Hikes of the World

Hiking in Singapore? A friend of ours who grew up here referred to Singapore as a “concrete jungle” when we mentioned how much we liked it. And, the city IS busy with traffic, people and a lot of tall buildings. It’s surprisingly easy, however, to find tranquil outdoor spots for walking and hiking that rival …

A trip to Cape Town isn’t complete without a visit to the top of Table Mountain. The large flat peak dominates Cape Town’s landscape from below and offers stunning views of Cape Town from above. There are many ways reach the top, including riding up in the cable car, or selecting from several hiking trails with …

During a recent visit to Dubrovnik, Croatia, we were enticed by the sight of the Dubrovnik cable car running up to the top of Mount Srd (or Srd Hill). The enormous hill is a backdrop looking above the city. It’s also the home of the Dubrovnik Imperial Fortress which was famously built by Napoleon. We imagined …

Plitvice Lakes National Park is an absolute “must visit” place in Croatia. That is, if enjoying a day discovering one beautiful waterfall after another all nestled into a forest surrounding a crystal blue lake sounds like your kind of day. It certainly is for me. It was a day I won’t forget and would gladly …

Ljubljana to Lake Bled is a great day trip from the capital of Slovenia. Lake Bled is one of those places that you visit and wonder, “how long have I been walking around with my eyes wide open and my jaw on the ground?” It’s simply stunning, or at least during the summer when we …

Mount Pellegrino is one of the granite-covered mountains that dominates the landscape in Palermo, Sicily – and it begs to be hiked. Not all Italians may agree with my compulsion to climb to the top, though.  Hiking isn’t a favorite outdoor activity here, but it is growing in favor. So in my quest to get …

Doi Suthep-Pui National Park is a wonderful place to get into nature and find some of the best that Chiang Mai Thailand has to offer. One of our favorite sites is only possible to experience on foot on a Doi Suthep (meaning Suthep Mountain) hike. Along the way you will find sacred trees with orange sashes, a mysterious …

Completing the four-day Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu was like everything, and like nothing, that I thought it would be. I read about the journey, attended the orientation, and talked to a number of people before setting off for the trek. During that process I received a lot of conflicting information. None of this …

The two riverside cities of “Buda” and “Pest” were joined to make one large capital city in 1873. Despite that, most locals still refer to each side by its former name – the areas are, after all, very different. Most travelers who venture to Budapest find accommodations on the Pest side of the Danube River, the …

One of our favorite hikes in Yosemite is up the Mist Trail, which is one of the ways to get to Half Dome. It’s exhilarating to climb the slippery steps (maybe a little more fun on the way up than on the way down). We typically hike to the base of Half Dome, look up at …