Hiking
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Wrapping Up Our Magical Kumano Kodo Trail Experience (Days 5 and 6)
The final hiking day was the one with the biggest payoff: the iconic Nachi Taicha Grand Shrine and Nachi Falls. To get there though, you have to complete the most strenuous part of the trek, with 1200 meters of ascension in total. Whereas James bravely opted to keep his pack[…]
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Day 4 of the Kumano Kodo: Cherry Blossoms Everywhere!
Saying goodbye to Yonomine Onsen wasn’t as difficult as leaving some of the other villages along this journey. Not only did the sulfur from the natural hot springs make the whole town smell like eggs, but the inn we stayed at was run by a strange, pushy woman who kept[…]
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Day 3 of the Kumano Kodo: Completion of the Main Route
We awoke on the third day of our trek at Guesthouse Mui. In addition to offering incredible food – which seems to come standard with any accommodation on any hiking trail in Japan – this guesthouse was notable for being the home of two pet goats. The goats were trained[…]
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Days 1 and 2 of the Kumano Kodo Trail
Last week, we embarked on our six-day trek through the Kumano Kodo: a UNESCO-recognized network of pilgrimage trails that have been important spiritual routes for over a thousand years. The itinerary we followed (described here) was the classic Nakahechi trek that starts in Takijiri and ends at Nachi Falls. I[…]
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Day 3 of the Nakasendo Trail: Tsumago to Magome
On our third and final Nakasendo hiking day, we covered the 8km from Tsumago to Magome. This is the most well-advertised section of the trail, covering the distance between these two historic, well-preserved villages. No need for trains, as you can hike directly from one village to the other, staying[…]
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Day 2 of the Nakasendo Trail: An Unexpected Winter Wonderland
Typical daytime temperatures on the Nakasendo trail in mid-March are around 8 degrees. So, we were quite surprised to wake up on the second day of our hike to this! Day 2 was originally going to be an 18km hiking day. But, given the weather plus the unexpectedly long hike[…]
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Day 1 of the Nakasendo Trail: Getting Lost
After a simple, hearty breakfast buffet in Matsumoto, we shipped our luggage to Kyoto, donned our warmest clothing, and set out for (what we thought was) the Nakasendo trail. In theory, the historic Nakasendo trail goes all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto. However, in practice, the trail has been[…]
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Sierra Norte Day 3: Latuvi to Benito Juárez
Our third and last day featured a 12km hike from Latuvi (2422 meters elevation) to the Benito Juárez lookout point (3100 meters), and then back down to the town of Benito Juárez. By now, the elevation was getting noticeable in terms of both the vegetation and the temperature, making for much[…]
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Sierra Norte Day 2: Amatlán to Latuvi
On Day 2, we embarked on this excursion’s namesake: The Camino Real trail, which used to be an important Zapotec commerce route. This historical 16km trail takes you from Lachatao – a town very close to Amatlan – to the village of Latuvi. The first couple hours of the trail[…]
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Sierra Norte Day 1: Capulalpam to Amatlán
The activity that originally made me want to come to Oaxaca was the multiday hiking through the Sierra Norte. The Sierra Norte is a forested mountainous region that is home to eight Indigenous villages, all connected by a web of hiking trails. The villages have a joint community initiative called[…]
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Hiking Madeira’s Caldeirão Verde Levada Trail
One of the many strange and beautiful things in Madeira are the levadas: channels that were originally created in the 15th century to transport water around the island. There are about 1400km of these levadas, many of which are now maintained as hiking trails. Have I mentioned that Madeira is[…]
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Hiking Madeira’s Iconic Pico to Pico Hike
Today, we set out for Madeira’s bucket list hike: the Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo hike (Pr1). This route connects the third highest and highest peaks in Madeira, respectively, with sublime views almost the whole way along. These views are just so consistently epic that I don’t even know[…]
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Chasing Waterfalls in Madeira
We have not been sticking to the rivers or the lakes that we’re used to. We initially set out for the Vereda do Fanal hike, a point to point trail through a forest that is sometimes coated in a spooky fog. On this day, the clouds had dissipated by the[…]
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Hiking the Vereda de Ponta da São Laurenço Trail
São Laurenço Point is a peninsula at the most eastern point of Madeira. The trail that loops around it is one of Madeira’s most popular hikes due to its epic coastal views and primordial-looking landscapes. The ride to São Laurenço from Funchal was about an hour by scooter. We arrived[…]
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Sarajevo’s Abandoned Olympic Luge Track
As you may know, Sarajevo hosted with Winter Olympics in 1984. It was the first time the games were ever held in a communist country, and remains a great source of pride for the city. In preparation for the Games, Sarajevo constructed lots of new sports sites, including an 8.5[…]
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More Croatian Hiking With a Side of Communist History
This weekend was the last of our time in Croatia. We were expecting a lot of rain last week, but that mostly didn’t materialize, so we enjoyed one last Dalmatian coastal hike. This is the Setnica Walking Trail: a relatively short hike in Lapad that began about five minutes from[…]
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Exploring Lokrum Island, Croatia
There are over 1000 islands and islets in Croatia. During our relatively short visit to the country, we got to visit just one. Lokrum Island! Lokrum Island is a 15 minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik. It’s a car-free island, with well-marked pathing that will take you around its 76 hectares[…]
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The Sunsets of Dubrovnik
I’ve decided that Dubrovnik requires a whole post just for its sunsets. Because, look at these sunsets. We’ve had two great sunset viewing opportunities during our time in Dubrovnik. The first was from Mount Srd, which is a small mountain/big hill that directly overlooks Old Town. We were originally gonna[…]
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Walking Along the Dubrovnik City Walls
One of the cool things to do in Dubrovnik Old Town is walking along the top of the fortress walls. The Dubrovnik city walls, constructed in the 13th century, are 2km long and take around 90 minutes to walk around. Or longer, if you stop every few meters to take[…]
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Hiking the St. John Fortress of Kotor
The St John Fortress, or the San Giovanni, is a set of structures from the Byzantine era that sit above Kotor Old Town. Although they are mostly ruins today, what’s special about them is that they sit high above the bay, offering panoramic views of Kotor. The most popular way[…]
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The Ladder of Kotor Hike to Krstac Pass
We have now reached Kotor: a small, coastal town in Montenegro. The Old Town of Kotor is a UNESCO world heritage site, and a popular stop for cruise ships. Our first couple of days here were very rainy, which gave us an excuse to do not a whole heck of[…]
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Halloween Season has Finally Reached Montenegro
For the last several weeks, locals have been telling us how lucky we are to have such unseasonably warm, sunny weather. Quietly, I haven’t felt as pleased about it, partly because hiking is comfier in colder weather, and partly because it’s a grim reminder of climate change. But today, we[…]
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Hiking the Three Peaks Trail (Volušnica, TalIjanka, Popadija)
If there’s one well-known hike in Prokletije National Park, it’s the Volušnica TalIjanka Popadija trail. Referred to by locals as the “three peaks” hike, this trail delivers nonstop breathtaking views along a ridge that includes three mountain summits in a loop. Our favorite hiking bloggers World Wild Hearts said that[…]
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The “Kissing Cats” Hike in Prokletje
Prokletje National Park is Montenegro’s newest park, very close to the borders of Albania and Kosovo. Its lack of popularity means that if you come here, you basically have the trails to yourself. But, that also makes it hard to find information about available hikes. Based on this limited info,[…]
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Tara Canyon: The Good, The Bad, and the Creepy
One of the attractions we planned to visit during our time at Durmator National Park is Tara Canyon, which is one of the largest canyons in Europe. On Thanksgiving Monday, we were initially going to try to check another longer mountain hike off our list (Durmitor Ice Cave). But, we[…]
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Hiking to the Summit of Prutas in Durmitor
By far, the most popular hike in Durmitor National Park is to the peak of Bobotov Kuk: the highest mountain in Montenegro. We hiked up the adjacent mountain instead. At 2393 meters tall, Prutas Peak sits 130m shorter than Bobotov. But, hikers who have done both say that this one[…]
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Hiking to the Summit of Planinica in Durmitor
Yesterday we set out for Planinica (“Small Mountain”) in Durmitor National Park, Montenegro. The internet promised that this would be a full-day hike with lots of variety. Accurate on both accounts! The hike begins near the park entrance at Black Lake, following the 102 route. Right away, we encountered a[…]
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First Glimpse of Durmitor National Park
Yesterday, we said goodbye to Albania – our wonderful home for the past month – and made our way north to Žabljak, Montenegro. We’ll be staying in a cabin here for the next week. The main attraction near Žabljak is Durmitor National Park: a UNESCO site full of glacial lakes,[…]
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Hikes in Theth That Aren’t the Valbona Pass
After completing the majestic Valbona Pass hike, we decided to stay a couple of extra days in Theth before taking the bus back to Shkoder. Theth is a cute village, slightly bigger than Valbona. You still won’t find a grocery store here, or an ATM. But hey, it has the[…]
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Hiking The Valbona Pass to Theth
Photos of the hike from Valbona to Theth are what made James and I want to visit Albania. This weekend, after travelling around Albania for nearly a month, we finally got to cross this experience off our bucket list. Somehow, it was even more incredible than I imagined. Having arrived[…]
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The Journey to Valbona, Albania
Albania is home to a bucket list hike: the Valbona Pass through the Accursed Mountains. This 17km hike between Theth and Valbona offers nonstop jaw-dropping mountain vistas. (More in the next post). Theth and Valbona are both small villages with limited services. So, hikers usually drop off their luggage in[…]
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Hiking to the Berat Castle
This morning, we set out nice and early for Berat Castle, which is the main attraction in Berat. To get to the castle from downtown, you can take a steep but beautiful 30-minute walk up a cobblestone alley. Or, you can take a taxi to the top. Because the castle[…]
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Hiking the Maja e Qores Summit in Albania
The coastal town of Dhermi, Albania is close to Llogara National Park, which has some impressive mountain hiking. Yesterday, we rode up there and attempted the Maja e Qores hike, which is (ostensibly) a ~10km out and back. We followed Build & Board Travel’s instructions for accessing the trailhead (thank[…]
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Exploring The Old Fortress of Corfu Town
We have now made it to Corfu Town: the largest and most beautiful city on the island of Corfu. One of the more interesting things to do in Corfu Town is to visit one of the two fortresses that stand between the town and the sea. We visited the Old[…]
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Is the Grotto Worth the Hype?
We recently spent six days camping and hiking in Bruce Peninsula National Park. One of the main attractions at this park is the Grotto: a dramatic cave overlooking the Georgian Bay. The Grotto is not exactly a well-kept secret. Hundreds of thousands of people visit this little cove every year.[…]
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Camping in Bruce Peninsula National Park
Bruce Peninsula National Park is a large piece of protected wilderness on the tip of the Niagara Escarpment, about a four hour drive from Toronto. It’s a beautiful destination for camping, hiking, and other outdoorsy activities. The campground for car/tent camping is on Cyprus Lake. It has some basic amenities[…]
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Hiking in Lion’s Head
Lion’s Head is a tiny town on the Bruce Peninsula, about a 3.5 hour drive northwest of Toronto. On the way to (but much less famous than) Tobermory, it offers an off-the-beaten-path way to enjoy the area’s stunning bluffs and crystal clear water. James and I recently made a long[…]
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Singapore’s Southern Ridges Hike
One of the things that makes Singapore feel so modern is its impressive prioritization of green space. The Southern Ridges is a continuous 10km hike that takes you on a journey through several of Singapore’s best parks. It consists mostly of paved pedestrian paths, including walkways through the treetops that[…]
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Hiking to the Railay Beach Lagoon
Even though Railay is technically a peninsula, it feels like an island because the limestone cliffs completely isolate the area from any roads. The lack of cars, bikes, and general infrastructure gives the place a distinctive summer camp vibe. Although you could spend your whole time in Railay kayaking (and[…]
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Hiking at Doi Inthanon
For the most part, I wouldn’t classify Thailand as a hiking destination. Kayaking, diving, and motorcycling: definitely yes. But the hot and humid weather generally makes for uncomfortable hiking. Perhaps for this reason, hiking is also not a very popular activity among the locals, so the hiking infrastructure is sometimes[…]
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Hiking at Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice (pronounced PLEETveetsah) is Croatia’s oldest national park, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Although it was a bit out of the way from the rest of my trip, I couldn’t come all the way to this part of the world and not see it. There are tour buses that will take[…]
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Delicate Arch Sunrise Hike
The Moab region of Utah is known for its stunning orange rock formations. But, the most famous one is undoubtedly the Delicate Arch. This is the structure featured in all of Utah’s tourism brochures, postcards, t-shirts, and even state license plates. The Delicate Arch is enormous. It is 46 feet[…]