15 Best Hikes in the World To Build Your Travels Around

15 Best Hikes in the World To Build Your Travels Around

If you love to travel and you love to hike, then 
why not combine the two? And in today’s video, I’m going to share 15 of the best hikes that I’ve 
done that you can build an entire trip around so that you’re not just on the trail, but that you’re 
experiencing the cultures and the foods and having an all round fantastic adventure in different 
parts of the world. My name is Patty Doyle and I’ve been lucky enough to do over 15 incredible 
hikes all around the world and I was able to build a fantastic trip around the hike to maximize my 
experience and to make the most out of my travels. I’m going to order these hikes in difficulty. 
So, we’ll start off easy half day or one day hikes. And then at the end, we’ll start getting 
more and more challenging to multiple day hikes that will need a lot of training and experience, 
but are still absolutely fantastic and will open your eyes to some of the most beautiful landscapes 
on this planet. All right, let’s begin. There’s a lot of information in this video, but in the 
description, I will go into way more detail. So, whichever hike picks your fancy, all of the 
information will be linked below. Hike number one, Huah Hin Cave Temple, Pria Nakon in Thailand. 
Now, Thailand is my favorite country in the world, but it’s not really known for hiking, but there 
are some beautiful day hikes, and this is one of them. It’s a short but sweaty climb to a 
royal pavilion, and it glows in the sunbeams, and you can pair it with beaches and eat delicious 
seafood in the nearby area. You can actually hike up and over to the beginning of the trail, which 
is a cool coastal trail itself. Or you can get on a little boat and go around to the beginning of 
the trail, which is actually on a beautiful beach. And then there are a few short steps up into 
the cave. It will be hot and it will be sweaty, but you will be rewarded with something truly 
magical and a place that hardly any tourists here in Thailand will visit. And I think with 
a difficulty rating of only two out of five, this is easily done. But you will need a little 
bit of fitness to get up those hot, sweaty steps. This can be a great long weekend away from Bangkok 
if you’re visiting Thailand and you want to get out of the big city because in this region are 
beautiful beaches, lots of delicious seafood, and loads of things to see and do because it’s near 
a city called Huah Hin, which is a fantastic base for adventures just like this. Of course, it’s 
Thailand, so it’s going to be very hot and it’s going to be very humid. And there is quite a few 
steps involved, but the views and the memories and the photographs that you can take are out of this 
world. Go as early as you can to avoid the brutal midday sun. Hike number two is in Switzerland and 
we’re going to Ashini Lake. This is a postcard perfect alpine lake that you can reach in just 
a couple of hours. Now, this hike is only two out of five in difficulty because there is a cable 
car that goes up to the plateau where the lake is, and then the hike is a simple return and back hike 
around the lake. However, there are variants that go higher and steeper to get you more views. There 
are a few refugeios that are bit more tricky to reach, but yeah, it’s reasonably easy and the 
entire hike is just littered with unbelievable views. You know, the turquoise lake is completely 
surrounded by jagged peaks and glacias, and there are so many quaint alpine villages nearby. You 
can get delicious Swiss food and just incredible views. There are trains to go to other areas like 
Zamat, Interactan, and Grindelvald. You can build an entire trip around just this one incredible 
half-day hike to the beautiful lake here in Switzerland. Just remember, weather can change 
pretty quickly, so make sure to bring a rain jacket, an umbrella, or something to stay warm 
in case the weather changes, which it can do on a dime, especially in the summer in Switzerland. 
Hike number three is having an adventure in the caves of Fna in Vietnam. We’re going to be 
stepping into another world on this hike. This is one of the most unique experiences you’ll do, 
and you could argue it’s not really a traditional hike, but wow, what an adventure I had. I’m giving 
it a difficulty rating of two out of five because anybody can really do this. You do need a little 
bit of confidence around water because you will need to swim from cave to cave sometimes if it’s 
high levels of rain and so instead of hiking from cave to cave sometimes you actually need to swim. 
But they do give you life jackets and things like that. So it’s absolutely fine. The company I used 
is called Alexis and they actually do loads of different hikes and multiple days or just a half 
day or a full day. So, check out the website in the description below, but I did a multiple day 
hike where we actually camped at different caves and then we hiked or swam or got on bamboo rafts 
to go from cave to cave. It was a real adventure. It’s a bit of a hybrid. It’s it’s a hike. It’s a 
caving experience and it’s a swimming experience. It’s just a proper nature adventure. You’ll have 
fantastic guides that will take you through the jungle and into the vast cave systems, including 
the world’s biggest cave, which was recently discovered that this company will do multiple day 
hikes in, but that one is very expensive and comes with a long waiting list. But check it out in 
the description. And it’s so easy to combine this adventure with so many other great things about 
Vietnam. You can go on a motorcycle tour. You can go on a street food adventure in Hanoi. You could 
go to Halong Bay. You could do the Hi Jangloop. go up to Sappa. The opportunities to have an 
adventure in northern Vietnam is completely endless. Number four is Mount Bau in Bali, 
Indonesia. I’m giving this one three out of five for difficulty because it is quite steep and you 
will need a reasonable level of fitness to get up and get down. But what an incredible view you’ll 
have. A lot of people go up for sunrise. However, I went up for sunset and I just went on my own. 
But I did end up having to get a guide at the nature park entrance, which was a good thing as 
well because I got to share the experience and I got shown where to go and where not to go cuz it 
can be quite dangerous up there. It is a volcano after all and things can change quite quickly 
up there. It’s definitely 2 or 3 hours of steep volcanic ash trails, but the views are incredible 
and coming down it will be quite dusty. You will definitely ruin your trainers, so make sure 
you’ve got some decent hiking boots for this one. And of course, it’s in Bali, so there’s beaches, 
temples, rice terraces, and all of the things that people have come to love about Bali as a travel 
destination. There are more advanced hikes on Bali, but this one, I think, is the perfect entry 
level. It’s a half-day tour either at sunrise or at sunset. You’ll have a fantastic time either 
way, hopefully, and pray for good weather. I just want to say if you are enjoying this video and 
you’re thinking this is perfect to share with your hiking friends, your travel buddies, then share 
it right now. Just chuck it in the WhatsApp group, chuck it in the Facebook message to some of your 
travel buddies, to some of your hiking friends, and you can get really excited about building 
a trip around a beautiful hike like this. Hike number five, we’re going back to Thailand, and 
this time we’re going to Sukat Thai. Ka Luang is a beautiful national park and there is a fantastic 
hike. It’s a one-day hike, but there is camping up at the top, so you can go up and down in one day 
and then drive back to your hotel, but that would make it quite difficult. So, I’m giving it three 
out of five. It’s a hot, sweaty jungle hike up a mountain, but the views at the top are some of 
the best I’ve ever seen hiking in Thailand. And before or after your hike, you could combine this 
by exploring Sukatai’s ancient temples and ancient ruins. This used to be one of the old capitals 
of Thailand. And the entire region of Sukatai is a beautiful and undiscovered part of Thailand and 
only a few hours away from Chiang Mai. And again, this is where people don’t really go and they 
should because it is a completely beautiful hidden gem here in Thailand. Hike number six, 
we’re hiking volcano on the beautiful island of Jju in South Korea. I recently went to Jju with 
my girlfriend and there was a beautiful volcano staring at us the entire time through the window. 
And I had to go up there and have a hike and it turned out to be South Korea’s highest mountain. I 
had no idea that this random island in the middle of the ocean is home to not just fantastic food, 
fantastic people, and loads to see and do. Hence why you should build a trip to Juju and include 
this hike as an activity. But this mountain with snow on the top was absolutely a breeze to climb. 
And that’s why it’s only getting a difficulty rating of three out of five. Of course, it took 
me about four or 5 hours to go up and down, but it might take some people a bit longer cuz it is 
quite steep. There are steps and stairs involved towards the top. And JJ is such a fantastic 
destination. So underrated. I can’t wait to go back. We rented an Airbnb and spent an entire 
week there exploring the culture and the food and it was so beautiful. And this hike was the 
highlight for me. Hike number seven, we’re going to the Knuckles Mountains in Sri Lanka. This is 
such a beautiful part of the island of Sri Lanka. Remote jungles, terrace fields, and villages lost 
in time. So many different options. You can do a day hike, you can do a half day hike, you could do 
a multiple day hike with a local guide. I’ll link all of the information again in the description. 
And I’m giving it a difficulty rating of three out of five because there are leeches. There are 
hundreds of leeches and you will not be able to avoid them even with all of the sprays and all 
of the protective gear. They will get in your pockets. They’ll get in your hat. They’ll get in 
your socks. Trust me, okay? But they’re harmless. So if you can deal with leeches, if you can deal 
with hot, humid weather, cuz this is Sri Lanka and rain and all of the things that come with tropical 
environments, then you will love it because some of the views, building a trip around a fantastic 
hike like this in Sri Lanka is a breeze. You’ve got beaches, surfing, mountaineering, exploring 
the history and the culture and the delicious food of Sri Lanka. This is honestly the perfect little 
gem island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, built for adventure and has some fantastic hikes 
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discount and let’s get back to the list of the most beautiful hikes that you can build a trip 
around. Hike number eight, we’re going to the Doommites in Northern Italy. Towering limestone 
peaks, breathtaking scenery and landscapes, incredible alpine refugeios that serve delicious 
food. So you can stay warm, you can stay cozy, and you can experience the true Italian hospitality 
whilst you’re hiking in what is probably the most beautiful part of the Alps. There’s a huge 
variety of trails. Some of them are really well marked and you can just do it on your own for a 
half day, maybe a 3 to 6 hour hike. And there’s also huts that you can book on websites where you 
can hike from hut to hut and turn it into a three or four multiple day hike. And a couple of hours 
south from the Doommites is Venice. Lake Garter. Northern Italy is just a fantastic region in 
general for food, for wine, for hospitality, for coffee, for pizza. You can build the dream 
trip around visiting the Doommites. And I have a whole series of videos from the Doommites. Again, 
all of this is linked in the description. I only did four or five hikes in the Doommites and they 
were all reasonably easy. You know, cable cars up, walk around and cable car back down. Was an 
easy hike. Some of them are a little bit more difficult to get up and down, but in general it 
was reasonably easy. You just need a decent level of fitness. Hike number nine is the Milford track 
in New Zealand. People say this is the finest walk in the world, and I have to say it really was. 
hiking in the incredible fjords and the waterfalls and the rainforest valleys. The Milford track 
takes you through the Milford National Park which is just absolutely outrageously beautiful and it 
ends in Milford Sound, one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. There are two ways 
to do this. One is very cheap and you pre-book the huts um on certain websites or the other way and 
how I did it was through Ultimate Hikes, a company based in Queenstown. It’s not cheap, but my gosh, 
what an experience. I’ll never forget the Milford track. Not only is it really beautiful, but it’s 
actually quite easy. There’s only one mountain pass in the four days that you hike through the 
Milford track. And that one’s not really that hard either. It’s mostly flat and it’s guided 
with delicious meals, incredible lodges. So, every night you’ve got a warm, cozy bed and a 
delicious meal. And because the hike begins and ends in Queenstown, you’ve got so many things to 
do. It’s the capital of adrenalinefueled sports. And there’s skiing in the winter. There’s hiking. 
There’s all kinds of crazy things that I go up to in Queenstown. So, you can build an entire 
trip around going to the south of New Zealand, doing the Milford Track, having loads of fun and 
adventures and drinking delicious local wines. So easy to build a trip around. Hike number 10. 
We’re going to Mount Appo in the Philippines. Climbing to the rooftop, the highest point of the 
Philippines, will be quite difficult, but you will be rewarded with a fantastic adventure. This 
difficulty rating is the first four out of five because it is very steep. It’s difficult. It’s 
hot. It’s sweaty. And it’s also quite cold once you get towards the summit. And you’ll be up there 
for a day. So, you’ll have to pack a fleece and a jacket and a hat and some gloves because it can 
get quite nippy up there. After all, it is 4,000 m at the summit. Now, this is an active volcano. So, 
one of the highlights is in the morning you wake up early and as you’re scrambling over sulfuric 
rocks with sulfur gas coming out, the sun rises in the east and it just looks unbelievable. And then 
you get up to the top and it’s just a fantastic feeling. Quite windy, quite chilly up there, but 
it is difficult and it is extremely humid and hot. So, just prepare for all types of weather. But 
the Philippines as well, right? You can build a trip around this hike because from Mount Appo, you 
could go to Elnido and do the diving. You could go see the whale sharks. You could go to Manila. You 
could do all of the things that the Philippines is famous for. Turquoise waters, fantastic white 
sand beaches and islands. If you’ve always wanted to go to the Philippines, but you were looking 
for a real adventurous hike to squeeze in, check out Mount [ __ ] Hike number 11. We are 
crossing Madiraa in Portugal. This one is not for the faint-hearted. It will take you the best part 
of 5 to 7 days to hike across MadiRaa depending on your fitness levels. In fact, I think it took 
us seven or eight, but my gosh, what an island MadiRaa is. And to hike across it was nothing 
short of a joy. It’s a subtropical island, so there will be lots of rain, there will be lots of 
sun, and you’ll be able to hike across the ladas, hike extremely difficult but scenic cliff areas. 
And of course, there are loads of volcanic ridges and loads of adventures to be had along your way, 
hiking from one side of MadiRaa to the other. Of course, you can do a half-day hike, a full day 
hike, or just do two or three days of the MadiRaa cross-country hike, but we decided to do the 
whole thing, me and my friend Joe who lives there. And I’ll link the whole hike in the description 
for you. What an adventure that was. MadiRaa is one of the adventure capitals of Europe and it’s 
up and coming and there’s so much more to MadiRaa than just getting off the cruise ship and walking 
around Fcha and walking across it. Hiking across MadiRaa is the best way to see the island. Hike 
number 12 is the W Trek in Patagonia, Chile. This was one of the highlights of my hiking career, 
if you want to call it, but the W trek was 3 days of fantastic landscapes, jagged peaks, incredible 
glacias, turquoise lakes that are just at the end of the world. It feels like the Torres Delplane 
National Park is just one of the shining lights of the natural world. You hike from hut to hut either 
across four or 5 days depending on which tour you book. And this one again books up weeks or months 
in advance. It’s got a high demand because it’s Patagonia. It’s very famous. And yeah, just lots 
of challenges logistically, mentally, physically. So, I’m giving it a difficulty rating of four out 
of five. But um if you’re really experienced and you’ve you’ve hiked a lot, you you’ll probably 
find it a lot easier than four out of five, to be honest. And the region of Patagonia, both in Chile 
and Argentina, is such a beautiful place. So many things to see, glacias, of course, traditional 
Argentinian food, Chilean food. The culture in South America is completely unique and uh the W 
trek was the best hike of many hikes that I did in the Patagonia region by far. Hike 13 is the Mlouch 
Trail in Hong Kong. It’s exactly 100 km this trail and it loops through and around the wilderness of 
Hong Kong. And it is just truly unique. And I’m giving it a difficulty rating of four out of five. 
But at times it will feel five out of five because it’s just up and down and up and down every day. 
and I struggled with the weather and it’s one of those hikes where you’ll have to take all of your 
food and your camping equipment with you because there are very seldom places to resupply and so 
I was constantly just filtering my own water and eating rehydrated food and after 3 days I lost 
so much weight cuz it was so difficult and it was so hot and it rained the whole time whenever it 
wasn’t boiling hot. It was a real challenge. But this is one of the most unique and well signposted 
hikes that you’ll ever do. And when you finish or before you even get on the trail, you’re in Hong 
Kong. So there’s a huge city with incredible food, history, and so much to see and do. Hong Kong is 
such an attack on the senses with its neon lights and its hot spicy beef noodle soups. What could 
be better than going to one of the most futuristic wonderful cities in the world and then just for 
4 days getting completely lost on the Mloo Trail. Of course, I’ll link the hike in the description 
so you can get more information. It was it was one of the highlights of my entire life when I 
finished. The the sense of accomplishment was the biggest I’ve ever had after any hike. Hike 
number 14 is the Tour Deont Blanc in France, Italy, and Switzerland. I just finished this hike 
and it was 9 days of breathtaking landscape and just the most incredible experience. But it was 
so difficult physically, mentally, spiritually, everything. I was challenged from every corner. 
So, I’m giving it a difficulty rating of four out of five. When everything was said and done, 
my hike was 183 km. So, this is the longest hike I’ve ever done. But, it was split across 9 days, 
and I had my accommodation booked every night. So, I was having a cozy dorm bed, three course meal 
every night, and a breakfast served for me. I think I paid just over €1,000 for my accommodation 
and dinner and breakfast. Not everybody stays in refugeios and pre-books everything ahead. Some 
people take their equipment with them and camp in their tents every night. That’s a whole 
different challenge. But for me, just hiking from Refugeio to Refugeio was a biggest challenge 
in itself. And thankfully, the entire time you’re doing the TMB, you are rewarded with the most 
beautiful views you’ll ever see. Honestly, it was just it was relentless how many days in 
a row, session after session, turn after turn, the TMBB just never stopped. You’ll need extreme 
endurance and fitness before you do this. And for those who don’t have it, don’t worry too much. 
You can cheat. You can get a bus from one town to another. You can take a cable car up to a certain 
section, but overall, even if you are cheating and taking shortcuts, it’s still a mammoth of a task 
physically to get across the TMB. And of course, you’ve got Shamine as the start and end point. 
Basically, a fantastic town in the French Alps. You’ve got the Swiss Alps, the Italian Alps 
all around you. You’ll be hiking through three different countries. So, so easy to build a trip 
around the TMB. Hike number 15 is Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Malaysia. This was the hardest hike 
I’ve ever done and I think it’s mainly because I completely underestimated it. But you’re going 
from basically sea level to 4,000 m in one day and then you sleep and you come back down. So 
absolutely brutal on the knees and no amount of training or endurance will prepare you for just 
how hard this is. So, why should you do it? Well, you go into Borneo, so it’s really easy to build 
a trip around. There are beaches and islands, and there are so many incredible natural 
wonders, and of course, you’ve got orangutangs, and you’ve got pygmy elephants, and you’ve got 
all kinds of amazing nature, wildlife. I mean, it’s Borneo, right? It’s famous for this. 
But here is the tallest mountain in Malaysia, the tallest mountain on the island of Borneo, 
Kabalo itself. And it’s really imposing. And you know at the top they also have via ferrata so 
you can do all this crazy ab sailing and you know really make it technical at the top if you want 
to. I booked to do that but the summit took it out of me and I was a bit late reaching the summit 
because it was so difficult and I was struggling with altitude issues. My heart was pounding out of 
its chest and I struggled just to get to the top. And once I did and I took a photograph, I just 
remember thinking that was really hard. And then I had to go down. So that was the hardest hike. But 
would I do it again? No. Was it a physical feat of accomplishment I’ll never forget? Yes. Did I love 
my trip to Borneo? Yeah, it was good. So it’s on the list, but it’s the hardest hikes. Just don’t 
underestimate Kabalu, okay? It’s a beast. Okay, I hope you enjoyed that video. Don’t forget to 
share it with your hiking friends, share it with your travel buddies. Get inspired, get motivated, 
and let me know in the comments what hikes have I missed. What’s a hidden gem that I can check out? 
Try to keep it around the three or four difficulty rating. I don’t want something too easy, but 
I don’t want to do something really hard like Kabalu again. Anyway, thanks for watching 
and I’ll see you very soon on the channel.

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👇 All the information you need on the hikes are listed below –

1 – Learn more about the hike in Thailand –

2 – Learn more about the hike in Switzerland –

3 – Learn more about the hike in Vietnam –

4 – Learn more about the hike in Bali –

5 – Learn more about the hike in Sukhothai –

6 – Learn more about the hike in Korea –

7 – Learn more about the hike in Sri Lanka –

8 – Learn more about the hike in Italy –

9 – Learn more about the hike in New Zealand –

10 – Learn more about the hike in Philippines –

11 – Learn more about the hike in Madeira –

12 – Learn more about the hike in Chile –

13 – Learn more about the hike in Hong Kong –

14 – Learn more about the Tour du Mont Blanc –

15 – Learn more about the hike in Malaysia –

Chapters:
00:00 – 00:53 – Introduction
00:54 – EASY – Thailand
2:28 – EASY – Switzerland
3:38 – EASY – Vietnam
5:18 – TRICKY – Bali
6:44 – TRICKY – Thailand
7:35 – TOUGH – Korea
8:39 – TOUGH – Sri Lanka
9:50 – Squarespace
10:55 – TOUGH – Italy
12:09 – TOUGH – New Zealand
13:30 – HARD – Philippines
14:49 – HARD – Madiera
15:55 – HARD – Patagonia Chile
17:04 – HARD – Hong Kong
18:31 – HARD – France
20:23 – EXPERT – Malaysia

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