Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
This would be an experience. 8000 steps.
Theย Fanjingshanย (Chinese:ย ๆขตๅๅฑฑ;ย pinyin:ย Fร njรฌngshฤn) orย Mount Fanjing, located inย Tongren,ย Guizhouย province, is the highest peak of theย Wuling Mountainsย in southeasternย China, at an elevation of 2,570ย m (8,430ย ft).ย …
Fanjingshan is considered a sacred mountain ofย Chinese Buddhism, ย ranking just below theย Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism.ย …
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Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
I traveled by train to Dresden and cycled to Saxon Switzerland National Park mainly inspired by the chance to hike Bastei Bridge.
And it’s awesome. ๐
First โ let’s clear up the confusion.
Saxon Switzerland National Park is in eastern Germany.
Saxon, Switzerland is a village of about 7000 in Switzerland.
Yeesh. ๐
The Bastei is a rock formation rising 194 metres (636 ft) above the Elbe River …
… situated near Rathen …
The Bastei (“bastion”) has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years. In 1824, a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors. This bridge was replaced in 1851 by the present Bastei Bridge made of sandstone. …
I took the train one way to Rathen. Cycled the other.
Camped at the very convenient hostel.
My tent is my home away from home. Protection from the elements.
You take a short ferry across the river to reach the Bastei trailheads.
I do love the German country homes. Many are spectacularly colourful and well maintained.
There’s a scenic walk along waterways …
… then several steep ascent trails to get to the bridge.
A medieval catapult and many of the boulders are on display.
Of course the archeology of the eroded sandstone is varied and interesting.
Once up high it’s all good. Most of the trails are free. But to walk across the bridge itself there is a small fee.
The views are just as good from the free trails, in my opinion.
It is high. If you have a fear of heights, this might not be the hike for you.
It is busy. If you don’t like crowds on high walkways, come earlier or later in the day.
If you have the time, consider doing more hiking in the area. One popular hike runs from Stadt Wehlen via Bastei to Kurort Rathen (or the other way round).
On this hiking tour, also called the โGolden Triangleโ, sights such as the ruins of Wehlen Fort, Bastei Bridge and the Schwedenlรถcher (Swede Hole) Trail can be discovered.
saechsische-schweiz
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
In 2010, I hiked the famed Sentiero Azzurro aka Verde Azzurro path, or “Blue trail”.
It connected the 5 main villages of the the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare.
Sadly, since 2011 sections of the classic have been closed.
Returning in 2023, I decided to do part of the most popular alternative, the Sentiero Rosso aka Cinque Terre High Path.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
A LOT of ascent and descent. But gorgeous vistas from high up.
Took the train to La Spezia. Then the local bus to Porto Venere.
A pretty town.
Starting the hike north, immediately you find the impressive Doria Castle.
The trail takes you high above the ocean with terrific views in each direction. There are some very narrow pathways, but no real exposure.
I found a quiet spot, just before dark, to put up my tent.
Early next morning I arrived at the impressive Santuario di Montenero. The priest came out, interested in my drone. I showed him how it worked and later sent him this video.
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Flowers bloom in profusion in June. You can see why everyone loves these trails.
I climbed WAY DOWN to Riomaggiore. A charming seaside town.
At tourist information, I confirmed that the original Blue trail was still closed. Got a map and directions for the best high route.
The tunnel by the railway station was a highlight for me.
Up, up, up.
More amazing vistas from up high.
Finally, I caught the train in Corniglia, a little further on from Manarola. It was nice to have the freedom to finish the day whenever I wanted.
YES, the Cinque Terre is touristy. But taking the high trails mostly gets you away from the mobs.
I highly recommend this hiking destination.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Riomaggiore is 1st of the famous 5 villages of Cinque Terre.
Hiking in from Porto Venere, the highlight for me was the Santuario di Montenero, a Catholic church & monastery perched overlooking Riomaggiore.
I met the priest who was keen to see how my drone worked. I put this short video together for him.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mathew conducts service in all 5 villages. I told him he had the best congregations in Italy.
He didn’t disagree.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
The Walls of Lucca (4.3km loop) is the most popular hike in one of the terrific Tuscan tourist towns.
This is an asphalted path. Easy for everyone.
There are plenty of opportunities to sit on benches or picnic under large trees for breaks.
There are also many exits to go sightseeing if you want to leave the walls for a while and explore the historic centre.
Click PLAY or watch my hike on YouTube. Spaghetti Western theme. ๐
Lucca, near Pisa, has a population of about 90,000. No matter how many tourists arrive, it doesn’t feel crowded.
There’s much to see. But the highlight for most are the walls encircling the old town.
Initially built as a defensive rampart, it’s become a pedestrian promenade.
Click PLAY or watch Rick Steve’s highlights on YouTube.
Alice Pizza is a super popular chain. Light, airy dough made with little yeast.
Of 60 varieties, my server in Lucca recommended something unique. Like a pizza ham sandwich. Served cold, not hot. Delicious.
The gateway to the wonderful Lofoten archipelago is the town of Bodรธ, the end of the train line north.
Itโs usually cheaper and easier to fly as the train is a 17 hour overnight journey from Oslo. The town is so compact that you can easily walk from the airport to the train station.
On my two trips to the awesome Lofoten hikes, I’ve spent quite a few days in Bodรธ โย supposedly in transit.
It’s worth wandering the streets of Bodรธ.
ALSO โย there is some hiking available walking from the centre of town.
I went first to Bestefarvarden. An interesting scramble among rocky cliffs overlooking the sea.
The “hike” starts close to this beach, well above the Arctic Circle.
I left a Summit Stone there.
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From there, I walked through an industrial zone to reach the city fortress (redoubt). Small, but interesting. With good views over to Bodรธ centre.
In addition, many tourists visit Saltstraumen, a smallย straitย with one of the strongestย tidal currentsย in the world.ย
There’s more to Bodรธ than only a transit point.
I’ve many times been asked IF I’d done the Camino. Surprisingly, the answer was NO. Until now. ๐
The Camino de Santiago … known in English as the Way of St James … is a network of pilgrims’ ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.
As with most hikes that can be cycled, I prefer to cycle. At least 10% of pilgrims cycle rather than walk or arrive on horseback. They are known as โbicigrinosโ or โbicigrinasโ, bike pilgrims.
My PLAN is to ride Leรณn to the famous cathedral. About 325km. Perhaps a week. No rush.
The total length starting in France is 825km.
You need to cycle at least 200km in order to receive a Compostela certificate in Santiago (as opposed to minimum 100km walking).
Nearly 350,000 Compostela pilgrim certificates were issued in 2019. I won’t be lonely. ๐
The Camino Francรฉs, or French Way, is by far the most popular of many routes. Roughly 60% of pilgrims choose this camino over other options.
Though no guidebook is needed, I picked up a paper copy of Mike Wells’ Cycling the Camino de Santiago (2019). I’d listened to a good interview with the author.
Wish me luck.
Many folks only know the famous pilgrimage from the 2010 Martin Sheen movie. It’s very good, by the way.
Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
Sintra is a major tourist destination famed for historic palaces, castles, parks and gardens.
The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run.
The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Most popular day hikes start near the National Palace.
A network of steep, rough and/or rocky trails climb up to the medieval Castle of the Moors. Good fun.
From there, you can continue up to the Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palรกcio da Pena) high on a hill. On a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon.
It’s a national monument, one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world.
The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.
I stood in line for almost an hour to wander the Palace like every other tourist. But wished I’d spent that time โ instead โ hiking the lovely trails over 200 hectares of surround Pena Park. It’s a labyrinth and I was lost most of the time despite trying to follow a route on AllTrails.
After escaping the Palace, I continued up towards a high crucifix.
There are many weird and unusual places to stop. I particularly liked the Valley of the Lakes.
Another great hike is a short bus ride away on the coast … the Cabo da Rocaย Lighthouse, the westernmost point of Europe.
The 170-km Red Sea Mountain Trail (RSMT) is touted to be the “first long-distance hiking trail in mainland Egypt and the sister project of the award-winning Sinai Trail“.
Of course walking pilgrimage in Egypt has been a tradition for thousands of year.
Connecting a series of ancient trade, travel, smuggling and shepherd routes into a single trail for modern times it is a 170km path taking most hikers 10 days to complete.
Created by Bedouin of the Maaza tribe – who manage the trail today on behalf of the wider Bedouin community – the Red Sea Mountain Trail gives a way into one of the most untrodden, little-known and beautiful wildernesses in the Middle East and perhaps the world.
From vast desert plains to deep gorges and high summits and from crumbling Roman towns to prehistoric rock art and chapels of Egypt’s Desert Fathers, the trail shows the best of the region’s inimitable beauty and seeks to open new kind of tourism that truly benefits its communities.
official website
You can explore the RSMT by clicking through the 10 days of a Virtual Thru Hike.
Or watch a short video on CNN.
It looks great.
We’ve added both the RSMT and the Sinai Trail to our list of the best hikes in Africa.
Emma Rowena (Caldwell) Gatewood, known as Grandma Gatewood was an American ultra-light hiking pioneer.
After a difficult life as a farm wife, mother of eleven children, and victim of domestic violence, she became famous as the first solo female thru-hiker of the 2,168-mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in 1955 at the age of 67.
She subsequently became the first person (male or female) to hike the A.T. three times …
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