8 Unusual Hikes You’re Not Considering…But Should
What are some of our favourite day walks and multi-day treks after spending more than ten years touring the globe and trekking on six continents? This trekking guide covers 8 of our suggested milder or obscure excursions, some of which are multi-day treks, and others are day walks that you may not be familiar with but should. So, look at these walks if you want to have unique and engaging experiences with the local culture and natural scenery. Years ago, when we initially began our adventure, hiking and trekking — especially the lengthy, multi-day trek sort — were not high on our priority list of things to do. We like doing short day trips and strolls, but we didn’t deliberately seek out longer multi-day excursions.
However, we have discovered that we are becoming increasingly drawn to lengthy treks in the mountains because they give us the chance to escape the bustling world, get more connected to nature, and, eventually, to ourselves. Nowadays, as a method to unwind and recharge, we try to go on at least one lengthy multi-day trek or a collection of day hikes in a single trip each year.
India’s Sikkim, from Lake Khecheopalri to Yuksom
20-25 kilometers / 12 – 15 miles 3 Days
The purpose of our journey is to view the magnificent Mount
Khangchendzonga, the third-highest mountain in the world (8,586 m/28,169 ft), and to experience the Bhutanese and Nepali lifestyle while remaining in India. Our schedule did not include trekking when we initially decided to visit Sikkim, a partial-autonomous area in northwest India bordering Tibet (China), Bhutan and Nepal.
We didn’t start exploring the area around Lake Khecheopalri and Yuksom with a daypack until we had seen the beautiful mountains and heard that the treks were simple to follow. We liked the conversations and tea breaks in the villages along the road and slept in family-run guesthouses.
Trekking through Kazakhstan’s Tian Shan Mountains to reach Big Almaty Lake
24 miles 2 Days
Get a brief view of the Tian Shan Mountains before arriving at the Big Almaty Lake’s turquoise waters and spending the night at a quirky former Soviet astronomy observatory. The hike’s pinnacle was the peculiar feeling of spending the night at the Tian Shan Astronomical Observatory, notwithstanding the lake’s beauty and how much we enjoyed the journey. We had the impression that we had arrived on a movie set when we visited this time-frozen outpost of the Soviet Union in the American West. However, scientists continue to work and reside there, maintaining the powerful telescopes. If you pay $5 to $10, any one of them will uncover the telescope and reveal to visitors the constellations.
United States, Idaho, Sawtooth Mountains
Around 11 – 22 miles
1 Day Hike
To be amazed by the Sawtooth Mountains’ stunning scenery, diverse wildlife, and alpine lakes. Who knew Idaho was so stunning? The sights and topography on the daily trek we went on, including the 22-mile Toxaway Lakes Loop and Pettit, Bench Lakes and Sawtooth Lakes Hike (be sure to keep going to the fourth lake), utterly stunned us.
To escape the crowds, we arranged our vacation for the end of September and the beginning of October, which is the shoulder season. Because we had the trails to ourselves and a few other visitors in the region, we could admire little Stanley county and its hot springs.
Myanmar’s Kalaw to Inle Lake (Burma)
61 kilometer / 38 miles
3 Days
Why: To hike through the foothills of Shan County between the well-known tourist destination of Inle Lake and the town of Kalaw, stay with families and at a local monastery, and get a taste of rural life in Myanmar. Our interactions with the locals we encountered along the way—from ethnic Pao girls begging for our water bottles so they might have something to quench their thirst while working the fields and the grandma picking ginger roots —made this trip particularly memorable for us.
You can only really understand the labour of the hill village residents who walk their wares to the weekly marketplaces by the lake if you have walked to Inle Lake. Myanmar’s landmarks make it easier to appreciate the countryside and rural life.
Heralta Mountains: Province of Tigray, Ethiopia
1-2 days
10-15 kilometer / 6-9 miles
Why: to visit buildings of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith that are 1,000 years old, cut steeply into the cliffs in a setting resembling the red rock deserts of Utah and Arizona. You need to engage in some free-form rock climbing to get to those churches. A few steep drops throughout the experience might cause vertigo and cause someone to curl up in a safe foetal posture.
Yet there are advantages. In addition to soaking in the spectacular views as you ascend, you will get the opportunity to visit isolated cliff-side chapels decorated with 600-800-year-old frescos. A priest or monk will serve as your guide.
Although there are several hikes in this region, we chose the ones that led up to the churches of Daniel Korkor and Maryam. Since tackling the first one will help you prepare for the second, we advise climbing them in that sequence.
Haitian parks Parc National la Visite And Pic la Selle
25-35 kilo metres / 15-29 miles
3 Days
To see the endless range of Haiti mountains (the Taino language spoken there refers to the country as the “land of mountains”) and its stunning natural scenery while having the possibility to engage with and get to know the inhabitants. You’ll see people ploughing fields, carrying things to markets on their heads, and walking home from school.
Cities in Haiti may be chaotic and bustling, but spending a few days in the Parc hills and travelling along local trails to Port-au-Prince offers an opportunity to calm everything down and take in this fascinating but complex place in a fresh manner.
