Have you seen our 25 best hikes in the world to put on your bucket list post? It’s one of our most popular posts on our blog, and since then, we’ve received so much feedback on other hikes that should make the list. We figure it’s about time to do a Part II, so here it is!
[ P.S. We’re taking a small group of adventurers on a 7-day expedition in Patagonia this July. If you’re interested, sign up here. ]
BEST HIKING TRIPS IN THE WORLD PART II
26. Overland Track
Location: Tasmania
Distance: 40 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: November to April
This beautiful hike takes you through the heart of Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. You’ll see glacier-carved valleys, vast rainforests, and beautiful alpine meadows. You can also take side trips to waterfalls and mountain summits, including Mt Ossa – Tasmania’s highest peak.
27. El Camino De Santiago
Location: Spain
Distance: 500+ miles (most people do portions of it)
Time: Varies
Best Time to Go: April to September
Although there are different routes, the commonly agreed-upon route begins in Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, takes you through four of Spain’s 15 regions, and ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. You will see the Pyrenees Mountains, lush eucalyptus forests, and the trail itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
28. Mount Toubkal
Location: Morocco
Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2-3 days
Best Time to Go: May to October
Summit the highest peak in North Africa at 4167 meters. Although it is a tough climb, it isn’t technical during the summer months. You can join a small guided group and experience the Atlas Mountains, the culture, and meet the people.
29. The Otter Trail
Location: South Africa
Distance: 25 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: May to October
This is the oldest official hiking trail in South Africa and is named after the elusive otter. You will see caves, waterfalls, and beaches along the trail and get a taste of beautiful forest and coastal shore.
30. Trans-Catalina Trail
Location: California, United States
Distance: 34.5 miles
Time: 4 days
Best Time to Go: Year Round
This hike takes you across the entirety of Catalina Island and rewards you with amazing scenery as you’re surrounded by blue ocean views.
31. Druk Path
Location: Bhutan
Distance: 28.5 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: October to November, March to April
Start the trip off by visiting the famous Tiger’s Nest Temple. Then embark on this beautiful hike through an ancient trading route that takes you through stunning scenery and gives you a chance to experience Bhutan’s rich culture.
32. Chomolhari Base Camp
Location: Bhutan
Distance: 72.4 miles
Time: 11 days
Best Time to Go: October to November, March to April
This is one of Bhutan’s most famous routes! Along the way, you can visit temples, explore local markets, and experience all that Himalaya has to offer.
33. Annapurna Base Camp
Location: Nepal
Distance: 59.9 miles
Time: 12 days
Best Time to Go: October to November, February to March
Explore the Nepal side of the Himalayas by trekking to Annapurna Base Camp. Daily distances are shorter, but the elevation gain is insane! Take in all the amazing views and experience the Nepali culture. You can also check out this other hike in the Annapurna area.
34. Langtang Tamang Heritage Trail
Location: Nepal
Distance: 40 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: October to November, March to April
See the northern side of Nepal and the Tibetan border. Look for monkeys, hike through cactus forests, and summit Kyanjin Ri as you gaze up at the strings of prayer flags fluttering in the breeze.
35. La Ciudad Perdida (Lost City Trek)
Location: Colombia
Distance: 30 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: December to August
See the Lost City of the Sierra Nevada. This is a relatively unknown hike where you’ll be surrounded by untouched jungles as you trek to a remote corner of Colombia.
36. Carstensz Pyramid or Puncak Jaya
Location: Papua Province, Indonesia
Distance: 81 miles
Time: 11 days
Best Time to Go: Year Round
Of the Seven Summits, this is technically the hardest and is the highest mountain of the continent of Oceania. Be prepared to climb in snow, rain, and come face-to-face with sharp rock features. There’s a constant battle with local miners, so the trek can change route based on what can be accessed.
Note: There are a few versions of the 7 Summits, some of which don’t include Puncak Jaya.
37. Milford Track
Location: New Zealand
Distance: 33.5 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: November to April
See the heart of Fiordland National Park and enjoy the amazing views of the majestic Milford Sound. It has been described as “the finest walk in the world” with amazing views around every corner.
38. Bibbulmun Track
Location: Australia
Distance: 621 miles
Time: 6-8 weeks
Best Time to Go: April to November
This is one of the world’s great long distance trails stretching from Kalamunda to Albany. With 49 campsites, you can plan to do the whole hike or just portions of it. It is not as crowded as some of the other long distance hikes in the world, so you may not run into people for a week a time.
39. Hump Ridge Track
Location: New Zealand
Distance: 38.5 miles
Time: 3 days
Best Time to Go: November to April
You will hike through sea-level views all the way to the sub-alpine wilderness on this loop hike through New Zealand’s south coast. The diversity of this hike will constantly keep things fresh.
40. Mount Kailash
Location: Tibet
Distance: 32.3 miles
Time: 3 days
Best Time to Go: May to October
Climbing the 6,714-meter summit of Mount Kailash is forbidden because it is a site sacred to five religions, but this trek around the base is worth the effort. You will also see Himalayan waterfalls and the Sapta Rishi cave.
41. West Coast Trail
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Distance: 50 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: May to September
This trail runs along the west coast of BC’s Vancouver Island and attracts hikers from all over the world. It’s a reservation-managed hike with vertigo-inducing ladders, opportunities to spot whales, and stops where you can even buy freshly cooked lunch.
42. Copper Canyon Rim-to-Rim
Location: Mexico
Distance: 38 miles
Time: 6 days
Best Time to Go: November to March
Copper Canyon is deeper, wider, and longer than the Grand Canyon. This trek hits you with 20,000 feet of elevation change but rewards you with amazing suspension bridges, 200-year-old settlements, and spectacular vistas.
43. Teton Crest Trail
Location: Wyoming, United States
Distance: 37 miles
Time: 4 days
Best Time to Go: August to October
See all the iconic landmarks of one of the world’s most spectacular mountain ranges in Grand Teton National Park on this trek. Although you can hike it either direction, going south to north gives you views of the Tetons the whole way.
44. Cotopaxi Circuit
Location: Ecuador
Distance: 49.7 miles
Time: 4 days
Best Time to Go: June to September, December to January
This hike is impressive to even seasoned hikers. It’s one of the continent’s best introduction to extreme-altitude hiking and lets you see how beautiful Ecuador is.
45. West Highland Way
Location: UK
Distance: 95 miles
Time: 6 days
Best Time to Go: May to October
This is a lovely walk that takes you through small towns, hotels, and pubs where you can grab a pint or two. There are also baggage transfer companies so you can just enjoy the walk. You’ll pass lochs, rivers, mountains, and get a chance to see the beautiful countryside.
46. Berg Lake Trail
Location: Canada
Distance: 14 miles
Time: 3-5 days
Best Time to Go: June to September
This is one of the most popular trails in the Canadian Rockies. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and there are plenty of ways to do this hike to see breathtaking views.
47. Hoerikwaggo Trail
Location: South Africa
Distance: 55 miles
Time: 5 days
Best Time to Go: October to April
This beautiful hike takes you through some of the best South Africa has to offer. You will see everything between Cape Point to the outskirts of the City of Cape Town and its all within the Table Mountain National Park.
48. Skyline Trail
Location: Canada
Distance: 25.7 miles
Time: 3 days
Best Time to Go: July to September
This is one of the best backpacking trails in the Canadian Rockies. A big portion of the hike is above Jasper’s tree line, which means you get amazing views of the surrounding mountain ranges, valleys, and lakes. This trail also has the highest section of hiking trail in Jasper National Park. Also, check out 15 Unforgettable Things to Do at Jasper National Park.
49. Haute Route
Location: France & Switzerland
Distance: 112 miles
Time: 9-15 days
Best Time to Go: June to September
Some say this is the best hike in Europe. Not only do you see the amazing alpine valleys, lakes, and glaciers, you get to experience great food, history, and culture. You also see Mont Blanc, which is the highest peak in Europe, and the Matterhorn, one the most notable peaks in the alps.
50. Mount Kenya
Location: Kenya
Distance: 33 miles
Time: 4 days
Best Time to Go: June to September, January to February
There are multiple routes to summit this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site, but the Sermon route is the most direct. Mount Kenya is known for its beautiful and dramatic views. There is diverse vegetation, dramatic U-shaped valleys, and hanging lakes.
Have you been on any of these hikes? What other hikes are on your bucket list?
ESTHER + JACOB
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 50 travel blogs in the world. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They move to a new city every year and currently live in Portland, Oregon.
Photos by: 26. Dirk Su 27. Miquel Lleixà Mora 28. Stefan Leitner 29. Roger Gordon 31. Adam Brill
33. Wen-Yan King (left) + ExtremeAmbient (right) 34. Jonny Scholes 35. Alma Apatrida 39. Harald Selke
40. Mountain Partnership at FAO 41. Alejandro Erickson 42. Chiva Congelado 44. Sue L C 45. Tatiana Gerus 46. someones.life 48. Miguel Ariel Contreras Drake-McLaughlin 49. bigviews2 50. Stefan Leitner
There are other hiking in Nepal that is yet to be discovered, so visitors keep exploring!
So thankful for this list! Inspiring! Have you considered reordering the list from least to most technical?
Thanks!! We haven’t, but maybe we’ll do that in the future.
Have you heard of the Colorado Trail??? It stretches for 486 miles from Denver to Durango, Colorado! Some people hike it, while others bike it! The highest point is over 13,000 feet! You will travel through 8 different mountain ranges, 6 national forest and 6 wilderness areas! It even crosses the continental divide!
That sounds incredible, Jen! We’ll definitely have to check it out. :)
Hi guys! Love the list and finding inspiration from here! You should seriously consider Havasupai!! The blue green waters in the red rock canyon are just stunning and the waterfalls are to die for. It’s such a pretty hike to get there too!
Thank you, Jasmine. We’ve done Havasupai. It’s on our hiking list for the US. The waterfalls are so stunning, though I could do without the “spring break” crowd. When did you do it? :)
Hi, Esther!
You sure should not have missed the “Upper Mustang Trek” – Trekking in the Last Forbidden Kingdom. Since it wasn’t included in your part I, I was pretty much sure that you would include it on your part II. Sad, it isn’t here! Please check the links for some astounding pictures of the trail!
https://cdn.kimkim.com/images/uploads/article_images/images/5c1f3d80fb24f17c91e6222854edc8ab817f2188/big.jpg?1462407387
http://www.hiketonepal.com//wp-content/uploads/2016/05/trip1427097467-750×400.jpg
http://mountaintigernepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/upper-mustang-trek.jpg
http://www.guideinhimalaya.com/userfiles/slideshow_294.jpg
http://www.himalayaheart.com/pagegallery/upper-mustang-trek36.jpg
https://faroutnepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Naar-with-upper-Mustang-1.jpg
Thanks and regards
Pawan Basnett
Thanks! It’s always hard to narrow down the lists. We’ll keep this in mind for our future ones :)
Great list and some good ideas. Although you have the inca trail – its an ant hill nowadays. Far better is to do the 7-10 day hike to Machu Pichu via de Choquequirao Inca city. Unbelievable.
Also missing here is the second and more remote high altitude hike around the Siula mountains in Peru – aka the Huaywash hike. Made famous by Joe Simpson in “touching the void”.
We’ll have to keep those all in mind for a third version of the list! So many good hikes out there.
For sure you have to add the ” crodillera huayhuash trek ” in Peru. The most beautiful trek I ever made in my life! It’s also said like one of the best on earth, it’s why I don’t understand why it isn’t in too. Add it in your third list for sure
Thanks! Will add it for sure.
Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea is a must do for many Australians with its war history, & amazing local villagers. My husband has done this hike & then together we have done Overland Track & Milford Track, time for another hike I think. Thanks for the inspiration.
Have you done all of these?! Wow. Cool list – thanks for sharing.
Note: the West Coast Trail in BC, Canada is amazing and highly recommended(!) but the “freshly cooked food” option is 1 indigenous reserve around day 3 that sells tiny bags of sweets for $5 and burgers for $25 (and that was back in 2007). Exorbitant and foregone by my entire hiking team. Otherwise, you’re in the absolute middle of nowhere, end to end.
Not yet! Just a wish list bucket list. Thanks for the tips – will have to check in on its current conditions!
the Annapurna Base Camp and the Chomolhari Base Camp definitely just ended up on my bucket list. Have you guys gotten to do all these hikes? Or are they on the ta-do?
I’m so glad!! This is definitely a to-do list for us. We’ve been trying to tackle them one or two a year. What about you?
We had a company called Teen Expeditions….Martin loved the Pacific Crest Trail and hiked it at 16. He got back to Washington in 2012, but couldn’t get over Red Pass because of Ice. Went back again the next year and made it to Lake Bern. Sadly, Martin passed away unexpectedly last October 30 and his dream to take teen hikers to learn about survival and see the beauty of it all ended. My kids want to hike back and take his ashes there. Thanks for the list!
Do let us know if you make it back!