Eighteen of the world's great treks — from Everest Base Camp to the Milford Track — with the permits and bookings each needs in 2026, destination-specific do's and don'ts, and key hiking points with approximate GPS coordinates plotted on a map for every trail.
18 destinations · rules and fees last verified 2026-08-12
Coordinates are approximate reference points (WGS84) for planning and orientation — always navigate with an official topographic map, a GPX track, and current local advice. Permit rules and fees change; confirm on the official pages linked under each trek before you book.
Asia
Everest Base Camp Nepal
The classic teahouse trek up the Khumbu valley to the foot of Everest — Sherpa villages, monasteries, and two weeks above 3,000 m. The challenge is altitude, not technical terrain.
DifficultyStrenuous (altitude)
Duration12–14 days
Distance≈130 km round trip
High point5,545 m · Kala Patthar
Best seasonMar–May and late Sep–Nov
Permits & booking: Sagarmatha National Park entry (≈US$28) plus the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit (≈US$17–23), both payable en route in Lukla or Monjo. No TIMS card in the Khumbu and no quota or lottery. No trail booking, but October and April Lukla flights (often via Ramechhap) and Namche lodges fill early. Nepal's 2023 national guide mandate is not enforced by the Khumbu municipality — solo trekking remains de facto possible, but rules are contested and can change; recheck before you fly.
✓ Do
Build in acclimatization nights at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) and Dingboche (4,410 m) — rest days are what get people to Base Camp.
Carry Nepali rupees in cash; the last reliable ATMs are in Namche.
Book peak-season Lukla flights early and budget a spare day for weather delays.
Pass mani walls, chortens and prayer wheels clockwise, keeping them on your right.
✕ Don't
Don't fly a drone — Sagarmatha National Park requires multiple government permits arranged well in advance.
Don't raise your sleeping altitude by much more than ~500 m per day above 3,000 m, and never ascend with worsening AMS symptoms.
Don't rely on buying bottled water — single-use plastics are restricted in the Khumbu; purify tap or stream water instead.
Don't climb on mani stones, stupas or prayer flags for photos.
Nepal's great horseshoe around the Annapurna massif: subtropical valleys to the wind-scoured 5,416 m Thorong La, with the pilgrimage temple of Muktinath on the far side.
DifficultyStrenuous (altitude)
Duration10–15 days
Distance160–230 km (road-shortened options)
High point5,416 m · Thorong La
Best seasonOct–Nov and Mar–Apr
Permits & booking: ACAP conservation permit (≈US$25) plus a TIMS card (≈US$15), bought in advance in Kathmandu or Pokhara — not at checkpoints. A licensed guide arranged through a registered agency has been mandatory in the Annapurna region since April 2023 and is enforced at checkpoints — plan on an agency, not a solo walk-in.
✓ Do
Spend two nights in Manang (3,540 m) and use the acclimatization day walks before committing to the pass.
Start the Thorong La crossing pre-dawn and turn back in deteriorating weather — the 2014 blizzard on this pass killed more than 40 people.
Refill at ACAP safe-drinking-water stations instead of buying plastic bottles.
Carry enough cash from Besisahar or Pokhara; ATMs beyond are scarce and unreliable.
✕ Don't
Don't trek without the guide and agency paperwork — checkpoints turn non-compliant trekkers back.
Don't fly a drone without Nepali government permits.
Don't push the pass on a fixed date if the forecast argues — Thorong La is a weather decision, not a schedule item.
Don't enter the Muktinath temple precincts in shoes.
A UNESCO World Heritage alpine valley that erupts into hundreds of flowering species during the monsoon — a rain-washed, day-hike-only national park deep in the Garhwal Himalaya, paired by most trekkers with the Sikh pilgrimage lake at Hemkund Sahib.
DifficultyModerate
Duration4–6 days from Govindghat
Distance≈38 km total walking
High point4,329 m · Hemkund Sahib (side trip)
Best seasonOpen 1 Jun–31 Oct; peak bloom mid-Jul–mid-Aug
Permits & booking: Uttarakhand Forest Department entry permit — ₹200 for Indians, ₹800 for foreign visitors, valid 3 days — issued at the Ghangaria checkpost or online via the official portal (valleyofflower.uk.gov.in). Photo ID required. Day-entry only: the gate opens at 07:00, last entry 14:00, and everyone must be out by about 17:00 — you sleep in Ghangaria, never inside the park. Book Ghangaria lodging ahead in peak bloom; no guide is required.
✓ Do
Start the valley walk right at the 07:00 gate opening to get the most of the 14:00 last-entry cut-off.
Carry full rain gear and warm layers — this is deliberately a monsoon trek.
Keep your permit and photo ID handy for checkpost checks.
Acclimatize before adding the 4,329 m Hemkund Sahib climb; it is a big single-day gain from Ghangaria.
✕ Don't
Don't pick flowers or plants — it is an offence in the national park.
Don't camp inside the park or linger past the exit time.
Don't carry single-use plastic; it is prohibited inside the park.
Don't fly a drone without Forest Department permission.
Japan's sacred 3,776 m volcano, climbed by night-and-dawn crowds in a short summer window. Not technical, but high, cold and exposed — and now tightly managed to stop overcrowding.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous
Duration1–2 days (hut overnight typical)
Distance≈15 km round trip
High point3,776 m · Kengamine summit
Best seasonOfficial season only: early Jul–early Sep
Permits & booking: ¥4,000 per climber (Yamanashi side), paid through the advance online reservation system; the Yoshida trail has a 4,000-climbers-per-day cap. Shizuoka's three trails charge the same fee under a separate registration system. The trailhead gate closes 14:00–03:00 to anyone without a mountain-hut reservation, and from 2026 rangers run gear checks at the gate — no proper footwear, rain and cold-weather kit can mean refused entry. Reserve a fee slot and a hut well ahead for a sunrise summit.
✓ Do
Reserve your climbing slot and a hut in advance, and stage the ascent overnight for sunrise at the crater rim.
Pack real cold-and-wet-weather kit — it is near freezing at the summit even in August.
Bring ¥100 coins for the pay toilets.
Take the signed Yoshida descent path — drifting onto the wrong descending trail is the classic Fuji mistake.
✕ Don't
Don't "bullet climb" through the night without a hut — the gate closure exists to stop exactly that.
Don't climb outside the official season; most Fuji fatalities happen on the closed, iced-over mountain.
Don't pitch a tent or bivouac anywhere on the mountain.
Don't take lava rocks or plants — the whole summit zone is protected.
Africa's roof: a guided camping climb through five climate zones, from rainforest to the glacier-hung summit crater. "Pole pole" — slowly, slowly — is the whole strategy.
DifficultyStrenuous (altitude)
Duration6–8 days
Distance62–70 km
High point5,895 m · Uhuru Peak
Best seasonJan–Mar and Jun–Oct
Permits & booking: No self-issued permit exists: every climb must be booked through a TANAPA/KINAPA-licensed operator with licensed guides — independent climbing is prohibited. Park fees alone (conservation, camping, rescue, crew, VAT) run roughly US$950–1,300 per person; full packages typically US$2,000–5,000. Book months ahead for the dry seasons and choose 7–8-day itineraries — summit success tracks acclimatization time almost linearly.
✓ Do
Pick the 7–8-day Machame or Lemosho itineraries over the short ones; the extra nights are your summit chance.
Choose a KPAP-partner operator so your porters are paid and equipped fairly.
Verify your operator's TANAPA licence before paying.
Treat or filter all water, including what porters collect at camps.
✕ Don't
Don't fly a drone — banned in Tanzanian national parks without a government permit.
Don't let anyone overload porters; KINAPA caps porter loads at about 20 kg.
Don't push summit night with worsening altitude symptoms — descent is the only treatment.
Don't leave any litter; gates weigh and check pack-in/pack-out.
The Alps' signature hut-to-hut circuit around the Mont Blanc massif through three countries — big cols, bigger glaciers, and legendary refuge dinners.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous
Duration10–11 days
Distance≈170 km
High point2,537 m · Grand Col Ferret (higher variants to 2,665 m)
Best seasonMid-Jun–mid-Sep
Permits & booking: No permit — the bottleneck is refuge beds. The official platform (montourdumontblanc.com) opens summer bookings in mid-October of the previous year, and July–August beds sell out within weeks. Book the full circuit 6–10 months ahead; deposits are standard. In Chamonix, popular bivouac zones (Lac Blanc, Aiguilles Rouges, Col des Posettes) now require advance reservation.
✓ Do
Book refuges the day sales open if you want July–August.
Carry cash — plenty of refuges still don't take cards.
Check snow conditions on the high cols in June and pack microspikes early season.
Reserve Chamonix-area bivouac zones in advance where required.
✕ Don't
Don't plan on camping through Italy's Aosta Valley — camping is banned and bivouac is forbidden below 2,500 m.
Don't pitch outside the sunset-to-sunrise window on the French side, and in Les Contamines use only the designated areas (tents up after 19:00, down by 09:00).
Don't wild camp in Swiss villages — use the designated sites such as La Fouly or Le Peuty.
Don't light campfires; most communes on the route prohibit them outright.
The "easy" high route through the Dolomites' pale towers, from Lago di Braies to Belluno — hut-to-hut walking under UNESCO-listed cliffs with wartime history carved into the passes.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous
Duration8–11 days
Distance≈120 km
High point2,752 m · Rifugio Lagazuoi
Best seasonLate Jun–late Sep
Permits & booking: No trail permit, but every rifugio is booked individually (email, phone or web form — no central platform), with deposits usual and many huts cash-only. Bookings open hut by hut from roughly November to February. Book 6–9 months ahead for July–August. The Lago di Braies trailhead is access-restricted in summer (1 Jul–15 Sep): no private cars 09:00–16:00 without an online reservation — otherwise use the shuttle bus.
✓ Do
Reserve every rifugio as soon as its bookings open, and re-confirm by phone a day or two out.
Pre-book Braies access or the shuttle for a summer start.
Carry cash for hut nights and a sleeping-bag liner — huts require one.
Check early-season snow on Forcella Lagazuoi before committing to the high stage.
✕ Don't
Don't wild camp or bivouac outside huts — it is banned across the region and enforced with fines.
Don't fly a drone in the nature parks; fines run to thousands of euros.
Don't hike the exposed ridgelines in an afternoon thunderstorm forecast — the Dolomites build storms fast in summer.
Europe's most notorious long trail: a granite rollercoaster along Corsica's spine with chains, slabs and relentless up-and-down. Fitness and sure-footedness matter more here than altitude.
DifficultyVery strenuous / scrambly
Duration12–16 days (16 stages)
Distance≈180 km
High point2,607 m · Pointe des Éboulis (Monte Cinto 2,706 m optional)
Best seasonMid-Jun–mid-Sep (refuges staffed mid-May–early Oct)
Permits & booking: No hiking permit, but every overnight at a Parc naturel régional de Corse refuge must be pre-booked on the official platform (pnr-resa.corsica) — dorm ≈€20, own-tent bivouac pitch ≈€12, and even bivouacking requires a reservation. 2026 bookings opened in late January and the popular northern refuges sell out first for July–August — book in winter for a summer start.
✓ Do
Book refuges and bivouac pitches in January–February for summer dates.
Carry cash — refuges rarely take cards.
Start stages at dawn to beat the afternoon thunderstorms.
Carry extra water capacity for the drier southern stages.
✕ Don't
Don't wild camp — tents are allowed only on allocated pitches beside refuges.
Don't light fires or barbecues anywhere; Corsica's wildfire risk is extreme and the ban is absolute.
Don't pick wildflowers — forbidden in the park.
Don't bring a dog into refuges, and keep dogs leashed near livestock.
Iceland's rainbow-mountain traverse: obsidian fields, steaming rhyolite hills, black deserts and glacial river fords between Landmannalaugar's hot springs and the birch woods of Þórsmörk.
DifficultyModerate
Duration3–4 days
Distance≈55 km
High point1,050 m · Hrafntinnusker
Best seasonLate Jun–early Sep
Permits & booking: No permit. FÍ (Iceland Touring Association) hut beds sell out months ahead via fi.is, and campsite pitches at the five designated sites are now booked online too. Overnighting is allowed only at the designated hut/camp sites (Landmannalaugar, Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn/Hvanngil, Emstrur, Þórsmörk) — no wild camping en route. Access is by seasonal highland bus; F-roads typically open late June.
✓ Do
File a travel plan with safetravel.is before you start.
Carry full storm gear even in July — whiteouts around Hrafntinnusker are a regular rescue scenario.
Ford the unbridged rivers early in the day, buckles undone, poles out, shoes on.
Pack out all rubbish between huts — bins are essentially nonexistent on trail.
✕ Don't
Don't camp outside the designated campgrounds.
Don't count on buying meals — carry all food for the traverse.
Don't use hut kitchens if you're camping; they're for hut guests only.
Don't fly a drone in the Fjallabak reserve without Environment Agency permission.
Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) Spain (from France)
The thousand-year-old pilgrim road across northern Spain — Pyrenean foothills, Rioja vineyards, the endless meseta, and finally the incense-swung cathedral square of Santiago.
DifficultyModerate (endurance)
Duration30–35 days
Distance≈780 km
High point1,500 m · Cruz de Ferro
Best seasonApr–Jun and Sep–Oct
Permits & booking: No permit — you walk on a credencial (pilgrim passport), stamped along the way, which gets you into albergues and earns the Compostela certificate for at least the final 100 continuous km on foot. Municipal and parochial albergues are first-come-first-served (one night, credencial required); private ones can be reserved — worth it in summer on the crowded Sarria–Santiago stretch. Since 2025 the Pilgrim's Office requires two stamps per day on the qualifying kilometres, and e-bikes no longer qualify.
✓ Do
Collect two credencial stamps per day over the final 100 km (from Sarria) if you want the Compostela.
Carry water for the long, shadeless meseta stages.
Arrive at municipal albergues by mid-afternoon in season — beds go to walkers, in order, until they're gone.
Respect albergue rhythm: quiet by about 22:00, out early.
✕ Don't
Don't take the Route Napoléon over the Pyrenees between 1 Nov and 31 Mar — it is officially closed; use the Valcarlos variant.
Don't expect an albergue bed without a credencial.
Don't reserve private beds and no-show — and don't expect municipal ones to be held.
Don't cycle the last stretch and expect the walker's certificate; the rules distinguish modes.
Scotland's original long-distance trail: Glasgow's edge to the foot of Ben Nevis by way of Loch Lomond's shore, the emptiness of Rannoch Moor, and Glen Coe's brooding gateway.
DifficultyModerate
Duration6–8 days
Distance154 km
High point548 m · Devil's Staircase
Best seasonApr–May and Sep–Oct (fewest midges); Jun–Aug busiest
Permits & booking: No permit to walk. Wild camping is legal under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code except in the Loch Lomond camping-management zones (1 Mar–30 Sep), where you need a campsite or a £4.30-per-tent camping permit booked online. Accommodation and official campsites along the route book out months ahead for May–June; the baggage-transfer services do too.
✓ Do
Buy the camping permit or book an official site for east Loch Lomond nights in season.
Check the official route notices for diversions before each stage.
Pack midge repellent and a head net June–August.
Check for ticks daily — Lyme disease risk runs March–October.
✕ Don't
Don't camp permit-free inside the management zones in season; it is an offence under the byelaws.
Don't light fires in woodland or during dry spells.
Don't underestimate Rannoch Moor — hours of exposure with no shelter in bad weather.
Don't let dogs run loose near livestock, above all in lambing season (Apr–May).
The King's Trail above the Arctic Circle: birch forest, glacier-carved valleys and Sami herding lands, with an optional side ascent of Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest peak.
DifficultyModerate
Duration5–7 days
Distance107 km
High point1,150 m · Tjäktja Pass
Best seasonLate Jun–mid-Sep (cabins staffed)
Permits & booking: No permit, and wild camping is free under Sweden's allemansrätten along most of the route (Abisko National Park restricts camping to its designated site). STF mountain cabins can now be pre-booked at an advance-price discount — walk-ins still get floor space if beds run out. The trailhead stations (Abisko, Kebnekaise) are hotel-style and must be booked like normal lodging.
✓ Do
Carry a bank card — the cabins are cash-free.
Resupply at the cabin shops (Abiskojaure, Alesjaure, Sälka) instead of hauling a week of food.
Bring a power bank; cabins have no electricity.
Drink from the streams — this is one of the few places it's genuinely safe — but carry capacity for the drier stretches.
✕ Don't
Don't camp outside the designated site within Abisko National Park.
Don't fly a drone in the national park.
Don't approach or disturb reindeer — these are working Sami herds.
Three high passes of original Inca stonework, cloud-forest ruins, and the dawn arrival through Inti Punku — the Sun Gate — above Machu Picchu. The only trek that walks you into the citadel itself.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous (altitude)
Duration4 days / 3 nights
Distance≈43 km
High point4,215 m · Dead Woman's Pass (Warmiwañusca)
Best seasonMay–Sep (dry); closed every February
Permits & booking: Mandatory permit issued by Peru's Ministry of Culture and sold only through licensed operators — independent hiking is prohibited. The daily quota is 500 people including crew (roughly 200 trekkers), and May–September dates sell out months ahead. Permits for the following year are released around late October — book 6+ months out for dry-season dates, with the passport you will travel on. Typical 4-day tours run about US$700–1,100.
✓ Do
Acclimatize 2–3 days in Cusco (3,400 m) before day one.
Carry the exact passport used for the booking — it is checked at Km 82 and must match.
Choose operators that comply with Peru's porter-welfare law (20 kg load limit) and tip your crew.
Book Machu Picchu circuit add-ons (like Huayna Picchu) separately and early.
✕ Don't
Don't fly a drone — banned in the sanctuary without a government permit.
Don't camp outside the designated campsites assigned to your group.
Don't bring single-use plastics into Machu Picchu; they've been banned since 2019.
Don't use metal-tipped trekking poles inside the citadel — rubber tips only, and only where allowed.
Patagonia distilled: the granite Torres at dawn, the French Valley's hanging glaciers, and the berg-studded sweep of Grey Glacier — stitched into a W-shaped line between refugios.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous
Duration4–5 days
Distance≈75 km
High point880 m · Mirador Las Torres
Best seasonNov–Mar (southern summer)
Permits & booking: No trek permit, but rangers at the entrance check that every night is pre-booked before letting you in. Reservations span three separate systems: CONAF park entry (pasesparques.cl, ≈US$55 for foreigners) plus the Vertice and Las Torres Patagonia camp/refugio networks. Peak December–January beds sell out within weeks of release (~8 months ahead) — book all nights before booking flights. Multi-day winter trekking (May–Sep) requires a certified guide.
✓ Do
Lock in every night's reservation first; the itinerary is built around where you can legally sleep.
Carry printed confirmations and your passport for the ranger checks.
Plan around the wind — gusts over 100 km/h are normal, and afternoon crossings get ugly.
Carry some Chilean pesos in cash for contingencies.
✕ Don't
Don't light fires or run stoves outside designated shelter areas — stove accidents burned thousands of hectares here, and violators are prosecuted.
Don't wild camp anywhere in the park.
Don't fly a drone without CONAF authorization.
Don't feed or approach wildlife, including the foxes that raid camps.
A 1,700 m descent into 1.8-billion-year-old rock, the Colorado at Phantom Ranch, and the long climb out the other side. The inversion is the trap: the day starts easy and ends with the ascent — in the heat.
DifficultyStrenuous (heat, relief)
Duration1–3 days
Distance34–38 km
High point2,512 m · North Rim
Best seasonMid-May–mid-Jun and Sep–mid-Oct (North Rim open mid-May–mid-Oct)
Permits & booking: Overnight corridor camping needs an NPS backcountry permit via the Recreation.gov early-access lottery ~4–5 months ahead; a single-day rim-to-rim needs no permit but is strongly discouraged in summer heat. Phantom Ranch beds run on a separate lottery over a year out. 2026 reality check: the North Rim reopened in May 2026 after the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire with no overnight lodging, and the North Kaibab Trail closes below Redwall Bridge from 16 Oct 2026 for waterline repairs — no rim-to-rim after that date this year.
✓ Do
Check the trans-canyon waterline status before you go — pipeline breaks shut off the inner-canyon taps without notice; carry treatment regardless.
Start pre-dawn to be out of the inner canyon before peak heat.
Arrange the ~4.5-hour rim-to-rim shuttle before you start.
Do the lottery math early: overnight permits release months ahead, Phantom Ranch over a year.
✕ Don't
Don't hike the inner canyon between 10:00 and 16:00 in summer — it runs 10–15 °C hotter than the rims and regularly exceeds 45 °C.
Don't rely on seasonal water taps being on.
Don't camp outside the designated corridor campgrounds on your permit.
Don't approach or feed elk and squirrels — squirrel bites are the park's most common animal injury, and feeding is illegal.
Three weeks along the crest of California's High Sierra — Yosemite, granite passes over 3,300 m, a thousand alpine lakes, and a finish on the highest summit in the contiguous US.
DifficultyStrenuous (expedition length)
Duration18–22 days
Distance≈340 km (+18 km exit)
High point4,421 m · Mount Whitney
Best seasonJul–Sep
Permits & booking: Southbound starts need a Yosemite wilderness permit from a Donohue-Pass-eligible trailhead — a daily exit quota of 45 filled mostly by a rolling Recreation.gov lottery 24 weeks ahead, with 40% released 7 days out. Northbound runs on separate Inyo NF lotteries; Half Dome is a permit add-on. Treat the permit as the crux: enter the weekly lottery early with flexible dates, and plan resupplies (Muir Trail Ranch, Vermilion Valley, Onion Valley) around your daily mileage.
✓ Do
Carry an approved bear canister — mandatory for the entire route.
Ship resupply buckets ahead and know your pickup windows.
Pack out human waste in the Whitney Zone (WAG bags are issued with permits).
Check snowpack and river-ford conditions before any early-July start.
✕ Don't
Don't build campfires above the elevation limits (9,600 ft in Yosemite; ~10,000 ft in the national forests).
Don't camp within 100 ft of lakes and streams.
Don't hang food instead of using the canister — it doesn't count and earns citations.
Don't plan a first-night camp in Little Yosemite Valley on a Happy Isles JMT permit — it's prohibited.
"The finest walk in the world" — a fiord-to-fiord valley traverse under 1,000 m walls of rain-fed waterfalls, over Mackinnon Pass, past 580 m Sutherland Falls to Milford Sound.
DifficultyModerate
Duration4 days / 3 nights (fixed)
Distance53.5 km
High point1,154 m · Mackinnon Pass
Best seasonGreat Walks season Nov–Apr
Permits & booking: In season every independent walker must book all three DOC huts (Clinton, Mintaro, Dumpling) — about 40 starts per day, one direction only, with boat transfers at both ends booked separately. International visitors pay higher hut rates than NZ residents (≈NZ$152 vs NZ$106 per night). Bookings for each season open in May and the peak dates go within minutes to hours — be online when they open. Off-season walking is cheap but serious: avalanche terrain, removed bridges, and river hazards.
✓ Do
Book huts and both boat transfers the morning bookings open.
Pack for seven-plus metres of annual rainfall — full rain kit and quick-dry everything; sections flood to knee depth.
Carry sandfly repellent for the valley floors.
Check DOC's avalanche and weather alerts right up to departure.
✕ Don't
Don't plan to camp — it is prohibited everywhere on the track.
Don't fly a drone without a DOC concession.
Don't feed the kea — they're endangered, intelligent, and already too good at raiding packs.
Don't attempt the off-season crossing without genuine alpine and river-crossing skills.
Tasmania's wild heart: buttongrass moors, ancient rainforest, dolerite peaks and glacial lakes, ending across (or around) Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest lake.
DifficultyModerate–Strenuous
Duration6 days
Distance65 km
High point1,250 m · Cradle Cirque (Mt Ossa 1,617 m side trip)
Best seasonOct–May booked season; Dec–Feb most settled
Permits & booking: In season (1 Oct–31 May) the track fee is A$312 including the parks pass, booked through Tasmania Parks & Wildlife; 34 independent walkers start daily and everyone walks north to south, Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. Season bookings open 1 July and the summer window goes fast. Winter is fee-free and any-direction — for experienced, self-sufficient parties only.
✓ Do
Carry a full self-sufficient kit including a tent — hut bunks are never guaranteed.
Log on and off at the trailhead registration booths.
Carry a PLB (Parks recommends it; rentals are available locally).
Book the Lake St Clair ferry ahead if you're not walking the final lakeside leg.
✕ Don't
Don't light campfires — the whole route is a fuel-stove-only area.
Don't feed wildlife or leave food accessible; currawongs unzip packs and possums raid tents.
Don't fly a drone without Parks authority.
Don't bury rubbish — everything walks out with you.
Spotted an outdated permit rule, a wrong coordinate, or a trail we should add? Tell us below — every note is read by a human, and verified fixes are credited in the reader updates above.
How to plan any big trek
Every destination above fails the same way: the permit or the bed, not the walking. The pattern that works is booking-first — pick dates by when reservations open, not when flights are cheap. Inca Trail permits vanish about six months out and the trail closes each February; Milford Track beds go within minutes of the May release; Tour du Mont Blanc refuges open in mid-October for the following summer; the GR20's refuges open in late January; the Overland Track opens each 1 July; Mount Fuji now caps daily climbers and closes its gate to anyone without a hut booking. Build the itinerary around the reservation you actually hold, then add a weather buffer day on anything with a pass crossing or a small airport.
Two habits shortcut most planning pain: read the official park or booking page linked under each destination (rules above were last verified August 2026, but fees and quotas move every season), and keep every confirmation offline on your phone — several of these trails check paperwork at physical checkpoints.
Altitude and acclimatization
Above roughly 2,500 m, altitude — not fitness — becomes the limiting factor. The working rules on the high treks here (Everest Base Camp, Annapurna, Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail): once above 3,000 m, raise your sleeping altitude by only about 500 m a day, schedule a rest day for every 1,000 m gained, and treat a worsening headache, nausea, or unusual exhaustion as a stop sign. Descent is the only reliable treatment, and every serious route has a descent option — know yours before summit night.
Two related reads on this site: What is my elevation? for checking where you actually are, and GPS altitude vs elevation for why your watch, your phone, and the trail sign rarely agree.
Navigation and coordinates
The coordinate tables above use plain decimal degrees (WGS84) because every mapping app accepts them — paste them into your app of choice, or run them through the coordinate converter to get DMS, UTM, MGRS, or a grid reference. They are reference points for planning, deliberately approximate: on the trail, navigate with the official topographic map or a GPX track recorded by someone who walked the route, and carry it offline — most of these trails have no coverage for hours at a stretch.
If you hike in the UK or call mountain rescue anywhere, learn how a grid reference works before you need one: grid references for mountain rescue covers the two-minute version.
Leave No Trace, everywhere
The rules repeat across every destination above because the damage does: pack out everything you carry in (several parks weigh bags at the gate), skip the campfire (fuel-stove-only rules on the Overland Track, GR20, and Torres del Paine exist because fires here became disasters), camp only where camping is legal (which on many of these trails means nowhere outside designated sites), leave plants, rocks, and ruins untouched, and give wildlife its distance — fed animals become problem animals, from Grand Canyon squirrels to Tasmanian currawongs. Drones need permits almost everywhere on this page; assume no until an official page says yes.
Emergency basics
Before any of these treks: leave a written plan (route, dates, bail-out points, when to raise the alarm) with someone at home, and know the local emergency number and rescue reality — helicopter rescue in Nepal is private and expensive (check your insurance covers your maximum altitude), while a PLB or satellite messenger is standard kit for the Overland Track, Kungsleden, and any off-season attempt anywhere. If you do need help, what rescuers want first is your position: sharing your location in an emergency shows the fastest ways to read out or send exactly where you are from a phone.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these hikes suits a first big trek?
Pick waymarked, low-altitude routes with bail-out points: the West Highland Way, the Laugavegur Trail, a one-week section of the Camino Francés, or — if you can catch a booking — the Milford Track. All are achievable on ordinary hill fitness. Save Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, Kilimanjaro, and the GR20 for when you know how your body handles long days, and altitude.
Do I need a guide?
It depends entirely on the destination. Kilimanjaro and the Inca Trail are guided-only by law, and Nepal requires an agency-arranged guide in the Annapurna region (enforcement in the Everest region is looser but rules keep shifting — check before you fly). Torres del Paine requires a certified guide only for multi-day winter trekking. Everything else on this page can be walked independently.
How far ahead should I book?
The extremes: Milford Track beds disappear within minutes of the annual May release, Inca Trail permits about six months out, Tour du Mont Blanc refuges within weeks of the October opening, and GR20 refuges soon after late-January opening. Mount Fuji needs a fee slot and hut booking, the Overland Track opens each 1 July, and Torres del Paine beds for December–January go about eight months ahead. The rest are days-to-weeks, not months.
How accurate are the coordinates on this page?
They are approximate reference points (WGS84 decimal degrees) for planning and orientation — good enough to find a trailhead on a map, not a substitute for a topographic map or a recorded GPX track. Paste them into the coordinate converter to get DMS, UTM, MGRS, or a grid reference. If you spot one that's off, use the suggestion form below — corrections get reviewed and credited.
Can I suggest a correction or a new destination?
Yes — that's what the form at the bottom of this page is for. Every note is read by a human; verified fixes are applied to the guide and credited in the reader-updates list. Adding an email or mobile number is optional and only used to reply to you.
When is the best time of year to go?
There is no universal window — the seasons above are per destination, and the hemispheres alternate: the northern classics peak June–September, while Torres del Paine, the Milford Track, and the Overland Track peak November–March. The reliable pattern is the shoulder months: fewer crowds and workable weather at the edge of each listed season.