SIX TRAILS WORTH SWEATING FOR

Travelling through thin air in EBC (Everest Base Camp), on the ancient Inca Trail in Peru; exploring rotting bodies at “Skeleton Lake” in Roopkund, traversing the Alps on Tour du Mont Blanc; feeling patient on your way up Kilimanjaro and enjoying the “best walk in the world” from Milford Track in New Zealand. These are 6 fantastic walking trails which show that the best stories are written when your legs are tired and your view from where you are standing is amazing.

Best Hiking Trails has a point where it stops being romantic. At some point during that 3rd uphill climb or when your water bottle feels heavier than it did an hour ago, the romance is done. Your shoulders hurt. Your calves are ashamed of their existence. And you swear you’ll never put yourself through this torture again. Then, all of a sudden, the clouds part ways; you see a glacier; the valley you are standing on finally reveals itself; or the mountain you have walked many days to find suddenly appears. At that moment, all of your struggles become part of your experience. The reason why these famous trails are so well known to people is due to the fact that they all require people to put forth some effort before they can enjoy themselves. Some through determination, some through patience, and some through a combination of both. From the Himalayas to the Southern Alps, these 6 well-known famous trek around the world continue to attract adventure seekers from around the world; it is not hard to understand why when you have experienced them for yourself.

Everest Base Camp, Nepal

Rating: 5/5

Everest Base Camp is a passage for some people as a bucket-list trek.
The journey starts in Lukla, which is a small mountain town with an airport that has amazing views and a dramatic atmosphere. The trek travels through Sherpa villages, over suspension bridges hung with prayer flags, and through landscapes that look more magical the more you walk on this trail.

Not only are the numbers great: the round-trip trek from Base Camp starts at an elevation of 2,860 metres and goes up to its height of 5,364 metres; the total length of the trek is 130 km; and people usually take between 12 and 16 days to finish the trek (with additional days for acclimatising).

When people arrive at base camp, they feel emotional. Many people experience the way that the Khumbu Icefall moves and shifts from Base Camp, and many feel proud of their accomplishment of reaching the Base Camp of Mount Everest on their own.

The true reward of this best trekking destination is often at Kala Patthar the following morning. At 5,545 metres, Kala Patthar possesses some of the best views of Mount Everest that you will be able to find anywhere else in the world.

The Inca Trail, Peru

Rating: 5/5

A train is used by the vast majority of visitors to Machu Picchu.

There are a select few who complete their journey by foot.

This tiny detail makes all the difference!

The Classic Inca Trail is about 42 km long and can take around four days to hike. On the journey, hikers will experience cloud forests, stone steps, ancient ruins and mountain passes that have not changed very much since the time of the Inca Empire.

The hardest part of the trail is Dead Woman’s Pass, which is an elevation of 4,215 m… pretty scary if you ask me! Climbing this section is very strenuous, especially if you’re not acclimatised to high altitude.

However, no one talks about how sore they are after the hike (well, not too much anyway!).

What people remember most is the last morning of their hike, when they wake up before sunrise to walk toward Inti Punku… the Sun Gate. Once again, as the first rays of sunlight reach the mountains around them, you can see the lost city of the Incas start to break from the morning mist below. This will be the moment of your dreams… a moment that will far exceed your expectations, even if you viewed too many photos before you arrived.

Roopkund, India

Rating: 4.5/5

A select number of treks have a mystery of their own. This trek to Roopkund has this and more. Situated above the tree line in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal Himalayas, the trek leads to Roopkund, a glacial lake located approximately 5,020 m (16,492 ft) above sea level. From a distance, it appears peaceful; however, upon learning the name of this place, ‘Skeleton Lake’, it sounds less peaceful.

Researchers have been captivated for years by the discovery of human remains washed up on the shores of the lake and the unanswered questions surrounding them. Researchers previously concluded that they were victims of a single catastrophic event, but modern scientific investigations have discovered evidence of multiple distinct populations over different spans of time being present in the area.

The enigma of Roopkund adds an additional layer to this beautiful trek. The trek itself spans about 53 km (33 miles), leading through some of the most breathtaking alpine meadows in India, including Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal. These expansive green meadows covered in grass contrast sharply with the smattering of snow-capped peaks that can be seen in the distance during the summer months.

Most trekkers find that they cannot proceed beyond a simple gaze at the landscape before they reach the lake itself.

Tour du Mont Blanc, France, Italy and Switzerland

Rating: 4.5/5

You don’t have to sleep in a tent to go on an epic adventure.

The Tour du Mont Blanc is an excellent example of this.

Approximately 170km long, this trail takes you around the highest mountain in Western Europe while crossing through three different countries.

On average, most hikers take about 11 days to complete their circuit and see lots of beautiful alpine villages, mountain huts and some of the best scenery in Europe along the way.

With a total gain of over 10,000m in elevation, this trek can sound very steep; however, at the end of each day you will enjoy hot meals, comfortable beds and perhaps even some quality local wine.

These experiences combined with the stunning vistas make the Tour du Mont Blanc one of the most popular long-distance walks in the world.

Each day you have a completely different experience than you did the previous day. For example, you might wake up in the morning and be climbing through beautiful flower-filled valleys in France and, at the same time, that afternoon, be wandering through Italian mountain meadows at the base of the majestic glaciers.

On your arrival into Switzerland, you will start to appreciate why so many hikers attempt this section again.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Rating: 4/5

Kilimanjaro humbles many people. At 5,895m, it is the tallest mountain in Africa; however, climbing it is technically easy (there are no climbing skills needed, no ropes, no climbing tools and no prior climbing experience). This perceived ease should be treated with caution. Many climbers underestimate Kilimanjaro every year. The challenges of climbing Kilimanjaro are not primarily technical; the biggest challenge to climbers on Mount Kilimanjaro is the high altitude.

Routes such as Lemosho take about 7-8 days and cover approximately 70 km, which have higher success rates than shorter trip durations. This is simple — patience is rewarded on the mountain.

The main struggle on summit night is just beginning. Climb up from camp through the dark, with stars filling the sky above you. At dawn, climb until you arrive at Stella Point with the sun just rising to the east.

The sunrise at Stella Point is breathtaking; you can see the horizon stretching across all of East Africa, and the glaciers on the mountain shine in the sun’s first light.

At that moment, when you are above the continent, everything below looks very small and very special.

Milford Track, New Zealand

Rating: 5/5

Will the Milford Track be the world’s premier hike? A hundred years after a British journalist first labelled it “the finest walk in the world”, it’s still living up to that description. The Milford Track is located in Fiordland National Park and runs 53.5 kilometres through some of the world’s wildest landscapes, including ancient rainforests, glacial valleys, mirror-like lakes and enormous mountains, along the entire length.

Sutherland Falls, which is about 580 metres tall, is an example of one of the most stunning sights on the track. The crossing of Mackinnon Pass is another memorable moment; weather can change very quickly on the pass, going from bright blue skies to heavy fog within minutes.

Perhaps that is what makes the trail so magical; nothing about the Milford Track can ever be predicted.

There are a limited number of hikers allowed to start each day, so all hikers need to plan a long time in advance for a place on the track. However, when the hikers finish the track, almost every hiker agrees the effort was worth it (and they are happy they were able to complete the walk).

The Last Mile

If you enquire with seasoned hikers about their most enjoyable hike or famous trails and treks on that particular surface, you’ll typically receive something other than a reply that expresses comfort.

Most often, they will describe their experiences of cold, dark mornings in Nepal; sunrises over the mountains of Tanzania; and high, exposed mountain passes in New Zealand. They have shared their stories of meeting strangers who became friends and facing unexpected climbing obstacles, as well as the incredible views from those routes that sometimes left them speechless.

That’s the oddity of great hikes.
You neither remember the discomfort of your sore muscles nor the pain of your blisters.
What will stay with you is when the world was so much bigger than you thought it was.
Then again, this also likely explains why hikers keep coming back for more.