guided hikes – Page 25

August 4, 2009July 30, 2009

Your Own Machu Picchu: Choquequirao, Peru

An excellent article on one of the best hikes in Peru was posted on Matador Trips: Discover Your Own Machu Picchu: Choquequirao, Peru

Did you visit Machu Picchu thinking you’d arrived 50 years too late? Wish you could’ve seen it before the tourist hordes and luxury hotel moved in? Then Choquequirao might be for you. …

There are very few trekkers there in comparison with Machu Picchu. We did it in 2005 and had the ruins to ourselves.

It’s a massive up and down hike. We hired a mule and mule driver to carry our packs.

The scenery is fantastic, of course.

Our biggest concern was the tiny biting flies. (Especially after their bites get infected.)

read the entire Matador article: Discover Your Own Machu Picchu: Choquequirao, Peru

Read the comments for some personal stories on continuing from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu without a guide.

P.S.

There’s one drastic mistake in the story:

From the village to the ruins and back, you’re looking at 74 km (46 miles). …

It’s nowhere near that far. … Is it?

More details and links on our besthike Choquequirao Trek information page.

April 25, 2009

2 hikers dead on Kokoda Track

The Kokoda Track is one of the best, and toughest, hikes in the world.

kokoda

… a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland — 60 kilometres (37 mi) in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track is the most famous in PNG and is renowned as the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942. ..

On Wednesday, a 26-year-old New South Wales man became the second Australian to die on the track in less than a week.

He died at Ioribaiwa village while trekking with Executive Excellence.

The company says it is working with authorities to have his body returned home as soon as possible. …

Last week 36-year-old Samantha Killen, from Hamilton in south-west Victoria, died on the trek.

The mother of two was trekking with her father when she collapsed and died on Friday afternoon.

Her father told police his daughter had developed sore legs and appeared to be dehydrated and disorientated in the lead-up to her death.

Just a coincidence?

Earlier, a Kokoda Track tour operator said it was inevitable more deaths would occur unless operators he has described as “cowboys” were banned.

The chairman of the Kokoda Ethics Committee, Aidan Grimes, said some companies skimp on safety by taking up to 150 people trekking and by failing to check their fitness levels. …

ABC – Kokoda deaths not deterring trekkers

April 2, 2009March 27, 2009

Trail on Kilimanjaro – part 2

Entertaining!

Its day three of Trail Magazine’s attempt on Mt Kilimanjaro via the Machame route, and things are starting to get tough. The mountain is getting seriously spectacular but the air is getting thin and exhaustion is kicking in. As midnight on the last day approaches, will it be a glorious dawn on Africas Highest mountain or a whopper of a disappointment? Join Trail Magazines Simon Ingram to find out…

Click PLAY or watch Part 2 on YouTube.

official website of TRAIL and Country Walking magazines – Live for the Outdoors

To see a 6min highlights clip of Day 1 and Day 2 of the Machame Route, click through to The Adventure Blog.

best hike – Kilimanjaro information page

March 25, 2009

15-day Tahoe Rim Trail $1750

Book fast if you want one of the 30 spots. Late July 2009.

It’s a fund-raiser for the trail association.

Hiking a long-distance trail from end to end in one push, or thru-hiking, is a badge of honor for those who have accomplished such a feat. It takes a lot of planning to coordinate food, water, campsites, and the like. Plus, you have to be extremely fit to carry your lodging and all of your food on your back for days on end.

But there’s a great way to get a similar experience without sacrificing all of your weekends to planning from now through May. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, steward to the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in Nevada and California, is offering people the chance to participate in a 15-day guided thru-hike with support in the way of food and other supplies. You’ll still need to be in good shape and carry a backpack with personal gear and one- or two-days’ worth of food and water. But that’s pretty cushy, by most thru-hikers’ standards. …

details via – Where Next? – Thru-Hike the Tahoe Rim Trail

tahoe-rim1

larger version – flickr – asmythie

March 24, 2009March 21, 2009

Mountain Travel Sobek – half price

Outside reports:

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Mountain Travel Sobek is doling out 40 free adventures. Travelers who book a trip by Apr. 17 can bring a friend for free. Destinations include: Machu Picchu, Morocco, the Swiss Alps, and more.

40 Free Trips

40-free-trips

home page – Mountain Travel Sobek

There are some good deals out there for guided hikes. Shop around.

Leave a comment if you’ve seen any good value deals on treks.

March 7, 2009March 5, 2009

Kilimanjaro climbing video

It’s the world’s highest free-standing mountain, one of the seven summits and the highest peak in Africa. While a host of celebrities gear up to set foot on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, TRAIL magazine – the UK’s best-selling hill-walking magazine – has just got home from the mountain.

Click PLAY or watch the promo video for the climb on YouTube.

official website of TRAIL and Country Walking magazines – Live for the Outdoors

To see a 6min highlights clip of Day 1 and Day 2 of the Machame Route, click through to The Adventure Blog.

best hike – Kilimanjaro information page

March 4, 2009March 2, 2009

climbing Island Peak, Nepal

intights from March 2008. Some nice trekking footage. Great music.

Compilation of short video clips and some stills taken on Trek from Lukla to Gokyo, over the Cho-La, to Gorak Shep, Everest base camp, then with an Ascent of Island Peak (Imja Tse). Includes additional photos/footage of Kathmandu and flight to/from Lukla.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (8min)

The rest of this Aussie travel blog posts are well worth a browse.

February 18, 2009

Roraima Trekking, Venezuela

I just got a recommendation from Andreas for a German / Venezuelan trekking guide company Kamadac based out of Santa Elena in the Gran Sabana.

Looks good.

For those who love to hike, the Roraima Trekking is one of the highlights of Venezuela. The tablemountains belong to the oldest rock formation in the world. During millions of years they have been formed. Most of the vegetation you find there, grows only at the table mountains.The Roraima tepui is the highest in Venezuela. Bizzare stone formations, barren rock landscape and unique plants shape the landscape. A three day tour brings us up to the Roraima. On the top we make a day excursion and visit the valley of crystals and the place where three countries meet “Brasil, Venezuela and Guyana.”

This tour can made any time of the year. During the rainy season we recommend it in combination with a boat trip to the Angel Falls.

Duration: 6 days

Daily walks: 3 to 7 hours

PRICE PER PERSON : 520 EUR (2 persons), 470 EUR (3 persons), 295 EUR (4 persons), additional day 50 EUR

kamadac.de

besthike Roraima information page

February 6, 2009February 4, 2009

Best treks in Africa

Anouk Zijlma on About.com posted a terrific list of the Best Hikes and Treks in Africa.

… Africa’s most popular trekking destination is Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain on the continent. Lesser known ranges like Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains offer an incredible array of snow-capped peaks right next to the equator.

Other fantastic hikes in Africa that don’t necessarily involve great heights include the Wild Coast (South Africa) and the Fish River Canyon (Namibia). …

Others on the list:

Mount Kenya

Simien Mountains, Ethiopia

The Drakensberg, South Africa

Mount Meru, Tanzania

Mount Elgon, Uganda and Kenya

Mount Cameroon, Cameroon

Mulanje Mountain, Malawi

Click through for more information, links and recommended guides – About.com Best treks in Africa

Most foreign trekkers prefer to go with a guiding company to ensure their safety.

mountstanley Mt. Stanley – Sylwia Duda/Creative Commons

mulanje Mulanje Mountain, Malawi – larger original – flickr – fffriendly

Compare this About.com list with our own Best Hikes in Africa

December 28, 2008December 27, 2008

hike Monkman Provincial Park, B.C.

Bluepeak was the first blog to announce the opening of the Monkman Pass Memorial Trail in Northern British Columbia.

This 63-km long trail follows the route that Alex Monkman and his band of pioneers established in the 1930s. Most of this little-known, but spectacular trail is in Monkman Provincial Park, leading from Kinuseo Falls over the Rocky Mountains to Hobi’s Cabin on the Herrick River. There are very few facilities along the route – this is a true wilderness experience.

The most famous feature is Kinuseo Falls.

waterfall
original – flickr – wgelnaw