Category: lists

Posted on

TOP 10 Hiking Towns ➙  Namche Bazaar, Nepal

BAD NEWS.  As of April 1, 2023 the Nepal government required that major treks can no longer be done independently.  Hiring a guide is mandatory.  The obvious alternative for independent hikers is the Indian Himalaya.    

UPDATE April 2024. The Everest region refused to enforce mandatory guides. Hikers are doing Base Camp independently.

Every hiker dreams of trekking in the footsteps of Hillary and Norgay. Climbing to Mt. Everest Base Camp Qomolangma (Tibetan), Sagarmāthā (Nepali) should be on your bucket list.

Here is the finest alpine scenery in the world, we reckon.

Namche Bazaar … at 3,440 metres (11,286 ft) … is the main trading center for the Khumbu region with many Nepalese officials, a police check post and a bank. …

Namche has a permanent population of around 800.

Almost everyone trekking in the Khumbu region will visit Namche Bazaar, as it is the gateway to the high Himalaya.

More interesting photos tagged Namche Bazaar.

Want more information? Check WikiTravel – Namche.

Everest Base Camp – Khumbu Ice Fall

Our favourite hike hikes out of Namche are:

• Everest Base Camp / 3 Passes
• Everest Base Camp / Kala Pattar
• Everest Gokyo

Everest seen from Kala Pattar

Many consider the mountain people and Tibetan culture an even bigger highlight than the peaks.

Flapping

Best months are from October to early-December, cold but normally with clear views of the world’s highest mountains.

Spring is also a good time to visit the Everest region, though the skies may be hazy. Some argue that pastures are greener in the Spring.

Check the trip report posted by besthike editor Rick McCharles, Nov. 2009 – Everest Base Camp / 2 Passes

Or start on our Nepal information page.

Posted on

BestHike – The Wave, Arizona USA

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Only 20 hikers / day are allowed access. The BLM is considering an increase to a maximum of 96 per day .

Getting a permit is the BIG problem.

  • on the Utah-Arizona border, halfway between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah in the Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
  • in 2014 about 50,000 applied for permits. Only 15% were granted.
  • Wire Pass trailhead located in North Coyote Buttes permit area of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
  •  5.2 miles return
  • you can go any month of the year, if you can tolerate the heat

World → North America → S.W. USA  → Arizona → The Wave

For details click over to our Wave information page.

Posted on

Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ Indian Himalaya

It’s easy to hike Nepal. Not so in India.

The hiking infrastructure for foreign tourists is not nearly so well developed. There are far fewer hiking guidebooks.

You need to do much more research when planning a hiking trip to India. The easiest jumping off point is Leh, Ladakh — a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir.

Stok Kangri seen from Leh

AT A GLANCE

IH
  • Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal in the west
  • Darjeeling and Sikkim in the east
  • many peaks over 7000m (23000ft)
  • every serious hiker wants to travel to Nepal. The savvy trekkers to the Indian Himalaya, as well.
  • though challenging, India is a wonderful tourist destination
  • English is widely spoken
  • public transportation is slow at best, downright terrifying at worst
  • getting to the trailhead may be much more dangerous than anything you do on the trek. Take the train rather than a vehicle whenever you can.
  • best for experienced, confident, self-sufficient high altitude hikers
  • hiking season somewhere May-Nov (though micro-climates vary greatly). Many treks are not recommended Jul-Aug — though you can hike most places in Ladakh most of the year.

Our list of BEST HIKES in INDIA is on our Asia information page.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

BestHike – Caminito del Rey, Spain

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world

Why?

Once called the most dangerous pathway  in the world.

  • Caminito del Rey is near Ardales in the province of Málaga, Spain, Andalusia
  • first built 1905, the walkway had fallen into disrepair and was partially closed for nearly 15 years due to deaths
  • re-opened in 2015
  • new pathway still offers a walk of 2.9 km
  • 1 metre (3 ft) wide climbing over 100 metres (330 ft) above the Guadalhorce river
  • the entire trip from the start at the town of Ardales to finish at Álora would be about 8km and might take 3-4 hours
  • originally built to provide access to workers at hydroelectric power plants Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls

World → Europe → Spain → Caminito del Rey

For details click over to our Caminito del Rey information page.

BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Posted on

Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ The Alps

Many North American hikers pooh-pooh hiking in Europe as “too civilized and too expensive“. The ones who have never hiked there.

Harder Ridge, Switzerland

With advanced planning you can get to some of the best wild scenery in the world and not go bankrupt in Europe.

Iconic peaks reflected in tranquil mountain lakes, sweeping hillsides blanketed in wild flowers and dramatic, sprawling glaciers characterize the Alps. Discover why this mighty range, the birthplace of modern mountain walking, has enthralled walkers for centuries. – LP

The culture and history of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenian and Switzerland are an added bonus.

Travel is easy in Europe, of course, but the hiking window is short. You want to be there Jun-Sept, the same high season as North America.

More information on our new Alps information page.

Our favourite trip in the Alps was the Tour of Mont Blanc. But after besthike editor found the TMB crowded with hordes of tour groups the summer of 2009, we changed our “favourite hike in Europe” to the more challenging Walker’s Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt.

Both long hikes are in the same region, sharing sections of trail near Chamonix. Both are great, truth be told.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Consider both these adventure:

• Tour of Mont Blanc Information page

• Haute Route information page

Check out, too, the 2009 Haute Route trip report (Mt Blanc to Matterhorn) by besthike editor Rick McCharles.

Leave a comment if you have your own favourite hike in the Alps.

Posted on

Alice Ford’s BEST HIKES USA

A great list. Diverse Scenery.

01:25 Clouds Rest to Half Dome
02:40 John Muir Trail
03:38 Avalanche Lake
04:34 Laughton Glacier Alaska
07:32 Sahale Glacier – Washington
08:48 Big Pine Lakes
09:51 Beehive Trail – Maine
11:00 False Kiva
12:07 Cloudland Canyon Waterfall Trail
13;16 Kings Peak
15:35 Rattlesnake Arches
16:30 Double O Arch
17:35 Havasu Falls
18:40 Kalalau Trail
19:53 Franconia Ridge Loop
20:42 Longs Peak
22:07 Lost Coast Trail
23:00 Teton Crest Trail

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Great Hikes in British Columbia

Leigh McAdam recommends:

Berg Lake

Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Provincial Park

Elk Lakes – Petain Basin

Eva Lake, Mount Revelstoke National Park

Frosty Mountain, Manning Provincial Park

Garibaldi Lake, Garibaldi Provincial Park

Gwillim Lakes, Valhalla Provincial Park

Howe Sound Crest Trail near Vancouver

Hermit Trail, (Canadian) Glacier National Park

Iceline Trail – Yoho Valley Loop

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

Kaslo Lake or Kokanee Glacier Cabin, Kokanee Glacier Park

Mount Assiniboine

Nootka Island Trail

North Coast Trail

Rainbow Range Trail, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park

Rockwall Trail

Sunshine Coast Trail

Takkakaw Falls – Laughing Falls – Twin Falls – Whaleback Ridge Loop 

West Coast Trail

Details from Leigh Adams on Hike Bike Travel – 21 Backpacking Trips in BC That Will Blow You Away

Eva Lake in Mount Revelstoke National Park


Having done most of those adventures myself, of that list I’d first recommend:

West Coast Trail

Mount Assiniboine

Posted on

Hiking Town – Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand.  YES!

The Adventure Capital of the World, a gorgeous location on Lake Wakatipu opposite the saw-toothed Remarkable range.

If you’ve never been to New Zealand, start planning. Now. It’s our #1 hiking destination on Earth.

Queenstown is an international resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island. …

According to the 2006 census, the usually resident population of the Queenstown urban area … is 10,416 …

… a centre for adventure tourism. Skiing, jet boating, whitewater rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, tramping and fly fishing are all strong promotional themes. …

Queenstown is the departure point for a large number of day trips to the similarly famous Milford Sound …

More interesting photos tagged Queenstown.

If you find it too much of a tourist trap, move away up the lake to Te Anau (pop. about 2000). It’s got everything you need to stage for an epic Kiwi hike.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Queenstown and Te Anau are:

• Milford Track
• Routeburn Track
• Kepler Track

These are the three on the list of Great Walks. (Kiwis avoid them because they’re crowded with international tourists. Locals can take you on hikes just as good, but unknown to foreigners.)

on the Milford Track
on the Kepler Track

More “best hikes” in New Zealand and Australiasia.

Best months for these alpine tramps are December – March.

Start with our New Zealand information page.

Posted on

Magical Day Hike – Alpine Circuit, Lake O’Hara, Canada

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

Many feel this is the most beautiful of the Canadian Rockies trails.

  • Yoho National Park in British Columbia near Banff, Alberta.
  • mid-June through the end of September (start and end dates vary) for example, bus operated for hikers and campers from June 19 to October 4, 2018
  • 11.6 km
  • perhaps 9 hours
  • perhaps 900 photos 🙂
  • highest point 2528 m
  • elevation gain 1012 m

World → N America → Rockies → Canada → Alpine Circuit, Lake O’Hara

For details click over to our Alpine Circuit, Lake O’Hara information page.