The World's 100 Best Walks
Here is our (currently preliminary) list of the world’s Top 100 walks, created as part of William Mackesy’s research for his planned book on the World’s Best Walks. See our Walks Assessment System.
The Top 100 is a distillation: some walks on our All Walks list have been combined for creating a definitive Top 100 that avoids inappropriate duplication. (See the footnote below for further explanation.)
See below for some "near misses" from the Top 100.
The rating of walks marked * is currently provisional.
The Top 100
| Ranking | Walk Name | Country | Region | Beauty | Natural Interest | Human Interest | Charisma | Negative Points | Total |
| 1 | Mount Kailash Kora | China | Tibet | 35 | 16 | 18 | 39 | (7) | 101 |
| 2 | Inca Trails * | Peru | 34 | 15 | 16 | 35 | (3) | 97 | |
| 3 | Torajaland | Indonesia | Sulawesi | 31 | 14 | 17 | 34 | (0) | 96 |
| 4 | Q'adisha Valley * | Lebanon | 31 | 14 | 16 | 34 | (0) | 95 | |
| 5 | Drakensberg Escarpment | South Africa | 35 | 17 | 6 | 36 | (0) | 94 | |
| 6 | Petra * | Jordan | 32 | 14 | 18 | 36 | (6) | 94 | |
| 7 | The Dolomites | Italy | Dolomites | 37 | 17 | 6 | 36 | (2) | 94 |
| 8 | Huangshan | China | 36 | 17 | 12.5 | 36 | (8) | 93.5 | |
| 9 | Annapurna Massif * | Nepal | 36 | 17 | 10 | 37 | (7) | 93 | |
| 10 | Brenta Dolomites * | Italy | Dolomites | 37 | 17 | 3 | 36 | (0) | 93 |
| 11 | Grand Canyon | USA | Southwest | 34 | 20 | 2 | 38 | (1) | 93 |
| 12 | Lares Trek * | Peru | 35 | 16 | 12 | 33 | (3) | 93 | |
| 13 | Ganden and Tsurphu Koras | China | Tibet | 30 | 14 | 18 | 33 | (3) | 92 |
| 14 | Great Wall | China | 31 | 13 | 18 | 34 | (4) | 92 | |
| 15 | Hunza Area | Pakistan | 32 | 16 | 14 | 32 | (2) | 92 | |
| 16 | Mont Blanc Region * | France | Alps | 36 | 16 | 6 | 35 | (1) | 92 |
| 17 | Mount Athos | Greece | 31 | 14 | 15 | 32 | (0) | 92 | |
| 18 | Mt Meru | Tanzania | 35 | 20 | 3 | 36 | (2) | 92 | |
| 19 | Mustang * | Nepal | 31 | 15 | 14 | 35 | (3) | 92 | |
| 20 | Torres Del Paine/ Fitzroy Massif * | Chile/Argentina | 37 | 17 | 2 | 36 | (0) | 92 | |
| 21 | Pindos/Vikos Circuit | Greece | 33 | 16 | 8.5 | 34 | (0) | 91.5 | |
| 22 | Around Yangshuo, Guilin | China | 32 | 18 | 12 | 34 | (5) | 91 | |
| 23 | Hadrian's Wall Path | UK | England | 31 | 14 | 17 | 34 | (5) | 91 |
| 24 | Lofoten Islands | Norway | 35 | 16 | 7 | 33 | (0) | 91 | |
| 25 | Manaslu Circuit * | Nepal | 36 | 16 | 10 | 35 | (6) | 91 | |
| 26 | Colca and Cotahuasi Treks * | Peru | 34 | 17 | 8 | 34 | (3) | 90 | |
| 27 | Jomolhari trek | Bhutan | 36 | 17 | 8 | 34 | (5) | 90 | |
| 28 | Kangchenjunga/Singalila * | India/Nepal | 37 | 17 | 6 | 35 | (5) | 90 | |
| 29 | Lower Singalila Ridge * | India | 34 | 15 | 10 | 32 | (1) | 90 | |
| 30 | Markha Valley * | India | Ladakh | 34 | 15 | 10 | 34 | (3) | 90 |
| 31 | Meteora | Greece | 33 | 17 | 16 | 34 | (10) | 90 | |
| 32 | Nanda Devi and Kinai Pass * | India | 35 | 16 | 8 | 34 | (3) | 90 | |
| 33 | Royal Trek * | Nepal | 32 | 14 | 12 | 32 | (0) | 90 | |
| 34 | The Arsenale to the Salute, Venice | Italy | 36 | 4 | 20 | 36 | (6) | 90 | |
| 35 | Uluru (Ayers Rock) | Australia | 33 | 16.5 | 14 | 34 | (8) | 89.5 | |
| 36 | Alpine Pass Route * | Switzerland | 36 | 16 | 4 | 34 | (1) | 89 | |
| 37 | Bagan * | Myanmar | 30 | 10 | 18 | 34 | (3) | 89 | |
| 38 | Cappadocia * | Turkey | 30 | 16 | 12 | 34 | (3) | 89 | |
| 39 | Cinque Terre * | Italy | 32 | 14 | 12 | 32 | (1) | 89 | |
| 40 | Monte Rosa Circuit * | Switzerland and Italy | 36 | 16 | 6 | 32 | (1) | 89 | |
| 41 | Mount Rinjani * | Indonesia | Lombok | 36 | 19 | 2 | 34 | (2) | 89 |
| 42 | Simien Mountains * | Ethiopia | 34 | 16 | 8 | 33 | (2) | 89 | |
| 43 | Tongariro Alpine Crossing | New Zealand | North Island | 34 | 19 | 2 | 36 | (2) | 89 |
| 44 | Upper Humla Valley | Nepal | 33 | 15 | 12 | 31 | (2) | 89 | |
| 45 | Zanskar * | India | Ladakh | 34 | 15 | 10 | 33 | (3) | 89 |
| 46 | Altai Mountains | Mongolia | 33 | 14.5 | 8 | 33 | (0) | 88.5 | |
| 47 | Matterhorn Circuit * | Switzerland | 34 | 15 | 7.5 | 34 | (2) | 88.5 | |
| 48 | Stubai Hohenweg * | Austria | 35 | 15.5 | 4 | 34 | (0) | 88.5 | |
| 49 | Angkor | Cambodia | 31 | 11 | 20 | 36 | (10) | 88 | |
| 50 | Caldera de Taburiente, La Palma | Spain | Canary Islands | 35 | 18 | 3 | 35 | (3) | 88 |
| 51 | Canyonlands NP * | USA | Southwest | 35 | 17 | 0 | 36 | (0) | 88 |
| 52 | Easter Island * | Chile | 30 | 13 | 12 | 33 | (0) | 88 | |
| 53 | Everest Base Camp * | China | Tibet | 36 | 17 | 10 | 33 | (8) | 88 |
| 54 | Haraz Mountains * | Yemen | 30 | 14 | 12 | 32 | (0) | 88 | |
| 55 | Mount Sinai * | Egypt | 30 | 14 | 15 | 32 | (3) | 88 | |
| 56 | Nanga Parbat * | Pakistan | 36 | 16 | 5 | 32 | (1) | 88 | |
| 57 | Stalking | UK | Scotland | 32 | 18 | 4 | 34 | (0) | 88 |
| 58 | The Fugitives' Trail, Isandlwana to the Buffalo River | South Africa | 28 | 13 | 15 | 32 | (0) | 88 | |
| 59 | Tiger Leaping Gorge | China | 33 | 17 | 6 | 34 | (2) | 88 | |
| 60 | Wadi Rum * | Jordan | 32 | 17 | 5 | 34 | (0) | 88 | |
| 61 | Pembrokeshire Coast Path | UK | Wales | 31.5 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 29 | (0) | 87.5 |
| 62 | Pyraneean High Route * | France | 35.5 | 16 | 4 | 32 | (0) | 87.5 | |
| 63 | South West Coast Path | UK | England | 31.5 | 15 | 13 | 30 | (2) | 87.5 |
| 64 | Alpamayo Loop * | Peru | 36 | 15 | 8 | 32 | (4) | 87 | |
| 65 | Ausangate Trek * | Peru | 36 | 16 | 5 | 34 | (4) | 87 | |
| 66 | Banaue Rice Terraces | The Philippines | 30 | 13 | 15 | 32 | (3) | 87 | |
| 67 | Caldeira das Sete Cidades * | Portugal | Azores | 32 | 17 | 6 | 32 | (0) | 87 |
| 68 | Coast to Coast | UK | England | 32 | 14 | 12 | 31 | (2) | 87 |
| 69 | Cordillera Real Traverse * | Bolivia | 35 | 15 | 8 | 32 | (3) | 87 | |
| 70 | Crater Lake | USA | Northwest | 35 | 18 | 3 | 35 | (4) | 87 |
| 71 | Dogon Country * | Mali | 30 | 14 | 14 | 29 | (0) | 87 | |
| 72 | Emei Shan | China | 31 | 15 | 14 | 32 | (5) | 87 | |
| 73 | GR4 (Verdon Gorge) * | France | 32 | 17 | 4 | 34 | (0) | 87 | |
| 74 | Huayhuash Circuit * | Peru | 36 | 16 | 6 | 34 | (5) | 87 | |
| 75 | Jebel Toubkal Circuit | Morocco | 33 | 15 | 8 | 32 | (1) | 87 | |
| 76 | John Muir Trail * | USA | Northwest | 36 | 17 | 1 | 34 | (1) | 87 |
| 77 | Lake Manasarovar | China | Tibet | 33 | 15 | 14 | 32 | (7) | 87 |
| 78 | Lycian Way * | Turkey | 31 | 14 | 10 | 32 | (0) | 87 | |
| 79 | Mt Kinabalu | Malaysia | Sabah | 34 | 17 | 5 | 34 | (3) | 87 |
| 80 | Paria/Buckskin * | USA | Southwest | 32 | 19 | 0 | 36 | (0) | 87 |
| 81 | Preikestolen * | Norway | 36 | 15 | 4 | 34 | (2) | 87 | |
| 82 | Teton Crest Trail * | USA | Northwest | 35 | 16 | 2 | 34 | (0) | 87 |
| 83 | Zion NP * | USA | Southwest | 35 | 17 | 0 | 35 | (0) | 87 |
| 84 | Cares Gorge, Picos de Europa * | Spain | 31.5 | 17 | 4 | 34 | (0) | 86.5 | |
| 85 | Route of the Volcanoes, La Palma | Spain | Canary Islands | 31.5 | 18 | 3 | 34 | (0) | 86.5 |
| 86 | Barrah Canyon, Wadi Rum | Jordan | 32 | 16 | 6 | 32 | (0) | 86 | |
| 87 | Black Cuillin Ridge * | UK | Scotland | 34 | 15 | 5 | 32 | (0) | 86 |
| 88 | Bryce Canyon * | USA | Southwest | 34 | 17 | 0 | 35 | (0) | 86 |
| 89 | Eiger Trail * | Switzerland | 35 | 15 | 4 | 34 | (2) | 86 | |
| 90 | Everest Base Camp * | Nepal | 36 | 17 | 10 | 33 | (10) | 86 | |
| 91 | Jiuzhaigou and Huanglongsi | China | 34 | 16 | 8 | 32 | (4) | 86 | |
| 92 | Lake O'Hara * | Canada | Western | 36 | 16 | 0 | 34 | (0) | 86 |
| 93 | Lebanon Mountain Trail * | Lebanon | 30 | 14 | 12 | 30 | (0) | 86 | |
| 94 | Mount Kenya * | Kenya | 36 | 17 | 2 | 35 | (4) | 86 | |
| 95 | Mount Olympus | Greece | 33 | 16 | 4 | 33 | (0) | 86 | |
| 96 | Mt St Helens | USA | Northwest | 30 | 19 | 4 | 33 | (0) | 86 |
| 97 | Mt Tiede, Tenerife * | Spain | Canary Islands | 32 | 18 | 2 | 34 | (0) | 86 |
| 98 | Overland Track * | Australia | Tasmania | 35 | 16 | 2 | 34 | (1) | 86 |
| 99 | Santiago Pilgrimage Trail * | Spain/France | 30 | 13 | 14 | 29 | (0) | 86 | |
| 100 | Sentier Cathar | France/Spain | 30 | 14 | 12 | 30 | (0) | 86 |
Near Misses
And here are some superb "near misses" that merit special recognition:
| Walk Name | Continent | Country | Beauty | Natural Interest | Human Interest | Charisma | Negative Points | Total |
| Mt Tiede, Tenerife | Europe | Spain | 32 | 18 | 2 | 34 | (0) | 86 |
| M'goun Massif | Africa | Morocco | 32 | 15 | 8 | 30 | (0) | 85 |
| Mount Fuji | Asia | Japan | 30 | 17 | 8 | 34 | (5) | 84 |
| Mt Kilimanjaro | Africa | Tanzania | 34 | 19 | 3 | 35 | (8) | 83 |
Footnote:
In the distillation process some walks in the All Walks list have been combined when creating the Top 100 walks
- Some may be separate sections of one longer trail, so, while perhaps meriting separate listings in the All Walks list, they should be treated as one walk for establshing the Top 100.
- While individually superb, some are sufficiently similar or close to each other (e.g. similar landscapes in the same mountain chain, similar "slot" canyons in the US, or different walks in the same national park) to make it pointless to include them separately in the Top 100 walks: people would be likely to want to walk one but not both of them, or giving over-similar or neighbouring walks such prominence would reduce the diversity and interest of the list. Further, the inclusion of both walks separately may detract from the estimation of them both as a result of their similarity.

