More Destinations | Mountain Hiking Holidays

More Destinations

Over the years, Mountain Hiking Holidays has developed and operated mountain hiking trips to a variety of destinations either as scheduled departures or custom-designed itineraries for groups. Not all the trips that we’ve developed are offered every year. Here, you’ll find a sampling of trips from past years. Please let us know if you have a specific interest in any of them. We would love the opportunity to help make your travel dreams a reality!

Europe

Hiking the Spanish Pyrenees – Mountain Trails of Catalonia and Andorra. In 1997 we led our first hiking trip to the Pyrenees, the mountain chain that stretches for three hundred miles along the border of France and Spain. This hiking adventure features the national parks and protected areas on the Spanish side of the range. Enjoy mountain hikes in the sunny regions of Catalunya (Catalonia) and Aragon where Spanish nobility once summered, and wander the high-country trails of the tiny, mountain-ringed independent principality of Andorra. Spectacular lake-studded high country basins abound in places like the Aigues Tortes National Park and the Posets-Maladeta Nature Reserve. Here are classic mountain landscapes offering abundant, soul-lifting experiences for those of us who love the mountains. After a day on the trail, relax in comfortable inns where regional food and wines will refuel you. Start and end your Pyrenees hiking adventure in vibrant and sophisticated Barcelona, one of our favorite cities in Europe. Come join us on the trail and introduce yourself to some of the most splendid mountains Europe has to offer.
Pyrenees of Spain and Andorra Slide Show
Pyrenees of Spain and Andorra Slide Show for iPad and iPhone

Hiking in Bulgaria. The trails of the Rila and Pirin National Parks will take you into the heart of some of the wildest mountain scenery left on the continent. Follow paths through streamside meadows and groves of pine. Ascend to gem-like lakes cupped in mountain basins, and revel in the joy of a ridgetop walk where you can let the mountain breezes sweep your cares away. Deep in a forested valley, contemplate the frescoes that grace the walls and ceilings of the Rila Monastery, a testimony to the pride and faith of the Bulgarian people. In a traditional Bulgarian mehana, fine food, drink, and music cap off your adventure-filled days. Introduce yourself to Bulgaria; a warm welcome awaits you!
Bulgaria Slide Show
Mountains of Bulgaria video

Best Hikes in the Dolomites 2. This second version of our popular Best Hikes in the Dolomites tour was designed in 2016 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Mountain Hiking Holidays. This version includes hikes and overnight stays in two “new” valleys (the Val di Fassa and the Val Livinalongo) along with stays in our “old favorites”—the Val Badia and the Val Gardena.
More Hikes in the Dolomites of Italy Slide Show
More Hikes in the Dolomites of Italy Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Best Hikes in the Dolomites 3. Explore two lesser known mountain groups–the Brenta Dolomites (Dolomiti di Brenta) and the Pale di San Martino. These two mountain groups along with seven others make up the magnificent Dolomites range of the northeastern Italian Alps. Cut off from the main portion of the Dolomites by the Adige River, the Brenta Dolomites mark the western extent of the complex geomorphology that defines the Dolomites. In contrast to other portions of the Dolomites, the peaks of the Brenta group are massive and blocky in character exhibiting less of the slender soaring forms that are more commonly found in the eastern Dolomites. The Pala Group of the Dolomites (known as the Pale di San Martino in Italian) along with the Friulian Dolomites (Dolomiti Friulane) and the Belluno Dolomites (Dolomiti Bellunesi) constitute the southernmost ramparts of the range.
Brenta Dolomites & Pale di San Martino Slide Show
Brenta Dolomites & Pale di San Martino Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Hiking Fjord Norway. Here is a landscape that has been called the most beautiful on Earth. Towering granite cliffs plunge into deep, twisting fjords that wind their way for as much as a hundred miles into Norway’s rocky core. Lovely walks on ancient pathways and thrilling hikes to glorious vantage points and isolated summer farms perched high above the fjords.
Fjord Norway Slide Show

Hiking Norway’s Far North. All the quintessential elements of the Norwegian landscape can be found here: sheer cliffs rising abruptly from deep, twisting fjords; jagged mountain ranges; and colorful, picturesque seaside villages. Here, north of the Arctic Circle, the landscape is more open and less wooded than in the southern fjords giving the landscape a more emphatic, “above the timberline” feel. And surprisingly, along the northern Norwegian coastline you’ll encounter arcs of brilliant white sand and turquoise shallows which add a hint of the tropics to Arctic beaches!
Northern Norway Slide Show
Northern Norway Slide Show for iPad and iPhone
Northern Norway Video

Hiking the French and Spanish Pyrenees. This is our classic Pyrenees trip developed twenty years ago. Hike on both sides of this magnificent range. The French side is the more well-watered side of the range. Forested valleys, grand glacier-carved cirques, and high-country lake basins full of sparkling tarns. The Spanish side is drier, often sunnier, with magnificent steep-walled canyons.
French & Spanish Pyrenees Slide Show

Tour du Mont Blanc. Hike around the glacier-draped peak of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. This trail journey will take you through three countries–France, Switzerland, and Italy–and will allow you to completely circumnavigate this magnificent peak. This is one of the world’s classic trail adventures.
Photos from our 2012 Mont Blanc trip at our Facebook page

Picos de Europa of Northern Spain. Explore the Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantábrica) from the Basque mountains of Anboto and Gorbeia in the east to the Picos de Europa, a cluster of high limestone peaks straddling the border between the provinces of Cantabria and Asturias.

The Maritime Alps of France and Italy. (Hotel/inn-based itinerary.) Explore the Alps where they meet the Mediterranean! Here you’ll find high country landscapes as fine as anywhere in the Alps!
Maritime Alps Slide Show

The Maritime Alps Inn to Inn. (Inn to inn itinerary.) Hike across the Alps on this “inn-to-inn” trek starting in the Alpi Marittime Nature Reserve in Italy and finishing at the Mediterranean Sea near the lovely town of Menton on the French Riviera.
Maritime Alps Inn to Inn Slide Show

Hiking in Western Ireland. Discover the beauty of western Ireland on foot! Journey through the lake and woodland landscape of the Killarney National Park, and sample the trails of the glacially sculpted MacGillicuddy’s Reeks, a mountain range that contains Ireland’s tallest peak, Carrauntuohill. Hike amidst the quintessential Irish landscape of patchworked fields on the Dingle Peninsula.
Western Ireland Slide Show

Hiking in Iceland. Iceland is a spectacular manifestation of Nature’s raw power and beauty. Sample trails that lead through the stunning landscapes that are at the essence of the country that is often referred to as “the Land of Fire and Ice.” Thundering waterfalls, austere lava fields, rugged coastlines, tundra-capped mountain tops, and twisting, steep-walled fjords provide a diverse range of hiking experiences.
Hiking in Iceland Slide Show
Hiking in Iceland Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Swiss Alps Inn to Inn. Traverse a portion of the renowned Alpine Pass Route, one of the premier long-distance hiking routes in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland, on the inn-to-inn adventure. Encounter a fantasy of quintessential alpine landscapes.
Alpine Pass Route Slide Show

The Mountains of Northern Greece. In the “hidden” region of Zagori discover a landscape filled with lovely mountain villages connected by a network of stone-tiled pathways and bridges. Enjoy high country meadows ablaze with crocus and one of the deepest gorges in the world. Visit the “perched” monasteries of Meteora and climb to the summit of Mount Olympus, legendary home of the Greek gods.
Northern Greece Slide Show

Hiking the Alps of Slovenia. Great news for mountain hikers! Slovenia offers memorable trail experiences in a less-frequented part of the Alps! In Slovenia’s Julian and Kamnik-Savinja Alps you’ll find the quintessential elements of the Alpine landscape–soaring peaks, deep forests, lovely mountain villages, and flower-bedecked meadows. For those of you who love the Dolomites of Italy, the Alps of Slovenia provide the perfect way to continue an exploration of the scenic eastern Alps.
Alps of Slovenia Slide Show

Hiking in Croatia. Croatia’s limestone Velebit Mountains contain the country’s most spectacular mountain landscapes punctuated with impressive knobs and domes, jagged crags, labyrinthine passages, and knife-edged pinnacles. Through the heart of this splendid mountain environment winds a long distance hiking trail known as the Premužić Trail (Premužićeva staza) from which views extend over the Adriatic Sea to the west and across the parallel ridges and forested foothills of Croatia’s Lika region to the east.
Croatia Slide Show
Croatia Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Hiking in Romania. Explore the high Carpathians of central Romania also known as the Transylvanian Alps or “Carpaţii Meridionali” in Romanian. Extending across central Romania this 225 mile-long range consists of several mountain groups each with its own distinctive landscapes and hiking opportunities.

Transylvanian Alps Hut to Hut (Romania). A challenging “hut to hut” hiking adventure along the main ridge of Romania’s Fagaras Mountains–one of the longest continuous high mountain traverses in Europe. This trip is suitable ONLY for very fit and experienced mountain hikers. The trip also includes a sampling of Transylvania’s treasury of castles, monasteries, fortified Saxon churches and medieval towns.
Transylvanian Alps Slide Show

Dolomites Hut to Hut. Hike across the Dolomites along the long-distance Alta Via 1 from its start at Lago di Braies near Dobbiaco to the Passo Duran near the southern Dolomites town of Agordo. On this “point to point” hiking trip stay in mountain refuges (rifugi, in Italian) and experience the peace and beauty of the mountains before the day-hikers arrive and after they leave. This trip is best for hikers looking for a bit of a challenge and who don’t mind basic, hut-style accommodations.

Hiking on Madeira. Anchored in the Atlantic Ocean west of the African coast, the temperate island of Madeira boasts some of Portugal’s most dramatic mountains. An extensive network of paths along the levadas makes the windswept highlands, plunging cliffs, and mossy laurisilva forests accessible to hikers.
Hiking Madeira Slide Show

The Azores. The volcanic Azores sit astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge about one thousand miles west of Lisbon. Explore the trails of Sao Miguel, Pico, Faial and Sao Jorge islands. These temperate islands are sometimes called the Ilhas Afortunadas (“Fortunate Isles”) or the Ilhas Azuis (“Blue Isles”).
Hiking the Azores Slide Show
Azores Slide Show
Azores Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Carpathian Mountains (Hungary, Slovakia, Poland). Journey across the breadth of the Carpathian mountain range from the rolling, forested Bukk Mountains of northern Hungary to the compact mass of soaring, glacier-carved crags that comprise the Tatra Mountains on the Slovak-Polish frontier.

Japan and China

Hiking the Kumano Kodo. The name Kumano (熊野, literally “bear field”) refers to the southern portion of the Kii Mountains, a remote, rugged and densely forested region long regarded as a sacred dwelling place for kami–the divinities of Japan’s indigenous Shintō religion. The Kumano Kodo (kodo means “ancient path”) is a network of pilgrimage trails that link the three grand shrines of Kumano. On this trip, you will have the opportunity to complete two segments of the Kumano Kodo—the “Kohechi” and the “Nakahechi”—in their entirety. In doing so, you will traverse the bulk of the Kii Mountain range from north to south.

Shikoku Temple Trek 2. The “Shikoku Temple Trek 2” is the second of three trips we offer that are based on the twelve-hundred-kilometer-long Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage (Shikoku hachijuhachikasho meguri). This trip is generally scheduled in November and is a natural complement to the original “Shikoku Temple Trek 1.”

Shikoku Temple Trek 3. The “Shikoku Temple Trek 3” is the third installment of our Shikoku Temple Trek tour series. This trip is offered only when there is sufficient demand and will allow those who have participated in both the original “Shikoku Temple Trek 1” and the “Shikoku Temple Trek 2” to complete the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, an achievement known by the Buddhist term kechigan meaning “the completion of the vow.”

Hiking the Japan Alps. Enjoy the alpine splendors of Japan on a hut-to-hut experience in the northern and central Japan Alps. Rushing forest streams, deep woodlands, windswept mountain ridges and craggy, snow-flecked pinnacles!

Hiking Hokkaido. Enjoy hikes in the volcanic mountains of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The wilderness character of Hokkaido’s backcountry makes it a joy for mountain hikers. Some of Japan’s finest national parks set the stage for a memorable Hokkaido hiking experience.
Hokkaido Slide Show

Great Wall of China. Hike the less trammeled sections of Great Wall as it snakes its way across the mountains of northern China. From Laolongtou where the wall plunges into the Bohai Sea, to the wilder wall at Dongjiakou, to the long, lonely, magnificent stretches of the Yangbian Wall in the west this journey is designed with the hiker in mind!

United States

Hiking the Superstition Mountains – Trails of Arizona’s Desert Wilderness. The Superstitions, or “Supes” as they are often called by locals, rise like a rampart to the east of Phoenix’s Valley of the Sun. The mountainous core of the Superstitions is protected in the Superstition Wilderness which was one of the first fifty-four areas that were set aside as wilderness under the 1964 Wilderness Act. The Superstition Wilderness embraces over 250 square miles of sculpted peaks, soaring pinnacles, and twisting canyons, and extends over an area larger than Utah’s Zion National Park. The vast network of well developed mountain trails makes the Superstitions a haven for hiking aficionados.
Hiking the Superstitions Video Playlist

Hiking Utah’s Capitol Reef – Heart of the Red Rock Country. Southern Utah’s red-rock country is truly one of the world’s iconic landscapes. Many hikers flock to Utah’s better-known national parks like Zion and Bryce Canyon. By contrast, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden gem and a great place to experience the singular wonders of hiking amidst the colorful, sculpted sandstone formations characteristic of the red-rock country.
Capitol Reef Slide Show
Capitol Reef Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

The Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park. Big Bend National Park encompasses a series of compact mountain ranges surrounded by the expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert. The park’s highlands are crowned by the peaks of the Chisos Mountains which author Edward Abbey once described as “an emerald isle in a red sea.” March is when the spring bloom begins in the Big Bend country. It’s a special moment in the park when cacti and other desert plants display their floral finery. Beautifully constructed trails lead into the cool, mountain landscapes of the high Chisos; in March the summer’s heat is only distant promise.
Chisos Mountains Slide Show

Acadia National Park. The distinctive granite domes of Maine’s Mount Desert Island serve as the centerpiece for Acadia National Park along with dramatic sea cliffs and fjord-like bays and inlets. Acadia was the first national park established east of the Mississippi River and the first created entirely from donations of private lands to the public domain. This trip is timed to catch coastal Maine’s fall foliage show so you can enjoy Acadia in its special moment!

Pinnacles National Park Spring is the perfect time for sun-filled hikes in Pinnacles National Park, the Golden State’s ninth and newest national park. Though its national park designation may be new, the natural splendor of the Pinnacles region was recognized at the turn of the twentieth century when Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed it a national monument in 1908.
Pinnacles Slide Show
Pinnacles Slide Show for iPad & iPhone

Island-Style Hiking on Kaua’i. Perhaps the loveliest of the Hawaiian islands, especially for hikers, is the Garden Island of Kaua’i which boasts some of Hawaii’s most dramatic landscapes. Take a break from the cold days of winter and indulge in a sun-drenched Hawaiian hiking getaway! We run this trip using an “island-style” approach so you’ll have an opportunity to get a feel for Hawaii’s laid-back lifestyle.
Kaua’i Slide Show

Pacific Northwest Hiking in Olympic National Park. Enjoy an off-the-beaten-path hiking experience in one of the most beautiful expanses of mountain wilderness left in the lower 48. Temperate rain forests, wilderness coastlines, flower-filled alpine meadows and panoramic high-country views await!
Olympic National Park Slide Show

South America

Best Hikes in Patagonia. Discover the best mountain hikes in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia! Thrill to the majesty of the iconic spires of Monte Fitzroy, Cerro Torre and the Torres del Paine as they pierce the wind-scrubbed skies above the Patagonian icecap. We’ve assembled a series of hikes that deliver “mountain and view” experiences so you can thrill to some of the planet’s most exciting mountain landscapes! Evenings spent in comfortable inns and “hosterias” add a touch of comfort to your experiences in these wild lands at the end of the earth! The Patagonian Andes are a hiker’s nirvana and “a must” for anyone who loves hiking in the mountains.