Experiencing a destination on foot instantly strips away the stress connected to catching planes, trains and buses. Timelines easily shift to the rising and setting sun, finding your own pace, hunger pangs and spontaneous stops. You truly can stop and smell the flowers and take photos of them too.
Consider this the ultimate walking and hiking guide.
Wild Women Expeditions offers a diverse menu for those who are hungry for long reflective walks, a serious physical challenge or pure escape into terrain that simply can’t be found in North America. Our pilgrimage and hiking-based trips permit friendships to be fostered in that unique summer camp kind of way. At camp, what you did for a living wasn’t central to your identity. When you’re trekking for a steady three hours passing shaggy yaks en route to Everest Base Camp, conversations settle into the power of the moment you’re sharing together.
There’s a distinct rhythm that defines each Wild Women group—you naturally find your place in it. As Beckie, one of our spirited Scotland hiking guides suggested, she is more like a herder dog, moving back and forth in the pack. Whether you like to be out in the lead, lost in your thoughts in the middle or hanging at the back looking for Andean vultures, hiking with a Wild Women group means you are part of a momentum and incredible memory. Your pace and place is all up to you! In this guide we walk the walk and talk the talk, comparing all our walking and hiking itineraries to help you decide which route is best for you.
Let’s Walk: Comparing Spain’s Camino de Santiago and Japan’s Kumano Kodo
Both pilgrimage routes are ancient networks that attract dreamers who are drawn to the spiritual and historic trails that splice through Europe and Japan. The big difference is the mileage (and the menu and landscape, of course!).
On our Camino Hiking Adventure, our itinerary includes walking the final 67 miles (108km) of The Way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. By joining Wild Women on this journey, we take the weight off your shoulders! Your luggage will remain at your hotel or will be forwarded to your next rural stay—you can walk with just a daypack. There’s a support vehicle if you wish to take a break or call it a day. Breakfast and dinners are pre-arranged, and your accommodations are pre-reserved, so all you have to do is follow the yellow arrows to your next café con leche or tapas stop. Inhale the fragrance of the eucalyptus forests, walk through medieval hamlets and cross storybook stone bridges on your way to Santiago.
The Japan Pilgrimage Trail covers 18 miles (29km) over the course of four days on the UNESCO-designated path on peaceful sections from Takahara to the Nachi Grand Shrine. The trail weaves through bamboo stands, terraced rice fields, and the mountainous Kii peninsula, leading to grand shrines where purification was sought. Meditation and reflection are the foundation of Japan–and the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route is a testament to this. Walk with a Dai Ajari (monk) on the Gyoja Pathway and a female yamabushi (mountain ascetic who practices the Shugendo religion). You will also see some of the 180 stone pillars (chioshi) that pepper the Chioschi Michi route and visit the lotus flower-shaped Women’s Pilgrimage Course, where women were only permitted glimpses of holy sites in the past.
Are you ready to move or climb mountains?
Whether you are drawn to misty moors, the Bernese Alps, jungle trails or national parks, we can point you in the right direction. How far do you want to go? What do you want to experience?
Hike the highest mountain in the United Kingdom.
The Scotland Hiking Adventure is not for the faint-hearted or flat-footed!. This 11 mile (18 km) route to the summit of Ben Nevis starts from almost sea level and rises to 4,409 feet (1,344 m).
This is also our only hiking trip with a boat-in only access to the Loch Coruisk trailhead on the Isle of Skye. Hikes vary from 5.6 to 11 miles (9–18km).
Hike to Your Hotel in Switzerland 😮
On the Switzerland Hiking Adventure, spend two nights at hike-in-only mountain lodges. It’s a genuine footprint-to-fondue route! Many of the trailheads on this super scenic trip require a sky-high gondola ride to access them, and two of the villages we pass are completely car-free! Hikes range from 5.5 to 10 miles (8.8–16.2km).
Trek Hut-to-Hut in Chile
On the famed W-trek, recharge off-grid in the refugios or campsites along the 3-day route through the wilds of Torres del Paine National Park before tackling the pinnacle, the Towers on our Patagonia Hiking Adventure. You’ll also sleep in the rustic luxury of the world’s first geodesic domes at EcoCamp Patagonia—each suite has a wood-burning fireplace, too! The Wild Women W-trek route is 36 miles (58 km).
Eat Chocolate in the Clouds in Peru
Spend four solid days and three nights camping on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Follow the sacred Inca Trail for 29 miles (47km) with the assistance of a steely team of porters (including several local women porters!). Peruvian dark chocolate will never taste sweeter than at day’s end in Phuyopatamarka (the “City above the Clouds”). This campsite sits at 13,779 feet (4,200 m)!
Visit the Women of Vietnam’s Hill Tribes
The Northern Vietnam Hiking Adventure includes three days on foot through Sapa and the Hoàng Liên Son mountains and national park. Fansipan, the country’s tallest peak, looms in the bellies of the clouds. Along the way, we will meet the Red Dao women of Sin Chai and Nham Niu to learn more about their deep traditions and rituals. On this soft hiking adventure, Wild Women supports Sapa O’Chau, the only officially registered social enterprise tour operator in Vietnam, providing guiding opportunities for ethnic minorities. The three consecutive hiking days in Sapa are 5.6 to 9 miles (9–15km).
Find your Hiking Haven in the Himalayas
This is a bold, beautiful and Buddhist journey with a stunning Himalayan backdrop! On the Bhutan Hiking Adventure, visit several monasteries, nunneries, temples and ancient fortresses. Stay in the 5-star Zhiwa Ling Lodge (one of National Geographic’s “Unique Lodges of the World!”) and count your lucky stars for experiencing this one! Hiking days range from 1.2 to 10 miles (2–16km).
The 360° Pinnacle: The Panoramas of Everest
This is our most hard-core itinerary, and you must put in the legwork to train for this one! Our 18-day Trek to Everest Base Camp is a dream that’s unattainable to many because of the grit, grind and stamina it requires–but we can help get you there. This trip offers the most consecutive and demanding days of hiking (13). Distances range from 3–8 miles (5–13km), but the altitude is a biggie! Dare we say, it’s breathtaking!
Ready to move mountains or at least climb them?
Don’t miss our Hit The Trail: Hiking Adventures Webinar on January 30th, 2025, where our team of Adventure Experts will walk you through our best hiking itineraries.
➡ You can register here.