Best Treks / Hikes of the World, top 100

Criteria

Our basic selection criterion is: The best trek is that which is most listed in books covering the greatest treks in the world. Then, a mention gives more points if the book lists less treks, and viceversa.


World's TOP 10 Treks

Rank Country Name of the Trek / Hike /Circuit Score Publications
1 Chile Torres del Paine Trek, Patagonia 28 8/9
2 Perú Inca Trail 25 7/9
3 Tanzania Mt. Kilimanjaro 24 7/9
4 France-Italy-Switzerland Haute Route 22 6/9
5 Nepal Everest Base Camp 21 5/9
6 New Zealand Routeburn track, Fiordland-Mount Aspiring Nationals Parks, South Island 18 5/9
7 Pakistan Snow Lake/Biafo-Hispar/Lupke La Region 16,5 6/9
8 Pakistan Baltoro glacier / Concordia 15,5 5/9
8 India Zanskar river, Ladakh 15,5 5/9
10 USA Kaibab trail, Grand Canyon (Rim-to-Rim), Arizona 15 5/9

World's TOP 50 Treks

Rank Country Name of the Trek / Hike /Circuit Score Publications
11 Australia The Overland Track, Tasmania 14,5 5/9
12 Nepal Annapurna Area,(Annapurna circuit, Kopra Ridge) 14 4/9
12 New Zealand Milford Trek 14 4/9
14 Canada The West Coast Trail, British Columbia 12 4/9
14 Morocco Tichka to Toubkal, Atlas Mountains 12 4/9
16 South Georgia Shackleton crossing, South georgia 11,5 4/9
17 Australia The Larapinta trail, West MacDonnell Range 10 3/9
17 France Grande Randonnee 20, Parc naturel regional de la Corse, Corsica 10 3/9
19 USA Kalalau trail, Kauai, Hawai 9 3/9
19 Spain El Camino de Santiago 9 3/9
19 Sweden Northern Kungsleden, Lapland, Sweden 9 3/9
19 Scotland West Highland Way, Scotland 9 3/9
23 Europe Tour of Mont Blanc, France / Italy / Switzerland 8 2/9
23 Greece Horseshoe, North Pindos Mountains 8 3/9
23 Argentina Mount Fitzroy, El Chaltén, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Patagonia 8 2/9
23 Perú Huayhuash circuit, Cordillera Huayhuash 8 3/9
23 South Africa Northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal 8 3/9
28 Nepal Kangchendzonga Himal 7 2/9
28 Tibet The Mount Kailas Circuit 7 2/9
28 New Guinea Kokuda trail. 7 2/9
28 USA Jhon Muir Trail, California 7 3/9
28 USA The Narrows, Zion Nat Park, Colorado, Utah 7 2/9
28 Canada The Rockwall trail, (The Great Divide), Rockies 7 2/9
28 South Africa Kruger Wilderness Trails 7 2/9
28 Uganda The Ruwenzori 7 2/9
36 USA The Appalachian trail, Georgia to Main 6,5 3/9
37 Nepal Manaslu circuit, Larkya Himal 6 2/9
37 New Zealand Tongariro Northern Circuit, Tongariro Nat Park 6 2/9
37 Australia Thobsborne trail, Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland 6 2/9
37 USA Highline trail, Wyoming Rockies (Wind River Range) 6 2/9
37 France-Spain Pyrenean Haute Route, Pyrenees, France / Spain 6 2/9
37 Kenya Mt Kenya, Mount Kenya Nat Park 6 2/9
43 Bhutan The Snowman Trek (Lunana Trek), Himalaya 5,8 3/9
44 India Singalila to kangchendzonga,Singalila National Park, Sikkim Himalaya 5,5 2/9
45 Malasya Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo 5 2/9
45 USA Maroon Bells circuit, White River Nat Forrest, Colorado 5 2/9
45 USA Continental Divide trail, Rockies 5 2/9
45 England England from coast to coast 5 2/9
45 Venezuela Trekking to Angel falls, Canaima national Park 5 2/9
45 Perú Alpamayo circuit, Cordillera Blanca 5 2/9
45 Ethiopia Semien Mountains, Semien National Park 5 2/9
52 Bhutan The Chomolhari trek 4,8 3/9
53 Bhutan A tiger´s lair (Paro Taktsang) & a sacred peak 4,3 2/9

Honorable Mention

An honorable mention is given to all those treks just mentioned in only one publication.

Rank Country Name of the Trek / Hike /Circuit Score Publications
Birmania Kachin Tribal Village Trek 5 1/9
Mali Bandiagara, Pays Dogón 5 1/9
Nepal Inner Dolpo 4 1/9
New Zealand Kepler Trek, Fiordland Nat park 4 1/9
USA Llama-Trekking in Escalante Canyon, Utah 4 1/9
France Tour de la vanoise glacier, Parc Nat de la Vanoise 4 1/9
Italia The Dolomites Traverse 4 1/9
Kazakhstan Foothills of the Tian Shan 4 1/9
México Copper Canyon 4 1/9
Panamá The Darien Gap 4 1/9
Tanzania Walking Safari in Serengeti Nat Park 4 1/9
Nepal Dhaulagiri circuit, Himalaya 3 1/9
Nepal-Tibet Jumla to Mount Kailas, Himalaya 3 1/9
Mongolia Kharkhiraa & Turgen, Altai 3 1/9
India Valleys of flowers, Joshimath, Himalaya 3 1/9
India The source of the Ganges 3 1/9
China Tiger Leaping Gorge 3 1/9
China Huan Shan, Shaanxi 3 1/9
Japan The 88 temple circuit 3 1/9
Japan Hokkaido, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido 3 1/9
Japan Hike in Japans North Alps 3 1/9
Kyrgystan Central Tian Shan, Tian Shan Range 3 1/9
Iran Damavand 3 1/9
Thailand Hill-Tribe Trek in Northern Thailand 3 1/9
Turkey The Lycian way 3 1/9
Vietnam Fanispan, Vietnam 3 1/9
Israel The Israel National trail 3 1/9
New Zealand Aoraki to Arthurs pass, Aoraki Nat Park - Arthurs pass Nat Park, Central Southern Alps 3 1/9
New Zealand The Abel Tasman Coastal Track 3 1/9
Australia Eden to Mallacoota, Wilderness Coast 3 1/9
USA Evolution Loop, Kings Canyon Nat Park, Sierra Nevada, California 3 1/9
USA Sawtooth traverse, Idaho Rockies 3 1/9
USA Alaska on foot, Anchorage area, Alaska 3 1/9
Canada The Trans Canada Trail 3 1/9
Scotland Bag Some Munros 3 1/9
Italia Alta Via 2, Dolomitas, South Tyrol 3 1/9
Spain Ways of St James, Pyrenees 3 1/9
Spain Picos de Europa, Cantabrian Mountains 3 1/9
Greece Across the spine of Crete 3 1/9
Greece Mt Olympus 3 1/9
England The South West Coast path 3 1/9
England Peak District 3 1/9
Ireland Croagh Patrick 3 1/9
Austria The Stubai Horseshoe 3 1/9
Bulgaria Rila Mountains 3 1/9
Bolivia Illampu circuit, Cordillera Real 3 1/9
Chile Exploradores valley, Aysen, Patagonia 3 1/9
Tanzania Selous Game Preserve 3 1/9
Namibia Fish River Canyon 3 1/9
SoutH Africa Otter & Tsitsikamma trails, Southern cape 3 1/9
Turkey The Lycian Way, Lycia 3 1/9
Turkey Kackar of the pontic Alps, black sea 3 1/9
South Africa The Hoerikwaggo Trail 3 1/9
India Rajasthan, Rajasthan 2 1/9
India Coorg, western Ghat Mountains, Karnataka 2 1/9
China Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 2 1/9
Japan Walking the Nakasendo, Kyoto to Tokyo 2 1/9
Tajikistan Mountain Climbing in Estern Tajukistan, Pamir Mountains 2 1/9
Australia Fraser Island Wildlife, Queensland 2 1/9
USA Chesler Park, UTAH 2 1/9
USA Buckskin Gulch, Utah 2 1/9
USA The Wonderland trail, Mount Rainier Nat Park, Washington 2 1/9
USA Diablo Lake to Lake Chelan, Ross Lake Nat Recreation Area, Washington 2 1/9
USA White Mountain Traverse 2 1/9
USA McGonagall pass, Denali, Alaska 2 1/9
USA Glacier National Park, Montana 2 1/9
USA Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington 2 1/9
USA Pacific Crest trail 2 1/9
USA Climbing Mauna Loa, Hawai 2 1/9
USA Isle Royale National Park 2 1/9
USA Colorado´s Fourteeners, Rockys Mountains, Colorado, USA 2 1/9
USA Hiking Half Dome, Yosemite, California 2 1/9
USA Trekking the Grand Teton, Grand Teton National Park 2 1/9
Canada Gros Morne, Canada 2 1/9
UK Across the Llýn, Wales 2 1/9
England Hadrian´s wall 2 1/9
England The North Devon Coast, Braunton-Lynmouth 2 1/9
Ireland The Kerry Way, Iveragh Peninsula 2 1/9
France The Cévennes 2 1/9
Russia Lake Baikal 2 1/9
Jamaica The Cockpit Country, Albert Town 2 1/9
Romania-Ukranine The Carpathians 2 1/9
Perú Manu Biosphere Reserve, Amazon 2 1/9
Mexico The Copper Canyon, El Fuerte 2 1/9
Brazil Serra do mar, Paraná 2 1/9
Panamá Cordillera Talamanca 2 1/9
Nicaragua The Masaya and Maderas volcanoes 2 1/9
Namibia The Skeleton Coast 2 1/9
Uganda / Congo The Rwenzori Mountains, Rwenzori National Park / Des Virunga Nat Park 2 1/9

Book Selection

Our selection of books is the following:

  • Book 1: A Journey along the World's Great Treks by Jeff Salvage and Kirk Markus

Methodology

To see how the list was made and how the score was assigned, follow this link.