Walking long distances is not just a physical exercise. It is a profound way to understand a place. Step by step, the traveler doesn’t just cross landscapes. They also move through stories, cultures, flavors, and silences.
Long-distance walks, such as the Camino de Santiago or the Camino de Costa Rica, allow us to inhabit a country or region truly, connect with its people, and observe the subtle changes in the environment that often go unnoticed when traveling by car or plane. These are transformative experiences that teach us to look more closely and live more slowly.
But it’s not all romance. These routes come with real challenges. They demand planning, mental endurance, physical fitness, and adaptability. From carrying a backpack through sun or rain to facing accumulated exhaustion, these journeys push us out of our comfort zones and reconnect us with our resilience. In return, they offer a unique reward: the deep satisfaction of moving forward on your own two feet and reaching a goal you’ve set for yourself. These trails don’t just take you far; they take you deeper into yourself. Let’s check seven of them.
Best long-distance hiking trails around the world
Camino de Santiago
For many, the Camino de Santiago is a spiritual journey. But beyond faith, its real appeal lies in how it blends the ancient with the modern. Walkers follow routes dating back to the 9th century, while enjoying well-developed towns, traditional food, and the company of pilgrims from all over the world. It’s a deeply personal journey, yet shared; cuz everyone moves at their own pace, but all walk in the same direction.
One of its great gifts is the chance to reconnect with what matters. In a world overwhelmed with digital noise and busy schedules, the Camino offers entire days focused on the basics: walk, eat, sleep, repeat. This simplicity becomes liberating. There’s also a special kind of beauty in walking through regions like Navarra, Castilla y León, or Galicia, where landscapes change gradually, like the chapters of a novel.
- Countries: Spain and parts of France (several routes)
- Distance: from 800 km (Camino Francés) to more than 2,500 km including French routes
- Highlights: Ancient pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, historic churches and monasteries, rich cultural and spiritual significance, and extensive infrastructure with hostels along the way.
Shikoku Pilgrimage Trail
Walking the 88 temples of Shikoku is a serene, deeply symbolic experience. This Japanese island preserves a centuries-old Buddhist pilgrimage that remains vibrant today, and participation is open to all, regardless of one's religious affiliation. It is a spiritual journey without dogma. It invites reflection through forest paths, bamboo groves, and timeless villages.
What makes this trail unique is the interplay between the human and natural world. From elderly villagers offering quiet bows to morning mist clinging to mountain temples, every moment carries meaning. Japan has a reverence for care and beauty in architecture, cuisine, and the appreciation of silence. Therefore, it turns this into a contemplative journey. It’s ideal for those seeking the sacred through the quiet act of walking.
- Country: Japan
- Distance: approx. 1,200 km across Shikoku Island
- Highlights: Buddhist pilgrimage, stunning mountain and river scenery, profound spirituality, intimate small ryokan inns and campgrounds, and high cultural immersion.
Annapurna Circuit
Trekking around the Annapurna Massif is both a test of endurance and a journey into the heart of the Himalayas. Few places allow you to walk through both Hindu and Buddhist villages while gazing at some of the world’s tallest peaks. The magic of the Annapurna Circuit lies in its constant change: every day brings new climates, altitudes, and cultural encounters.
Sharing the path with other global trekkers and local communities makes this trek unforgettable. As you ascend, your pace slows. It happens not only because of thinner air, but also because you need time to absorb the sheer beauty. It’s a trek that teaches humility and gratitude, offering insight into Nepal’s profound connection between nature and spirit.
- Country: Nepal
- Distance: between 160 km and 230 km, depending on route and transportation
- Highlights: Lush valleys, subtropical forests, and the Tibetan Plateau; Thorung La Pass at 5,416 m; views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Manaslu; rich cultural diversity.
Camino de Costa Rica
The Camino de Costa Rica offers something truly unique. It spans an entire country, which, despite its small size, is rich in diversity of landscapes, climates, and cultures. The charm lies not only in the destination, but in the transitions between worlds. Travelers begin on the humid, vibrant Caribbean coast with its Afro-descendant roots and finish at the Central Pacific, where warm sunsets meet mangrove estuaries. Along the way, they pass through Indigenous territories, mountain villages, and coffee-growing highlands. The route was designed to directly benefit small communities, turning hikers into agents of local development.
This human connection may be its most powerful trait: sleeping in family homes, eating with local cooks, and hearing stories that never make it onto maps. The Camino de Costa Rica offers an authentic immersion. For those seeking more than postcards, this is a genuine way to discover the country.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Distance: approx. 280 km in 16 days
- Highlights: From Limón (Caribbean coast) to Quepos (Pacific), crossing banana plantations, jungles, sugarcane fields, cloud forests, and coffee farms. Wildlife watching (including glass frogs), Cabécar Indigenous communities, community-based tourism, and lush volcanic landscapes.
Torres del Paine Circuit
At the southern tip of South America, Torres del Paine National Park offers a trek defined by wild majesty. The “O” Circuit loops around the central mountain range, plunging hikers into the raw spirit of Patagonia, with wind, silence, ice, and endless skies. Every day brings a new postcard, and the isolation becomes part of the appeal.
This is a perfect hike for those who thrive on untamed nature. While there are shelters and some infrastructure, the overall experience is one of immersion. You’ll watch the sunrise on the Torres, hearing the creaks of a glacier, or sharing soup with strangers after a grueling day. These moments leave lasting impressions. It is a demanding trail, but the emotional and visual rewards are profound.
- Country: Chile
- Distance: more than 130 km (80+ miles)
- Highlights: Iconic granite towers, the French Valley, and Glacier Grey; well-spaced refuges and campsites; wildlife such as guanacos, condors, and the elusive puma; harsh and beautiful weather.
Camino Inca
The Inca Trail is more than a trek. It is a spiritual and archaeological journey through the heart of the ancient Inca Empire. This stone-paved route passes through cloud forests, mountain passes, and sacred ruins that still hold a mystical air. Entering Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at dawn is an unforgettable reward after days of effort.
What sets this trail apart is its blend of natural grandeur and living history. Unlike other long-distance hikes that focus on scenery or endurance, the Inca Trail offers a profound connection to Andean culture and cosmology. Access is limited and by permit only, making it a protected and exclusive experience. Every step echoes an ancient legacy that still lingers in the mist.
- Country: Peru
- Distance: 43 km (classic 4-day version)
- Highlights: Dawn arrival at Machu Picchu, ruins such as Wiñay Wayna and Phuyupatamarca, breathtaking Andean scenery, and high-altitude challenges like the Warmiwañusca Pass.
Te Araroa Trail
Te Araroa, also called “The Long Path” in Māori, is precisely that: a 3,000-kilometer trail stretching from the far north to the deep south of New Zealand. What makes it extraordinary isn’t just the length, but the diversity: volcanoes, beaches, sheep farms, rainforests, and vibrant cities all feature on the journey. This trail is for those who want to explore a country with complete depth.
Over weeks or even months, walkers become part of the landscape. Tiny towns, roadside cafés, wind-blown coasts, and lonely mountains unfold like chapters in an epic. The Kiwi spirit, practical, warm, and grounded, offers a welcoming human backdrop. Te Araroa is a modern odyssey, strengthening the body, clearing the mind, and awakening the soul.
- Country: New Zealand
- Distance: approx. 3,000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff
- Highlights: Crosses beaches, volcanoes, forests, and highlands; includes both short hikes and long wilderness stretches, offering an intense immersion in New Zealand’s biodiversity and Māori culture.
Explore beyond borders
For adventurous travelers crossing Costa Rica coast to coast, these legendary walks around the world offer both inspiration and a sense of global kinship. The Camino de Costa Rica, with its 280 kilometers of diverse landscapes, rich culture, and heartfelt hospitality, joins a lineage of transformative trails. From the spiritual energy of the Camino de Santiago to the Himalayan power of Annapurna, the living history of Shikoku, the icy drama of Torres del Paine, the untamed heights of the Drakensberg, the sacred legacy of the Inca Trail, and the sheer scale of Te Araroa; these journeys are both outer exploration and inner discovery.
To walk these trails is to connect with landscapes and cultures on foot. It means feeling history and geography in your legs and lungs, and becoming part of a global community of passionate walkers. For now, we invite you to start with Costa Rica. When you’re ready, get a quote for your journey and take the first step.
