"The world somehow reveals itself to those who travel on foot." These were the words of the German filmmaker Werner Herzog in a recent BBC interview. The principle of Solvitur ambulando, Latin for "it is solved by walking", is said to have been in use since ancient Greece and has been discussed ever since. Cheryl Strayed's book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, was recently turned into a film starring Reese Witherspoon. It's about a young woman who confronts all her life's problems, including the suffering and death of her mother, a violent father, drug abuse and the breakdown of her marriage, by undertaking a solo three-month hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in the western United States, and makes a powerful statement about the benefits – both physical and mental – of moving under your own steam.
These days, when humans, who in previous eras would have covered more than 30 kilometres a day on foot, are barely walking even one kilometre per day, life is completely out of balance and walking is sometimes seen as a bizarre luxury. There isn’t enough time, or the setting or weather are not right. This is where walking holidays can come in. Whether organised or self-guided, walking immerses you in an environment more than any other form of activity or transport. Smell the scent of a forest while studying the trees, flowers and plants; discover places at your own pace and be rewarded by hidden swimming pools; taste wild berries or come across out-of-the-way restaurants and guesthouses not reachable in any other way. View mountains such as Nepal’s Annapurnas on a tough week-long tour, or amble your way along the Cinque Terre in Italy, along cliffside paths linking coastal villages. The best walking holidays are the ones that combine the exercise with everything you would want to see in a destination with good accommodation and great food. Fresh air and increased stamina are just some of the benefits; those who have never done a walking holiday before often report that challenging themselves leaves them feeling more alive. Demanding hikes have a way of stripping away inessential worries and allowing the mind to focus on what is important. The best thing is that walking holidays or holidays that include walking can be chosen or tailored to suit almost anyone, of any age and with any level of physical fitness, in any part of the world. Just make sure you pick the right trip.
True to its name, the experienced and highly rated tour operator Explore Worldwide (exploreworldwide.com) has 143 professional and competitively priced escorted walking and trekking tours across the globe. While a knowledgeable guide takes care of the details, you are free to enjoy the scenery. Its trips include walking in Jordan, plus 18 trips in Africa, 71 in Europe (including nine in Turkey), 21 in Asia, seven in North America and 25 in South America and the Caribbean. Trips range in length from a few days to several months. An eight-day walking trip to Northern Cyprus costs from just US$520 (Dh1,900) per person, excluding flights; eight days walking the Lycian Way in Turkey costs from $690 (Dh2,530) per person, excluding flights.
Exodus (exodus.co.uk) has been designing walking and trekking tours for more than 40 years and offers 132 different options, including self-guided tours, where the booking and planning is done for you, but you travel on your own. Most of the trips are group trips, to destinations including Sri Lanka and Tanzania. It offers two walking trips to Jordan of five and eight days; the five-day trip, which includes trekking around Petra and Wadi Rum and relaxation in the Dead Sea and Aqaba, costs from £489 (Dh2,700) per person, excluding flights.
KE Adventure Travel (keadventure.com) offers around 200 specialised and often unusual walking tours all over the world, including "Mostar to Sarajevo" in Bosnia and "La Gomera Walker's Paradise" in the Canary Islands. Plus, 69 in Europe and six walking holidays in the Middle East (three in Jordan and three in Oman). A 12-day "trek and walk" through Greenland and Iceland – perfect for escaping the UAE's heat (departures in June, July and August) – costs from £2,495 (Dh13,800) per person, excluding flights. Individual trips can be arranged, otherwise group sizes can be up to 16 people.
The UAE-based Wild Guanabana (wildguanabana.com) offers 33 active holidays that include hiking in their itineraries; destinations are Nepal, Turkey, Morocco, Tanzania, Argentina, Lebanon, Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru, Jordan and Russia as well as the French Alps. A five-day hike of Mt Toubkal, the highest mountain in the Arab world, costs from $700 (Dh2,570) per person, excluding flights. In Lebanon, a three-day winter trip (available until the end of April), including snowshoeing in the mountains, costs from $685 (Dh2,515) per person, excluding flights.
Walks Worldwide (walksworldwide.com) has a team of highly experienced travel specialists designing and leading its trips, which take place in some 40 countries, including locations such as the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, which would be more difficult and time-consuming to visit independently. A 10-day trip to Ethiopia, including the Simien Mountains, costs from £1,599 (Dh8,870) per person, excluding flights.
In Oman, Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre (holiday-in-oman.com) offers all sorts of active adventures for individuals and groups, including an hour-long walk along the Via Ferrata at Jebel Shams – prices from $92 (Dh340) per person for what is a full-day trip starting from Muscat. A nine-day walking and trekking tour of Dhofar costs from $2,100 (Dh7,715) per person.
Sometimes you may not want or need the services of a tour operator. Perhaps you know a destination well or have friends and family with whom you will be based, or, like Strayed in Wild, desire complete solitude. Whatever the reason, the main thing to emphasise is planning, as without a strict itinerary and the presence of a firm booking and preferably a guide, your walking trip may not happen at all. Trails such as the Lebanon Mountain Trail – 470km from start to finish and divided into 26 sections – can be tackled on an ad hoc basis, though it is still advised to use a guide. Visitors who wish to plan their own hikes should visit lebanontrail.org and click on Hike the LMT, where there is advice on everything from gear and equipment to safety and security, as well as tips on where to stay and cultural sensitivity.
National parks are another good option as many around the world, especially in the United States, offer day hikes. The Pacific Crest Trail (pcta.org), featured in Wild, runs through California, Oregon, and Washington for 4,285km, but some parts, such as the particularly scenic Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, can be explored on day hikes (nps.gov/crla). Other long-distance trails that can be explored in sections include the Appalachian Trail (appalachiantrail.org) and the Continental Divide Trail (www.continentaldividetrail.org). Most national parks, such as Yosemite, with 1,300km of hiking trails, are straightforward and can be tackled by individuals or small groups provided you are willing to work out the logistics of driving and accommodation yourself (.nps.gov/yose).
In Europe's Nordic countries, destinations that are seen as hugely expensive become one of travel's greatest bargains – if what you want is to hike in the wilderness. Norway, Sweden and Finland all offer hiking huts, which are often free, in some of the world's most remote and beautiful landscapes. Planning is needed and sometimes spaces need to be booked – often, though, you can simply turn up (your own food, cooking gear and sleeping bags are required and one night is usually the maximum stay in each location). Some, including those operated by Metsähallitus (metsa.fi) in Finland, are designed for independent travellers rather than paid group tours. Useful links include: outdoors.fi/huts; english.turistforeningen.no; visitnorway.com; and visitsweden.com.
Those wanting to hike in the UAE are advised to do so with experienced groups, such as UAE Trekkers (meetup.com/UAEtrekkers/) and Abu Dhabi Adventurers (meetup.com/AD-Adventurers/).
