Manam Valley, Tibet, Mick Fowler
Mountaineering in the greater ranges involves not only magnificent climbing but also the possibility to walk and explore some of the most beautiful and untouched areas of the world. The walk that will always stay in my mind is one that I enjoyed with my climbing partner Paul Ramsden and our liaison officer, Dawa, after we had made the first ascent of beautiful Manamcho (6,264m) in the Nyainqentanglha East range of eastern Tibet. The three hours spent exploring the Manam valley turned out to be one of the most delightful and surprising walks I've experienced. Our first encounter was with the headman of the valley, who invited us into his house for a snack of dried yak and Tibetan tea. I will forever recall Dawa interpreting that we were the first white men that this local chief had seen in person. On the headman's recommendation, we walked to a large frozen lake. We crested the rise and were faced with a valley ringed by unclimbed 6,000m peaks, never before seen by western eyes, and in the foreground was the glaring whiteness of the frozen lake. Yaks grazed along the shore, lammergeier vultures soared overhead, and a lone dog appeared and roamed far out on to the white ice.
Mick Fowler won the Piolet d'Or prize in 2002 for his ascent of 6,250m Siguniang, China, with Paul Ramsden
• High Asia (highasia.com) has a two-week trek in the Nyainqentanglha East range from about £2,500 excluding flights and visa. Mick Fowler is sponsored by Berghaus (berghaus.com)
Jomolhari, Bhutan, Chris Bonington
It was 5am and I had forced myself out of my warm sleeping bag to get a sunrise picture of Jomolhari, 7,326m and one of the most magnificent peaks in Bhutan. It was bitterly cold in the gloom of the pre-dawn. Jomolhari was a dark shape against a starlit sky. Then a faint glow touched its snow-clad summit and slowly spread down the mountain, highlighting snow ramps and rock buttresses. I sat entranced, barely noticing the cold as the mountain was bathed in a warm golden glow, with the ruined little dzong (fortress) silhouetted a deep black against the background.
For me, this summed up the beauty and fascination of Bhutan and was one of many highlights of a wonderful trek led by my son Joe. Each day was special – with herds of blue sheep, little villages in the valleys unchanged in hundreds of years, and always the snow-clad mountains. On our last evening, after we had crossed Sinchu La in a blizzard, we gazed on Gangchhenta (Great Tiger Mountain), which did indeed live up to its name. But it's not just the mountains; I love everything about Bhutan – the fact that it is not overcrowded with trekkers or tourists, and the warmth and friendliness of a people who value their culture and traditions.
Chris Bonington is one of Britain's most renowned mountaineers
• World Expeditions (worldexpeditions.com) has a 12-day Bhutan trek from £1,999 excluding flights. See boningtontreks.com for details of forthcoming treks to Nepal. Chris Bonington is sponsored by Berghaus (berghaus.com)
The Karakorum, Pakistan, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner
My favourite place for hiking is the Shaksgam Valley in the Karakorum, a large mountain range on the borders of Pakistan, India and China. On our approach march to K2 base camp, we crossed this wild, beautiful, lonesome and very powerful landscape. We were the only expedition on the north side of the mountain, and we really appreciated this remoteness. It was extremely energising.
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was the second woman to climb all 14 of the world's mountains over 8,000m
• The Mountain Company (themountaincompany.co.uk) has a 23-day trek to K2 base camp, from £2,495, including most meals but excluding international flights
The Arctic, Ann Daniels
One of the most amazing places to walk is the Arctic Ocean. The landscape – or perhaps more correctly the icescape – is diverse and ever-changing. You would imagine the Arctic to be monotonous and devoid of colour but the opposite is true. There are many shades of white and grey – and black where the ocean shows through thin ice – but there are also beautiful blues and greens as the sea ice becomes older and thicker. Sun dogs (phantom suns) glint on the horizon in rainbow colours. The Arctic can be benign and calm one minute, and ferocious and violent the next, with vicious storms and moving masses of ice. You aren't walking on land where the path is set but on a floating ice pack, which constantly moves in unpredictable ways, often taking you in the opposite direction to the one you had planned.
Ann Daniels and Caroline Hamilton were the first women to reach the North and South Poles as part of all-women teams. Daniels is planning a 2013 expedition to become the first woman to walk solo to the North Pole
• The Polar People (thepolarpeople.co.uk) offers a range of trips to the Arctic
Ardèche, France, Ray Mears
I love the Ardèche in south-central France. It is the perfect environment for canoeing, with the warm weather and warm water. But it is also an ideal walking area, with endless stunning limestone-cliff scenery and designated trails spanning 256km. In the national park you can spot wild boar. The range of wildlife in the region is impressive – scorpions, snakes, praying mantises, frogs, lizards and slow worms – and in the gorge there are often eagles, kites and beavers. The region is also famous for its prehistoric artwork and dolmen burial sites. Make sure you take a camera, as there are 12 designated panoramic viewing spots, including the impressive Pont d'Arc, where the unruly river flows under a natural arch.
Ray Mears is an expert in wilderness bushcraft and survival
• Sherpa Walking Holidays (sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk) has an eight-day self-guided walk in the Ardèche from £819 B&B, excluding flights. Ray Mears is working with LateRooms.com to host a Destination Inspiration event (inspiration.laterooms.com)
The Amazon, Peru, Ed Stafford
In early 2008 I set off to try to become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon. The first major obstacle I encountered was crossing the Andes from the Pacific coast to find the source of the legendary river. But this natural obstacle was nowhere near as dangerous as the area I was about to enter: the "red zone" in Peru is reportedly the biggest cocaine-producing area in the world.
My problem was that the furthest tributary of the Amazon runs straight through this lawless area. There are no police – they would be shot by the drugs barons if they attempted to enter. The people I was asking advice from were all involved in some way in the narcotics industry. The recurrent advice was: "You are crazy. You are a white man with an HD video camera. You will never be heard from again." Luckily I was too embarrassed about coming home a failure to listen to them and my hunch that I would be left alone was right. The gorges of the Apurímac were stunning and, not surprisingly, there wasn't a tourist in sight.
In 2010 Ed Stafford became the first man to walk the length of the Amazon river – read about his journey at guardian.co.uk/travel
• Intense Peru (intenseperu.com) offers a four-day 60km trek to Choquequirao, along the Apurímac river gorge, from $550 excluding flights
Gobi desert, Mongolia, Benedict Allen
I once walked 3,000 miles through Mongolia, from the icy upland margins of Siberia, where I acquired a string of horses and a slightly drunken horseman, Kermit, who didn't speak a word of English. Then it was on with him through the dry grassland steppe, acquiring camels to carry baggage. After several months padding along under those great blue skies, with skylarks apparently forever overhead, came the great test: six weeks alone across the Gobi desert with just my three camels – no phone, no contact with the outside world, no one to know even if I was still alive. Sometimes I would hear wolf cubs playing; or I'd come across a snake, and feel that it was a sort of companion – on my side, the side of the living.
But what made the trip so enriching was my accumulation of knowledge from the nomads I encountered over the almost half a year on foot or horseback. They, too, appreciated the fact that their great hero, Genghis Khan, would have used my form of transport. Things hadn't changed, in that respect, for 800-odd years.
Benedict Allen is an explorer and author
• Discover Mongolia (discovermongolia.mn) has an eight-day camel trek through the Gobi desert from $1,829, excluding flights and visa
Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, Ueli Steck
For me the place that really stands out is just behind my house in the Bernese Oberland. The Harder Kulm mountain above Interlaken has so many walking trails, it's paradise. I follow a route across a 20km ridge with amazing views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The special thing about it is the huge mountains in the background – the Eiger, the Jungfrau, the Mönch – and the water in the foreground. The colours are surreal. I run the route in around five hours, but others walk it in 10-12 hours. There are some difficult sections but there are ropes to hold on to, so as long as you're wearing good trekking shoes you should be fine.
Ueli Steck is a mountain runner and speed climber, and has designed a range of mountaineering kit with Mountain Hardwear, mountainhardwear.eu
• Discovery Travel (discoverytravel.co.uk) offers a seven-night self-guided walking holiday in the Bernese Oberland from £770 B&B, excluding flights
Gorges du Sègre, France, Kate Ashbrook
It is 20 years since I stepped out of Le Train Jaune at Saillagouse in the Pyrénées-Orientales and headed for the Gorges du Sègre, but the memory stays with me. First you pass through the ancient village of Llo, which clings to the mountainside. Then, in beating sun, you follow a long trail up the Gorges du Sègre, a narrow, wooded valley with fascinating rock pinnacles, to the Refuge de la Culasse. But the prize of this walk comes beyond. After a steep climb through trees and then bright meadows you reach the river's source, la font de Sègre – the spring water is cold and pure on the tongue after a hot walk. The choices thereafter are many – you are close to the ridge and the Spanish border – but that spring is the apogee of the walk.
Kate Ashbrook is a countryside campaigner and the new president of Ramblers (ramblers.org.uk), Britain's walking charity
• For hiking in the Pyrénées-Orientales, see tourisme-pyreneesorientales.com
Swiss Alps, Sarah Howcroft
I'm a real walking junkie and have millions of "favourites", but Zermatt to the Hörnli Hut in the Swiss Alps is supreme. I love it for the magnificent wildflowers, and the sense of walking through different climatic conditions. Rising in a strenuous corkscrew from the village of Zermatt, you are rewarded with terrific views of Monte Rosa, the Gorner glacier, the Dent Blanche and the Matterhorn. It's a good day's walk, culminating in the real Alpine mountaineering experience of a night in the Hörnli Hut before your return the next morning. Beware – most of your fellow boarders will be up at 3am to climb the Matterhorn. The line of head torches disappearing off up one of the most dangerous mountains in Europe is an amazing sight.
Sarah Howcroft is co-founder of Rohan outdoor clothing (rohan.co.uk)
• KE Adventure (keadventure.com/trip/tmn/tour-of-the-matterhorn-walking-holiday.html) has an 11-day Matterhorn trek, from £1,195 half-board, excluding flights
Wales, Kenton Cool
Right on our doorstep, tucked away in southwest Wales, is one of the very best walks in the world. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path hugs the coast of this great county, weaving its way in and out of small inlets, crossing some of the finest beaches in Britain and finally finishing through dramatic cliffs. It is pleasant walking, full of character and constantly changing views. Stretching from Tenby in the south to St Dougmaels in the north, the footpath covers over 180 miles. The best way to do it is from south to north. Starting in the tourist town of Tenby, the path crosses the magnificent limestone cliffs of St Govans before crossing into MOD country (a detour is required unless you have been briefed by the MOD). The only built-up section is around Haverfordwest, Pembroke and the docks, but this is soon passed and you find yourself heading north towards St Davids. If you walk the path in the summer, an afternoon dip is a must as you cross some of the golden beaches. The last few days are the most dramatic: the landscape has been savagely altered by Mother Nature's own hand and metamorphic rocks are the norm here, before you round the last headland and drop down to Poppit Sands beach. I did the entire walk as a 17-year-old; it took us nine days in the heat of the summer but you can easily do sections or even individual days, as I used to do with my father. You can either camp, like I did, or stay in some of the many B&Bs that pepper the coastal towns and villages.
Kenton Cool is a mountaineer, alpinist and mountain guide
• The Walking Holiday Company (thewalkingholidaycompany.co.uk/pembrokeshire_coast_path.htm) has itineraries on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path from £440pp including B&B accommodation and luggage transfers
Mount Sagias, Greece, Anna Butcher
My favourite walk in Greece would have to be around Mount Sagias, in the Deep Mani. A circular hike around these seemingly barren peaks reveals unexpected treasures: twisted oak trees, carpets of red and blue anemones in the spring, crocuses and cyclamen, even field mushrooms in the autumn, an ancient temple dedicated to Demeter and an abandoned monastery with beautiful Byzantine frescoes. Views stretch south to the tip of the Mani peninsula and the island of Kythira, east to the Laconian Gulf, west to the Messinian Gulf and north to Mount Taygetus, highest peak of the Peloponnese. The walk is challenging and requires an experienced navigator, but the feeling of exhilaration throughout is, for me, unmatched.
Anna Butcher is a mountain guide in Greece
• Sunvil Holidays (sunvil.co.uk) has an 11-day guided tour of the Pindos mountains in northern Greece, walking with Anna Butcher, from £2,415, including flights, transfers and most meals
Pamir mountains, Afghanistan, Kate Humble
The scale of the landscape in this mountain range just takes your breath away – almost literally, as it's so high. The peaks are all over 3,000m; it's under snow for nine months of the year; nothing grows there. I walked with Wakhan guides from the region for about two weeks. On the second day we walked in the footsteps of a snow leopard. It was tough going – huge peaks, glaciers, snowfields, icy rivers … One day we reached a high-altitude plain filled with boulders covered in petroglyphs. I loved the fact that such a wild environment had a real human history etched into it. To walk in this area you need to be fit, but not ultramarathon-runner fit. You also need some worn-in boots, a sense of humour, and a willingness to leave behind a lot of western comforts.
Kate Humble is a TV presenter
• Wild Frontiers (wildfrontiers.co.uk)has a 20-day Wakhan Pamir Adventure for £3,495, including accommodation and meals but excluding flights and visa
El Ports natural park, Spain, Vivien Freakley
The mountains of southern Catalunya are limestone, sculpted by water and wind, not by glaciers. A single day's walk can climb fragrant Mediterranean hillside, scramble through spectacular rockscapes, cross meadows, enter deep pine woodland and emerge on to high plateaux. The route up the Mola Castellona is in my favourite part of the El Ports natural park. Starting in a lush valley edged by high cliffs, it climbs a side valley to a rocky ridge. The ridge path winds round pinnacles, with daunting drops and fantastic views at each turn. It goes through a cliff and climbs a castle-shaped peak with views out to sea, before winding back down tiers of cliffs. People are rare here, outnumbered by the eagles, vultures and cabra (goats).
Vivien Freakley is co-author of Mountain Walking in Southern Catalunya (Cicerone, £12.95, cicerone.co.uk)
• The town of Tortosa lies close to the El Ports natural park. Its parador (parador.es) has doubles from €90
Mont Blanc, France, Matt Helliker
At 4,810m, Mont Blanc is the highest summit in western Europe and achievable for a fit hillwalker. I first climbed Mont Blanc when I was 15. Sometimes the classics are the best, and this walk is a firm favourite of mine. Climbing from the French side, you leave the hut at 2.30am, dark, cold and wondering why you are here and not still wrapped up in bed. After climbing up rock, snow and ice for four hours, you see the sun rise and you understand: the alpine glow, the fresh cold air, the wonderland views … the summit is near! Nine hours after that pre-dawn breakfast you are standing on the summit, looking down over the rest of the Alps with the shadow of Mont Blanc draped over the peaks. At that moment you know the effort has been worth it – and all you have to do now is get down.
Matt Helliger, alpinist and mountain guide, is Patagonia's alpine ambassador (patagonia.com)
• Exodus (exodus.co.uk) offers an eight-day trek, including climbing Mont Blanc, from £1,999 including flights, accommodation and most meals
Manaslu, Nepal, Edurne Pasaban
Over the years I have been on many expeditions to the Himalayas, and, having climbed the 14 eight-thousanders, I have been able to do a lot of trekking through different areas of these mountains. Undoubtedly one of the most spectacular routes is the one that skirts 8,156m Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest mountain. The route starts from the town of Arughat Bazar and goes over the Larkya La pass, at 5,220m. It takes 18 days to complete the route, and when you get deep into the valley it is as if you have entered a fairytale. The Manaslu route is one of the least crowded in the Himalayas, and thus one of the least contaminated by western technology. You can truly experience the real Nepal, its culture and its traditions. The smiles on the faces of the children and the villagers convey tranquillity and calm – there is a feeling of contagious happiness throughout the trek.
Edurne Pasaban was the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousander peaks
• The Mountain Company (themountaincompany.co.uk) offers a 21-day Manaslu trek from £1,395, including transfers and some meals but not international flights and visa
