A walking holiday is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the local landscape, and these are the tours around the world we're most excited about this year.
Hiking from the Hebrides to the Highlands
With its dramatic mountain ranges and rugged coastline, Scotland is a perennial favourite with walkers, and this tour with Black Tomato takes in many of the best bits. The tour starts off in Skye, then moves to the Outer Hebrides, before sweeping you back to the mainland for a hike through the Lost Valley of Glencoe. After stops in Oban and the island of Mull, the itinerary takes you back up to the Cairngorms for mountain biking and whisky tasting. Your headquarters for the trip is the historic (and very luxurious) Glencoe House. All Black Tomato trips can be thoroughly personalised, and local experts will whisk you from destination to destination and guide you along the way.
Isle of Skye and the Cairngorms, from £8,750 per person, excluding flights. blacktomato.com
The Amalfi coast in style
Wild landscapes can be all very well, but sometimes the idea of toddling from one civilised place to another can be just as attractive. Ancient lemon groves, spectacular sea views and lashings of pasta and gelato are on offer as you meander from town to town. The short Path of the Gods offers views over Positano and Praiano, and take a ferry to the island of Capri where an easy walk will take you around Roman ruins and towering coastal paths. Macs Adventure offers reasonably affordable options, with stays in boutique hotels and easy stages of seven or eight miles a day.
Amalfi Coastal Trails, from £895 per person. macsadventure.com
The essential Japanese walking trail
The Nakasendo Trail through central Japan is based on a historic highway that connected the ancient cities of Edo and Kyoto. Walk Japan offers a self-guided trip from the town of Eno to Tokyo itself, following a route that everyone from imperial princesses and feudal lords to villagers and entertainers would have followed. Taking in the charming, postcard-worthy Kiso Valley, the tour also incorporates picturesque landscapes, from forest trails to paddy fields. Stay in traditional wayside inns and experience the pleasures of thermal baths along the way.
Self-Guided Nakasendo Wayfarer, from £1400. walkjapan.com
The Cotswold Round
Few landscapes can be more generally associated with England than the gentle undulations and honey-stone buildings of the Cotswolds. If you're in the market for a leisurely amble around green fields and gently rolling hills, punctuated by comfortable pubs and historic churches, this is the walking tour for you. The tour takes you on a round trip starting and finishing in Moreton-in-Marsh, taking in the charming villages of Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway and Chipping Camden along the way. The area is a quick two hour train ride from London, making it ideal for visitors coming from overseas, and with accommodation in farmhouses and B&Bs, it's a low-key itinerary that will allow you to get acquainted with the locale.
Cotswold Round Walking Holidays, from £610. celtictrailswalkingholidays.com
The ultimate New Zealand adventure
On the opposite end of the walking spectrum is this once-in-a-lifetime adventure taking in both the South and North Islands of New Zealand. At either 17 or 25 nights, it's a bit of a commitment, but the dedicated hiker will be rewarded with the geysers and thermal springs of Rotorua, the dramatic, remote landscapes of Milford Sound, and the towering peaks of Mount Cook. A guided itinerary with Ramblers Walking Holidays is a great way to experience this otherwise intimidating journey: the accommodation is middling, but from only £6,330 you get flights, accommodation and most meals into the bargain.
Complete New Zealand & South Island Discovery, from £6,330 for 17 nights. ramblersholidays.co.uk
Trek an ancient Bhutanese trade path
Bhutan is having a distinct moment in 2023, and you might as well see this spectacular, mountainous country in style. The Ultimate Travel Company can certainly take care of that, with tailored itineraries that allow you to hike along centuries-old trade paths through the valleys. Their ‘Simply Bhutan’ itinerary, for instance, includes four days trekking along the Druk Path, with horses to carry your bags as you proceed in the shadow of the Himalayas. The trip intersperses days of hiking and camping in luxury tents with explorations of Bhutan's cities and monasteries.
15 days from £11,650 per person including return international flights. www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk
Walking the Menalon Trail in the Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Greece's western peninsula, is a hiker's paradise, full of forested mountains, remote villages and hillside monasteries. Arcadia was the legendary haunt of the god Pan, and At 75km in length, it's an easy 8-day trip, with informal accommodation provided in local, family-run guesthouses–the perfect way to experience Greek hospitality at first hand. The route starts in Stemnitsa, runs along the Western Menalon massif and through the Valley of the Mylaon River to the lively town of Vytina and the village of Lagkadia.
The Menalon Trail, from £500, excluding flights and transfers. the naturaladventure.com
