains, the tea capital of Nuwara Eliya and the fabulous views from Ella Rock.
Fully supported, you walk between small hotels, original bungalows and mountain lodges carrying just a day pack, with all transfers, meals and sightseeing included.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Pampas grass or pampas-grass or Pap’s grass are common names for several similar-looking, tall-growing species of grass.
Cortaderia selloana is native to southern South America, including the Pampas region after which it is named.
It is widely distributed throughout the world as a cultivated ornamental plant. And it is common in the yards on Vancouver Island where I’m at right now.
In fact, it’s my favourite of the ornamental plants here. Tall, impressive, and pretty.
That said, many gardeners hate the stuff, considering it an invasive weed. It’s difficult to manage.
Click PLAY or watch a short montage on YouTube.
by site editor Rick McCharles
The BEST thing about coastal Vancouver Island ➙ we can hike and cycle year round.
As I post in January, we’ve yet to have any snow in Parksville.
This YouTube #short was shot on iPhone 16 Pro in vertical. In and around Qualicum Beach.
Most of the clips were shot in the Heritage Forest, a 50-acre pocket of old growth coastal Douglas fir, western red cedar, grand fir, Sitka spruce, and hemlock.
Personally, the many wildly varied stumps I found most photogenic.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
One of our BEST VIDEOS.
One of the best urban hikes anywhere is right through the heart of Valencia, Spain — though a huge green space that runs through the city.
After a catastrophic flood in 1957, the city drained and rerouted the Turia river creating a sunken park. Ideal for walking and all outdoor activities.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Sadly, the city was flooded again in 2024.
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