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.
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 ...
Tannourine Cedar Reserve: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
Waking in such a heavenly setting, we ought to loll for the better part of the morning. Then, a contingency during prep delayed our start even longer. While cleaning them, Sophie dropped her transparent teeth aligners in the stream. Since ...
Tannourine: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
The lack of shade and water compelled us to set out very early. Natch, five minutes into our course, we met a wide stream rushing beside turfy flatland and under a dense forest canopy. The trail soon veered onto the ...
Aaqoura, Baloue Balaa, Chatine: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
Human chatter awoke us at dawn. I went out to inspect. Its source unseeable, it came from within the bordering orchard upslope. White spurts of pesticide jetted above the treeline. We got ready and were off before the fierce morning ...
Afqa to Aaqoura: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
The daybreak was approaching, warming the nightly frigid interior of the cave and encouraging me to quit the sleeping bag. I went out to witness a wonderful view of the now-visible gorge. The bats had gone to sleep, and gobs ...
Faraya to Afqa: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
We were up at dawn. Before the sun crested the ridge, we were packed and gone. As agreed last evening, we stopped by Emilio’s hotel to have breakfast together. The place seemed forsaken. The open door led us past a ...
Baskinta to Faraya: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
An owl’s persistent, mellow and melodious hooting preceded the alarm and aroused us before the crack of dawn. We snoozed on while the twilight infiltrated the tent and replaced the absolute darkness. When we could see enough, we got up ...
Isalo National Park – Madagascar Road Trip #4
The Isalo National Park, established in 1962, two years after the county’s independence, is the second-oldest national park in Madagascar. It covers 815 square kilometers (roughly half the area of greater London), ranging from 500 to 1300 meters of elevation, ...
Ranomafana National Park – Madagascar Road Trip #3
Ranomafana National Park is one of Madagascar’s oldest and most visited nature reserves. It covers 161 square miles of pristine tropical rainforest at an average elevation of 1000 meters in Madagascar’s central highlands. It is accessed from the homonymous village ...
Climbing Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador
The Volcano of Santa Ana, at 2.381 meters, is the highest mountain in El Salvador. We were going to climb to its top on the previous day. But that didn't work out as planned... The thing is that, despite it ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
