This was published 13 years ago
World's most exhilarating hikes
6 ImagesWalk this way to experience some of the least-known yet most exhilarating hikes from the Northern Territory to Nepal.
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Via ferrata, Borneo, Malaysia. A most thrilling way for ordinary folk to gain access to areas once reserved for mountaineers. The via ferrata of south-east Asia's highest mountain, the 4095-metre Mount Kinabalu, is not for travellers who have trouble approaching the windows at Centrepoint Tower.
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Great Himalaya Trail, Nepal. If you're planning just one trek next year, this should be it. The longest and highest walking trail in the world, its covers more than 4500 kilometres, from Namche Barwa in Tibet to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.Credit:Chris Beall/Lonely Planet
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Khao Sok National Park, Thailand. The accommodation is an experience in itself. Fast-track to Putawan floating huts, 32 simple and comfortable bamboo huts floating on the waters of the Ratchaprapha Dam. Credit:iStock
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Ticino/Lake Maggiore. Switzerland boasts 60,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails and is celebrating the Year of Walking. The sunniest section is considered to be Ticino, tucked up near Lake Maggiore and the Italian border.Credit:Martin Moos/Lonely Planet
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Jatbula Trail, Northern Territory The trail, which meanders along stone country (the Arnhem Land escarpment from Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls) and has fallen under the radar of many travellers, is now set to emerge as one of Australia's iconic trails.
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The Lost Coast, USA. Head here and you'll wind up in a forgotten pocket of California. The 56-kilometre, three-day Lost Coast Trail follows the wild Pacific's edge from the Mattole trail head to Black Sands beach. Credit:Witold Skrypczak/Lonely Planet
