Holiday destinations that are best explored on foot
Pick on one of these walking holidays - guided or self-guided - and discover the beauty of mindful exploration at a pace of your own choosing
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Image by : Jacob Lund / Shutterstock.com
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Image by : Tupungato / Shutterstock.com
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In its heyday in the 17th Century, the Nakasendo way was crowded with travellers including feudal lords, samurai, itinerant merchants, pilgrims and villagers. Now largely forgotten and quiet, the old highway provides a delightful journey through the history of Japan, its society and rural life. Starting in Ena, the walk takes you into the mountainous region of Japan’s Southern Alps, including the scenic Kaida Plateau dotted by hamlets and surrounded by fields of soba buckwheat and blueberries the area is famous for, and past the picture-postcard post towns of Magome, Tsumago and Narai, arriving finally onto the giant metropolis of Tokyo.
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Image by : Fukui Takaya / Shutterstock.com
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5 days. Walk Japan
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Image by : Lev Levin / Shutterstock.com
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Traversing resplendent vineyards and water courses, a trail of gentle walks take you through UNESCO’s world heritage central Loire valley, passing many of the region’s fairytale châteaux. The Loire and its many tributaries meander through the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Park, an area of vineyards, rolling farmland, hunting forests and limestone cliffs into which curious troglodytic dwellings have been carved
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Image by : Poupine / Shutterstock.com
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6 days. Belle France
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Image by : Paul Nevin / Getty Images
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This popular trek in Ladakh takes you through an ethereal trans-himalayan landscape dotted with ladakhi villages. Because it isn't an easy trek, you are most likely to spot some high altitude wildlife as well as experience the life of nomadic families as they herd their yaks in these big and beautiful valleys. Apart from the striking contrast of trekking in an arid cold desert valley, you get an outstanding view of Ladakh and Zanskar ranges, the 21,000 ft Kang Yissay and the 20,086 ft Stok Kangri peaks. The trek goes inside a beautiful Hemis National Park and involves two pass crossings- Gandala La (15,748 ft) and Kongmaru La (17,060 ft)
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Image by : Priyank05 / Shutterstock.com
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9 days. White Magic Adventure
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Image by : Rudy Balasko / Shutterstock.com
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Known as Italy’s “Flower Riviera” the Ligurian Riviera is a delight for all the senses. Take in stunning views of rolling waves in an azure blue sea and terraced villages that cling to the steep hillsides as you walk along ancient walking trails that plunge dramatically to the sea. Marvel at the terraced vineyards and olive groves and savour the justly famed local cuisine and wines
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Image by : Totajla / Shutterstock.com
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7 days. Italian Fix
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Image by : Galyna Andrushko / Shutterstock.com
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Choose this unique and pioneering trekking route to Machu Picchu and you’ll be hiking unspoiled trails used only by the locals, avoiding the crowds that take the usual Classic route. Dragoman's Community Inca Trek takes you along a pristine mountain scenery, passing through Inca ruins and camping in remote villages as guests of the local communities
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Image by : Rest / Shutterstock.com
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5 DAYS. Dragoman
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Image by : HUANG Zheng / Shutterstock.com
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The southernmost of the three great fjords, Hardangerfjord is blessed by a mild cli-mate and renowned for its glorious colours, orchards of apples & delicious dark cherries and brightly painted houses. On this walk and exhilarating journey, you wander down from the forests and moorland above Voss to reach the deepest, most spectacular views of Hardangerfjord as it claws its way into the mountains of Hardangervidda.
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Image by : Versta / Shutterstock.com
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7 DAYS. Inntravel
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Image by : Auscape/UIG via Getty Images
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Few places on Earth remain that feel so remote, so raw, so removed from the ordi-nary as these 46 kilometres of cliff-hugging wildness in Australia's far south-east. Edging along the tops of cliffs that soar more than 300m above the howling winds of the Southern Ocean, the Three Capes track - an artwork created by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service that is rivalled only by the landscape - is truly Australia's most intriguing bushwalk.
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Image by : Greg Brave / Shutterstock.com
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4 DAYS. Three Capes Track
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Image by : Therina Groenewald / Shutterstock.com
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Be warned, the trail is popular but protected, so the limited places must be booked well in advance. But if you do, it will be a rewarding experience : facing an ancient wilderness far removed from time. The Otter Trail, named for one of the animals that makes its home here, covers a 43-kilometer stretch of the Tsitsikamma National Park, situated in the Garden Route region of the Western Cape
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Image by : Sara Winter / Shutterstock.com
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Image by : Zossia / Shutterestock.com
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5 DAYS. South African National Parks
