Budget Bucket List's Favorite Hiking Destinations
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South America
It's no secret that I'm a big sucker for South America. Why else would I hang around for about 3,5 years while the primary idea was a 'couple of months', coming back over and over again? There are many reasons why this continent rapidly, steadily and irreversibly captured my heart, but one of the prime ones is its overwhelming diversity. Its colossal size is just something hard to capture for a European like me, as even my homeland fits about 4 times in one of their smallest countries (Uruguay). This incredible amount of space captures about every thinkable landscape and micro-climate, offering both glaciers and deserts, steppes and deep-down jungles. A true hiking haven, so to say, it doesn't get better than this. No wonder the seed of my fierce hiking passion was planted right here, it's simply the best way to capture the complete natural splendor of this part of the world... my favorite part, perhaps.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (South America)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (South America)
Budget Bucket List's Favorite South American Hiking Destinations
It's no secret that I'm a big sucker for South America. Why else would I hang around for about 3,5 years while the primary idea was a 'couple of months', coming back over and over again? There are many reasons why this continent rapidly, steadily and irreversibly captured my heart, but one of the prime ones is its overwhelming diversity. Its colossal size is just something hard to capture for a European like me, as even my homeland fits about 4 times in one of their smallest countries (Uruguay). This incredible amount of space captures about every thinkable landscape and micro-climate, offering both glaciers and deserts, steppes and deep-down jungles. A true hiking haven, so to say, it doesn't get better than this. No wonder the seed of my fierce hiking passion was planted right here, it's simply the best way to capture the complete natural splendor of this part of the world... my favorite part, perhaps.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (South America)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (South America)
- El Chalten to Mnt. Fitzroy - Argentina
- Laguna 69 Trek - Peru
- Hiking Isla de Chiloe - Chile
Budget Bucket List's Favorite South American Hiking Destinations
Argentina: Bariloche
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Argentina: Cafayate
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Argentina: Cordoba Province
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Argentina: El Chaltén
Argentina: San Luis
Bolivia: Salar de Uyuni
Brazil: Cambara do Sul
Chile: Isla de Chiloé
Colombia: JardÃn
Colombia: Sumapaz NP
Peru: Machu Picchu Trek
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Argentina: Humahuaca
Argentina: Tafà del Valle
Bolivia: Sorata
Brazil: Florianopolis
Chile: Puyehue NP
Colombia: Salento
Ecuador: Baños
Peru: Huaraz (Andes)
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Argentina: Iruya
Bolivia: Isla del Sol
Bolivia: Sucre
Brazil: Ilha Grande
Chile: Torres del Paine
Colombia: Tayrona NP
Paraguay: TobatÃ
Uruguay: Minas
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Central & North America
I love South America way more than Central America. There, I said it. That doesn't mean I do not like Central America, in fact, I stayed in every single country on the peninsula about 1-3 months, talking about dedication. I just think that fantastic variety I was talking about when mentioning South America is not so obvious in this stretch of the world. Not when it comes to culture, not when it comes to food (seriously: rice, beans and tortillas twice a day for over a year, I weighed 48kg at some point), and certainly not when it comes to landscapes. Makes sense, as it's way smaller (although: so is Europe, one of the most varied continents I know - and I know all 7 of 'em). Hiking-wise it's not bad at all, it just means you have to stick with the same kind of landscape over and over again: either beaches / coastline or jungle-kind-of-contexts with fantastic wildlife. Also: If you stay long enough, you will grow tired of volcanoes, overkill ahead.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Central/North America)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Central/North America)
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Central/North American Hiking Destinations
I love South America way more than Central America. There, I said it. That doesn't mean I do not like Central America, in fact, I stayed in every single country on the peninsula about 1-3 months, talking about dedication. I just think that fantastic variety I was talking about when mentioning South America is not so obvious in this stretch of the world. Not when it comes to culture, not when it comes to food (seriously: rice, beans and tortillas twice a day for over a year, I weighed 48kg at some point), and certainly not when it comes to landscapes. Makes sense, as it's way smaller (although: so is Europe, one of the most varied continents I know - and I know all 7 of 'em). Hiking-wise it's not bad at all, it just means you have to stick with the same kind of landscape over and over again: either beaches / coastline or jungle-kind-of-contexts with fantastic wildlife. Also: If you stay long enough, you will grow tired of volcanoes, overkill ahead.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Central/North America)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Central/North America)
- Volcan Barú - Panama
- Trails Monteverde - Costa Rica
- Selva Negra - Nicaragua
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Central/North American Hiking Destinations
Belize: Belmopan
El Salvador: Suchitoto
Guetemala: Xela
Mexico: Peña de Bernal
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Costa Rica: Monteverde
Guatemala: Antigua
Guatemala: Semuc Champey
Nicaragua: Granada Region
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Costa Rica: Tortuguero NP
Guatemala: Lago de Atitlán
Mexico: Oaxaca Region
Nicaragua: Isla de Ometepe
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Nicaragua: Masaya
Panama: Bocas del Toro
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Nicaragua: Matagalpa
Panama: Boquete
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Nicaragua: Somoto
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Oceania
Hiking-wise your best bet might be Oceania, for the simple reason this continent holds the ultimate trump card: New Zealand. The most sublime nature I've seen in my life, period. It wins of all 66 countries I've visited up until today, I can confess without blinking. I don't know what it is with this gem of a country, but even the colors come out different here (for real: where generally I somewhat enhance the colors of my photos, here I have to tone it down a notch as New Zealand's breath-taking reality almost looks fake on photos). I stayed in total about 9 months, hiked almost every day, and didn't even cover a fraction of the trails. Man, I'm honestly convinced not even a lifetime here will do. And, not unimportant, nothing will kill you there, unlike it's northern neighbor where I even lay paralyzed in my very own garden for 15 minutes (I lived in Australia for a while too) because a fucking ant - an ANT! - had stung me.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Oceania)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Oceania)
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Oceanian Hiking Destinations
Hiking-wise your best bet might be Oceania, for the simple reason this continent holds the ultimate trump card: New Zealand. The most sublime nature I've seen in my life, period. It wins of all 66 countries I've visited up until today, I can confess without blinking. I don't know what it is with this gem of a country, but even the colors come out different here (for real: where generally I somewhat enhance the colors of my photos, here I have to tone it down a notch as New Zealand's breath-taking reality almost looks fake on photos). I stayed in total about 9 months, hiked almost every day, and didn't even cover a fraction of the trails. Man, I'm honestly convinced not even a lifetime here will do. And, not unimportant, nothing will kill you there, unlike it's northern neighbor where I even lay paralyzed in my very own garden for 15 minutes (I lived in Australia for a while too) because a fucking ant - an ANT! - had stung me.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Oceania)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Oceania)
- Routeburn Track / Kinloch & Kepler Track / Te Anau - New Zealand
- Hillary Trail / Waitakere Ranges - New Zealand
- Rakiura Track / Stewart Island - New Zealand
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Oceanian Hiking Destinations
Fiji: Viti Levu
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New Zealand: Abel Tasman
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New Zealand: Akaroa
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New Zealand: Arrowtown
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New Zealand: Arthur's Pass
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New Zealand: Auckland Islands
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New Zealand: Catlins
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New Zealand: Cromwell
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New Zealand: Glenorchy
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New Zealand: Kinloch
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New Zealand: Matamata
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New Zealand: Milford Sound
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New Zealand: Nelson
New Zealand: Queenstown
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New Zealand: Northland
New Zealand: Rotorua
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New Zealand: Punakaiki
New Zealand: Stewart Island
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New Zealand: Taupo / Tongariro
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New Zealand: Te Anau
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New Zealand: Ulva Island
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New Zealand: Waitakere
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New Zealand: Wanaka
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Samoa: Savai'i & Upolu Island
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Europe
The most awesome thing about this continent, besides that it's mine, is it's incredible variety. It contains the world's smallest countries, a patchwork of nations, cultures and nationalities... but every single border introduces a sharp distinction. You really enter an entirely new country, with its own language, traditions and history (going waaaay back). The people even look and behave different everywhere (I can honestly tell a Dane from a German and a Frenchie from a Spaniard, within a few nano-seconds)! It just feels different to be in Serbia than in Romania for example, or even crossing the border from The Netherlands into Germany seems like entering a whole different society. All these statements are simply fantastic news on the travel front, as with very limited transmission time, and as such a limited budget, you can experience many different faces of Europe, even with only a few weeks/months on your hands. What do I say, you can even hike through an entire country in a limited time frame or traverse two or more countries on foot. I did.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Europe)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Europe)
Budget Bucket List's Favorite European Hiking Destinations
The most awesome thing about this continent, besides that it's mine, is it's incredible variety. It contains the world's smallest countries, a patchwork of nations, cultures and nationalities... but every single border introduces a sharp distinction. You really enter an entirely new country, with its own language, traditions and history (going waaaay back). The people even look and behave different everywhere (I can honestly tell a Dane from a German and a Frenchie from a Spaniard, within a few nano-seconds)! It just feels different to be in Serbia than in Romania for example, or even crossing the border from The Netherlands into Germany seems like entering a whole different society. All these statements are simply fantastic news on the travel front, as with very limited transmission time, and as such a limited budget, you can experience many different faces of Europe, even with only a few weeks/months on your hands. What do I say, you can even hike through an entire country in a limited time frame or traverse two or more countries on foot. I did.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Europe)
- "The Alps" (especially Switzerland / Austria / Slovenia... but don't forget about the Dinaric Alps in the Balkan!)
- Scotland
- Shared: Poland & Montenegro.
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Europe)
- Shared: Camino de Santiago de Compostela: Camino Frances (France + Spain) & Glowny Szlak Beskidzki (Poland)
- Trails through the Slovenian and Swiss Alps
- Rota Vicentina - Portugal
Budget Bucket List's Favorite European Hiking Destinations
Austria: The Alps
Denmark: Mols Bjerge NP
Kosovo: Germia
Malta: The 3 Islands
Montenegro: Kotor & Lovcen NP
Poland: Glowny Szlak Beskidzki
Portugal: Rota Vicentina
Romania: Sinaia
Scotland: Isle of Skye
Serbia: Tara NP
Spain: Camino de Santiago
Turkey: Adalar
Ukraine: Voroktha / Hoverla
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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sutjeska
France: Chemin Saint-Jacques
Liechtenstein
Montenegro: Biogradska Gora
Montenegro: Prokletije NP
Poland: Tatras
Romania: Brasov
Scotland: Arthur's Seat
Serbia: Kopaonik
Serbia: Zlatibor
Spain: Sierra Nevada & Granada
UK: Bath
Wales: Cardiff Region
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Bulgaria: Vitosha (Sofia)
Germany: Schwarzwald
Lithuania: Aukstaitija
Montenegro: Durmitor NP
Netherlands: South Limburg
Portugal: Algarve
Romania: Maramures
Scotland: Glencoe
Serbia: Stara Planina
Slovenia: Bled / Bohinj
Switzerland: The Alps
UK: Isle of Wight
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Asia
Probably the wildest hiking stories I have find their origins in (South-East) Asia. Like that one time I bluntly stormed a way through the jungle without really having my brain in the here-and-now, my thoughts (and breath) promptly put on a hold by a diamond-headed snake stretched up vertically, staring me right in the eye (I had to slowly back off to give my predator space - which I invaded, blame's 100% on me as I almost stepped on him - and give him the time to calm down until I could eventually stamp my feet on the soil so the vibration would make him move off the trail - thank you Mr. Irwin & Mr. Grylls). Or that time when I had to rush my hiking buddy to the 'first aid' (or whatever that was considered on a cast-away-island), because he was stung by some winged insect encyclopedias in western countries don't even include and was now experiencing organ failure. Yes, for me, Asia is inherent to deep, down & dirty jungle-experiences, triggering memories of unbearable humid heat and sweating buckets... but also with fascinating wildlife, be it the leeches bowing to your ankles out of the mud, or cheerful monkey tribes and intriguing reptiles. Rough and full of adventure in the south east, civilized and 100% adopted in family day trips in countries such as Korea.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Asia)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Asia)
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Asian Hiking Destinations
Probably the wildest hiking stories I have find their origins in (South-East) Asia. Like that one time I bluntly stormed a way through the jungle without really having my brain in the here-and-now, my thoughts (and breath) promptly put on a hold by a diamond-headed snake stretched up vertically, staring me right in the eye (I had to slowly back off to give my predator space - which I invaded, blame's 100% on me as I almost stepped on him - and give him the time to calm down until I could eventually stamp my feet on the soil so the vibration would make him move off the trail - thank you Mr. Irwin & Mr. Grylls). Or that time when I had to rush my hiking buddy to the 'first aid' (or whatever that was considered on a cast-away-island), because he was stung by some winged insect encyclopedias in western countries don't even include and was now experiencing organ failure. Yes, for me, Asia is inherent to deep, down & dirty jungle-experiences, triggering memories of unbearable humid heat and sweating buckets... but also with fascinating wildlife, be it the leeches bowing to your ankles out of the mud, or cheerful monkey tribes and intriguing reptiles. Rough and full of adventure in the south east, civilized and 100% adopted in family day trips in countries such as Korea.
Top-3 Hiking Countries (Asia)
Top-3 Favorite Hikes (Asia)
- Mount Santubong Peak Trail (Kuching, Borneo) - Malaysia
- Gunung Jasar Trail 10 & 6 (Cameron Highlands) - Malaysia
- Olle Trails (Jeju-do) - South Korea
Budget Bucket List's Favorite Asian Hiking Destinations
Indonesia: Java
Malaysia: Kuching (Borneo)
Malaysia: Taman Negara
South Korea: Taebaek
South Korea: Odaesan
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Jordan: Petra
Malaysia: Miri (Borneo)
Malaysia: Tioman Island
South Korea: Jeju-do
South Korea: Seoraksan
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Malaysia: Cameron Highlands
Malaysia: Penang
Philippines: Bohol
South Korea: Jirisan
Thailand: Koh Samet
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Thailand: Mae Rim
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Thailand: Tak
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Vietnam: Mui Ne
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Long-Distance Trails Completed (500+ km)
[chronological order]
All multi-day / week trails up under 500KM not included in this list
[chronological order]
- Camino de Santiago de Compostela: Camino Frances - France & Spain (900km, incl. Finisterre)
- Glowny Szlak Beskidzki - Poland (520km)
All multi-day / week trails up under 500KM not included in this list
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