The 16 best Walks & Hikes in the world

Ladakh: Trek in the Himalayas

Also called Little Tibet, Ladakh is a region located in the far north of the Republic of India. The city of Leh is the most important by its demography. Its airport, located at an altitude of 3,500 m, provides access to all the treks that Ladakh has to offer. The territory is dominated to the north by the Karakoram mountains, and to the south by the Himalayas. The circuit connecting Lamayuru to Hemis, two of the largest monasteries in Ladakh, is the most envied of all. Covering 145 km at an altitude of more than 5,000 m over 11 days, it crosses the Markha valley, to meet snow leopards, bharals, and ancestral Buddhist traditions. From May to September, the climatic conditions are ideal.

• Distance: 145 km
• Duration: 11 days
• Ideal period: between May and September

The Inca Trail: Trek in Peru

75 km northwest of Cuzco, perched at an altitude of 2,792 m in the heart of the Andes Cordillera , the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo is the starting point of an exceptional trek: the Inca Trail. Direction: Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city of the 15th century, via the Warmiwañusca pass exceeding 4,200 m. From the ruins of Llactapata to the Pacamayu camp, passing through the cultivation terraces of Wiñay Wayna, the Inca Trail reveals over 43 km natural and wild treasures rhyming with history. Prefer the periods from March to May and from September to November to avoid crowds and heavy rainfall.

• Distance: 43 km
• Duration: 5 days
• Ideal period: between March and May or September to November

The GR20: Trek in Corsica

The GR20 is the long-distance hiking trail that crosses Corsica from the town of Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south. Passing through the mountain range and the regional natural park, it is very well known by trekkers who often qualify it as the most difficult path in Europe. 200 km long and accumulating 11,000 m of elevation gain, the GR20 is made up of very technical passages in its northern part. On the program, you will have the opportunity to see Monte Cinto, Monte Renoso or even the lakes of Capitello and Melo or Lake Ninu. Count 16 days, or 6 to 7 hours of walking per day, to overcome it. The ideal period is between May and the end of September, when the refuges are guarded: remember to book your place in the various refuges accessible on your route.

• Distance: 200 km
• Duration: 16 days
• Ideal period: between May and the end of September

The Haute Route Chamonix - Zermatt: Trek in the Alps

Meet in Haute-Savoie to start a trek that will not fail to mark your memory. From Chamonix, travel to Zermatt in Switzerland along a 190 km route skimming 69 of the 82 peaks over 4,000 m listed in the Mont-Blanc massif and the Valais Alps. It will keep you going for 14 days! The Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt offers a multitude of alternative circuits through the Swiss side of Mont-Blanc, the Val de Bagnes, that of Entremont and the Val Ferret. Unless you decide to go through the Saint Bernard and Italy: everything is possible. Between mid-June and mid-September, the weather conditions are ideal and can make some very technical passages easier.

• Distance: 190 km
• Duration: 14 days
• Ideal period: between mid-June and mid-September

The Tour du Mont Blanc: Trek between France, Switzerland and Italy

With an altitude of 4,809 m, the Mont-Blanc is the highest peak in Western Europe. And if you go around it? In contact with choughs, glacier buttercups and its 71 glaciers, the Mont-Blanc massif has something to fascinate. Many itineraries are within your reach along the Swiss, Italian and French slopes. Like the one starting from Les Houches, at the foot of Mont-Blanc. This trek lasts 10 days: put on your best crampons! 4 to 6 hours of walking await you with each new sunrise. The Estelette glacier, Courmayeur, the Grand Col Ferret, the Arpette window (2,665 m) and the Trient glacier are some of the stages of your trip, to be done preferably between June and September.

• Distance: 170 km
• Duration: 10 days
• Ideal period: between June and September

The Zions Narrows: Trek in the United States

In the south-west of the American state of Utah, Zion National Park covers 593 km². It owes its fame to its deep canyons dug by the Virgin River. The Narrows, meaning “narrow passage”, is the hiking trail allowing you to follow it, for the most part with your feet in the water. It is very popular, including for families with children. Beware of chimpmunks, those little striped squirrels that try to steal your food straight from your backpack! The red rock of the canyons and the vegetation completely envelop you, the contrasts are striking. A trek to the Zions Narrows is 26 km that can be covered in a day or more, for a total drop of 426 m. Many related circuits are accessible.

• Distance: 26 km
• Duration: 1 day
• Ideal period: July and August

The Tour of the 3 Circuses: Trek in Reunion

Located in the Indian Ocean in the Mascarene archipelago, 684 km east of Madagascar, the Reunion island is a volcanic paradise overlooked by the famous Piton des Neiges (3,071 m). The Tour des 3 Circuses allows you to discover all the natural mysteries of the classified circuses of Mafate, Salazie and Cilaos. Each of them offers multiple routes for the most adventurous trekkers, like the one passing through the GRR3 and connecting Marla to the Ilet à Malheur in 5 days. But the tour of the Piton des Neiges remains the most astonishing. It takes you through the three circuses in 6 stages over 63 km from Cilaos, notably via the Col de Taïbit and the veil of the Bride.

• Distance: 63 km
• Duration: 4 to 5 days
• Ideal period: between April and November 

The Cinque Terre: Trek in Italy

To the west of the city of La Spezia in Italy, the Cinque Terre draw the contours of part of the Riviera Liguria, from Moneglia in the north to Portovenere in the south. They occupy a rugged and steep landscape on which cultivation terraces have been built. Its atypical villages, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, are embedded in the creeks and on the cliffs. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the Cinque Terre are gems to discover from April to the end of May, and from September to October. In the heart of the national park of the same name, the coastal paths rub shoulders with the coasts of Sicily. A trek in the Cinque Terre can be done in 6 days with 5 hours of walking, corresponding to 15 km of daily hiking.

• Distance: 80 km
• Duration: 6 days
• Ideal period: between April and September (avoid the months of July and August)

The Great Wall of China : Trek in China

The most important architectural structure ever built by man, the Great Wall of China was built initially to mark and defend the northern border of the country. 6,259 km long, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It connects the coast north of Beijing to the Gobi Desert. Many itineraries are accessible to trekkers, like the 10-day one from Beijing to the General Tower of Gubeikou. In total: 36 km and 4 to 6 hours of daily walking via Dongjiakou and the Ming tombs. Restaurants, traditional inns and hotels punctuate your journey and make you travel lighter. Autumn and spring make it possible to avoid polar winters and scorching summers.

• Distance: 36 km
• Ideal period: in spring and autumn

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Trek in Africa

Three extinct volcanoes, Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo, push up to the skies of Africa the peak Uhuru, culminating at 5,891 m above sea level. Kilimanjaro is the roof of the continent as well as one of the greatest challenges for trekkers around the world. From the overheated lowlands at its feet, to the cloud forest, to the nival level above 5,000 m, it offers a grandiose fauna and flora. A trek on Kilimanjaro is first of all several accessible routes classified according to their level of difficulty, the 60 km long Machame route being the most suitable for acclimatization. Accommodation is traditionally in tents. In all, 6 to 10 hours of daily hiking await you up to Uhuru Peak, with positive elevations ranging from 730 to 1,200 m.

• Distance: 60 km
• Duration: about 10 days
• Ideal period: from January to early March or from the end of June to October

The Kalalau Trail: Trek in Hawaii

The Kalalau trail is a long hiking trail of 18 km. It connects Ke'e Beach and Kalalau Beach along the Nā Pali Coast of the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in the central Pacific Ocean. It crosses lush tropical vegetation on the mountainside, and overlooks the ocean, revealing at the same time sumptuous scenery of green cliffs. Furthermore, it is impossible to reach any road from Kalalau Beach, therefore, count 3 days of hiking to overcome the 36 km round trip of the trail. And don't forget your camping permit! After the crowds at the start of the circuit, the emerald waters of the Hanakapi'ai waterfall are yours. Note that the reopening of the Kalalau trail is scheduled for October 2018, following the floods of April 2018.

• Distance: 36 km
• Duration: 2 to 3 days

The Baltoro Glacier and K2 base camp: Trek in Pakistan

A trek in Pakistan has enough to make you dizzy! In the heart of one of the most striking concentrations of high mountains in the world, approach the majestic K2 (8,611 m), Broad Peak (8,047 m) and Hidden Peak (8,068 m) after a period of acclimatization in Concordia, from the K2 base camp at 5,135 m altitude. From Islamabad, allow 22 days to reach and then return from the two glaciers forming the Concordia: that of Godwin Austen and the Baltoro glacier. At the key : a unique 360° panorama over the entire Karakoram massif, dominated by K2. Nearly 10 hours of walking are planned the same day for the ascent and then the descent. Prefer the summer for this feat.

• Duration: 12 to 14 days
• Ideal period: July and August

The Torres del Paine Circuit: Trek in Chile

Located between the Andes Cordillera and the Patagonian steppe, the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile has recorded a constant increase in its size over the past few years. Its frequentation , which doubled between 2005 and 2016 to reach 211,886 visitors that year. Serve to say that you will not be alone during your trek W. Trek W? This is the other name given to the Torres del Paine trek because of the W drawn by this circuit through the incredible biodiversity of this vast territory of 242,242 ha. It takes 6 days, from Laguna Amarga to the Paine Grande campsite. About camping: remember to book your place in all those you will meet during your trip. As 80 km on foot, deserves a good night's rest.

• Distance of the W trek: 80 km
• Duration: 6 days
• Ideal period: from the end of October to March (from May 1 to September 30: possibility of carrying it out with a guide only)

The Overland Track: Trek in Tasmania

Beyond the Strait of Bass, 199 km from the southeast coast of Australia, the island of Tasmania conceals paths where frenzied marsupials cross paths with yellow-throated honeyeaters. Take to the open sea and meet on the Overland Track, a 65 km long hiking trail, crossing the Tasmanian nature reserve, from the summit of Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair. On the program: the moss carpet of Waterfall Valley, the sources of the River Forth cascading along the Lemonthyme Valley, the Pelion pass and its emerald-colored forests. And why not also conquer Mount Ossa, the highest peak in Tasmania (1,615 m).

• Distance: 65 km
• Duration: 6 days
• Ideal period: from November to April

The Canadian Rockies: Trek in Canada

Longues de 1 200 km, les Rocheuses canadiennes s’étendent à l’ouest du pays entre la frontière avec les États-Unis et la province canadienne de la Colombie Britannique. Mélèzes, sapins subalpins et épinettes d’Engelmann peuplent leurs forêts, refuges des ours noirs, des wapitis et des coyotes. Il existe un grand nombre de circuits accessibles, à l’instar de celui au départ du lac Moraine à 1 885 m d’altitude, situé dans le parc national de Banff dans la célèbre Ten Peaks Valley. Direction : le parc national Jasper plus au nord et les trois sommets des Bald Hills.

• Distance : à la carte !
• Période idéale : juillet et août

1,200 km long, the Canadian Rockies extend to the west of the country between the border with the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Larches, subalpine firs and Engelmann spruce populate their forests, refuges for black bears, elk and coyotes. There are a large number of accessible circuits, like the one starting from Moraine Lake at 1,885 m above sea level, located in Banff National Park in the famous Ten Peaks Valley. Direction: Jasper National Park further north and the three peaks of the Bald Hills.

• Distance: Free to choose 
• Ideal period: July and August

The Tour of the Annapurnas: Trek in Nepal