W Trek In Patagonia

One of the best hikes in South America is the W Trek in Patagonian Chile.

Unforgettable.

The better alternative — in our opinion — is the longer Paine Circuit. It includes the W Trek.

If you can’t do the Circuit, do the W !

Zac and Ine had good weather — but typical high speed winds near the glacier.

They booked everything in advance.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Ausangate Trek, Peru – Guided

This site features the best independent hikes.

And we did hike our #1 trek in South America independently in 2005.

It wasn’t easy.

Adam and Kathryn signed on for a guided trek with AB Expeditions — and were VERY happy with the experience.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Hiking Wonderwall & Wonderland, UAE

If you get to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, consider heading out to the Western Hajar Mountains, which run alongside the border with Oman.

Perhaps the BEST hike / scramble is Wonderwall & Wonderland.

Others include:

  • White Wadi
  • Jabal Jais southside
  • Leopard Canyon

Add on abseiling, if you sign on with Adventurati guides.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Top 10 Coastal Hikes ➙ South Coast Track, Tasmania

South Coast Track in Australia is one of our top 10 coastal hikes in the world.

BUT — it’s challenging walk in a region of Tasmania exposed to harsh weather conditions. There are no huts along the track. Track conditions are often difficult. Walkers must be fully self-sufficient, well-equipped and experienced.

Hire a guide if this worries you.

Why?

  • surreal, unique Tasmanian seascapes
  • entirely within Southwest National Park
  • flying in, walking out, the standard route is 82km (51mi)
  • 6-8 days Melaleuca to Cockle Creek
  • best months December to March
  • wild, inspiring, rugged
  • World Heritage wilderness
  • alpine peaks, pristine beaches, alpine meadows, dense rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, dune communities, dry coastal forest and more
  • no booking required
  • no quotas on numbers of bushwalkers
  • chance to see some of the weird and wonderful — sometimes dangerous — Aussie wildlife

Click PLAY or watch a Tasmanian Expeditions promo video on YouTube.

For details, click over to our South Coast Track information page.

Salcantay Trek, Peru

My friend Krista just finished the Salcantay trek guided by Salkantay Trekking.

Salcantay, Salkantay, or Sallqantay (in Quechua) are all commonly used.

Salcantay’s proximity to Machu Picchu makes this trek to the town of Machupicchu (Aguas Calientes) a better alternative to the oversubscribed Inca Trail.

Krista loved the adventure. But definitely found it challenging.

The longer you have in advance to acclimatize to altitude, the better.

If planning on Salcantay, research the hike in advance.

Not mentioned in this video are the biting insects. They are not always a nuisance — but for me they were the biggest consideration. I had them on the trail. And at Machu Picchu.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Climbing Rinjani Volcano near Bali, Indonesia

Mount Rinjani (IndonesianGunung RinjaniSasakGunong Rinjani) is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok

It rises to 3,726 metres (12,224 ft).

Adjacent to the volcano is a 6-by-8.5-kilometre (3.7 by 5.3 mi) caldera, which is filled partially by the crater lake known as Segara Anak or Anak Laut (Child of the Sea), due to the color of its water.

I’m very keen to climb it myself, perhaps with India Hikes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Toilet System on Indiahikes Trips

One of the BEST reasons for signing on with a Guiding Company is how they take care of your toilet needs.

When toilets are available, they plan stops. When tenting away from civilization, they provide excellent and sheltered toilets.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Women – 140 days Great Himalaya Trail

Wow. What an undertaking.

The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (GHT Women Leaders campaign) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the roles and status of female Nepali guides and porters in Nepal.

The campaign involves organizing a group of female Nepali guide(s) and porters to trek on the Great Himalaya Trail for 140 days beginning February until July of 2024.

This campaign is in support of the mission of the non-profit human rights organization, The Porter Voice Collective, which aims to advocate for the human rights of porters in Peru, Nepal & Tanzania via all forms of media and storytelling. …

Details

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Anu Shrestha, Campaign Manager (Nepal)

Gauri Malakar, Campaign Advisor

Sara Frenning, PVC Researcher & Campaign Coordinator, Videographer

Pema T. Sherpa, GHT Logistics Coordinator

Marinel de Jesus, Campaign Manager (Global)

Was Nepal right to ban solo trekking in the Himalayas?

That’s the title of a thoughtful article on National Geographic:

Part of the magic of trekking in Nepal used to be how easy it was to get started, but on 1 April 2023, the government imposed a radical shake-up of the country’s trekking rules. Whereas previously travellers could hike alone anywhere in the country, now they must hire a guide to walk through Nepal’s 12 national parks and six conservation areas, including the popular Everest Base Camp and Annapurna …

 “For less-experienced trekkers, having a good guide can definitely enhance your trekking experience, but guides aren’t trained to a consistent standard in Nepal,” says Bradley Mayhew, author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya guidebook. “Encouraging trekkers to hire a guide by providing better-trained guides would be a smarter approach than forcing all trekkers to take a guide, regardless of their experience.” …

Nat Geo

As an experienced hiker who’s been to Nepal more than 10 times, I’ll switch to the Indian Himalaya.

But there are certainly some advantages in requiring a guide for new trekkers.

related – Our guide to INDEPENDENT trekking in Nepal — back when it was still allowed.