With stories of 50 incredible hiking routes in 30 countries, from New Zealand to Peru, plus a further 150 suggestions, Lonely Planet’s Epic Hikes of the World will inspire a lifetime of adventure on foot. From one-day jaunts and urban trails to month-long thru-hikes, cultural rambles and mountain expeditions, each journey shares one defining feature: being truly epic.
We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
In this follow-up to Epic Bike Rides and Epic Drives, we share our adventures on the world’s best treks and trails. Epic Hikes is organised by continent, with each route brought to life by a first-person account, beautiful photographs and charming illustrated maps. Additionally, each hike includes trip planning advice on how to get there, where to stay, what to pack and where to eat, as well as recommendations for three similar hikes in other regions of the world.
Hikes featured include:
Africa & the Middle East:
Cape Town’s Three Peaks (South Africa)
Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
Camp to Camp in South Luangwa National Park (Zambia)
Americas:
Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park (USA)
Skyline Trail, Jasper National Park (Canada)
Concepción volcano hike (Nicaragua)
Asia:
88 Sacred Temples of Shikoku Pilgrimage (Japan)
Markha Valley (India)
Gubeikou to Jinshanling on the Great Wall (China)
Europe:
Wordsworth’s Backyard: Dove Cottage and around Rydal and Grasmere (UK)
Alpine Pass Route (Switzerland)
Camino de Santiago (Spain)
Oceania:
Sydney’s Seven Bridges Walk (Australia)
The Routeburn Track (New Zealand)
by The Raven Brothers
Out of shape and unprepared, The Raven Brothers return to the road in a collection of ten quests to travel to their dream destinations against all odds! After two decades pioneering new routes across the globe, you would expect the authors of 'Driving the Trans-Siberian' to be hotshot explorers, with a sixth sense and an ability to survive in almost any situation. Think again! With virtually zero knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion engine and very limited skills of wilderness survival, Simon and Chris struggle into their hiking boots and power across three continents by river, tarmac and trail.
Venture to the top of Norway, cruise the road to Damascus, hike the Camino trail into Spain’s Wild West, row the Ganges, explore Frida Kahlo’s world in Mexico City, hangout with the dead in Sicily’s eerie catacombs, crawl deep inside Bolivia’s notorious silver mine, seek lions in Gujarat, wellness in Berlin and journey into the Naga Hills where tribal kings still rule.
Noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an “accurate view of what to expect”, 'Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!' signals a return to the duo writing “buttock clenching” travel comedy with the first in a series of candid stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers.
* * *
