Top hiking hols

Hiking holidays by continent Hiking holidays have surely never been more popular. In our health and fitness conscious society they are held in very high regard. What is more, a walking holiday is green and clean and the numerous opportunities they offer to simply stop and look mean that you have the opportunity to become intimately familiar with the landscape of whichever country you happen to be traversing.

Let's look at trekking holidays on six of the seven continents. (We'll give Antarctica a miss!)

Australasia New Zealand's Milford Track is the country's premiere walk, receiving the boots of around 14,000 hikers annually. The booked walking season runs from late October to late April, but due to environmental considerations only 40 hikers can start each day. Huge, stunning glacial valleys, beech forests and blue glacial lakes await. Allow four days of up to six hours walking per day.

North America The south western U.S.A. provides an easy answer to the conundrum of how to pick the best hiking holiday, as it is home to some of the most awe-inspiring scenery on earth. How about a hiking holiday beginning in Las Vegas and encompassing Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado? This encompasses national parks such as Bryce Canyon, Mesa Verde and its Pueblo Indian ruins, spectacular panoramas, amazing natural geological formations, Native American history, the sagas of the Old West and, of course, the Grand Canyon, which must be seen by everyone at least once in a lifetime.

South America Beneath the snowy slopes of Andean peaks, following the ghosts of a once mighty culture, the Inca Trail winds through a poignantly haunted history. Here you will see the ancient burial sites and proud ruins of a people who still pique our imagination today. Through verdant valleys, past ecclesiastical architecture dating from Spanish colonial times, to the Sun Gate of mysterious Machu Picchu.

Asia Imagine hiking through the heartlands of the Sherpa people to reach the base camp of 8,848 metre Mount Everest. Staying in lodges along the way, you can follow the Dudh Kosi before climbing up to Namche Bazaar, and then the atmospheric monastery at Thyangboche, before ascending to the world's most famous base camp on the Khumbu Glacier.

Africa One of the world's most beautiful settings for hiking can be found at the tip of Africa. The Garden Route offers superb mountain and ocean views, exotic wildlife and a fascinating culture. This length of Indian Ocean coastline extends from Mossel Bay to Wilderness, Knysna and then on to Plettenberg Bay, finishing in the resort of Port Elizabeth. Along the way you can enjoy the world's finest seafood, spot whales and dolphins and visit the Cango Caves and its ostriches.

Europe England is still the number one hiking holidays for many, and what more challenging and picturesque walk is there in this country than the Pennine Way. Savouring the 268 miles from the Peak District National Park along the Pennine Ridge, crossing Hadrian's Wall and ending just inside the Scottish Borders is one of life's great experiences.