Hi there!
I've been trying to find out if hiking stamps and pins are a DACH thing or if other parts of Europe do similar schemes online and so far have found very little information about which routes have stamps on or if there are pins you can collect etc. Is there a website or a list that shows which routes have stamps and/or pins as a fun reward?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Perfect weather (rained the whole time) over 40km with a heavy pack, cant get any better, trail was mostly empty so had it all to our selfs
I'm traveling to Sarajevo next week and I was planning for a day trip to either Lukomir or Sutjeska National Park from Sarajevo. Both look interesting but can't seem to decide on one. There seems to be much information about Lukomir but not much about Sutjeska in terms of a day trip.
What should I go with, especially considering the view in and to the place ?
The sutjeska national park trip link: https://funkytours.com/tour/sutjeska-hiking-tour/
Поход по горной Шории, 5 дней, из Лужбы до озера Хунухузух через перевал Караташский и обратно.
Looking for anyone who’s done this hike/some reassurance…
I’m thinking of doing this hike in about 3 weeks time. I was previously pretty confident however I ended up with various injuries (which have now healed) mid-June. I’m now feeling SUPER nervous and unsure of my fitness.
Story time:
I was previously running 3 times a week and completed a 9km 600m elevation hike in about 3 hours early June. Was pretty much resting all of June/July with maybe 3-5k run a week. I’ve got a bike recently, so been trying to get some cross-training in with that - about 80K, 600m ish elevation, plus a 10K walk across 2 days. Past 2 weeks or so I’m back to running 2-3 times a week but much shorter distances with run/walk intervals so I don’t injure myself again.
I’m not worried about my injury. It has fully healed now and I’m confident it’ll be ok. I am worried about my fitness. I’m 25F and in good health otherwise although I can be fairly sedentary.
I guess I’m either looking for some encouragement or for someone to say ‘don’t do it you idiot’. Either way would be fine lol.
I live in Gondar, northern Ethiopia, and I get asked this question constantly by travellers passing through — "Should I trek the Simien Mountains or the Bale Mountains?" Figured I'd write it up properly since the info online is either outdated or copy-pasted from tour operator sites.Quick TL;DR at the top (because this is Reddit):One week in Ethiopia → SimienWildlife nerd or birder → BaleTwo+ weeks → honestly, do both🏔️ SIMIEN MOUNTAINS (north, accessed via Gondar)This is the postcard Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage, and it earns it.1,000-metre escarpments that genuinely make you dizzy at the edgeGelada baboons in troops of 400+ that basically ignore you — you can sit 2 metres away while they groom each otherWalia ibex on the cliffs (endemic, only found here)Ras Dejen at 4,543 m — highest peak in Ethiopia, 10th highest in AfricaAltitude: you sleep above 3,200 m — take it seriously if you're coming from sea levelDownsides: it's getting busier every year, and the "scout requirement" (mandatory armed scout per group) adds cost.🐺 BALE MOUNTAINS (south, accessed via Addis Ababa)Bale is what people mean when they say Ethiopia is "another planet."Sanetti Plateau — one of the largest afro-alpine ecosystems on Earth, sits above 4,000 m for kilometresEthiopian wolf — rarest canid on the planet, under 500 left, and Bale is where you actually see them. I've had 90%+ sighting rate on trips thereBest months: November to MarchWay fewer tourists than Simien. You'll have plateaus to yourselfDownsides: getting there from Addis is a long drive (7–8 hours), and the trekking infrastructure is less developed than Simien.First time in Ethiopia + limited days → Simien. The visual payoff is instant.You've done Kilimanjaro/Nepal and want something different → Bale.You care more about wildlife than scenery → Bale, no contest.You care more about scenery than wildlife → Simien.You have 2+ weeks → do both. They're genuinely different experiences, not redundant.altitude, gear, food, permits, whatever. Ethiopia's having a rough tourism year and I think more people should see this country.
I am planning to visit Poland for a first time this year. Would you say its a good idea to go on a hike to Valley of the five lakes and Morskie oko in the end of September/beginning of October? Ive heard its raining quite often in autumn.
Maybe i should wait until Spring/next summer.
I’m from the UK and have been on a number of hikes in the alps/dolomites and love it. I often feel bad for only speaking English on my travels and would love to learn a European language to practice whilst away.
I’m drawn between French or Italian. However wondered if Spanish would also be good for South America.
Would love to hear thoughts from bilingual hikers which language to focus on first.
Just putting out some information that might be interesting/relevant for others.
Have just completed a part of Nordkalottleden (July 25th - Aug 14th) - section from Kilpisjarvi to Sulitjelma (going southbound), roughly 500km. Following similar route to this:
https://www.komoot.com/collection/2035520/the-nordkalottleden-at-the-edges-of-the-polar-circle
The trail is varied terrain, remote and with just the right amount of infrastructure. This year (2026) the water levels in rivers were very shallow, so no difficult wading/nothing above knee level (I'm 165cm)
Accommodation - tent or mountain cabins, one could for the most part just use cabins, but there are a couple of longer sections that would be strenuous to cover in a day.
If mountain cabins:
Norway: DNT (Norway tourist association) - it is worth to become a member and acquire the key to cabins. Payment can be done via app when one has service:
https://www.dnt.no/hytter/om-dnt-hyttene/hyttebesoket/
Sweden: STF (Swedish tourist association) cabins are staffed over summer, it is not neccessary to be a member to use them. Check each cabin for payment options:
https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/stays/stay/stay-stf-mountain-cabin/
In Padjelanta national park sections there are cabins of BLT (Badjelannda Laponia Tourism), manned in summer season by Sami people. Payment is possible by card:
https://padjelanta.com/en/cabins-and-map/
Getting to/out of trail:
Closest to Kilpisjarvi is Tromsø airport - flight there, then bus by Best Arctic:
https://bestarctic.com/the-arctic-route/arctic-winter-routes-explore-norway-sweden-and-finland/bus-between-tromso-norway-and-rovaniemi-finland/
which goes directly to Kilpisjarvi. There is a stop at either boat area (Kilpisjarvi Retkeilykeskus) or the supermarket (Kilpisjarvi K Market). Supermarket is well stocked, I got my camping (screw in valve) gas there as well as some final fresh food items. They also stock freeze dried options. To get on the trail itself, one can either take the boat (runs twice a day, around 12pm and 3pm, 45eur one way) from Retkeilykeskus stop or go via land (go towards direction of Siilaskoski Rapids, there is a bridge there).
Closest to Sulitjelma - Bodø airport, then bus 100 to Fauske, then bus 481 to Sulitjelma village. Bus timetables can be checked here:
https://entur.no/
Payment by card onboard the bus.
The DNT cabin of Ny Sulitjelma (start/end point of the trail) is about 5km via road from the village. Sulitjelma also has a shop/supermarket (Coop Prix), about 800m from bus stop, though I have not checked if they have gas canisters.
Navigation:
The trail is well marked, except for one stretch. Trail markings in Norway usually are red dots or red Ts on stones, as well as cairns. In Sweden, its more orange/neon coloured.
Nordkalottleden shares a lot of the trail with Nordlandsruta, so one can get good gpx files from:
https://www.dnt.no/turtips/anbefalte-turer/nordlandsruta/hiking-description-in-english/
Segment 1, sections 5-8, and full segments 2 & 3. Click on each section of relevance, f.x. like this:
https://ut.no/turforslag/1112154322/nordlandsruta-fra-bavrojavrre-til-sijdasjavrre
and fetch the GPX file from there.
The difficult stretch:
From Paurohytta (past the bridge, marked in blue line, on the picture) to Roysvatn, pretty much no marking or a distinguishable trail, so using the terrain/GPS. Be aware there is a bridge for river crossing, so keep an eye not to deviate too much from the lakes.
From Roysvatn southward is also tricky to see the trail markings. For the most part only cairns/trodden path, up to roughly the second blue line in the picture.
The orange line in the picture - one can technically cross directly instead of doing this longer roundabout section. One arrives at a pole with direction towards Vaisaluokta and can pretty much go directly across (however! do check conditions/water levels if doing that as there is a river crossing).
Resupply:
Kilpisjarvi to Abisko is roughly 190km and then additional ~300km to Sulitjelma.
STF Abisko has a small shop, with freeze dried food as well as some other minimal options available. One can also (which is the option I did) send a package to oneself, which they will store for you - see below:
https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/facilities/stf-abisko-turiststation/shop/
I have also seen people have packages delivered to DNT Sitashytta, as it sits next to a road. However, one probably needs to contact DNT directly, as I cannot find information online.
Other than that, some people use STF Ritsem (which is on the opposite shore from Vaisaluokta cabin) to restock as well. There is ferry connection:
https://www.storlulebaten.com/
as well as helicopter option - check in with cabin warden for more info.
Short recap of trail:
in Kilpisjarvi I took the boat option, from there one gets on the trail to DNT Goldahytta (about 6km away) and then pretty straightforward trail markings afterwards.
Section from Kilpisjarvi to Abisko is mainly mountainous terrain, remote, saw very few people, maybe 2-4 per day and usually around DNT cabins. Mobile service pretty much non existent after about midway Goldahytta and Gappohytta all the way to DNT Altevasshytta (be aware that this cabin has a code lock, not the typical key lock - it can be received via booking, just not a pleasant discovery in pouring rain :D when all one wants is to get into the cabin), then disappears again until Abisko.
From Abisko I deviated a bit, instead of going fully south and then turning west to Gautelishytta, I went to Abiskojaure, then towards STF Unna Allakas, then to DNT Cunojavri, moving forward to DNT Caihnavaggi, to DNT Skoaddejavre and finally rejoining the trail towards DNT Sitashytta. There is a fairly steep climb/descent over big stones/boulders from Skoaddejavre to Sitas, just before the path via the road. Other than that, again, pretty straightforward trail.
After reaching Vaisaluokta (mobile service available again, around the Akkajaure lake), the trail joins onto Padjelanta trail and terrain becomes flatter, more green rolling hills, except for the last stretch between Sorjushytta and Sulitjelma, where there are a few mountain passes.
All in all, a challenging but very enjoyable and varied trail for those who enjoy remoteness and wilderness.
Hallo zusammen,
meine Freundin und ich möchten im Oktober für eine Woche in die Schweiz fahren. Wir wollen hauptsächlich wandern, die Natur und die Berge genießen, aber zwischendurch auch einfach ein paar ruhige Tage verbringen.
Meine Vorstellung wäre ein kleiner, ruhiger Ort, in dem wir in einem schönen Hotel übernachten können und von dort aus mehrere schöne Wanderungen relativ schnell erreichen. Wir suchen dabei ausdrücklich nicht nach den bekannten Touristenorten.
Viel interessanter wären für uns kleinere Ortschaften oder Gegenden, die man vielleicht nur kennt, wenn man selbst in der Schweiz lebt oder dort schon häufiger unterwegs war. Also gerne richtige Geheimtipps: wenig Tourismus, schöne Natur, Berge und gute Wandermöglichkeiten.
Wir sind mit dem Auto unterwegs, daher muss der Ort auch nicht perfekt mit öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln erreichbar sein.
Da wir im Oktober fahren, wären Erfahrungen zu dieser Jahreszeit ebenfalls sehr hilfreich. Uns ist bewusst, dass es in höheren Lagen bereits Schnee geben kann und das Wetter unberechenbarer wird. Ideal wäre deshalb eine Gegend, in der es verschiedene Wandermöglichkeiten auf unterschiedlichen Höhen gibt.
Welche kleinen Orte oder Regionen könnt ihr für eine ruhige Woche zu zweit empfehlen? Gerne auch persönliche Erfahrungen und konkrete Wanderungen.
Vielen Dank!
Hello everybody! We're a group od 4 students, trying to find cheapest accomodation possible, cause we are on a thight budget. So far we've had some luck, but there are some thougher spots where the prices are too high for us. We're planing to go in november.
If you have any other hacks, or advice for us, please share! We are very grateful.
Our trail will look like this:
-Porto Covo
- Villa nova de mil fontes
- Almograve
- Zambujeira do Mar
- Odeceixe
- Aljezur
- Arrifana
-Carrapateira
-Villa do bispo
- Luz
-Lagos
If you know any cheap alternatives in any of these places please share :)
Thank you for your help!
Hey, I'm planning a hiking trip in September with a couple of friends. Looking for around 5 days of hiking approx 100km give or take in distance. We will be flying into Toulouse but haven't booked a return flight so open to a point to point section or a loop as we can fly out of a different airport.
Fairly fit group with a mix of experience.
Ideally there would be somewhere around midway to rest for a day if needed and finishing in or close to a town so we can enjoy some beers food and rest.
Thanks for any suggestions 😁
For this year's holiday, we spent one day in Šumava (the Bohemian Forest) and the next day in Germany, hiking up to the Eagle's Nest. On the third day we went to the Five Fingers, and I actually didn't even go looking for the story of that little chapel — on the way back I put on a podcast about mountain tragedies and, purely by chance, stumbled onto this exact story. And the tragedy behind the chapel really stayed with me. The Heilbronn Chapel on the Dachstein Krippenstein is a memorial to a disaster from Easter 1954, when 13 people — 10 pupils and 3 teachers from Heilbronn, Germany — died in a sudden, brutal snowstorm high on the Dachstein massif. They set out despite the worsening weather, and workers along the trail warned them to turn back, but they carried on; the group lost their way in the storm and, exhausted and freezing, all thirteen perished. It became one of the largest rescue operations in Alpine history, with over 400 mountain rescuers involved, and the first victims weren't found until Easter Tuesday. Today the site is marked by the small chapel — along with the simple wooden Heilbronn Cross by the trail — standing as a quiet reminder that the mountains must never be underestimated. And on the last day, we just relaxed by the little lakes. Happy to share the route — highly recommend it! :)
Hi everyone!
I hiked the Madeira crossing a couple months, absolutely loved the trail, without a doubt one of the most beautiful trails out there - hated the PR-planning and coordination though 👹
Since returning I've schemed on better ways - and this ended up becoming DirtbagMaps.com/madeira, a free map-based trail planner 🗺️
I went full in on Maderias PR trails and info and hope it'll save some of you at least a few hours of planning on your own Madeira adventure.
The site is new - which also means all feedback is more than welcome.
All the best
Hello!
I’m a big lover of hiking and have done a few long distance routes in the UK but I’d love to do some hiking in Europe.
I’m very open to destination at the moment - Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Slovenia have all come across my feed as beautiful options.
I know the nature of hiking is that you often have to bring/cook your own food, but I was curious if anyone had done any hiking abroad and found vegan options/can recommend vegan-friendly areas. I’d be happy to stay in one place and do day hikes if anyone knows anywhere that caters to vegans with good routes on the doorstep 🌱
Thanks for any help you can give for this slightly niche question!
Hello, I am going to sweden in september to go hiking with a tent. I will go for 10 days travel days included. I land with the plane in stockholm arlanda. Any recommendations to where we could go?
We are with 2 and we have tent and prior hiking experience. We can take food with us so we dont need to be near a city to go to a store.
Estoy planteándome un proyecto bastante grande: intentar cruzar Europa a pie pasando por todos los países europeos.
Todavía estoy en una fase muy inicial y no quiero idealizarlo, así que antes de empezar a planificar en serio me gustaría escuchar opiniones de gente que tenga experiencia en rutas largas.
La idea sería hacerlo por etapas durante varios años, documentando todo el proceso: preparación física, rutas, fronteras, alojamiento, presupuesto, equipo, clima, lesiones y el día a día real de caminar durante meses.
Mis principales dudas son:
¿Veis técnicamente posible diseñar una ruta que pase por todos los países sin que se vuelva absurdamente larga?
¿Qué países o zonas pensáis que serían los más complicados por seguridad, fronteras, clima o logística?
¿Cuántos kilómetros diarios consideraríais sostenibles durante meses?
¿Dormiríais principalmente en tienda, hostales/refugios o combinaríais ambos?
¿Qué errores debería evitar alguien que empieza a preparar una expedición así?
También me interesa saber si os parecería un proyecto interesante de seguir como serie/documental, o si creéis que acabaría haciéndose repetitivo.
Acepto críticas totalmente sinceras. Ahora mismo prefiero encontrar todos los problemas posibles antes de comprometerme con algo así.
Good evening, everyone. I’d like to know where I can find fantastic hiking trails here in Germany. I currently live in Berlin and would love to get away to places with lakes and high mountains; I’ve seen there are some in the south, but I’m wondering if there’s anything closer by.
That said, I’d also like to know where I can camp—whether I have to stick to designated campsites or if there are places where I can simply pitch a tent and spend the night.
Hi everyone,
I’m planning a short trip from Munich on August 14–15 and would appreciate some advice from people familiar with the area.
Day 1: Munich → Berchtesgaden → Königssee/Obersee → Munich
I’m planning to leave Munich early in the morning and go to Berchtesgaden, then visit Königssee and Obersee. I’m particularly interested in the lake, the scenery and some walking/hiking around Obersee.
I’m currently considering:
Königssee
Taking the boat to Salet
Walking to Obersee
Possibly continuing toward Fischunkelalm/Röthbachfall
Returning to Munich in the evening
I don’t want to spend the entire day rushing from one place to another. What would you recommend as the best way to plan this day? Are there any places around Königssee/Obersee that I should definitely include or skip?
Day 2: Munich → Garmisch-Partenkirchen → Eibsee → Munich
The next day I’m planning to go to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then Eibsee.
My current idea is:
Travel from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Go to Eibsee
Walk around the lake / do the Eibsee loop
Spend most of the day there
Return to Munich in the evening
Is this a good use of the day, or would you recommend adding something else around Garmisch? I’m more interested in nature, lakes, mountains and walking than museums or city sightseeing.
Clothes/weather
The forecast currently looks quite warm, around the high 20s/low 30s °C.
I was thinking of wearing:
T-shirt/sleeveless athletic top
Shorts or lightweight linen trousers
Running shoes
Cap + sunglasses
Carrying a lightweight windcheater in my backpack
Would this be suitable for Königssee/Obersee and Eibsee, or should I bring proper hiking shoes/trousers or any other gear?
I’m trying to keep the trip fairly simple and inexpensive, so I’d especially appreciate advice on what is actually worth doing rather than trying to cram everything in.
Thank you
