Hiking has long been more than just the miller's delight - today it is one of the most popular ways to travel. The new hiking guide from Lonely Planet presents over 90 routes worldwide and selects nine of them as best-of.
Falstaff TRAVEL laces up its hiking boots and goes on tour.
The journey is the reward: hiking has developed from a leisure activity into an intensive form of travel. Instead of ticking off places in quick succession, the focus is on consciously experiencing landscapes and encounters along the route. The new guide "Where to Go When: Hiking" by Lonely Planet presents over 90 routes worldwide.
Falstaff TRAVEL presents nine particularly worthwhile trails.
The Canary Island impresses with its steep coasts, deep valleys, black beaches and volcanic landscape - an ideal backdrop for extensive trekking tours. The long-distance hiking trail around the island takes around six to eight days, depending on your pace. The starting point is San Sebastián de La Gomera, the historic port from which Christopher Columbus set sail. The route takes you along the entire coast, past small villages, terraced fields and repeatedly to wide vantage points. The view across to Tenerife with the Teide in the background is particularly impressive.
Level: demanding. Best time to visit: January
In Sri Lanka's mountainous region, the Pekoe Trail runs for around 300 kilometers through green tea plantations, dense cloud forests and past numerous waterfalls. The route is divided into several sections and is of medium difficulty, ideal for anyone who wants to combine scenic diversity with cultural impressions.
Level: moderately difficult. Best time to visit: January
Madeira is considered a paradise for pleasure hikers. A dense network of levadas - historic water channels - opens up around 28 varied routes through laurel forests, along mountain paths and up to the peaks of the island. The paths often run spectacularly along steep slopes, through tunnels and over small bridges, always accompanied by sweeping views of the Atlantic.
Level: easy, Best time to visit: January
The trail is one of the most famous in the world; over 80 kilometers, spread over four to five stages, it leads in a striking "W" shape through one of the most spectacular landscapes in South America. Gigantic granite needles, expansive glaciers and bright turquoise lakes characterize the picture. Highlights include the Torres del Paine, the French Valley and the Grey Glacier. Despite the well-developed infrastructure, the tour remains an intensive nature experience.
Level: moderately difficult. Best time to visit: February
The South West Coast Path in England is a real highlight for anyone who loves the sea. The long-distance hiking trail stretches for hundreds of kilometers along the southwestern coast and combines wild cliff landscapes with small fishing villages and constant views of the Atlantic. The route runs from Somerset via Devon and Cornwall to Dorset. Time and again, strenuous ascents alternate with equally steep descents.
Level: moderately difficult. Best time to visit: April
In the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, this relatively relaxed trekking route is around 70 kilometers long and runs through an impressive mountain landscape. In around four stages, it leads through barren plateaus, red sand and rock formations and traditional Berber villages. The route not only offers nature experiences, but also insights into the life of the local population, who live in mud houses on the slopes and cultivate terraced fields. The view of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, opens up again and again.
Level: easy. Best time to go: May
This challenging trekking route covers around 100 kilometers through one of the most remote regions of the Himalayas. Characterized by barren high plateaus, snow-capped peaks and clear mountain rivers, it offers impressive natural scenery at every turn. The route passes Buddhist monasteries, small mountain settlements and wide valleys before crossing several high passes. The special seclusion here makes the silence of the mountains a particularly intense experience.
Level: demanding. Best time to visit: July
The Via Francigena connects Switzerland with Italy and is considered one of the most important historical pilgrimage routes in Europe. Today, it is a varied long-distance hiking route that leads through impressive landscapes and rich cultural areas. From Lausanne, the Swiss section runs through the Valais and over the Great St. Bernhard Pass towards Italy. From there, the route continues through the Aosta Valley, Tuscany and finally to Rome. Medieval towns, monasteries, churches and wine regions characterize the landscape along the way.
Level: moderately difficult. Best time to visit: October
The Coast to Coast Walk crosses England once from west to east - from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. The 300-kilometer route leads through three national parks and shows the country's scenic diversity in condensed form. From the Lake District through the Yorkshire Dales to the North York Moors. Lakes, moor and heathland landscapes and rolling hills alternate along the way.
Level: moderate to challenging. Best time to visit: October
