🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Acadia National Park
Granite peaks, lobster shacks and rocky shores on the coast of Maine.
Nature & hiking✈️ 7h4 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUL–OCT
🥾 HOLIDAY TYPE
Nature and hiking holidays
Mountains, lakes, waterfalls and wildlife. Here's where to go for a nature or hiking holiday, from easy walks to proper adventures, and when to go.
Nature and hiking holidays: 68 guides
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Annecy
A clear Alpine lake, canal-lined old town and mountains made for paragliding and cycling.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Asheville
A mountain town of craft breweries, music and the grand Biltmore house.
Nature & hiking✈️ 9h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, OCT
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Asturias
Green mountains, cider houses and sandy coves on Spain's cool, rainy northern coast.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h7 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Austin
Spring-fed pools, barbecue and a million bats at sunset.
City break✈️ 11h4 to 6 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Azores
Whales, crater lakes and hot springs on green volcanic Atlantic islands.
Nature & hiking✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇲🇽 MEXICO
Bacalar
A calm freshwater lagoon in seven shades of blue, edged by mangroves and jungle.
Nature & hiking✈️ 11h4 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇨🇦 CANADA
Banff
Turquoise lakes, glaciers and elk wandering through town in the Canadian Rockies.
Nature & hiking✈️ 10h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇳🇴 NORWAY
Bergen
Wooden wharf houses, a funicular up the mountain and fjords on the doorstep.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 4 nights£££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUL
🇲🇾 MALAYSIA
Borneo
Orangutans, pygmy elephants and rainforest river cruises, with islands to finish.
Nature & hiking✈️ 15h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEMAR–AUG
🇷🇴 ROMANIA
Brașov
Medieval squares, a bear sanctuary and Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains.
City break✈️ 4h4 to 5 nights£
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA
Cape Town
Penguins on the beach, a mountain with a cable car and a jet-lag-free flight.
City break✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇹🇷 TURKEY
Cappadocia
Hundreds of hot-air balloons drift over fairy chimneys and cave houses at dawn.
Adventure✈️ 5h3 to 4 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Chamonix
Skiing under Mont Blanc in winter, cable cars and glaciers in summer.
Skiing✈️ 2h7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJAN–MAR, JUL–AUG
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Corsica
Mountains that drop straight into clear sea, hilltop villages and beaches that feel more Caribbean than French.
Beach✈️ 3h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN, SEP
🇨🇷 COSTA RICA
Costa Rica
Sloths, volcanoes, zip lines through the rainforest and two coasts of beaches.
Nature & hiking✈️ 12h12 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇵🇪 PERU
Cusco
Gateway to Machu Picchu, with llamas, Inca walls and the Sacred Valley.
Adventure✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–SEP
🇩🇲 DOMINICA
Dominica
Waterfalls, hot springs and resident sperm whales on the Caribbean's wildest island.
Nature & hiking✈️ 9h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEFEB–APR
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Dordogne
Castles on cliffs, canoes on a slow green river and prehistoric cave paintings.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–JUL, SEP
🇫🇴 FAROE ISLANDS
Faroe Islands
Waterfalls falling into the sea, puffins and grass-roofed villages.
Nature & hiking✈️ 3h4 to 6 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–AUG
🇪🇨 ECUADOR
Galápagos Islands
Swim with sea lions, walk past giant tortoises and spot blue-footed boobies.
Nature & hiking✈️ 14h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAY
🇲🇹 MALTA
Gozo
Malta's smaller, greener sister island, with salt pans, sea caves and sleepy villages.
Relax & spa✈️ 4h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Grand Canyon
A mile-deep canyon, sunsets that turn the rock red and Route 66 nearby.
Nature & hiking✈️ 11h2 to 3 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–OCT
🇬🇩 GRENADA
Grenada
Spice farms, chocolate estates and a long white beach on the Caribbean's Spice Isle.
Beach✈️ 10h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEJAN–APR
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When to go
Where's at its best in each month of the year.
- January
- Bacalar, Cape Town, Chamonix, Costa Rica, Galápagos Islands, Grenada, Kerala, Koh Lanta and 12 more
- February
- Bacalar, Cape Town, Chamonix, Costa Rica, Dominica, Galápagos Islands, Grenada, Kerala and 13 more
- March
- Bacalar, Borneo, Cape Town, Chamonix, Costa Rica, Dominica, Galápagos Islands, Grenada and 12 more
- April
- Austin, Borneo, Costa Rica, Dominica, Galápagos Islands, Grand Canyon, Grenada, Jordan and 6 more
- May
- Asheville, Austin, Bergen, Borneo, Brașov, Cappadocia, Cusco, Galápagos Islands and 14 more
- September
- Acadia National Park, Annecy, Asturias, Azores, Banff, Brașov, Cappadocia, Corsica and 31 more
- October
- Acadia National Park, Asheville, Austin, Cappadocia, Gozo, Grand Canyon, Halifax, Jordan and 15 more
- December
- Bacalar, Cape Town, Costa Rica, Galápagos Islands, Kerala, Koh Lanta, Luang Prabang, Mauritius and 8 more
Nature and hiking holidays: common questions
Where is good for walking holidays in Europe?
Annecy, Interlaken, Lake Garda, the Azores, Madeira and Lofoten all have walks for every level, from flat lakeside paths to mountain trails.
Where can we see wildlife on holiday?
The Galápagos Islands, the Maasai Mara, Borneo, Costa Rica and Namibia are some of the best places in the world to see animals in the wild.
When is the best time for a hiking holiday?
Summer suits the mountains of Europe and North America, from June to September. Hot places like Jordan and the Grand Canyon are better in spring and autumn.
Other kinds of holiday
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