Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
We got a recommendation from John Brawner for the Ausangate Peru Company, owned and managed by Edgar.
He took a 6 day guided trek with them.
Details, testimonials and prices on AusangatePeru.com.
Having done this adventure myself with a guide and pack animals for only one day, I know it‘s tricky to do independently. If you have any lack of overconfidence at all, get a guide.
Ausangate is our #4 hike in the world.
Find out more on our Ausangate information page.
KAMADAC is a German – Venezuelan run travel agency based out of nearby Santa Elena.
Their guides speak Spanish, German and English.
How can you resist?
The prices are really good value. Click through to see for yourself – kamadac.de
LittlePo Adventures is a relationship-based guiding service, a bridge connecting international explorers with natural wonders in China and Taiwan. Equipped with abundant local knowledge, language skills, and outdoor professionalism, the staff of LittlePo Adventures creates personal expeditions and decorates them with cultural touches.
LittlePo is a Chinese / American friend of mine. Her company is recommended for those who want to trek China, but who’s Manderin is rusty.
Click PLAY or watch the beautiful new trailer for the company on Vimeo.
The Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains) in Peru are one of the best trekking destinations in the world. The jumping off point is the town of Huaraz.
There are some interesting Google Earth routes shown on this site, including this one of the nearby Huayhuash range.
The best months of the year for hiking this region are May through August. Check our Central Andes information page for best hikes there.
Huayhuash.com is part of PEAKS PERU SAC, the mayor Tour Operator in The Peruvian Andes, specialized in organizing Trekking, mountaineering tours and all kind of adventure travels …
Thanks Geoff.
A terrific trip report by one terrific hiker, author Peter Potterfield.
This time Peter is checking out a new itinerary invented by Ian Elman, founder of Southern Yosemite Mountain guides, which won National Geographic Adventure magazine’s trip-of-the-year honours in 2008:
… a sixty mile backcountry journey that takes the hiker through the Ansel Adams Wilderness, over Post Peak Pass and into Yosemite National Park, and along the unique drainage of the Merced River before reaching, eventually, the dramatic high country of Tuolumne Meadows. A side trip to the summit of Half Dome via the cable route is a standard feature of the journey. …
I’ve always considered this region (#4 ranked in the world) hiking heaven.
Click through to Great Outdoors for the full trip report with annotated photos
by site editor Rick McCharles
I’m off to Europe on Sept. 30th. Where should I hike?
Here’s one option. …
… This varied guided walking holiday lets you discover the breathtaking natural beauty of the subtropical island of La Gomera.
Together with experienced Headwater guide, Neil Flynn, in our air-conditioned minibus we take you to the starting points of the most exciting trails. The walks lead you through a bewildering variety of landscape, from the misty heights of the Garajonay peak, to fertile terraces dotted with palms, and rugged ravines. We follow goat herder’s tracks and ancient paths lined with tall palms, linking almost inaccessible villages and hermitages perched above dramatic gorges. A plantlover’s paradise, we may spot many endemic – sometimes rare – species like fleshy stonecrop, yellow jasmine or pink mallow. …
Headwater – Walking on La Gomera
more La Gomera photos
(via the the Headwater Swap Snow for Sunshine page)
Best write-up ever. Very funny.
The Lost City is accessible via a challenging but picturesque five-day trek that can be organized in the nearby tourist towns of Santa Marta and Taganga.
Several companies operate tours to the ruins, including the highly-recommended Magic Tour and Turcol. (Incidentally, Edwin Rey, a guide for Turcol, was one of the people kidnapped by the ELN in 2003. He’s the one holding up the sign in the photo below. He’ll be happy to show you newspaper clippings about his improbable escape through the thick forest after only one day in captivity.) …
Your group could contain anywhere from six to twenty-two people; friends are easily made by all but the most awkward. …
Gadling – Ciudad Perdida: The spectacular five-day trek to Colombia’s Lost City
The Lost City is one of the best treks in South America. Check our besthike information page – Lost City.
Very inexpensive.
42 miles (67km) plus side trips – 5 days
Our favourite hike in the S.W. United States is Paria Canyon.
Logistics are a problem, however. Only 20 permits are issued each day, one of the most difficult to acquire anywhere.
… Also, it’s a 2hr drive between the trailheads.
… Also, there’s a slight chance of flash flood !!
You can do Paria independently, … but it’s far easier to sign on with a guiding company like Just Roughin It:
On the first morning, we will pick you up from your hotel in Phoenix or Flagstaff and drive to the trail head at White House Ruins. Once at the trail head, the group loads up and hikes along the Paria River from there.
Our goal on the first t day is to reach the Paria Narrows and eventually camp at the confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria River. The hike is 7.5 miles long with very little change in elevation and usually take about 5 hours to complete.
The next day we will set aside time for a 3 mile side hike up the narrow Buckskin Gulch, one of the most famous, and longest, slot canyons in the world. From here we will move further down river to one of several campsites to choose from.
From here, the itinerary is open except for the being at Lee’s Ferry on the 5th day. Along the way to Lee’s Ferry, time permitting, there are opportunities to explore other slot canyons and sites in the area – including petroglyphs, historical sites and Wrather Arch which is one of the largest spans in the world. …
The price for this trip is $1,225 per person from Flagstaff and $1,275 per person from Phoenix.
official website – Just Roughin It Adventure Company.
My friend LittlePo, a Chinese national living in the USA, is organizing a terrific adventure.
I made a similar guided trip 13yrs ago. It was superb.
LittlePo Adventures is offering a discounted rate for Trekking Sichuan before we add this trip to our official trip database.
The cost of $1300.00 includes two nights lodging in Chengdu, one night lodging in Rilong, food, horses and horsepackers, ground transportation, park admission, some group gear (rope, protection gear, cooking stoves, fuel) and permit. Two awesome guides will be on board: one who speaks Chinese as her native language and knows the region; the other is an experienced mountain guide and photographer. Participants will get a DVD after the trip.
The trip is horse supported. Pack is light. The major challenges will be altitude (as we’ll attempt two peaks over 16,500 feet) and weather; however the weather in September is usually pleasant. Any avid day hiker will be able to finish the trek. …
Details on LittlePo.com
Consider adding on a flight to Tibet in September. Chengdu is the best airport to make that flight.
George and I had a female guide on the Choquequirao trek in Peru. We made no special request. She simply happened to be the next experienced guide available.
Cool.
Increasingly the world’s top trails are seeing more female guides. They’re in high demand by female hikers who, understandably, feel more comfortable.
I was happy to see this post on the Women Travel blog:
Mary “Mumbi” Kariuki has been guiding on the trails of Mt. Kenya, Kilimanjaro, and other East African mountains for 8 years – and she’s not over the hill yet. In 2001 Mary officially became the first, and only, rated female guide serving these mountains. Before she was a guide, Mary worked her way through the ranks as all African guides should have, as a porter. …
Leave a comment if you’ve more stories of female guides on the world’s great treks.
besthike.com 