guided hikes – Page 24

March 29, 2010January 7, 2016

female trekking guide – East Africa

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. …

Mumbi – female trekking guide in East Africa

Leave a comment if you’ve more stories of female guides on the world’s great treks.

March 10, 2010

self-guided hiking in Europe

Last summer in Europe I met many hikers on “self-guided” trips. That concept is very popular there, not so much anywhere else.

Here’s how it works.

You hire a company to do all your logistics in advance: transportation, accommodation, some meals, etc.

They choose a “best” itinerary for you. No need to plan.

One example from Bredson Outdoor Adventures:

We will be offering a special one-time, 10 night/11 day, self-guided departure from July 18 – 28, 2010 that melds the best of our two existing French Pyrenees self-guided hiking itineraries with an opportunity to view two legs of the Tour de France as it passes through the Pyrenees. During this anniversary year of the Tour de France you’ll have an opportunity to see history in the making as the Tour celebrates its 100th year in the Pyrenees. This trip is rated moderate to strenuous. …

Ten nights, half board (breakfast and dinner).

Minimum two star hotels and likely one three star hotel, all with private bath; friendly, traditional accommodations in beautiful settings with very good food

Local transport and baggage shuttle included.

Price: $2,300 USD per person double occupancy. Minimum 2 people. No single rooms available. Price reductions available for more than two people.

Deposit of $500/person by the beginning of December in order to secure hotels.

details

This sounds ideal for someone who’s always wanted to hike the Pyrenees. AND who loves the Tour.

Check the cost, however. About $200/day plus extras. Not everything is covered in your package.

You could do a similar trip independently cheaper, … if you’ve got the gumption and language skillz.

March 3, 2010February 28, 2010

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.

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)

March 1, 2010February 27, 2010

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.

January 27, 2010

want to hike Torngat, Labrador?

It ain’t easy …

Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador launched another ad in its already very successful ad campaign. This latest ad features Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Nunatsiavut. …

bluepeak.net – New Labrador ad

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… The park, 9,700 sq.km, is probably one of the most difficult parks in Canada to reach. Even the parks in Nunavut are easier to get to. It’s not only the remoteness, but especially the weather and ferocious winds that make getting here an adventure in itself.

If the weather is good, then the park is about 1 hours’ flying or up to two days by fishing boat north of Nain, Labrador’s northernmost community. There are no scheduled flights or boats to the park, and once you arrive, there are no facilities.

Safety is a real concern, as polar bears roam throughout the park. Since only Inuit are allowed to carry arms, visitors should always be accompanied by an Inuit guide. A good idea in any case, as the area is also infamous for its quickly changing weather and strong “ghost” winds that can appear out of nowhere. …

bluepeak

January 1, 2010January 1, 2010

trekking in China

Szu-ting Yi, better known online as LittlePo, just hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge in southern China. One of our best hikes in Asia.

By email:

… I’d love to wish you a merry Christmas. I am right now in Lijiang, which is located at northwest of the Yunnan province in China. Two days ago, I hiked the trail overlooking the tiger leaping gorge, it was an amazing hike: sheer cliffs along the river, constant mountain views, and raging water. …

LittlePo is more of a climber than a hiker. But she’s in China doing research:

… My primary objective is to perform reconnaissance for my adventure travel business, LittlePo Adventures (a working title), and therefore I have been actively investigating aesthetic areas in China for active exploration and ultimate adventure. In the meanwhile, I have been making connections with local businesses and proposing collaboration projects with local residents.

Developing Business Ideas

I’ll be following this venture. Having trekked in China independently and illegally, I can assure you it’s a PAIN. Much better would be to sign on with a trekking company with guides who speak Mandarin and who have connections.

December 30, 2009December 30, 2009

trek Annapurna with Chris Bonington

Wouldn’t it be great to take a long hike with one of the great legends of mountaineering, Sir Chris Bonington?

You can …

ANNAPURNA 2010
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY TRIP with SIR CHRIS BONINGTON

This very special trip is the 50th Anniversary of Sir Chris Bonington’s first ascent of Annapurna II and the 40th Anniversary of his assent of the South Face of Annapurna I. Travelling a very special route, Sir Chris will be joining us for the entire trek.

Trek Leader: Joe Bonington
Duration: 23 days (Kathmandu–Kathmandu)
Departing: 5th May 2010 (Very Limited Places – Enquire)
Price: £5,000

Likely the most expensive Annapurna trek ever sold. I’d LOVE to be there.

details on BoningtonTreks.com

(via Wide World and The Adventure Blog)

Annapurna is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

December 16, 2009

trek Choquequirao, Peru – $140

The “new” Machu Picchu is steadily getting developed.

This “lost city” fascinated 19th century explorers, and Hiram Bingham visited it two years before he discovered Machu Picchu. Difficult to reach, the ruins are rarely visited by travellers.

The southern approach to Choquequirao from Cachora requires a steep descent from almost 3200 metres down to the Apurímac river at 1200 metres, followed by an even steeper ascent up to the ruins. The site is perched a magnificent 1150 metres above the Apurímac, surrounded by densely-forested mountain slopes in the shadow of the huge, snowcapped Salkantay massif. In recent years, the ruins have been partially-cleared by Peruvian archaeologists, and can be easily explored by those intrepid enough to undertake the demanding trek required to get there. …

Check out a great looking site (English and Spanish) with a great domain name … ChoquequiraoTrail.com.

They have a tempting offer for a guided hike. Click through to see it.

December 11, 2009

hiking the mountains of Iran

When flying over the country recently I studied for almost an hour the impressive mountains of Iran. Big and mostly empty of people.

Alborz Mountain Range and Mt Damavand by Views of the Earth_5 — Alborz Mountain Range, Caspian Sea

That image by Views of the Earth is posted on an excellent website called Iran Nature.

All useful information you need to visit Iran natural and historical attractions and landscapes. Hiking & trekking Iran nature and ecosystem, Iran mountain, valley, and cave, Iran forest and garden, Iran plain and desert, Iran lake, river, spring, and waterfall, Iran protected and wildlife zone, Iran island.

The most popular adventure in Iran is climbing Mount Damavand, the highest peak 5671m (18,605ft). It’s near Tehran.

Personally I’m more interested in hiking opportunities. But I cannot find much information on the web. Leave a comment if you have any advice about trekking in Iran.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has many problems these days. Too many problems to think much about the 3 American hikers who entered Iran illegally, accidentally, from Iraq.

He did say that he hopes the punishment dealt out by the Iranian judge is not too severe.

November 3, 2009

hiking the Tour de Mont Blanc

Carol gives a shout out for Alpine Exploratory, a company specializing in walking and trekking holidays in the Alps.

They did the “self-guided” version of the tour.

I think self-guided is a nice compromise. You don’t need to follow behind your group (like sheep). But you have experts who speak the local languages setting your itinerary for you.

+ Trek all the stages, completing the whole route
+ Start on any day you choose
+ Expert, unlimited advice on all the options

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a trek of superlatives: the most famous trek in Europe, forming a circuit of Western Europe’s highest mountain Mont Blanc (4,808m). Our circuit takes the standard 11 days, starting and finishing in the Chamonix valley. …

Tour du Mont Blanc – Self-guided trekking holiday

tourdumontblanc-map

What does all this cost?

14 nights, staying in:
3-star hotels (4)
2-star hotels (5)
Auberges (2)
Mountain huts (3)

Included
Accommodation and itinerary
Breakfasts and 6 evening meals
Expert and unlimited advice
Routecards, maps, local info
Emergency card, language card

Dates
July to mid-Sept 2010 …

Prices
£860 per person
(Single supplement £140)