From half-day classics to multi-day legends, the trails worth flying for, ranked, with length and the season that makes them sing.
A great trail is a destination in itself. We ranked the world’s finest walks by scenery and payoff, and tell you how long each takes and when to go.
Four days over Andean passes and cloud-forest ruins to a sunrise arrival at Machu Picchu. Permits sell out months ahead and the trail closes every February. Book the trek before the flights.
A 170km loop around the Mont Blanc massif, hut to hut through three countries. Reserve the refuges in winter for a summer walk. Anticlockwise is the classic direction and Italy is the quiet half.
The classic teahouse trek beneath the world’s highest peaks to the foot of Everest. Altitude is what makes it hard, not distance. Keep the acclimatisation days at Namche and Dingboche.
Granite towers, hanging glaciers and wind-whipped lakes on the famous W circuit. Refugios book out months ahead and the Patagonian wind is relentless. Go up to the towers for sunrise.
A single epic day across volcanic craters and steaming emerald lakes. It is one way, so the shuttle is not optional. Turn back if the summit is clouded: this is an alpine crossing.
The Arctic ‘King’s Trail’ through Sweden’s wild, empty far north. Abisko to Nikkaluokta is the week most people walk. Go in September, when the birch turns and the mosquitoes have gone.
A cliff-edge path along the emerald, fluted Nā Pali coast. The first stretch to Hanakapiai is a day trip; the full trail needs a permit, dry weather and a head for exposure.
Rhyolite mountains, hot springs and black-sand deserts over four otherworldly days. Huts are booked by January for a July walk, and the river crossings are unbridged and cold.
A wonderfully varied classic crossing the 5,416m Thorong La pass. Road building has shortened the old route, so most walkers now start at Chame. Cross the pass before dawn.
Cliffside paths linking five pastel fishing villages above the sea. The low coastal path needs a Cinque Terre card and closes after rain. The high trails are harder and emptier.
A fully-researched destination (ranked, mapped and paired with video) in your inbox every Thursday.
