Our top activities
Cultural engagement
Most walkers don’t just want to just ‘bag’ a mountain, or race from one valley to the next. Unless they are in search of complete solitude, most walkers enjoy getting off the beaten track on vacation to help them get in touch with the real country and its culture. Not the one laid on for tourists. A lot of walking vacations cater for this craving for cultural exchange, staying in traditional rural accommodation such as ryokans in the mountains of Japan, mountain auberges in the French Alps, or pensions in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. Or by visiting important cultural sites en route, such as nunneries in Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains or Muslim shrines in Kashmir. As you walk past Laos’ paddy fields, you can stop and learn about the traditional rice farming methods or pause for lunch in an olive grove with local community members as you take on amazing walking trails in Palestine. That is one of the most wonderful things about walking vacations in remote spots. Hosts rarely feel threatened or ‘invaded’ by walkers. Turn up with a coachload of camera slinging tourists, however, and it’s a different story.
Amalfi Coast walking vacation, Italy
Walk in lemon groves and hillside villages
From
US $1680 to US $2310
8 days
ex flights
Climb Mount Toubkal walking vacation
Explore the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco
From
US $670 to US $870
7 days
ex flights
Gran Canaria walking tours, Canary Islands
This unique volcanic island reveals unexpected variety
From
US $1220 to US $1610
8 days
ex flights
Kumano Kodo trekking vacation, Japan
Village to village walking in the sacred Kii Peninsula
From
US $3395
9 days
ex flights
Everest Circuit hiking vacation, Nepal
3 week trek of Gokyo Lake & Everest Base Camp
From
US $3690 to US $3870
21 days
ex flights
Tanzania tour with Kilimanjaro day trek
Tanzania's wildlife with Mt Kilimanjaro & Zanzibar beach
From
US $2500 to US $4800
8 days
ex flights
Nothing will get you into a chat more easily than asking a local barman to fill up your hipflask with his local specialty. It opens up a whole world of conversation![]()
Local food
Hikers like to pack their bags full of energy bars and drinks, but it is worth remembering that buying local food is sometimes the only way that a destination can make money from tourists coming to hike their natural wonders. So you need to shake off that Tupperware full of homemade sandwiches and flask of tea frame of mind, eat local and gorge yourself on the cultural goodies on offer whenever you can.
Combining yoga and hiking on vacation is my idea of Nirvana. Salute the sun, walk under its rays, and then meditate as it bids farewell for the day.![]()
Two for the price of one
There are more and more walking vacations for people who want to combine it with another activity, or learn a new skill. You can combine Spanish classes with strolls along sections of Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago. Or care for your chakras in the French Alps from both a yoga studio and a mountainside in the French Alps. Hike with huskies in Finland, or combine walking with kayaking in Patagonia.
Our top trip
Amalfi Coast walking vacation, Italy
Walk in lemon groves and hillside villages
From
US $1680 to US $2310
8 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2023: 23 Dec, 30 Dec
2024: 10 Feb, 17 Feb, 24 Feb, 2 Mar, 9 Mar, 16 Mar, 23 Mar, 30 Mar, 6 Apr, 13 Apr, 20 Apr, 27 Apr, 11 May, 18 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 8 Jun, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 9 Nov, 16 Nov, 21 Dec, 28 Dec
2023: 23 Dec, 30 Dec
2024: 10 Feb, 17 Feb, 24 Feb, 2 Mar, 9 Mar, 16 Mar, 23 Mar, 30 Mar, 6 Apr, 13 Apr, 20 Apr, 27 Apr, 11 May, 18 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 8 Jun, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 29 Jun, 6 Jul, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 9 Nov, 16 Nov, 21 Dec, 28 Dec
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Wildlife watching
If you want to include wildlife watching as part of your walking vacation, you want to choose your destination carefully, and spend some time with an expert local guide if you can. Such as on a walking safari in Africa where, of course, you need full safety supervision while you walk. And if you didn’t think you were a wildlife fan Scotland will convert you, especially as there are great wildlife guides there to help you spot a golden eagle or red deer. Watch out for wild goats in Sierra de Gredos in Spain, or combine a night trek on a walking vacation in Madagascar to spot the various species of lemur. The secret is to read up on the country’s wildlife a little before you go, bring binoculars, keep your voice down and your eyes peeled. And don’t forget to just stop and listen.
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