Trekking Guides

The Lost City, Colombia: A Guide to Hiking to La Ciudad Perdida

by Audrey Scott

The hike to the Lost City in northern Colombia takes you 46km (28 miles) round trip through the jungles, hills and river valleys of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We’d had our sights set on the Lost City Trek for years, so expectations had built up. Fortunately, the challenge, landscape, and experience exceeded so many of them.

This Lost City Columbia Hiking Guide shares why that is and includes a day-by-day overview of the Lost City Trek, all you need to know to choose the right tour, how to pack and organize so that you can enjoy the Ciudad Perdida and this multi-day hike to the fullest.

How to Pack For A Hike: The Ultimate Hiking Essentials Checklist

by Audrey Scott

Alay Region Marketing and Product Development Strategy

What hiking essentials do I need for a multi-day hike? What gear and hiking backpack should I take on a day hike? What gear would be too much? And what hiking gear is essential so that you are prepared for all types of weather and other scenarios? How am I going to carry it all so it's not too heavy? This Ultimate Hiking Essentials Checklist aims to answer all of those questions — and much more — to prepare you for your next day hike, multi-day trek or outdoor adventure.

Hiking in Cyprus: Our Favorite Hiking Trails and Travel Itinerary

by Audrey Scott

Hiking in Cyprus, the Aphrodite Loop Hiking Trail

Hiking may not be top of mind when travelers consider visiting Cyprus. Most associate the Mediterranean island nation with its beaches and resorts. However, our recent visit to Cyprus illustrates that the country not only offers sea, sun and deep history, but a variety of natural landscapes and geological diversity that makes hiking on the island a delight.

Bhutan Trekking: The Druk Path Trek and New Trans Bhutan Trail

by Audrey Scott

Druk Path Trek, Bhutan - Thujidrak Goemba Temple

What is it like to go trekking in Bhutan? To go on a Himalayan mountain adventure with wide open landscapes, snow-covered peaks, Buddhist temples, prayer flags, high altitude camping and alpine lakes? We share a taste of trekking in Bhutan with our Druk Path Trek experience — including what you’ll experience day by day, difficulty, how to pack and organize a Bhutan trek, what to expect from a winter trek, and why this is one of the most popular treks in Bhutan. We also share information about the Trans Bhutan Trail, a new hiking route in Bhutan coming available in 2022.

How To Pack for the Camino de Santiago: Camino Essentials and Packing Lists

by Audrey Scott

How to pack for the Camino de Santiago so that you are prepared with all the essentials for the Camino, but you still pack light and don't carry a heavy backpack? That is one of the big challenges when preparing and planning for the Camino de Santiago, one where you can waste lots of time and money if you're not careful. Fortunately, our Ultimate Camino Essentials Packing List for women and men helps you figure this all out with a list of essential clothing and gear to bring with you.

Our Camino Essentials Packing List is all based on our own experience of walking almost 1,000 km / 600 miles along the Camino de Santiago. We share specific recommendations on Camino essentials like backpacks, clothing, shoes, foot care, and more. The goal: carry what you need to be comfortable and protect against changing weather, but don't feel like you need to take everything with you on the Camino de Santiago.

Best Hikes Around the World: 15 Unusual Hikes You’re Not Considering…But Should

by Audrey Scott

After over a decade of traveling around the world and hiking on six continents, what are some of our best hikes and multi-day treks? This hiking guide includes 15 of our recommended unknown or lesser-known hikes — some multi-day treks, some day hikes — that you might not have heard of or know about, but should. These hikes are worth a look if you are interested in unusual and immersive experiences in terms of both natural landscapes and local culture.

Huayhuash Trek, Peru: All You Need to Know About Hiking in the Cordillera Huayhuash

by Audrey Scott

Doing the Huayhuash Trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru had been a dream of ours for over a decade. Although our expectations were high, the reality of our experience far exceeded them: eight high mountain pass crossings, surrounding peaks of 6,000+ meters (20,000+ feet), turquoise alpine lakes, stunning glacier-covered mountains, and a diversity of landscapes. Each day felt like a different experience, a new discovery. After answering endless questions about planning, organizing and preparing for a Huayhuash trek, it’s time to share it all in this Huayhuash Trekking Guide.

Ladakh Trekking: A Beginner’s Guide

by Audrey Scott

Having fielded numerous questions about trekking in Ladakh — which trek to choose, how to find a trekking agency, when to go, how to get there, what to pack, and more — we’ve created this Ladakh Trekking Beginner’s Guide. We hope it encourages you to make the long journey to Ladakh and explore its stunning mountain landscapes and fascinating Ladahki and Tibetan Buddhist culture and people. You won't be sorry.

Trekking in the Alay Mountains, Kyrgyzstan: The Ultimate Guide

by Audrey Scott

Sary Mogul Pass on the Heights of Alay Trek, Kyrgyzstan

Striding toward the Pamir Mountain range-line on the horizon, I chased the waning light across a broad meadow dotted with horses in the distance. We'd descended from a mountain pass surrounded by turquoise alpine lakes and defined by glacier ridge lines. Yak herders we met earlier invited us into their yurt for tea and local specialties, a gesture typical of Kyrgyz nomadic culture and hospitality.

This is trekking in the Alay Mountains of southern Kyrgyzstan.

Offbeat Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: Jyrgalan Boz Uchuk Lakes Trek, A Beginner’s Guide

by Audrey Scott

With over 90% of its territory covered in mountains, Kyrgyzstan has no shortage of treks filled with stunning landscapes, alpine lakes, shepherds, yurts and a feeling of being very far out, immersed in nature. It's why we often recommend Kyrgyzstan to travelers interested in trekking with a taste of the offbeat. Our recent trek of the newly developed Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek in the Tian Shan mountains above Jyrgalan village reminded us again why we make such recommendations.