10 of the most unforgettable hiking trails around the world

I’ve been fortunate enough to hike both day trips and multi-day treks, here in Australia and abroad, and a handful of trails overseas have stuck with me long after I got home. Here are ten of the trails I’d point anyone toward if they’re building a hiking bucket list, chosen for the terrain, the history, or simply the experience of being on them.

1. The Inca Trail – Peru

The Inca Trail follows a route the Incas built into the Andes centuries ago, and it’s still in use because it was built well. Along the way you pass ruins that were once working parts of Inca life, terraces and stonework that show real skill in fitting structures to the terrain rather than fighting it. The trail climbs through cloud forest, misty and thick with birdsong, before opening onto exposed mountain country with steep valleys either side.

It ends at Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel built high in the mountains, and reaching it on foot after days on the trail feels different to arriving by bus. Walking through its terraces and temples, it’s easy enough to imagine what daily life there looked like centuries ago.

2. The Camino de Santiago – Spain

The Camino de Santiago is less a single trail than a network of them, all converging on the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain. The French Way (Camino Francés) and the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugués) are the two most walked, but every route has its own character.

What people tend to remember afterwards isn’t just the scenery, though there’s plenty of it: rolling hills, vineyards, rugged coastline, quiet forests. It’s the villages along the way and the people you keep running into, day after day, until the faces become familiar. The walk ends at the cathedral itself, where tradition holds that the remains of St James are buried. Whatever draws you to walk it, arriving there on foot after days or weeks is a different experience to arriving any other way.

3. The Appalachian Trail – United States

The Appalachian Trail (AT) runs over 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometres) through the eastern United States, crossing 14 states from Georgia to Maine, or the other way round depending which end you start. It passes through a genuine range of country: dense forest, rolling hills, high ridgelines, and quiet meadows, with a fair chance of spotting deer, black bears, and other native wildlife along the way.

Not everyone walks the whole thing. Plenty of hikers do Day Hikes or short sections, and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee are popular for that. Thru-hiking the entire trail in one go typically takes five to seven months and is a serious physical and mental undertaking. Others tackle it in sections over multiple trips, which suits anyone who can’t take that much time off in one block.

4. The Overland Track – Australia

Closer to home, the Overland Track covers 65 kilometres (40 miles) through Tasmania’s ancient rainforest, past clear lakes, and over rugged mountains in the state’s wilderness heart. It’s a solid introduction to genuine Tasmanian wilderness, and Australian Wildlife sightings are common along the way, wombats and wallabies especially, alongside a range of native bird species.

You can walk it guided, which gets you local expertise plus food and gear support, or independently, camping in the designated areas and setting your own pace. Either way, it’s a chance to slow down inside landscapes that have stayed largely untouched.

5. The Annapurna Circuit – Nepal

The Annapurna Circuit climbs through the Himalayas, moving from subtropical forest and terraced fields at lower elevation into proper alpine terrain higher up. Along the way it passes through villages belonging to different ethnic groups, each with its own language and customs, which ends up being as much a part of the trek as the mountains themselves.

The high point, literally, is the Thorong La Pass at 5,416 metres (17,769 feet), one of the highest points on the trek and a serious climb by any measure. Altitude affects people differently, so pacing yourself and allowing time to acclimatise matters more here than on most treks.

6. The Milford Track – New Zealand

New Zealand’s Milford Track, in Fiordland National Park, is often called the finest walk in the world, and at 53.5 kilometres (33.5 miles) over four days it’s not hard to see why. It passes Sutherland Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in New Zealand, along with ancient beech forest and the fjords Fiordland is known for.

The standard itinerary runs like this:

• Day 1: Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut – a boat trip across Lake Te Anau, then a gentle 5-kilometre (3-mile) walk to the hut.
• Day 2: Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut – through beech forest, climbing gradually towards the mountains.
• Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut – the hardest day, crossing the Mackinnon Pass.
• Day 4: Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point – past more waterfalls, finishing with a ferry across Milford Sound.

Fiordland National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the track’s place inside it is a big part of why the landscape has stayed as pristine as it has.

7. Walker’s Haute Route – France to Switzerland

Julie and I walked the Walker’s Haute Route in 2024, a 212-kilometre (132-mile) trek connecting Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland. It’s often rated harder than the Tour du Mont Blanc, and the numbers back that up: around 14,000 metres (46,000 feet) of cumulative climbing over the full route.

Some sections, like the Pas de Chevres, involve fixed steel ladders and need extra care. The terrain shifts constantly between gravel paths, rocky ground, and the odd stretch of asphalt road, and accommodation varies just as much, from mountain huts to hostels and campsites, or the occasional night in a hotel in one of the valley towns. Most people take about two weeks to complete it, and late June through September gives the most reliable conditions at altitude, along with suitable preparation and Essentials packed for rapidly changing weather.

8. The GR20 – Corsica

Corsica’s GR20 covers 180 kilometres (112 miles) along the island’s mountainous backbone, with around 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) of cumulative climbing. It’s widely rated one of Europe’s toughest hikes, not just for the distance but for the rocky, uneven ground and the high-altitude detours.

Some sections offer harder “Alpine variant” routes, marked with yellow paint, that involve scrambling and fixed chains for safety, more like climbing than walking. Around 30,000 hikers attempt the GR20 each year, and camping pitches need to be booked in advance even if you’re carrying your own tent; Corsica’s mountain refuges also require advance bookings. It suits experienced, fit hikers best, given the scrambling and rough terrain. Late spring through early autumn (May to October) is the accessible window, with summer the busiest and most stable weather, and mountain conditions can change quickly, so it’s worth checking the forecast before setting out each day.

9. Cordillera Huayhuash – Peru

The Cordillera Huayhuash circuit is a 12-day trek through the entire Huayhuash range, crossing several passes between 4,600 and 5,000 metres. Campsites often sit near glacial lakes below snow-covered peaks. One notable stop is the Siulá Grande base camp, the setting for Joe Simpson’s survival story Touching the Void, which gives the place a weight beyond the scenery alone.

The whole circuit sits above 4,000 metres, so allowing time to acclimatise matters, and altitude sickness is a genuine risk if you rush it, so it pays to go at a pace that feels comfortable. Along the way you’ll pass through small mountain settlements and might spot condors, llamas, and high-altitude plant life suited to the conditions. Warm clothing and a sturdy tent are worth prioritising, along with quality hiking boots, and the dry season from May to September gives the most reliable weather.

10. Laugavegur Trail – Iceland

Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail runs over 55 kilometres (34 miles) through country shaped entirely by volcanic activity. Ash fields, obsidian shards, and multicoloured mountains sit alongside volcanic fissures, craters, and river crossings, and the six-day walk changes character almost daily as the terrain shifts from barren black ash to vibrant mineral colour.

Iceland’s highland weather doesn’t hold a pattern, so it’s worth packing for rain, wind, and the odd bout of snow regardless of the forecast. Camping out in that landscape, away from any town or artificial light, is one of the things people remember most about it afterwards.

These ten trails don’t have a lot in common beyond being worth the effort to get to. Some are steeped in history, some are purely physical, and some simply put you somewhere you won’t find anywhere else. If you ever get the chance to walk one of them, take it.