Hiking. Trekking. Backpacking. These are three of the essential activities you will most likely encounter while going out on a backcountry adventure. Is there a difference? Or are they all just the same? Or is it just that one of them happens to be more exotic-sounding than the others?
Trekking and hiking trips are basically the same actually. The only difference is that “trekking,” a term borrowed from the Afrikaan term for ox-cart transport, is most often used when you are taking a hiking trip up the Himalayas.
Backpacking, on the other hand, is a lot less exotic. It’s a term you use when you go to walking to some place near home for a day or two. However, if you want something more adventurous than a mere backyard encampment, hiking in places like the Grand Canyon is definitely what you’re looking for.
When you say hiking trip, people immediately conjure images of miles of hike through forests and mountains with scenic vistas waiting for you every which way you face. It’s no wonder then that hundreds of hikers spend their vacations on trips like these, whether of the leisurely self-guided kind from winery to winery or of the rugged, backcountry ones through pristine wilderness areas.
Tons of options await the itinerant hiker like you. Perhaps you have dreamed of standing at the foot of Mount Everest and relive the moments when the first climbers reached its peak. Or perhaps you would like to witness sunrise over Africa from atop Mount Kilimanjaro. You have those options. One of the most exciting aspects of taking a hiking trip is that you can visit places that are otherwise remote and isolated from civilization.
While most guided hiking trips are basically the same, the location and the level of strenuousness vary. Not only that, but there is also a bit of variety in styles of treks, all of which affect how difficult or how adventure-filled your trip is going to be.
For instance, the traditional hiking trip is often expedition-style, which means that it involves guides, porters, and cooks. These people will carry your gear, set up and take down camp, and prepare all the meals.
However, if you want fewer people with you, there is also the lodge-to-lodge hiking trip. In this kind of trip, you would be staying in rustic mountain lodges or alpine huts with no cook or porter (if there’s any, still far fewer than in the traditional style). It usually costs a bit less than the fully catered alternative but it could be highly inconvenient, especially if you prefer to focus all your energy on making it to the end of the trail instead of worrying over the next meal.
The hard-core adventurer may also have a style that totally fits. Mountain-climbing treks and the occasional exploratory hiking trips, while offered by only a few adventure travel companies, are trips on routes not previously offered by that company. This means that trips like these offer genuine adventure, since often not even the guide is sure what to expect.
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