Safely watch a volcano erupt all night long! From barely two kilometres away!Acatenango is a stratovolcano that stands nearly 4000m high. Begin near its base and hike through a number of fascinating ecoregions before setting up camp on a high shoulder and waiting for the show to begin.Volcan de Fuego, Acatenango’s neighbor, is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. It erupts 300 - 500 times a day. Watch smoke and debris get shot into the air as your private guides prepare dinner. Once the sun goes down, see fiery red magma erupt from the crater and spill down its steep sides. After a night’s sleep, continue to Acatenango’s summit for an unforgettable sunrise and a gawp down into Fuego’s erupting cone.

Beginning in the foothills, move into the mountains and experience an incredible shifting landscape on your way to Annapurna Base Camp. Share the trail with sheep. Gawk at dozens of silky waterfalls falling from steep mountainsides. Rest next to rushing glacier rivers. Over the course of a week, transition from iridescent foothills to the rocky barrens of glacial valleys. Finally, emerge at the collection of buildings that have served for decades as the launchpad for mountaineers seeking to ascend Annapurna. Enjoy your tea while clouds dance on the mountain’s south face, one of the most treacherous climbs in the world.

See the Himlaya under crisp blue skies, sharp stars, and by the light of your headlamp.With variations that include nearly 5,000 meters of elevation gain and loss, the Annapurna Circuit is widely regarded as one of the world’s best long-distance treks. Move from the tropics to snowy alpine passes, navigating your way around the staggering Annapurna massif.Travel the historic route for 12-21 days along with a private guide who will also act as an interpreter at Hindu villages along the way. Stay in tea house lodges, connect with local culture, and spend your days exploring the heart of the Himalaya.

Just you and East Africa’s second-highest mountain – a dormant volcano rising high above the plains. Casting a shadow over the Great Rift Valley, Mount Kenya rises high above the cloud to a height of 5,199m. It’s a lot quieter than nearby Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The sense of majestic isolation is all the greater and the potential for wildlife sightings better.Taking on the challenge of this East African monolith is also the only way to reach a caldera more than two miles wide. Summiting it reveals expansive vistas running from the ash cones of eruptions a century ago. It may not be the roof of Africa but it does feel that way.

Africa’s highest mountain awaits. Its snow-capped peak shimmers above the East African plains. Monkeys guard its lower slopes. As you ascend you can appreciate that this ancient volcano is also the highest freestanding mountain on the planet.Climbing Kilimanjaro will take you at least seven days (shorter itineraries have a low success rate due to altitude sickness). On a private tour you will ascend to 5,895 metres and stand on top of Africa, on top of the world. All your gear is carried by porters and the camps are comfortable, but not luxurious. Here the luxury comes from the challenge and the inimitability of where you are.

This 16-day trek to the iconic Everest Base Camp is more about the journey than a single destination. Follow glacial rivers through progressively higher Sherpa villages, before moving into the desolate sub-alpine. Cross the longest glacier in Asia. Mark the halfway point in your journey by ascending Gokyo Ri. From its 5,357-meter summit, gawk at a panorama of some of the world’s most impressive mountains, including Everest itself.At 5420 meters, Cho La Pass is even higher, connecting desert landscape to the snowy upper reaches of the route. After more than a week of splendid isolation punctuated by prayer flags, rope bridges, mountain vistas, and glaciers, arrive at Base Camp. It’s so remote, so far from any roads, that it will take you a week on foot to get back to the nearest airstrip. Or you can charter a helicopter to take you back to Kathmandu from Base Camp.

Truly appreciate Fish River Canyon with three different desert perspectives. It’s you and a guide, deep in the desert, hundreds of miles from anything. First by road, rattling over bumps and going far off road, dust flying around as you maraud across arid savannah. It’s hot and sweaty and oh so brilliant as you watch the red desert unfurl. Rest. Then when the day’s heat begins to fade you go for a walk. Explore the ridges and watch how sunset colours illuminate the world’s second largest canyon. After a night in a beautiful desert camp you see the desert from the air. From up high you follow the ridgeline, tracing 100 kilometres of the great canyon. And when people ask where you have been you don’t want to say Namibia or Fish River Canyon. This place is too special to share too widely.

Hiking through the thick vegetation of the Sierra Nevada, you’ll ford across rivers and climb ancient stone steps. You’ll feel the humidity of the jungle drawing out your perspiration, as you follow the footsteps of your guide deep into the jungle.After three days, you’ll finally emerge at the impressive ancient terraces and platforms of the Lost City. This archaeological wonder was built by the Tayrona people long before the Incas had built Machu Picchu.You’ll have time to explore this site, surrounded by the green rolling peaks of the Sierra Nevada. This is the other cultural hike you can do in South America, the non-touristy alternative to the Incan Trail. And there is an entire culture to discover, one that came before the Incas.

Smiling children welcome you to the Gurung village of Ghandruk. This little town is a gateway to popular Himalayan treks, including the Annapurna Circuit. It’s also a worthwhile destination of its own, with friendly locals and stunning views dominated by the Annapurna massif and the dramatic Machapuchare.Reach the town from Pokhara, with a scenic drive through hilly communities. Disembark at Kimche and begin your hike. Take your time and enjoy views of the Annapurna range and the rich green valley below. Move along trails used by locals, occasionally yielding to convoys of loaded pack animals. Get a feel for the region’s bucolic lifestyle, moving ever onwards to bigger views.

Famed the world over for its jaw-dropping alpine scenery and ancient archaeological sites, the Inca Trail is the very essence of the old-world.You’ll retrace the steps of the Inca, who once trampled along this very route to seek refuge from Spanish conquistadors in the hidden citadel of Machu Picchu.An experienced English speaking guide will lead the way and a team of personal porters will carry your tent, food, sleeping bag, and mat along the trail. It’s not luxurious, but it is private and you will use lesser-known, quieter campsites.On day one hike to the ruins of Llacapata and ascend to the first camp at Wayllambamba.The ascent from Wayllabamba to Pacaymayo is the most difficult day of the trek, with a wheezy uphill jaunt to the ominous Dead Woman’s Pass (4,198m/13769ft). En route, you’ll see the landscape morph from rugged forested mountains into desolate highland plains devoid of vegetation.On day three trek to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna, carved out of a cragged cliff overlooking the Urubamba River. Your fourth and final day of the trek requires a 4:00 a.m. start—a pre-dawn departure designed to see you reach the Sun Gate before sunrise. Many trekkers describe watching the day’s first rays cast light over Machu Picchu as a spiritual experience, the ultimate reward for an arduous high altitude trek.

Separating Rwanda and the DRC, Lake Kivu is a blissful expanse of water fringed by tropical forest. A brilliant five-day hiking route has been set up along the lakeshore, taking you between villages that are not connected by road. It’s a true immersion in African village life, far away from other tourists. Although an easy hike it’s not for the faint hearted and there isn’t any luxury accommodation along the way. Instead, do this expertly guided trek if you want to seek out the warm heart of Central Africa. There are options to make the hike shorter. Even two days is a wonderful insight into tradition and local life.

Moving through a barren mountain pass surrounded by giant peaks, you gaze down into the valley before you. There you spot a stone building festooned with colorful prayer flags. That must be the next teahouse. Experience moments like this as you circumnavigate the 8th-tallest mountain in the world: Manaslu. People know about Everest and Annapurna. Hardly anyone comes to Manaslu. You need a great guide and all the right permits. Only opened to trekkers in 1991, this roughly two-week hiking adventure brings you through forests blooming with rhododendrons, authentic villages with welcoming locals, and the domain of hulking Manaslu itself, an ever-present domineering wall of rock and ice.

The trail to the summit of La Malinche is both straightforward and spectacular. As the day heats up, climb into an open landscape of streaked volcanic sand. Peer down into a fractured crater from its dramatic rim.The ascent of Iztaccihuatl’s glaciated grandeur is more demanding. Follow your expert guide up the 5,230-meter volcano, staying at refuges and high camps. On summit day, you’ll be up at midnight, passing through a dark volcanic landscape before reaching the glacier. Don crampons, ice ax, and rope to ascend snow and ice, leading to the summit. The views from the top and the sense of accomplishment makes either or both of these volcanoes worthwhile challenges.

Standing on Meru’s summit you survey the grasslands. Africa extends in all its glory down below. And there is nobody else sharing the view.Sure, Meru falls far behind nearby Kilimanjaro in the coolness stakes. It’s not Africa’s highest mountain. But the trek to Meru’s peak is more diverse, easier on the legs, and there’s almost zero change of altitude sickness, even at 4,565 metres. Best of all, Mount Meru is empty of other trekkers. If you seek an iconic challenge go to Kilimanjaro. If you love mountains and trekking, spend six days venturing up Mount Meru instead.

Buddhists believe that the Buddha, filled with compassion for a starving tigress, once sacrificed his flesh to feed her. That exchange is said to have happened at Namobuddha. Visit this profoundly sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site. Stand beneath a grand stupa festooned with prayer flags. See an engraved stone portraying the scene of the Buddha sacrificing his body.Spend a quiet, reflective night at the site’s striking red monastery, grounding yourself and connecting with one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal. Then wake up early for a serene hike.

Experience Himalayan trekking without investing weeks or coping with altitude sickness. Poon Hill is reached by a two to three day trek through the temperate forest.Cross streams and pass terraced rice fields. Your private guide will keep you on route and up-to-speed with information on the valley and the villages you pass through on your way to the view of a lifetime.At Poon Hill, wake up early to catch the sunrise. See pink-orange light cast over a postcard-worthy perspective on the famous Annapurna range. This is the most famous of Nepal’s easy treks and will give you a genuine Himalayan experience, without many days of trekking.

Follow a rough trail with a jumbled slope angling sharply away on your left, and snowy peaks scraping the sky all around you. This is your 15th day on the trail and you’re moving through Kongma La Pass.This experience treats the trek to Everest Base Camp as the incredible, immersive journey it is. Take your time and truly connect with this impressive region.Over three weeks, travel from Kathmandu to the heights of the Himalaya. Hike through mountain villages, over bridges, and past monasteries. Press higher, reaching the summits of Gokyo Ri, Chukhung Ri, and Kala Patthar. Sleep above 5000 meters at Gorak Shep, and travel through three alpine passes.

Find complete seclusion and serenity amongst the lofty snow-capped Andean peaks on this new trek to Machu Picchu. You’ll be far away from the bustling trails of the Sacred Valley on the Phiri Trek. The only other people you might come across over the three days are native llama herders who will greet you warmly. You’ll be able to lose yourself completely amongst the stunning landscape before re-emerging with civilization at the fabled Machu Picchu ruins. After three rewarding days of trekking, you’ll be able to set your own eyes on this famous Incan citadel.

The most famous and iconic destination in the Himalaya, Everest Base Camp is a trekking challenge with incredible rewards. Follow in the footsteps of some of history’s most famous adventurers as you hike from Lukla to Mt. Everest.Begin amid stupas and Buddhist monasteries, making your way to Namche Bazaar. After acclimatizing in this beautiful town, move up into the more remote and inhospitable high mountains.Smiling locals and yaks give way to hanging glaciers and climbing memorials, until you find yourself in a world dominated by the sublime. Resist creeping exhaustion and keep trekking until you arrive at the glacier-side collection of tents from which courageous mountaineers tackle the world’s tallest mountain. This hike will take you over 5,500 metres above sea level and it can be tailored to your energy. You can choose to go up and down in the shortest time, or add on different peaks and passes. Every day will bring a new challenge and destination, before and after your chance to stand at Everest Base Camp.