Category: guided hikes

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Huayhuash Circuit – Peru

by site editor Rick McCharles

Personally, my guided Huayhuash Circuit trek of 2004 (PHOTOS) was the ‘best’ hike of my life.

Huayhuash is fantastic.

Peruvian Soul guides that trip today:

… The demanding and strenuous trek that has place in this 30km long mountain range is one of the most rewarding in the world. With its breathtaking views of awe-inspiring snow mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and wildlife, Huayhuash has become a must for all trekkers around the globe.

While trekking Huayhuash you will be able to appreciate all the majesty of Yerupaja (Peru´s second highest peak with 6634masl) and Siula Grande (6636masl) which was the famous scenery of Joe Simpson’s epic book, based on his and Simon Yate’s true story of survival, “Touching the Void”. …

more photos

• 6-16 days with this option recommended:

Difficulty: Challenging
Duration: 9D/8N
Length of the trail: Approx. 124km/77 miles
Trekking distance per day (approx): 15km

Check the extremely enticing website for a detailed breakdown of that adventure – Huayhuash Mountain Range – A trek of a lifetime!

You’d need contact them to find out prices.

related – our besthike Huayhuash Circuit information page

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42 day trek Dolpo, Mustang, Nepal $5550

If I had the cash, I’d definitely sign on for this guided adventure led by Jamie McGuinness.

Highlights

+ Upper Mustang
+ stunning, otherworldly scenery
+ remote, little trekked route
+ magical Dolpo
+ a landscape photographer’s paradise
+ REAL exploration!

Sept 25 – Nov 5, 2011

Watch Jamie’s HIGHLIGHT photos from the 2010 edition of this trek.

details on project-himalaya.com

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hike Wells Gray Park, B.C.

Wells Gray Park has a summer adventure for everyone! The best hiking trip in BC- Hut to hut through alpine flower meadows, lakes and old growth forests. Canoe the pristine waters of Clearwater and Azure Lakes and relax on the beaches.

Hike the incredible Wells Gray Park wilderness in an environmentally sensitive way with only a small pack and stay in the comfort of a wilderness cabin. This trip is one of the best hikes in British Columbia. The all inclusive fully guided and catered outdoor adventures start at only $130/day. …

details on skihike.com

For more information call 1888 754 8735 or email info@skihike.com

Thanks Ian Eakins for the link. Sadly I’ve never hiked that Park myself.

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Dientes Circuit, Patagonia

The Patagonia You’ve Never Heard Of

Backpacking southern Chile’s obscure and wild Dientes Circuit

By Michael Lanza

As our 20-seat, twin-engine Otter DHC-6 prop plane drops through the ever-present Patagonian cloud cover, the Beagle Channel comes into view. On both sides, green hills rise to craggy, treeless mountains. To the north, the jagged Fuegian Andes of Argentina push into the sky. To the south looms our destination: the sharply pointed spires of the Dientes de Navarino. With a steep banking turn, the plane glides down onto the airstrip in the southernmost town in the world, Puerto Williams on Chile’s Navarino Island. …

read the trip report on The Big Outside

22.7-mile (36.5k) circuit

If you are not confident to go on your own, you can do this one guided, 6 days, 5 nights ($1300+) , by aonikenk.

I keep posting Dientes, the most southerly established trek in the world, because I’m still frustrated at having missed it myself on my one trip to the tip of South America.

I’m seriously considering going back in 2012.

Check out Dientes information page.

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top 10 Himalayan Treks

Mick from Wilderness Trekking questions our choice of the Annapurna Circuit as one of the top 10 hikes in the world:

… road building and the inevitable changes with so much trekking traffic have taken their toll …

He suggests a number of terrific alternatives:

Sacred Tsum Valley – Nepal
Classic Manaslu Circuit – Nepal
Everest Base Camp – Nepal
Dolpo Traverse – Nepal
Mythical Nar & Phu – Nepal

Mount Kailas Kora – Tibet

Remote Zanskar Traverse – India
Markha Valley – India

Wild Lunana – Bhutan
Phubjikha Festivals – Bhutan

Wilderness Trekking

Mick’s company guides those great adventures. For example:

… Our Phubjhika Festivals trek combines exploration of many of Bhutan’s historic places of interest, including Taksang, or the Tigers Nest Monastery and coincides with perfectly preserved, ancient Buddhist Festivals.

Making use of a chain of comfortable Bhutanese style hotels, we travel with experienced, English speaking local guides who will be able to interpret our experiences and offer personal insights into this fascinating culture. No trip to Bhutan would be complete without a walk through the Himalayan mountains and our gentle three day trek in the Phubjhika Valley, home of the endangered ‘Black Necked Cranes’ will give us just enough time to relax into the Himalayan rhythm before visiting the annual Nyzer Dromchoe Festival. …

details

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7 day Grand Canyon hike

Scott Cundy from The Wildand Trekking Company recommends this guided adventure for experienced hikers:

The Kanab Creek Backpacking Tour is a 7-day, 6-night North Rim hike that takes us nearly 25 miles into the Grand Canyon before we turn around and hike out.

It features spring-fed creeks, ancient pictographs, slot canyon hiking, fantastic camps, and a chance to see the Colorado River at one of its most remote points.

The trip begins with a day of hiking through the Kanab Creek Wilderness and an amazing camp with pictographs and fantastic spring water. The next day we traverse Jump Up Canyon, a 4-mile slot canyon that narrows to just 15 feet wide while towering hundreds of feet above us, and enter the Kanab Creek drainage.

The next two days we’ll continue down the Kanab Creek Drainage toward the Colorado River, passing Showerbath Spring, Whisper Falls, and other amazing desert water features along the way. After a hike to the Colorado River on day 4, we turn around and begin hiking out, soaking up the views of the famous Red Wall and the North Rim the whole way!

A final night at our first night’s camp is an opportunity to reminisce about the trip and plan our next adventure in to the world’s most famous canyon.

Details – Kanab Creek Adventure ($1495)

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trek Dientes Circuit, Patagonia

An agency in Puerto Natales, Chile called Dragon de la Patagonia is now offering a guided trip on the Dientes Circuit on Isla Navarino.

On our list of the established best hikes in the world, this is the most southerly. Independent hikers often get lost.

… off the beaten track and through unspoiled nature and wild landscapes of Tierra del Fuego, far away from civilization. From Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino we prepare ourselves for this unique hike around the “Dientes de Navarino” – mountain chain.

During this hike we will walk through mystical southern beech forests, cross vast snowfields and have an impressive view over the Beagle channel. Over and over again we find ourselves close to the rugged peaks that give this hike its name while passing through this rough mountainous landscape. The nights on the trek we spend in a tent in the great outdoors with view on snow-covered summits with small lakes at their feet. Before and after the hike we sleep in comfortable guesthouses. …

details – Dientes de Navarino

The 9 day itinerary starts at $1990.

Check our Dientes information page.

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guided treks in Nepal

Richard Tulloch spoke to the advantages of guided trekking in Nepal:

It’s pretty simple really. Lots of places have great hiking, but Nepal has the greatest treks of them all. I was privileged to be invited on this trip, and ‘voluntourism’ was an excellent way to start. I can’t gush about this enough!

… in 2006 the Kushudebu Medical Centre opened, with Ang Tshering as its president, and support from organisations including Australian schools, travel company World Expeditions and many individuals. It now treats over 10,000 patients a year, and pays for the medical training of young Nepalis who will be its future staff. …

Ten Australians and three Britons have come to Nepal to work on Ang Tshering’s next initiative, building incinerators to dispose of the garbage polluting land and waterways. Then he’s taking us on a nine-day trek. …

This site is mainly geared for independent hikers. But we love guided treks, as well.

They are much more social. And having local guides makes your adventure a much richer experience.

World Expeditions runs guided treks combined with community development projects in Nepal. Cost of $2790 includes 18 days accommodation (a mix of tents, lodges and hotels), all meals while on the trek, local flights and transfers, guiding and equipment.

worldexpeditions.com.au – Everest Base Camp

First published – Sun-Herald, Sydney

Read the very entertaining trip report on Richard’s blog –
TREKKING NEPAL – simply the best.

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Annapurna now requires guides

As a follow-up to last week’s post on Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal

David DeFranza writes something new to me:

Permits, Porters and Guides

The Annapurna Sanctuary trek is largely contained within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), a national park that covers 7,629 square kilometers. Entry into the park requires the purchase of an ACAP Entry Permit. The permit requires an application and two passport photos. It costs about $60 USD and can be obtained in a single day from offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

In addition to this permit, all trekkers in Nepal are now required to register for and obtain a card through the Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS). This new card has replaced the controversial TRC permit introduced in 2006 and is available for free through a trekking agency, the Nepal Tourism Board, or the Trekkers Agencies’ Association of Nepal. The card can be issued in either Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Although people still circumvent the system, trekkers are now required to hire at least one Nepali staff member (a porter or guide) per group.

Many independent travelers are initially upset by this proposition. However, almost everyone who finds a knowledgeable guide from a quality company comes away admitting that it improved the overall trekking experience. …

read more – Matador – Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal

Independent hiking is still allowed in the Everest region. If you want to go it alone, that’s a big reason to bypass Annapurna and head for Lukla, instead.

Leave a comment if you know more about the mandatory guide regulation. It’s not clearly stated on the official government website.

Here’s an independent 2008 Circuit trip report – No Guide, No Problem! – The Annapurna Circuit

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Milford Track, New Zealand

If you checked out Jed Micka’s Hiker’s Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt trip report you know that they are detailed, amusing with superb photos.

Here’s one of Jed’s earlier treks, the famed Milford Track. He couldn’t get a spot for an independent hike … so signed on for one a guided adventure. … A guided adventure being the kind where you have hot chocolate waiting at the hut. And hot showers.

It’s a fixed itinerary:

Day 1: Lake Te Anau to Glade House
Day 2: Glade House to Pompolona Lodge
Day 3: Pompolona Lodge to Quintin Lodge
Day 4: Quintin Lodge to Sandfly Point

Back in 2002 Jed was a “rookie” hiker with new untested gear. He writes his impressions at that time:

… It begins with a boat-ride from lake Te Anau to a drop-off point, from which one must traverse wetlands, temperate rainforest, suspension bridges, and an alpine pass, before finishing some 53km later, at Sandfly Point, on the edge of Milford Sound. Because of the delicate nature of the ecosystem and the inherent danger to the hikers (for some portions of the trail are routinely submersed under the very heavy rain and others traverse avalanche fields … 56 in all!) …

After arriving at Sandfly Point, weary, bitten, yet still elated, we boarded a ferry that took us to Mitre Lodge, where we had rooms, a hot meal, plenty of wine, and a dry pair of clothes waiting for us.

And although the hike was nominally finished for me, I knew that it was just a beginning: an introduction to the world of trekking that had already infected me with a desire to explore other regions of the planet. With this in mind I carefully catalogued the gear that worked well for me, and that which needed to be remedied before my next hike …

click over to Jed’s site to read more – The Milford Trek