Here I publish reports from my frequent hiking trips to the world’s mountains and other natural terrains. These vary from long camping expeditions into utter wilderness to short day walks of cities’ limits. Below you can view the most popular ones or the complete collection under the “recents” tab.
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Climbing Iraq’s Highest Mountain was an Unusual Hiking Adventure
Disclaimer: Although you may find some practical information about the route in it, this story is principally intended for a creative travelogue, and not a reliable route description. One attempting to climb Mount Halgurd independently must recognize that it entails ...
Trekking in Kamchatka: Avachinsky Volcano & Nalychevo National Park
Day #1: From Yelizovo to Avachinsky Base Camp A serene, blue sky had made its appearance by dawn time today over the southern part of the Kamchatkan Peninsula. This beautiful summer morning found me and my friends Kristina, Tatyana, and ...
The Annapurna Circuit + Tilicho Lake in Ten Days without a guide
Preparation The gravest difficulty of planning a trekking trip in Nepal lies in choosing an itinerary. In a country hosting eight of the world's fourteen eight-thousander peaks and so great a number of immense mountain ranges, the possibilities are virtually ...
Trekking Alone in the Altai Mountains – From Chibit to Maashey Bashi
Day #1 Late yesterday evening, my friends Ekaterina and Sergey dropped me off at Novosibirsk Central Bus Station. We bid each other goodbye and agreed to meet after 5-6 days. I was just about to catch a bus to the ...
A Trip to Jebel Akhdar – Trekking alone the Al Hajar Mountains in Oman
Check out my YouTube channel for more The Al Hajar Mountains, meaning The Rocky Mountains in Arabic, also known as Oman Mountains, is the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian peninsula. The range is a continuation of the Zagros ...
Through the Armenian Wilderness to Azhdahak Volcano
A morning at the shore of Sevan Lake Armenia is a landlocked country. Lying at a mean elevation of 1,800 meters in the heart of the barren Lesser Caucasus Range, hundreds of km separate it from the coasts of the ...
Celaque National Park: Trekking the Highest Mountain of Honduras
Celaque National Park is located in southwest Honduras, near the historic town of Gracias. It contains the country's highest peak, Cerro Las Minas, which reaches 2,849 meters AMSL of elevation. The entire mountain, including the summit, is covered by dense, ...
A Winter Hike in Albania: From Delvina to Gjirokaster over Mount Gjere
The day after our hike in Butrint National Park, we found ourselves in the town of Delvina. We spent leisurely hours, strolling along the town's cobbled streets and around its picturesque neighborhoods. We were in bed early. It would be ...
When I Climbed Mount Kerinci Alone
Since that very first moment I set my foot on the fascinating land of Sumatra, the anticipation of one oncoming juncture was constantly prevailing in my wild fantasies. And that's so, only as far as it concerns anticipation. When it ...
Hiking across Mount Taygetos and Vyros Gorge in 3 days
In this post, I narrate my 3-day trip hiking across Mount Taygetos and Vyros Gorge in Peloponnese, southern Greece. If you are looking for information and inspiration for planning your hiking adventures throughout Greece, check out this resources page. Having ...
Trekking alone in Himachal Pradesh – From Kasol to Manali via Malana and Chandrakhani Pass
"Not lucky enough", was the first thought I made as soon as I opened my eyes early that morning. I was bearing a hope that a fair day might have been reserved for me, but the only thing I peered ...
Hiking and Wild-Camping on Huang Shan: China’s Yellow Mountain
China's yellow mountain (Huang Shan - 黄山), situated in Anhui province, is one of China's most celebrated mountains. Its fame was sparkled in 747 AD, when, by an imperial decree, it was renamed from what it was previously known, Yi ...
Dimitsana to Zygovisti: Menalon Mountain Trail Section 2
Following a pleasant hike from Stemnitsa the previous day, we woke up refreshed in the mountainous coolness of Dimitsana village. The plan now was to continue along the second section of the acclaimed Menalon Mountain Trail toward the village of ...
Stemnitsa to Dimitsana, Lousios Gorge: Menalon Mountain Trail Section 1
Summer of 2024, I had a client/friend who tasked me with taking him on a two-day hiking trip in Greece. It would be his first-ever of the kind. We needed a beginner-grade route with sufficient shade for the summer heat ...
Climbing Mount Grammos from the Greek Side
Part of the greater Pindus Mountain Range—the rugged spine of the Greek mainland—Mount Grammos (spelled Grammoz in Albanian) is an imposing mountain whose ridge defines part of the Greek-Albanian border. Its highest peak, called Maja e Çukapeçit in Albania and ...
Climbing to Pieter Both Mountain Summit
I remember the first time we drove to northern Mauritius. We’d pulled over in the middle of the motorway and stared incredulously at this most astounding natural spectacle. Resembling a colossal cairn assembled by some skillful ancient giant, there towered ...
Black River Peak Trail: a Hike to the Highest Point of Mauritius
The Black River Peak (more commonly referred to in French as Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire) is the highest mountain in Mauritius, at 828 meters AMSL. It lies within the homonymous range of the Black River Gorges National Park ...
Bras d’Eau & Post Lafayette, Mauritius Day Trip
Following a week of storms over Mauritius, the sun shone again that morning. Sophie had a long shift to work and needed to stay home. I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a ride. For a ...
Lion Mountain, Mauritius: Hiking Without a Guide
The Lion Mountain is a 440-meter-tall outcrop on the southwestern coast of Mauritius. During our two-month stay in the Indian-Ocean island country in the winter of 2024, we wondered at it in awe every day from the balcony of our ...
Climbing Le Morne Brabant, Mauritius Without a Guide
Le Morne Brabant is a peninsula occupying the southwesternmost tip of Mauritius. It is dominated by the eponymous Brabant Mountain: a massive basaltic rock towering for 556 meters over the dazzling turquoise waters of the lagoon surrounding the peninsula. Owing ...
Hiking Mount Askio, Western Macedonia, Greece
Mount Askio is situated in the heart of the Western Macedonia region of northern Greece. Adjoined by Mount Verno to the north and Mount Vourino to the south, it is the central part of the mountain chain that separates the ...
Climbing Mount Smolikas & Camping at its Dragon Lake
Located in the core of the Pindus Mountains, Smolikas is Greece’s second-highest mountain and—I’d argue—one of its most stunning. It is renowned for its extensive forests and its so-called Dragon Lake: an idyllic alpine lake situated below its 2,637-meter-high peak ...
Qadisha Valley to Ehden: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
Following a calm morning, we continued through the gorge. The river and the road gradually deviated until the former receded into an invisible abyss off the brink of the latter. Then we stopped for coffee and brunch at a lone ...
Bsharri, Qadisha Valley: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
A large animal, likely a boar, that hung around our tent at dawn was gone by sunrise, leaving the grove in perfect stillness. In the cedars’ generous shade and at a 2,000-meter elevation, which was the highest we’d reached on ...
