Backpacking on Vancouver Island, Canada

Backpacking on Vancouver Island: The Essential Guide to the Best Multi-Day Trips and Day Hikes, was selected top guidebook at the 2024 Banff Mountain Book Competition.

Author Taryn Eyton.

I’m spending most of the year on Vancouver Island myself and can heartily recommend the destination and this guidebook.

In fact, the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island is our #1 hike in the world.




Faroe Islands in 90 Seconds

The Faroe Islands are one of the most scenic places I’ve ever hiked. No place is more than 5km from the sea. 

I was there for 12 days summer 2024, arriving by ferry from Denmark en route to Iceland.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Here’s my advice for Cycling / Hiking the Faroe Islands.

This edit was Inspired by Experience the John Muir Trail in Just 2 Minutes.

Salcantay Trek, Peru

My friend Krista just finished the Salcantay trek guided by Salkantay Trekking.

Salcantay, Salkantay, or Sallqantay (in Quechua) are all commonly used.

Salcantay’s proximity to Machu Picchu makes this trek to the town of Machupicchu (Aguas Calientes) a better alternative to the oversubscribed Inca Trail.

Krista loved the adventure. But definitely found it challenging.

The longer you have in advance to acclimatize to altitude, the better.

If planning on Salcantay, research the hike in advance.

Not mentioned in this video are the biting insects. They are not always a nuisance — but for me they were the biggest consideration. I had them on the trail. And at Machu Picchu.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

TOP 10 Hiking Towns ➙ Zermatt, Switzerland

This resort is off-putting to some. Ignore the posturing Eurotrash, conspicuous in brightly coloured expensive outdoor apparel, unsoiled.

Instead, turn your gaze up to the Matterhorn, “iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and the Alps”. This valley is one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Zermatt … is in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.

The village is situated at the end of Mattertal at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft), at the feet of Switzerland’s highest peaks. …

Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. …

To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town’s view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerce. …

More interesting photos tagged Zermatt, Switzerland.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Zermatt:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route TOP 10 <guidebook> <trip>
• Tour of the Matterhorn
• Tour of Monte Rosa

Weisshorn 4506m from the Europa Hut at sunrise

Actually, there are trails everywhere in the Alps. It’s awesome.

View from Weisshorn

More best hikes in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

Hiking Lake Sørvágsvatn, Faroe Islands

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Almost every tourist to the Faroe Islands goes to see the lake hanging over the ocean. Unique and spectacular.

Sørvágsvatn is the largest lake in the Faroe Islands

… surface is about 40 m (130 ft) above the level of the sea.

It is surrounded by a higher cliff which prevents it from emptying fully into the ocean, the waterfall Bøsdalafossur being the outlet.

The greater height of the cliffs on either side of Bøsdalafossur can give the illusion from certain perspectives that the lake is higher above sea level than it is.

The waterfall vista is great. But personally I liked even better walking the Trælanípan cliff — aka the ‘Slave Cliff’. Supposedly where slaves were pushed to their deaths.

There are many, many birds nesting on those vertical sides.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In 2024 the hiking fee was 450 kr (USD $42) / adult (ages 15+) for a guided walk. 200 kr (USD $20) / adult (ages 15+) to hike on your own, as I did.

Price is $teep. And has been going up in recent years. Know that there are other great cliff walks free in the Faroe Islands. 😀

official website – tralanipan.fo

related – Moon and Honey – Lake Sørvágsvatn (Floating Lake above the Ocean) and the Trælanípa Hike, Faroe Islands

Moon and Honey – entrance

TOP 10 day hikes ➙  Laguna de los Tres, Argentina

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

The photos say it all. 😀

  • our pick for best day hike — of many — out of El Chaltén, Argentina’s Trekking Capital in Patagonia
  • the nearest airport is El Calafate
  • November – March are the best months. You might have snow on the trail in November or March, however.
  • 8+ hours round trip depending on route
  • elevation gain 2,300 ft. (700m)
  • option to tent near the lake
  • infamous for bad weather. Be prepared for extreme wind.

World → S AmericaPatagonian Andes → Argentina → Laguna de los Tres

vista from El Chaltén

For details click over to our Laguna de los Tres information page.