Last updated/derniere mise a jour: 18/03/12
This is a Top10 of all the Treks we have made so far. This list is likely to change, as we continue our journey around the world. We have given our personal views on our treks and based our rating on the following criteria:
Fun Factor: how much we enjoyed ourselves |☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: ☹☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: ★★★★★
Scenery: ♥♥♥♥♥
Experiences may vary, depending on the weather and other circumstances on the day and so here is our personal one.
1. Landmannalaugar-þorsmӧrk-Skogar, Iceland (5 days, August 2008 and August 2011):
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 4|☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 6|♥♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 18
This trek is deemed to become one of the best in the World. The scenery is breathtaking and changing from the ocre/red/orange colours of the hils around Landmannalaugar to the Lord of the Ring-esque valley on the second day, the black desert on the third day and a huge canyon around Emstrur. Awesome. The weather can turn treatrous (we had blizzard for 2 hours on the first day) which can make it difficult and not for the lighty prepared. However, with adequate preparation, it is a life memorable experience.
We did this trek again in 2011 and pushed it to Skogar, adding another 26kms and 10hrs in a day. The trail took us to the unreal lanscape of fuming lava generated by the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010.We could even feel the heat radiating from the rocks. The scenery around was a mixture of fire and Ice, making Iceland a unique place to be.
2. Hornstrandir peninsula (Hesteyri-Hornvik), Iceland (5 days, July 2011):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 16
The Hornstrandir peninsula is best described as one of the last true bit of wilderness in Europe. It's a 1.5hr boat ride from Isafjörður. There, you have nothing but true wilderness, wild life (artic foxes, puffins and lots of other birds) and cliffs that defy the laws of gravity.
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-1-la-randonnee.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-2-la-randonnee.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-3-and-4-la.html
3. Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal (7 days, December 2011)
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 16
9 of the 10 highest summits in the world are in Nepal. The 10th higest and most deadly is Annapurna, at 8091m. We took the popular Annapurna Snactuary route leading to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) at 4130m. The last portion of the trek was difficult mainly because of the altitude, but the sceneries were breath-taking: a 360 degree panorama to the Annapurna range and Machupuchhre, a holy mountain also nicknamed "Fishtain mountain". We were lucky to watch both sunset and sunrise with the mountains taking stunning color shades. And, icing on the cake, I celebrated my birthday!
4. Inca Trail, Peru (4 days, May 2005):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 15
There are no better trek in South America than the Inca trail in Peru. Some might say it is too touristic, which is true. But trekking with a group is part of the fun and 4 days is a lot of time to create links. And with my group, we truly enjoyed ourselves, ending the tour with a memorable game of football, tourists vs the guides, Europe vs South America, narrowly won by the South Americans, but by the narrowest of margins. And the sceneries were breathtaking...
5. The Routeburn route, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Truly the best trek in NZ, and one of the best in the world. We enjoyed it under a spectacular weather, following ridges and passed mirror-lakes and Lord-of-the-ring-esque sceneries. Fantastic!
6. Abel Tasman National Park, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 1|☹
Weather on the day: 5|★★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 14
It is NZ's favourite trek and it is easy to understand why. Isolated crescent beaches with green-blue sea. Spectacular views from the top of the hills and wildlife, from birdlife, fishes (we have seen a sting ray!) and seals. A mini-paradise!
7. Volcano Villarica, Pucon, Chile (5 hours, February 2011)
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 3|♥♥♥
Total: 14
Not the most difficult one, but this volcano outside of Pucon, Chile is the place for bump slidding. You go up this 2800 m and something active volcano by foot and you descend it on your bump. And this is fantastic fun!
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html
8. Torres del Paine, Chile (4 days, February 2011):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 13
This one comes regularly in the World top 10 trek. This is truly a memorable one for the sceneries. However, the only downside is that it is too crowded and built around tourism (refuges are in fact Hotels/restaurants with Internet access). Also, completing the so called "W" is nothing difficult. The true experience is to complete the loop in the backtracks and experience true wilderness and...far fewer tourists. Unfortunately, this will be for another time.
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/torres-del-paine-part-1.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/torres-del-paine-part-2.html
9. El Chalten, Argentina (2 days, February 2011):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 13
Part of Los Glacieres national park, it enjoys wonderful views of Patagonia, and the region was remote enough to appreciate the nature and the suroundings. The only downside for us was the weight of our backpacks on the day. Truly enjoyable otherwise!
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/el-shaltenlos-glaciares-national-park.html
10. The Kepler route, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 12
We did not get the best weather but we certainly enjoyed the views from the exposed ridge. And swimming in Manapouri lake with 360deg views with a seaplane landing in the distance will remain a great memory.
11. Stewart island, NZ (3 days, February 2012):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 1|☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 11
Missing to Tasmania, we had to get a shot at Stewart island. This is reputedly the best place to spot the national symbol of NZ, the kiwi. We thought we'd spotted it before the bird flew away, shattering our dreams. But we've seen some great pieces of wilderness and wildlife.
12. Glen Shiel, Scotland, (6.5 hours, March 2010):
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺ (Agnes), 1|☺ (Ben)
Difficulty level: 5|☠☠☠☠☠
Weather on the day: 0
Scenery: 0
Total: 10 (Agnes), 6 (Ben)
This trek was a memorable one for the thrill it caused. First, we started the trek pretty late (1pm) and the weather being dreadful (Rain with snow in the mountain). When we reached the top, we realized that the snow was impeding our progress and, in front of us was an accumulation of snow that was just waiting to turn into an avalanche, had we walked on it. We had no other choice but to make it back down taking the way we took to go up: a step path going through snow. Agnes trade marked her way down by going down the mountain like you go down a ladder. She then earned the nickname "Spiderwoman".
13. Ben Nevis, Scotland, (9 hours, April 2006, March 2007, March 2008):
Fun Factor: 2|☺☺
Difficulty level: 5|☹☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 1|★
Scenery: 2 | ♥♥
Total: 10
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK, and, because of its location far up north, experiences winter-type weather, even in spring. The top is almost always in the fog and is can become a dangerous endeavour. On our first attempt, we reached the top in the blizzard with fog and zero visibility 360deg. But we could not have done it without the GPS. Agnes made it with us in 2008, a year after another attempt, a failed one after we had to turn back 3/4 of the way with snow up to hip level and 100k winds. We even ended up in the hospital with a dislocated finger, but it could have been worse.
14. Croagh Patrick, Ireland (6 hours, July 2004):
Fun Factor: 0
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 0
Scenery: 0
Total: 3
This mountain is the most sacred in Ireland I happened to be there on the day of the pilgrimage. There were thousands of people walking up the mountain...bare foot and the weather was dreadful. It was steep, it was raining and I was ill-equipped. And if that wasn't for the young kids that were doing it, i would have given up. Hated it...
This is a Top10 of all the Treks we have made so far. This list is likely to change, as we continue our journey around the world. We have given our personal views on our treks and based our rating on the following criteria:
Fun Factor: how much we enjoyed ourselves |☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: ☹☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: ★★★★★
Scenery: ♥♥♥♥♥
Experiences may vary, depending on the weather and other circumstances on the day and so here is our personal one.
1. Landmannalaugar-þorsmӧrk-Skogar, Iceland (5 days, August 2008 and August 2011):
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 4|☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 6|♥♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 18
This trek is deemed to become one of the best in the World. The scenery is breathtaking and changing from the ocre/red/orange colours of the hils around Landmannalaugar to the Lord of the Ring-esque valley on the second day, the black desert on the third day and a huge canyon around Emstrur. Awesome. The weather can turn treatrous (we had blizzard for 2 hours on the first day) which can make it difficult and not for the lighty prepared. However, with adequate preparation, it is a life memorable experience.
We did this trek again in 2011 and pushed it to Skogar, adding another 26kms and 10hrs in a day. The trail took us to the unreal lanscape of fuming lava generated by the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010.We could even feel the heat radiating from the rocks. The scenery around was a mixture of fire and Ice, making Iceland a unique place to be.
2. Hornstrandir peninsula (Hesteyri-Hornvik), Iceland (5 days, July 2011):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 16
The Hornstrandir peninsula is best described as one of the last true bit of wilderness in Europe. It's a 1.5hr boat ride from Isafjörður. There, you have nothing but true wilderness, wild life (artic foxes, puffins and lots of other birds) and cliffs that defy the laws of gravity.
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-1-la-randonnee.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-2-la-randonnee.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/07/hornstrandir-trek-day-3-and-4-la.html
3. Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal (7 days, December 2011)
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 16
9 of the 10 highest summits in the world are in Nepal. The 10th higest and most deadly is Annapurna, at 8091m. We took the popular Annapurna Snactuary route leading to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) at 4130m. The last portion of the trek was difficult mainly because of the altitude, but the sceneries were breath-taking: a 360 degree panorama to the Annapurna range and Machupuchhre, a holy mountain also nicknamed "Fishtain mountain". We were lucky to watch both sunset and sunrise with the mountains taking stunning color shades. And, icing on the cake, I celebrated my birthday!
4. Inca Trail, Peru (4 days, May 2005):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 15
There are no better trek in South America than the Inca trail in Peru. Some might say it is too touristic, which is true. But trekking with a group is part of the fun and 4 days is a lot of time to create links. And with my group, we truly enjoyed ourselves, ending the tour with a memorable game of football, tourists vs the guides, Europe vs South America, narrowly won by the South Americans, but by the narrowest of margins. And the sceneries were breathtaking...
5. The Routeburn route, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Truly the best trek in NZ, and one of the best in the world. We enjoyed it under a spectacular weather, following ridges and passed mirror-lakes and Lord-of-the-ring-esque sceneries. Fantastic!
6. Abel Tasman National Park, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 4|☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 1|☹
Weather on the day: 5|★★★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 14
It is NZ's favourite trek and it is easy to understand why. Isolated crescent beaches with green-blue sea. Spectacular views from the top of the hills and wildlife, from birdlife, fishes (we have seen a sting ray!) and seals. A mini-paradise!
7. Volcano Villarica, Pucon, Chile (5 hours, February 2011)
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 4|★★★★
Scenery: 3|♥♥♥
Total: 14
Not the most difficult one, but this volcano outside of Pucon, Chile is the place for bump slidding. You go up this 2800 m and something active volcano by foot and you descend it on your bump. And this is fantastic fun!
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html
8. Torres del Paine, Chile (4 days, February 2011):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 5|♥♥♥♥♥
Total: 13
This one comes regularly in the World top 10 trek. This is truly a memorable one for the sceneries. However, the only downside is that it is too crowded and built around tourism (refuges are in fact Hotels/restaurants with Internet access). Also, completing the so called "W" is nothing difficult. The true experience is to complete the loop in the backtracks and experience true wilderness and...far fewer tourists. Unfortunately, this will be for another time.
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/torres-del-paine-part-1.html
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/torres-del-paine-part-2.html
9. El Chalten, Argentina (2 days, February 2011):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 13
Part of Los Glacieres national park, it enjoys wonderful views of Patagonia, and the region was remote enough to appreciate the nature and the suroundings. The only downside for us was the weight of our backpacks on the day. Truly enjoyable otherwise!
http://abglobetrotters.blogspot.com/2011/02/el-shaltenlos-glaciares-national-park.html
10. The Kepler route, NZ (3 days, March 2012):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 2|☹☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 12
We did not get the best weather but we certainly enjoyed the views from the exposed ridge. And swimming in Manapouri lake with 360deg views with a seaplane landing in the distance will remain a great memory.
11. Stewart island, NZ (3 days, February 2012):
Fun Factor: 3|☺☺☺
Difficulty level: 1|☹
Weather on the day: 3|★★★
Scenery: 4|♥♥♥♥
Total: 11
Missing to Tasmania, we had to get a shot at Stewart island. This is reputedly the best place to spot the national symbol of NZ, the kiwi. We thought we'd spotted it before the bird flew away, shattering our dreams. But we've seen some great pieces of wilderness and wildlife.
12. Glen Shiel, Scotland, (6.5 hours, March 2010):
Fun Factor: 5|☺☺☺☺☺ (Agnes), 1|☺ (Ben)
Difficulty level: 5|☠☠☠☠☠
Weather on the day: 0
Scenery: 0
Total: 10 (Agnes), 6 (Ben)
This trek was a memorable one for the thrill it caused. First, we started the trek pretty late (1pm) and the weather being dreadful (Rain with snow in the mountain). When we reached the top, we realized that the snow was impeding our progress and, in front of us was an accumulation of snow that was just waiting to turn into an avalanche, had we walked on it. We had no other choice but to make it back down taking the way we took to go up: a step path going through snow. Agnes trade marked her way down by going down the mountain like you go down a ladder. She then earned the nickname "Spiderwoman".
13. Ben Nevis, Scotland, (9 hours, April 2006, March 2007, March 2008):
Fun Factor: 2|☺☺
Difficulty level: 5|☹☹☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 1|★
Scenery: 2 | ♥♥
Total: 10
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK, and, because of its location far up north, experiences winter-type weather, even in spring. The top is almost always in the fog and is can become a dangerous endeavour. On our first attempt, we reached the top in the blizzard with fog and zero visibility 360deg. But we could not have done it without the GPS. Agnes made it with us in 2008, a year after another attempt, a failed one after we had to turn back 3/4 of the way with snow up to hip level and 100k winds. We even ended up in the hospital with a dislocated finger, but it could have been worse.
14. Croagh Patrick, Ireland (6 hours, July 2004):
Fun Factor: 0
Difficulty level: 3|☹☹☹
Weather on the day: 0
Scenery: 0
Total: 3
This mountain is the most sacred in Ireland I happened to be there on the day of the pilgrimage. There were thousands of people walking up the mountain...bare foot and the weather was dreadful. It was steep, it was raining and I was ill-equipped. And if that wasn't for the young kids that were doing it, i would have given up. Hated it...
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