Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
By BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Short montage from my unexpected visit to Malta in the Mediterranean, March 2026.
Great destination for a day hiker. I walked a lot both on the pretty coastline and in the ancient cities. Malta is particularly spectacular at night.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Mount Pellegrino (Italian: Monte Pellegrino; Sicilian: Munti Piddirinu) is an isolated carbonate rock promontory on the northern coast of Palermo, Sicily, Southern Italy.
It has an altitude of 606 meters (1,988 ft) above sea level, making it the highest peak within the city perimeter …
I followed the AllTrails route called Acchianata – Salita Santa Rosalia.
Religious followers climb on the night of September 4 for the anniversary of the death of Santa Rosalia, patroness of the city of Palermo.
The “Scala Vecchia” (Old Stairway/Acchianata): This is the classic pilgrimage path. It is a broad, cobbled stone road that switchbacks up the mountain.
There’s actually a network of seep trails and roadways, making Pellegrino popular with cyclists and trail runners.
My hike was supposed to finish at the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia. There’s a bus back from here.
But I decided to add another km, or so, and make my way to the top on a narrow, little used trail I saw on Maps.me.
I took a shortcut on this road back to the trail. And walked down the way I’d come up.
A good workout.
Yes. Same spelling as S.Pellegrino — but the brand is named after the town of San Pellegrino Terme in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, where the water has been bottled since 1899.
Pellegrino means pilgrim.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Karura Forest is a beautiful green space in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the second largest urban forest in the world after the Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro.
My hostel recommended I hike there.
The 4.3 km Sykes’ Monkey Trail Loop is highly rated (4.8 stars) for its mix of scenery, caves, and rivers.
The main entrance for easy access to the Waterfall and River Café is Gate A on Kiube Road. Security looked excellent to me. There are guards posted at all gates.
Trails are well maintained. Good bridges. Plenty of benches and picnic tables.
Recreational facilities are included.
Yet it’s a huge park with plenty of space to get away from other people, should you choose.
I was there at the start of the rainy season. First big rain of 2026 left some trails flooded.
Entry Fees (As of 2025/2026): Non-resident adults KES 850, children KES 450; Kenyan citizens pay significantly lower rates (approx. KES 100-200).
Rules: Plastic bottles are prohibited; bring a reusable bottle. No fires, and strict, eco-friendly policies are enforced.
I was surprised to learn that this was once a very dangerous park, filled with criminals.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
A terrific way to acclimatize to altitude from Quito is to take one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft).
It’s called the TelefériQo. $9 ticket in 2026. Get there close to opening in the morning at 9 or 10am.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
From the top, you continue up as high as you like.
There are great views of Quito below.
The trail is easy walking through grassland.
Ruku peak is 4,698 metres (15,413 ft) — but the top is a scramble. You might want a helmet.
At any time, clouds may roll in. It could rain or hail on short notice. The TelefériQo shuts down in high wind or hard rain, trapping folks up top until service can be resumed.
I ended up climbing to about 4500m.
Once it got too rocky, I stopped. Crashed my drone. 😀 And started down.
Pichincha is a stratovolcano in Ecuador. The capital Quito wraps around its eastern slopes.
The two highest peaks of the mountain are Wawa Pichincha (Kichwa wawa child, baby / small, Spanish spelling Guagua Pichincha) (4,784 metres (15,696 ft)) and Ruku Pichincha (Kichwa ruku old person, Spanish Rucu Pichincha) (4,698 metres (15,413 ft)).
Both peaks are visible from the city of Quito and both are popular acclimatization climbs. Wawa Pichincha is usually accessed from the village of Lloa outside of Quito. Ruku is typically accessed from the TelefériQo on the western side of Quito.
related – AllTrails – Ruku Pichincha
Stuart Green – Trailspotting.
• 3 mile loop
• Moderate | Gain 760 feet
• Palm Desert, CA | Southwest US
The Bump & Grind Trail delivers exactly on its name with an undulating mountainside ascent which thankfully eventually leads into a gentler return journey. This 3-mile loop sits on the hillside above Palm Desert, California providing elevated views over a desert expanse which abuts dramatically against a sprawling suburbia. …
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Qixing Mountain (also Cising) stands as the highest and most central peak in Yangmingshan National Park.
All trails are well-maintained with stone steps and converge at the windswept main peak.
The summit is the ultimate reward, offering a magnificent 360-degree panorama of the entire national park, the Taipei cityscape, and the northern coast on clear days.
The national park is known for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulfur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes, and hiking trails, including Taiwan’s tallest dormant volcano, Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain rising to 1,120 m (3,675 ft).
There are several Visitors Centres, each very helpful in helping you decide on hikes ➙ starting and finishing. Public transportation is super crowded here.
As you can see, clouds covered the peak when I was there. Not unusual.
Stone steps keep you out of the mud in most cases. But they are irregular shapes and sizes.
The summit is often crowded. I didn’t linger long.
Actually, I enjoyed the clouds blowing in and out, sometimes revealing the vista below.
It can get windy up here, of course
Volcanic sediments in this pond give it a milky appearance.
I finished near Lengshuikeng Hot Springs and would love to have finished with a soak. But these Springs have unusual opening hours. Locked when I was there. AND I was worried about getting back to Taipei on the busy tourist buses.
So I simply soaked my feet in the outdoor pothole.
All-in-all, it’s well worth getting out to Yangmingshan National Park if you are ever in Taipei.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Many tourists visiting Taipei, Taiwan climb short, steep Elephant Mountain to get a great view of the city, including landmark Taipei 101 — a building 101 stories high.
Best is to climb up one trail, descend on another. There are many options. So many, in fact, that the signage gets confusing. Use a phone app like AllTrails.
I climbed Elephant mountain twice while in Taipei. It’s easy access from a subway station.
My favourite hostel in Taiwan — Meander 1948 — offers a weekly free special event. Often a hike.
My week we signed up for the Jiantanshan Trail, easily accessible by bus or subway.
This trail is famous for its unique vistas from its various lookout points.
The “Old Place Lookout” is the most sought-after spot, which provides a thrilling, unobstructed view of airplanes taking off and landing at the nearby Songshan Airport.
The hike also features classic, postcard-worthy views of the iconic, red-pillared Grand Hotel and the Keelung River.
The trail system consists of a well-maintained network of paved paths, wooden boardwalks, and stone staircases that wind along the ridge.
PJ, our guide, prefers this hike to the more popular, nearby Elephant Mountain as the vistas are more varied.
This section in the city is just one part of the much longer Taipei Grand Hike which PJ completed in 2022;
The most amazing sight for me was the giant orb weaver spider. Adult females are very large, with a body length of 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inches). Happily, it’s rare to have cases where humans are bitten.
I’ve seen hardly any spiders nor biting insects after months in tropical S.E. Asia. (But huge spiders are common on Hong Kong hiking trails.)
After the hike, PJ took us to a couple of spots for local specialities.
This is a variation of red bean cake. Most of us opted for whipped cream filling, rather than the more savoury alternatives.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore‘s oldest. One of the island nation’s most popular parks.
Highlight for me was seeing 2 of the world’s smallest hoofed animals, the lesser mouse deer.
Not expecting these little guys — about 45 cm (18 inches) and 2 kg (4.4 lb) — my first thought seeing them in the foliage is that they were GIANT RATS. 😀
You can hike a multitude of trails at MacRitchie ➙ or go kayak / canoeing.
I tried the MacRitchie Reservoir and TreeTop Walk Loop.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the TreeTop Walk about 15 minutes after it closed — and, no, you cannot sneak across when locked up. 😀
I had to backtrack a bit. Then continue to the next landmark, Jelutong Tower.
I’m finding the flat jungle walks in Singapore mostly offer views of … jungle.
The tower finally gave me a chance to get up high and see the surrounding vista.
A big surprise is to see so few insects and spiders in October. Nice.
After a couple of months in S.E. Asia, I’m well used to macaques. You see them many times on this hike. But most on the Singapore Island Country Club.
Somewhat marshy in places, this park has a lot of high quality boardwalk.
I was on boardwalk as darkness fell. Lovely over the water.
I shortened the loop somewhat because it got very dark on narrow boardwalks.
Because I was still in the city, I caught a nearby bus and was quickly back to my hostel.
MacRitchie is a terrific urban hike.
by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Singapore Botanic Gardens is a huge tropical green space located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district.
I walked the Singapore Botanic Gardens Loop. Plus some side trips.
This 3.9km trail offers a delightful walk through the a lush tropical oasis and the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
IF you wanted to walk every trail, it would take perhaps 3 hours. The park is huge.
More than 10,000 species of flora are spread over its 82 hectares (200 acres) area, which is stretched vertically; the longest distance between the northern and southern ends is 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
The Botanic Gardens receives about 4.5 million visitors annually. …
The National Orchid Garden is the main attraction within the Botanic Gardens. Located on the mid-western side of the Garden, the hilly three-hectare site has a collection of more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids. …
The park is free. But there is an extra admission cost for the Orchard Garden.
It’s Singapore, so everything is done with quality.
You’ll see many different birds. Chickens. But the most interesting for me are the many Monitor Lizards. Mostly carnivorous. Growing to a length of 1 – 1.5m.
Read a detailed review with photos – A Visitor Guide to Singapore Botanic Gardens
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
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