Fever Trees of Borneo by Mark Eveleigh

Mark Eveleigh has been a full-time magazine writer and author for almost 30 years.

A British citizen, he grew up in Ghana and Nigeria and has spent more years based in Spain, South Africa and Indonesia than he ever did in UK.

He’s a badass adventure traveler.

Fever Trees of Borneo: A 2000km expedition through uncharted jungle is terrifying.

‘Sponsored by Heineken (1995) to reach the parts other explorers cannot reach, itinerant traveller Mark Eveleigh sets off on foot and by canoe across the heart of Borneo.

On the way he endures shipwreck, malaria, leeches and exhaustion, not to mention enforced alcohol abuse and barbecued mouse-deer foetus.

Such hardships, you would imagine, might be enough to put a man off his boiled fish and rice, but the author confronts each challenge with a spirit that is as understated as it is refreshing.

All too often travelogues dwell on the downside of discovery, but Mark’s unique blend of enthusiasm and humour is genuinely absorbing and immensely readable.’

– Global Adventure Magazine.

I really enjoyed the book while sailing between Indonesian islands, myself.

The most astonishing takeaway for me, however, is the narrator of the audiobook.

Excellent.

“Narrated by: Virtual Voice” indicates an audiobook that was not narrated by a human, but by an AI-generated voice created by a technology like Amazon’s Virtual Voice on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)

This computer-generated speech technology creates audiobooks from ebooks, offering authors a way to produce an audio version at a low cost or no cost. 

The narration quality varies by title, and Audible (and other platforms like Amazon and Alexa) will clearly label these audiobooks and provide samples for listeners to evaluate before purchasing.  


Climbing Rinjani, Indonesia – day 0

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Three days, two nights in the tent.

Cost is USD $220 to $330/ person.

I’ve long wanted to climb astonishing Mount Rinjani not far from Bali, Indonesia.

I took the local boat from Gili Trawangan to Lombok island for the start of our guided climb of Rinjani. I could see it in the distance.

Our group met up at a local restaurant close to Bangsal Port ➙ then we were efficiently (if dangerously) driven up to Senaru village at 400m. 

Screenshot

We had a typical Indonesian lunch based on rice or noodles. 

We dropped bags in our surprisingly interesting rooms. 

Then set off to see two local waterfalls

Plenty of macaques await ready to grab at your purse, backpack, or any kind of plastic bag.

Here’s the 1st waterfall. 

MOST interesting here is a fun tire tube ride underground through the irrigation channel.  I’d be too chicken, myself.  😀 

Here’s the 2nd even more impressive falls. 

Back at the guesthouse we did our introductory briefing on the volcano climb.  We had hoped two more would join us.  One was in hospital for some reason.  The other cancelled last minute.  

Rinjani is 3,726 metres (12,224 ft), making it the second-highest volcano in Indonesia. 

We had signed up for the longer 3 days, 2 nights in the tent option. 

That turned out to be the right decision. Our itinerary the BEST HIKE.

Click PLAY or watch a preview on YouTube.

Lofoten Long Crossing, Norway

Inspired by Cam Honan, I started and soon quit the Long Crossing of the beautiful Lofoten Islands.

For me, the route finding through marshy terrain was slow and difficult. Worst was a risky descent clutching a water pipe and safety ropes.

BUT — Floor Denil survived hiking solo. And she had terrible (typical) wind and rain.

She didn’t much complain about the dangerous descent on the water pipe.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – The Hiking LifeThe Long Crossing of Norway’s Lofoten Islands

Northover Ridge Loop Trail, Canadian Rockies

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

This is the cool Canadian Rockies hike these days. BUT it’s more of a route than a trail.

As evidence, I bumped into two of the top hiking YouTubers below the ridge — Eric Hanson and Justin Outdoors. We were heading opposite directions. Surprised and excited, I got a bit tongue twisted while chatting with them.

Slightly dangerous, Northover is not promoted by the Parks people.

I followed the route on AllTrails offline. No navigation problems.

My first tip is to WAIT for good weather. You don’t want to be on this narrow ridge in high wind and poor visibility.

Northover Ridge Loop Trail is 34km, 2290m in elevation gain. Most people do it in 2 or 3 days.

Foolishly, I did it in a day and a half. 😀

On the drive up to the trailhead in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, I had a good look at momma bear and 2 young ones. I saw another juvenile bear on the drive out. None on the trail.

I booked at Aster Lake Campground before driving up. By doing this I’d decided to hike it clockwise looking down at the map. But you can do the loop in either direction.

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park NOW requires a Conservation Pass if you have a vehicle. In 2025:

  • Daily Pass: $15 per vehicle
  • Yearly Pass: $90 per vehicle

My campsite pass was checked by Rangers. They do a great job here.

Click PLAY or watch my Northover on YouTube.

A great adventure. I highly recommend Northover IF you have good weather.

Here’s how the same 2 days went for Eric Hanson and Justin Outdoors. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Related – trip report by HikeBikeTravel

K2 Basecamp, Concordia, (possibly) Gondogoro La 

The most expensive guided trip I’ve found for 2025 is World Expeditions.

Ultimate K2 Trek: Basecamp, Concordia, Gondogoro La Exploratory

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

At less than 1/3 that cost, you can go with a discount company.

Vertical Pakistan, for example.

One Vertical Pakistan group in 2024 did make it over Gondogoro La — but not all their clients were happy.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m (again) considering signing up with one of these companies for summer 2026 or 2027.

Leave a comment if you have first hand advice.

BestHike loves Huaraz, Peru

 

Huaraz is a trekkers’ paradise. On one side of the valley you have the White Mountains (Cordillera Blanca). On the other side, the Black Mountains (Cordillera Negra). We hike the White Mountains, mountain bike the Black Mountains.

And only a short distance away is the remote, high Cordillera Huayhuash, ideal for hard core trekkers.

Huaraz is located in the central-northern part of the country at an altitude of 3052 m (10,013 feet), some 420 km north of Lima. Huaraz sits in the agriculturally important Callejón de Huaylas valley, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which includes Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru at 6768 m (22,204 feet). …

On May 31, 1970 the Ancash earthquake destroyed much of Huaraz, killing 10,000 people. Almost nothing was left of the old city with its narrow streets and big adobe casonas roofed with tiles. The main square was the only major structure that survived the earthquake so the city was rebuilt around it. …

Huaraz is connected to the rest of the country through the Panamerican Highway (187 km north of Lima) and can be reached from Lima … in seven hours. …

Huascarán National Park is a popular destination for tourism and trekking. Huaraz is a frequent base for expeditions to the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash. …

The population of the greater area is over 100,000 though you’d never guess it was that big. Huarez retains the feeling of a remote mountain town.

More interesting photos tagged Huaraz, Peru.

One of the best things about Huaraz is that there’s no airport. Regular Peruvian tourists all fly to Cusco, leaving this part of the Andes to us.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Huarez are:

Huayhuash Circuit
• Alpamayo
• Santa Cruz Trek

Huayhuash

There are a half dozen more, just as good. And many, many more great treks in the Central Andes.

besthikers – Cafe Andino, Huaraz – Alpamayo Circuit 2004

Best months are May through September, the “Andean Winter”. Acclimatization to altitude is your main concern here. These treks are high.

Check our Central Andes information page.

7 Great Reasons to Quit Your Hike

  • Bad Weather
  • Wildfires Nearby
  • Physical State
  • Mental State
  • Short Supplies
  • Trail Difficulty
  • Group Needs

That list is from a great article on Backpacker:

7 Great Reasons to Quit Your Hike

It brought to mind many of my own hiking retreats. 😀

Quitting the Long Crossing of Lofoten Archipelago, Norway because it was too difficult and dangerous for me.

Turning back on Dientes de Navarino trek, Patagonia, because snow obscured the trail. I feared getting lost.

Quitting after a few days starting the Pacific Crest Trail. The only time I’ve ever developed blisters so bad I couldn’t walk.

Quitting the Sunshine Coast Trail because of multiple problems. Our group was 11 hikers.

I regret none of those decisions — looking back.

Be smart. Live to hike another day.

Our group walking out from the Sunshine Coast Trail

How Hiking TRANSFORMS Your Body

Heart, lungs, cardiovascular benefits — for sure.

After 17 days on the John Muir Trail I felt fantastic. Lean and fit.

But there are some risks with long slow distance exercise over many, many days.

  • Perhaps 5000 calories burn rate fuelled by junk food, in many cases
  • reproductive system may be affected
  • possible bone density loss — but it should be restored after a few months

Of course there’s a risk of injury. Especially chronic injury.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.