A truly great trail winds into the essence of a place, so when
assembling this list of the world’s great hikes we kept an eye on more than the
footpath. We looked for walks that travel deeper into a location’s history and
culture. Sure, there’s outdoor adventure on each of these 20 hikes, but the
trails also tell a rich story. So here they are, the holy grails of trails
across the world. — Doug Schnitzspahn, National Geographic.
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Mount Kailash Pilgrimage,
Tibet
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Best
For: Yogis and others seeking
spiritual enlightenment.
Distance: 32 miles.
Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner was
once awarded a permit to climb Kailash, considered sacred to five religions.
According to Hindus, the perfect pyramid of the 22,028-foot peak is where the
god Shiva sits in meditation. The mountain is also a holy place to Buddhists,
Jains, the Ayyavazhi branch of Hinduism, and the ancient Bon religion of Tibet. Messner
decided not to deconsecrate the summit, which has never been attained by human
beings. When a Spanish team planned to climb it in 2001, Messner suggested that
they go find a more difficult summit. It remains unclimbed, although in recent
years the Chinese government has begun to build a road on the sacred pilgrimage
path, known as the kora.
While the mountain itself is forbidden,
traversing 32 miles
around it is an important ritual. All this religious significance means that
while Kailash is not a place for mountaineers, it does draw crowds of pilgrims
seeking its powerful good grace. It’s also a first-class Himalaya trek encompassing
meditation sites at waterfalls, the sacred cave of Zuthal Puk,
and 18,600-foot Dolma La Pass.
When to Go: April through September. Numerous companies
offer tours that deal with the logistics of getting into Tibet and driving to the base of Mount Kailash,
which can be crowded with pilgrims.
Insider Tip: After you complete the kora, take a
dip in nearby Lake
Manasarovar. At 15,060 feet, it’s one
of the highest lakes on the planet. According to Hindus, the waters purify
bathers, and ablutions here complete the Kailash pilgrimage.
