A curated, accurate guide to the world's great hiking and trekking destinations — from the Himalaya and the Andes to the Alps, the Dolomites and the volcanoes of Iceland. Each destination is researched from authoritative sources, with honest assessments of difficulty, season and logistics.
The destinations on this page are the regions that consistently appear on authoritative "best hiking" lists from national geographic surveys, alpine clubs, long-distance trail associations and established trekking guidebooks. We prioritise regions with genuine, well-documented trail infrastructure — marked routes, refuge or teahouse networks, and reliable access from a gateway town — over remote areas that require expedition-level logistics.
Each destination guide gives you the headline facts you need to compare regions: the highest trekking altitude, the best months, an honest difficulty rating, and the permits or bookings you need to arrange. We do not rank destinations against each other — the "best" destination depends entirely on your fitness, available time, budget and what kind of scenery and culture you are after.
Start with altitude. Destinations above 4,000 m (Kilimanjaro, the Himalaya, the high Andes) demand acclimatisation time and carry a real altitude-sickness risk; destinations below 2,000 m (Patagonia, Scotland, the West Highland Way) do not. If you have never trekked above 3,000 m, choose a lower destination first and learn how your body responds before committing to a high-altitude trip.
Then consider season. The trekking window is narrow in many regions — the Himalaya is best in October–November and March–May, the European Alps from June to September, Patagonia from November to March. Travelling outside these windows means snow, monsoon rain, closed refuges or impassable passes. Build your trip around the destination's season, not your holiday dates.
Finally, weigh logistics. Some destinations (the Alps, Scotland, Madeira) have excellent public transport, staffed refuges and no permit requirements — you can turn up and walk. Others (the Inca Trail, Everest, Kilimanjaro) require permits booked months ahead, licensed guides, and significant lead time. Match the destination's logistical demands to how far ahead you can plan.
The highest destinations offer the biggest altitude challenge and the most dramatic high-mountain scenery, but they require the most preparation and carry the most risk. Mid-altitude destinations (the Dolomites, Pyrenees, Caucasus) deliver alpine scenery with less altitude stress. Low-altitude destinations (Patagonia, Scotland, Madeira, New Zealand) offer wilderness and coastal scenery without any acclimatisation concern.
Cultural immersion is a separate axis. The Himalaya (Sherpa Buddhism), the Caucasus (isolated mountain communities), Peru (Quechua villages and Inca heritage) and Morocco (Amazigh/Berber village life) offer the deepest cultural encounters. The Alps and Patagonia are more purely wilderness experiences. If meeting mountain communities matters to you as much as the scenery, prioritise the culturally rich regions.
| Destination | Continent | Highest trekking point | Best season | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patagonia (Torres del Paine) | South America | ~2,500 m | November–March | Moderate–Strenuous |
| Nepal & the Himalaya | Asia | 5,545 m (Kala Patthar) | October–November, March–May | Strenuous (altitude) |
| Mount Kilimanjaro | Africa | 5,895 m (Uhuru Peak) | January–March, June–October | Strenuous (altitude) |
| The Alps (Mont Blanc) | Europe | 4,805 m | June–September | Moderate–Strenuous |
| The Dolomites | Europe | ~3,343 m | June–September | Moderate |
| The Pyrenees | Europe | ~3,404 m | June–September | Moderate |
| Scotland Highlands | Europe | ~1,345 m | April–September | Easy–Moderate |
| Iceland | Europe | ~2,109 m | June–September | Moderate |
| Madeira | Europe | ~1,862 m | Year-round | Easy–Moderate |
| Corsica (GR20) | Europe | ~2,718 m | June–September | Strenuous (scrambling) |
| Drakensberg | Africa | 3,482 m | March–September | Moderate–Strenuous |
| Mount Fuji | Asia | 3,776 m | July–September | Moderate |
| Georgia (Caucasus) | Asia | ~5,033 m | July–September | Moderate–Strenuous |
| Peru (Inca Trail region) | South America | 4,215 m (Dead Woman's Pass) | May–September | Moderate (altitude) |
| New Zealand | Oceania | ~2,500 m | December–April | Moderate |
These regions reach above 4,000 m and require disciplined acclimatisation. They offer the most dramatic high-mountain scenery but carry a real altitude-sickness risk — build in acclimatisation days and carry insurance that covers your maximum altitude.
The classic European trekking regions — alpine scenery, well-marked trails and staffed refuge networks, with less altitude stress than the Himalaya or Kilimanjaro. Ideal for fit walkers who want mountain drama without extreme altitude.
No acclimatisation needed. These destinations trade altitude for wilderness, coastline, volcanic terrain or windswept moorland — perfect for sea-level travellers and those who want dramatic scenery without altitude risk.
October–November: the Himalaya (post-monsoon clarity), the Caucasus, the European Alps (late season, quieter). March–May: the Himalaya (spring, warming), Kilimanjaro, Madeira. June–September: the European Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees, Corsica, Iceland, Scotland, Mount Fuji, Peru, Georgia. November–March: Patagonia, New Zealand, Drakensberg (austral summer).
Travelling outside a destination's core season is possible in some regions (Madeira is year-round; the lower Alps have spring and autumn walking) but means closed refuges, snow on high passes, or monsoon rain in the Himalaya. Always check current conditions with the local alpine club or park authority before booking outside the core window.
For moderate destinations (Patagonia, the Dolomites, Madeira), regular hill-walking fitness is sufficient — aim for comfortable 5–6 hour days with a daypack. For strenuous destinations (the Himalaya, Kilimanjaro, the GR20), build aerobic fitness over 3–4 months: long walks with a pack, stair climbing, and back-to-back long days to build endurance.
For high-altitude destinations, fitness helps but does not prevent altitude sickness — acclimatisation is the critical factor. Walk in slowly, take scheduled rest days, ascend no more than 300–500 m of sleeping altitude per day above 3,000 m, and descend immediately if symptoms worsen.
Standard travel insurance rarely covers trekking above 3,000–4,000 m or helicopter evacuation. For any high-altitude destination, buy a dedicated trekking policy and verify the altitude ceiling in writing before you travel. For the Himalaya, insurance covering helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m is effectively mandatory.
Register with your embassy where recommended, carry your insurance details and emergency contacts, and for remote destinations (Nepal, Patagonia, the Caucasus) consider a satellite messenger. In guided destinations, your guide handles emergency logistics — but the insurance must be yours.