Apr 18, 2019

My Top 6 Hidden Hiking Gems

Today I wanted to shared a couple of the hidden hiking gems I've found over the years of traveling! There are so many beautiful places around the world that go untouched by tourism! I'm going to give my top 6 hidden gems for those hiking lovers! What is your favorite hidden hiking gem?! I'd love to hear back and maybe even check them out! Especially if you found them in the US!

Here are my top 6 hidden hiking gems from around the world:

#6 Bâlea Lake, Romania

Travel through Romania's beautiful mountainside, taking cable cars to glacier lakes, skiing at one of Europe cheapest resorts, and checking out some vampire-infested castles! Not into hiking? Go to an underground amusement park in an old salt mine! There are unlimited stops in this incredible Eastern European country!

Cost of accommodation in the mountains: $45/night/room.

Difficulty: Low to Moderate

Balea Lac

#5 Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador

This three-day trek hits everything an outdoor lover wants! Beautiful and diverse scenery every second of this trek, lots of culture in all the tiny Ecuador farming towns, and a difficult hike that will have you sleeping like a baby each night! Wanna know something even better? You don't have carry you tent and sleeping bag because there one or two hostels at the end of each day's hike.

Cost of hostels along the way that include dinner and breakfast: $15/night/bed

Difficulty: High

Quilotoa Lagoon

#4 Slovak Paradise National Park, Slovakia

This national park is unreal! I'm talking about ice caves and trails with ladders climbing up waterfalls! It's absolutely stunning and not really touched by tourism.

Cost to stay in Cabin inside National Park: $30-50/night/cabin

Difficulty: Moderate to High

Slovak Paradise National Park

#3 Rota Vicentina (Fisherman's Trail), Portugal

If you're a beach lover, this five-day trek is all you can ask for! This hike takes you along the unreal Portugal Coast the entire way!! At the end of each day, you stop in a small town, grab a $2 bottle of Portuguese vinho verde, and watch the sunset over the ocean. Each town has one cheap hostel that is usually only for people following the hike. Can't do all 5 days? No problem! There's a bus that runs to every city on the hike!

Cost of hostels along the way: $10/night/bed

Difficulty: Moderate

Rota Vicentina

#2 Isle of Skye, Scotland

This island in the Scottish Highlands is UNBELIEVABLE! Drive around to the endless hikes that give you a feeling like you're not on Earth, stay in hostels and cabins where the owner treats you like family, and then taste the best Scotch ever made at Talisker Distillery.

Cost of hostels: $25/night/bed

Difficulty: Low, moderate, and high options

Isle of Skye

#1 Glymur, Iceland

Now for the #1!!

To start, I'm not saying this is the best hike in Iceland, but I think this is the best hidden gem in Iceland! This is one of the places in Iceland not full of tourists, and that makes a difference while hiking to 650-foot waterfall! This hike gives you a feeling unlike any hike I've ever been on in my life. Walking along the deep and bright green canyon until you reach the falls in something you'll never forget.

Cost of a hostel in Reykjavik: $40/night/bed

Difficulty: Moderate to High