Are you planning a hiking trip and fancy finding a more unusual walking destination this year? It’s always great to find new and exciting places to walk and delve into a new piece of the earth that you hadn’t considered before.
We’ve chosen five of our favourite spots that we think you’ll love to discover too.
1.Slovakia
The High Tatra Mountains on the Poland/Slovakia border offer a walking destination that certainly rivals the Alps, and at half the price we think it’s a brilliant place to visit.
The scenery you’ll find here in High Tatra is outstandingly beautiful and although the routes are geared up for tourists to visit, you’ll never find it overwhelmingly busy or struggle to find a room.
There are quick transport methods up to the foothills including cable cars, and you’ll find plenty of huts to rest yourselves in when walking is done for the day.
The walks up here in the Tatra can be physically demanding with countless rocky peaks, glacial valleys, alpine lakes and waterfalls to see along the way.
Whilst in the area you simply must visit the outdoor thermal pools with healing water, located in the foothills of the Tatra’s.
2.Chile
Chile is a country of such beauty that its surprising it has been mostly overlooked up until recently. At 2650 miles long yet never more than 150 miles wide and packed with ecosystems and biodiversity it contains some of the most extreme environments on earth. Chile boasts 36 national parks, deserts, fjords and subpolar islands and offers a vast number of walking opportunities.
Chile has a big wine tourist scene with the Maule Valley open to visitors, so if wine is your thing, you will definitely want to head here.
The Andes mountain range runs along the eastern border and offers some outstanding walking opportunities for people of all abilities who love to climb and take in the views.
For those wanting even more adventure then The Lake District of Chile could be for you. The sheer scale and tranquility of this area will leave you speechless and will allow you the opportunity to climb volcano craters, granite peaks and trek past cascading waterfalls.
3.Mongolia
Although Mongolia is three times bigger than France, it is in fact the fourth most sparsely populated area on earth. This country has rolling steppes, lakes, rivers, vast pine forests and beautiful sand dunes in the Gobi desert, this is an incredible walking destination.
Mongolia has always been seen as a remote land, but with the relatively new state of the art airport, this is quickly changing, so get there fast. The capital city is home to half of the whole countries population which means the stunning and interesting countryside is just waiting to be discovered.
Outer Mongolia is a spectacular area of wilderness that stretches from the Gobi desert through to snow-capped mountains.
Walking Mongolia gives you a real sense of the countries rich history with whole civilisations coming and going and monks and kings walking the same routes you’ll now tred.
4.Iceland
Iceland is hugely unspoilt with beautiful countryside at all turns. It is a fabulous walking destination and if you have a month to spare then you could hike across the country in full, starting from Asbyrgi and ending in Yik some 450km later. We probably wouldn’t suggest you try this hike though unless you are a seasoned walker since you will pass through all extremes of weather whilst walking the volcanic and glacial landscapes. It’s a long and hard walk but the raw, beautiful countryside will keep you going.
Iceland is equally fantastic for shorter walks, with each region of the country boasting unique trails of their own. The highlands are a wilderness of roaring rivers, mystical valleys and mountainous canyons.
5.Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is an Asian country bounded by the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains. It is a breathtaking country that has not been overridden with tourists. Baku is the capital city and is low-lying with a coastline along the Caspian Sea. There are some beautiful walking destinations in the capital, including walking along its medieval walled old city.
Don’t miss the mud volcanoes on the coastal areas of Azerbaijan where pockets of underground gas have found a weak spot in the earth and force their way to the surface creating exactly that, mud volcanoes, that instead of being intensely hot are often just above freezing.
Heading away from the Capital and into Azerbaijan’s countryside you’ll find fresh air, blue skies and serene landscape. Don’t expect marked paths and signposts, you’re on your own out there, there are no fences or paths cut through the landscape, expect endless and open views as all land is treated as public property.
Head for the Caucasus mountains for real hiking adventures on snow capped peaks, mesmerising landscapes and isolation like you may never have experienced before.
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