Hiking

While in Seoul, Korea, in August 2014, I went on 10 or so free walking tours, each led by an English-speaking volunteer guide. Each tour lasted two to three hours.

Reservations must be made at least three days ahead of time. I made reservations two to three weeks in advance by going to Visit Seoul: The Official Travel Guide to Seoul (www.visitseoul.net). After clicking “English,” select “See & Do,” then click on “Must See & Do,” then “City Walking Tours,” then “Course Introduction.” 

In Prague, Czech Republic, Corrupt Tour (phone +420 739 99 00 80) leads day tours to landmarks of corrupt politicians and business owners who have profited at the expense of the city since the fall of the Iron Curtain. The tours visit ornate houses, over-budget construction projects and government offices.

In the Misty Mountains south of Cairns, over 80 miles of walking tracks take walkers through a high-altitude rainforest and past waterfalls. Walks range from easy (7.4 kilometers round trip) to bushwalker difficult (23.4 km one way).

You don’t need a car to reach the trails; the Bally Knob Trailhead is a short walk from the township of Ravenshoe, and there are accommodations in Mission Beach, Tully, Ravenshoe, Malanda and Millaa Millaa.

19-day/18-night tour of NEPAL, May 13-31, 2009, includes 3-day festival. “Challenging” level of hikes (daily in rough terrain).

Highlights: In Kathmandu, Monkey Temple, ancient city of Patan, Old Bazaar/fly through Kali Gandaki gorge in Himalayas to Jomson/trek along Kali Gandaki river to Kagbeni/cross plains to Mustang village of Tanbe/walk canyons, fields and forests of Northern Mustang to Lo Manthang/1,000+ Mustang tribal members reenact Tiji Festival rituals, including dances, horse racing and tug-of-war/return via herding trails in Lo Gekar/two days’ Kathmandu.

8-day/7-night “challenging” hiking tour (some 8-hour walking days) in Albanian Alps. Stay in traditional guest houses and local homes. June-September 2008.

Highlights: From Kruja, hike up holy mountain of Sarisalltik and visit Sufi Dervish Sanctuary/ferry Drin River Canyon and Valbona River to Dunishë/hike shepherds’ path through Alps/hike from Rragan to Valbona Pass (1,966 meters) and Thethi village/walk toward Boga, viewing “the Accursed Mountains.”

From $2,052 from New York. Single supplement, $145.

 6 days/5 nights, Aug. 4-9, 2008. On 55-mile circular route in Yorkshire, ENGLAND, visit setting of books and TV series “All Creatures Great and Small.” Up to seven hours of hiking a day.

Southern Sweden’s Skåne area offers more than 600 miles of trails organized into 80 different day hikes. Most trails pass through private land open to hikers, others pass through villages and nature reserves, and some follow Bronze Age petroglyphs.

Six trail maps are available at SEK150 (near $23) each, including shipping. Two maps describe biking trails. Contact the official Skåne tourism office (Stortorget 9, SE-211 22 Malmö, Sweden; phone +46 040 20 96 00, www.skane.com) or order through the Skaneleden trail organization at www.skaneleden.org.

9-day/8-night tour of Peru, May 28-June 5, 2010, includes volunteer project in a Sacred Valley village. Highlights: visit ruins, markets in Sacred Valley/camp at Aruraycocha Lake/weaving demonstrations/hot springs/train to Machu Picchu. Land only, $2,640. PLAY it Forward Adventures (St. Paul, MN; 651/493-8817, www.pifadventures.com). 

14-day/13-night tour of Republic of GEORGIA departs Aug. 14 & 28, 2010. Highlights: Tbilisi city tour/hike to Gergeti Sameba Monastery/Chaukhi massif, home to eagles and vultures/Sadzele Pass. Land price, $3,390. Single supp., $200. Explorers’ Corner (Berkeley, CA; 877/677-9623, www.explorerscorner.com).

8-day/7-night tours in 2010 include six half-day art classes in mixed-media technique. Collioure: stay in this “Vermillion Coast” fishing village just north of Spanish border, June 21-28. Land only, from $2,895. Single supplement, $350. Languedoc-Roussillon: medieval Carcassonne, Cathar castles, cave art in Dordogne, June 28-July 5. Land only, from $3,250. Single supplement, $420. Art Trek (Bolinas, CA; 415/868-9558, www.arttreks.com).