Tag: #traveler
Plitvice Lakes NP

Plitvice Lakes NP

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Plitvice Lakes NP

Away from the famous touristy Adriatic coast of Croatia, and in the heart of the country, lies one of the most stunning places in the entire Balkans region; and that is Plitvice Lakes NP. This NP has an extensive network of lakes and rivers connected together by majestic waterfalls of all sizes that will take your breath away! To truly enjoy this park, you’ve to hike around its different waterfalls and lakes to gain an appreciation of the entire network of waterbodies, so get your hiking boots ready:) However, as this NP is very popular with the locals and is easily accessible from different parts of the country, its famous hiking trails becomes very popular and crowded in the summer which can take away from the beauty of the place. Yet, don’t get discouraged because, in this blog, in addition to these famous trails, I’ll take you on a journey on one of the off-the-beaten-path trails in the park, in its lesser known part, that is truly stunning; albeit, a little bit strenuous…so lets start!

It is easy to plan your entire day at this stunning NP On Your Own and here I’ll give you some hints of how to do so. Our plan to visit Plitvice Lakes NP included going by bus from Zagreb and then head out of the park to Zadar (click to request info); hence, we faced a little logistical problem…where do we store our luggage while hiking in the park?

I did my research and found a place close to the park’s entrance where you can store you luggage for a fee (click to request info), and it was a life-saver; otherwise, I would have had to change my plans! Having this problem sorted out, we took an early bus from Zagreb to beat the crowds and it took nearly 2:30 hrs to arrive at entrance 1 of the NP. The park has a network of trails as you can see in the map.

Our initial plan was to start from entrance 2 of the park, hike trail “E” and them do a mountain trail that will take us to an amazing viewpoint. Unfortunately, the weather was bad that morning, rainy & foggy, so we changed our plans and decided to start from entrance 1 and hike the easy trail “A” (highlighted in the map), hoping that the weather will clear later during the day.

Trail “A” starts at entrance 1; its an easy and popular trail which makes it very crowded and it feels like walking more than hiking. The trail immediately takes you to the lower lakes in the park and you cross several bridges as you zigzag your way around these lakes.

Towards the halfway mark of the trail, you reach two small waterfalls which are nice, yet not that impressive especially in such kind of weather.

The trail takes around 2 hrs to complete and, by the time we finished, the weather cleared a bit and we decided to head to entrance 2 to start our true hiking adventure…the Medvedak hiking trail!

As you can see from this map, this trail is on the other side of the park, which is the off-the-beaten-path one, and its an 8km long trail (if taken all the way from entrance 2 to 1) and rises to an elevation of 889m. The trailhead (point 1) lies in a secluded area of the forest by the lakes.

From here, it’s a 3.85km uphill to point “3” which will take you approximately and hour to complete. From this point, you’ll start appreciating the stunning bird-eye views of the park and the waterfalls panorama that will unfold ahead of you! 

At this point, there is a detour of 1km uphill to reach Medvedak Osti, the highest point on the trail, to witness a stunning panoramic view of the entire park, so take this detour and you won’t regret it:) 

Unbelievable view…isn’t it!! So take your time, rest and have a picnic, and admire this beauty for as long as you want!

When you take the tough decision to head down, you’ll walk back to point “3” from which you’ll hike 2.5km to point “4”. At this point, you can either return to entrance 2 via the trail to points “2” and “1”, or continue for 2km to point “5” and entrance 1, which we did. Unfortunately, again, by the time we were halfway between points “3” and “4”, it started to rain again so had to hurry down before the trail gets slippery and couldn’t enjoy that part of the hike much.

It took around 3 hours to hike the entirety of this amazing trail and we reached entrance 1 on time for our bus to Zadar.

All in all, the scenery in this NP are out of this world, but it gets very crowded in the summer and to truly appreciate it, you have to head off-the-beaten-path to the less-explored part of the park and hike its trails…so enjoy:)
Split

Split

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Split

Split is another Croatian town that isn’t as touristy as Dubrovnik, yet it is a worth a visit for its lovely old town and the adventure opportunities its surrounding area offers, the latter being the main reason I passed by this town as I planed a rock climbing adventure in the surrounding mountains! So this blog post will be divided into two main sections: the first will take you on a tour around Split’s old town with its major attractions which you can do On Your Own and the second will be about the tough and challenging rock climbing adventure, so lets start:) 

I arrived at Split via a bus, which has frequent services from around the country (click to request info). I arrived from Dubrovnik and the trip was comfy and took around 4:30 hrs, but remember the border trick I mentioned in Dubrovnik’s post, you’ll have to go through the entire process again on your way back! The bus station in Split is just outside the old town walls; I arrived late at night, so went directly to my accommodation for a much-needed sleep before the tough day ahead.

I woke up early to beat the summer heat, had a nice breakfast at one of the restaurants by the port, which is the area known locally as “Riva” and it’s the perfect spot to start your day.

After finishing my breakfast, I started my walking tour inside the old town

till I reached St. Dominich church. Throughout the way, you’ll get the feeling of an authentic Croatian town surrounding you as you keep meeting friendly locals. Arriving at the St. Dominich church, you’ll have to admire its impressive structure and you can climb up its bell tower to have an amazing view of the town; unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to allow me to climb up:(

The next stop in this self-walking tour was the center and the highlight of the old town, which is Diocletia Palace. This palace has an open courtyard where you can sit and enjoy watching different groups of tourists come and go, and at certain times there will be a nice and small changing of the guards’ ceremony.

By the time I explored this palace, it was almost noon and the heat was scorching, so it is time to rest and enjoy the authentic atmosphere inside the courtyard. The last stop in this tour was the town’s Pzar, which is housed under the palace. It is a nice place to shop for souvenirs and escape the summer heat:) 

After finishing this self-walking tour, it was time for the main adventure of this visit. I organized this rock climbing adventure with a local adventure company (click to request info) and everything was well-planned; albeit, our guide was not the nicest guy and didn’t show much interest in helping us navigate the rock walls…Man we are not professional climbers! Anyways, we booked our adventure at 4pm and it was a 2 hour one. Everything was on time and we were guaranteed 2 climbs each (party of 2) at least.   

The first climb was a massive vertical wall which looked extremely daunting at the beginning! This didn’t deter me and I got roped up and did a safety check for a couple of steps up (always recommended to make sure that you are well supported) and all was good.

I started my way up slowly as I was getting used to the rock surface

and I made it to the halfway up.

It is an amazing feeling being able to almost walk on a vertical wall:) I took a quick rest while enjoying this feeling and off I continued. With every step up, it was getting harder and harder and to pull yourself and challenging to find a place to stick your feet into! Despite of its toughness, the adrenaline that was pumping in my veins kept me going till I reached the top!! 

The next climb wasn’t as vertical as the first one, but it was more rugged and technically challenging.

It was hard to find the best path up as in some places the rock face is bulging to the outside and you have to be careful while navigating it.

During this climb, I got stuck halfway to the top and couldn’t find my way up and, by this time, all my muscles were aching as the long hot day was starting to take its toll on me, so I decided to stop and head down.

After this climb, we did another small one to an old structure carved into the rocks. Overall, the feeling of walking on a vertical wall and the adrenaline rush that you experience while rock climbing is something that can only be felt, not described! This adventure is tough mentally and physically, so when you reach the top, it feels that you conquered the world…so enjoy:)

This marked the end of my visit to split and it was time to take the train back to Zagreb (click to request info).
Zadar

Zadar

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Zadar

Although this blog is about a town visit, unlike my normal adventurous ones, but I honestly fell in love with this town and I felt that I’ve to write a blog about it:) I can even admit this, and if you know me then you’ll know it’s a big deal…after a few hours of being in this cute town, I decided to abandon a hike that I planned in the area in order to have more time to enjoy this marvelous town!! What also makes Zadar special is that its off the radar for the typical tourists, mainly only locals visit this town, so it will allow you to enjoy the closest experience you’ll get of the authentic Croatian culture.

I arrived Zadar by bus, the bus station is located just outside the walled part of the town and its just a 10 min walk till you reach the old town gates and start your amazing adventure in this cute little town.

Similar to other old towns across Croatia, the old town of Zadar is pedestrian only and upon entering the old city from Kopnena vrata Land Gate, you arrive at Kapetanova kula, or the captain’s tower.

From here you will start walking the maze of the old town streets and get immersed in the true Croatian culture, so I recommend that you abandon your map and allow yourself to get lost in the city’s small streets and alleys. From Kapetanova kula, you can start your tour from the city’s main street, which is very narrow by the way:) and visit its beautiful squares and churches.

But the beauty of this town is in its small side streets and their curbside cafes and shops. These streets are so narrow and buzzing with local life that instantly lift your mood and make you cheerful…no wonder I decided to abandon my hiking plans:)

The town is so laid back that you can even sit on the curb and order stuff from a nearby café and enjoy the local environment around you

There is even a small local beach here that you can use to cool off from the heat of the sun during the day

At night, the town is lively and buzzing and locals tend to go out till late. There are a number of cute bars in the old town, especially by the sea, and some more local ones in the new part of the town (outside the city walls), but beware of your surroundings when you venture out there.

I bet you can sense my enthusiasm in my tone here:) I truly fell in love with this town and hope that you’ll too…so enjoy:)
Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

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Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a world-famous tourist destination and it is on the itinerary of every visitor to Croatia…and for good reason. So even if you are a backpacker or an adventurer on a budget, and you decided to visit Croatia, then you’ve to visit this amazing city. However, despite all the touristy stuff that you can do in the city, there are also some adventures that are off-the-beaten-path that very few visitors to this city know about, and they are not for the faint-hearted!

The first adventure in visiting this city is the way to get there! Dubrovnik is in the far south of the country, so normally people fly or sail there, yet if you are a backpacker on a budget, like me, then the best option is to take a long bus trip. I took the bus from Zadar, which takes around 6 hours, it was very comfortable, and the roads are in very good shape, but the strangest thing I ever experienced happened on this trip! In this trip, you are supposed to be taking a bus between two Croatian cities, but I didn’t know that when traveling by land, you’ve to pass into and out of Bosnia & Herzegovina to reach Dubrovnik…strange, isn’t it!! And since your crossing international borders, then this is accompanied by all the passport control formalities that you experience at an airport, but twice:)

When arriving in Dubrovnik, it is time to take care of your accommodation. The touristy and interesting part of Dubrovnik is the old walled city, but to stay there, you’ll have to break your budget big time. So, I recommend that you stay in the residential part of the city, outside the city walls. Although it’s a modern and not so special area, you can find cheap and comfortable airbnbs there. The only drawback is that you’ll have to take the bus to reach the old city. To do so, you’ve two options: an overpriced touristy bus, or the local one (click to request info), guess which one I took:)

Having taken care of your accommodation, now its time for the fun part!

As I mentioned earlier, Dubrovnik is a very touristy city, so you better visit early in the morning to avoid the tour bus crowds and guarantee an authentic experience. I’ll not talk in this blog about the magnificent squares and churches in this city as you’ll find these in every travel guide, but they are a must to explore when you visit Dubrovnik, just be sure that you are armed with a good city map to optimize your visiting time (click to request info).

 

I won’t also talk about all the GOT sites in the city that you can visit as these two are in every guide to Dubrovnik, and if you are a GOT fan like me, then it will be fun to check them out and pose for pictures:).

Instead, I’ll focus here on two adventurous activities that are unique to this city and each is considered a once in a lifetime experience. The first adventure is walking the walls of the old city. These walls resemble a small version of the Great Wall of China and very few tourists walk the entirety of its length. With a map that points out the major sites in the city, start your walk at the Pile gate and walk clockwise. The entire walk is about 2km, so take your time, and in the summer, start early to avoid the scorching heat. You’ll have amazing and stunning bird-eye views of the city,

as well as panoramic views of the open sea.

The second adventure and the highlight of the trip is something you won’t expect to find in this tourist hotspot!! Its an activity that very few know about it or dare to do it, in the first place…its cliff jumping into the sea!! I’ve to warn you though, this is a completely unsupervised activity and you are On Your Own, so be careful and do it at your own risk! I’ll not reveal the location of the spot from where you can cliff jump into the sea here to allow your adventurous soul to discover it on its own, but of course, if you need any help, just contact me (click to request info). When reaching the location, you’ll first be scared of the scale of the jumps, but there are multi spots from which you can jump, so take your time, assess them all, gather your courage and do it! Its an amazing feeling:) I did two jumps: the first wasn’t too high, but you’ll have to run & jump!!

It is a bit scary, so take your time and let yourself flyyyyy:) the adrenaline rush I felt afterward is like nothing I experienced before; and if you were reluctant, your fellow adventurers will keep encouraging you:)

The next jump I did was higher, but doesn’t require running which makes a little bit easier, at least for me! So again, gather your courage and let fly:) My advice is that don’t think about the jumps too much, just think of the amazing feeling and let yourself free and you won’t regret it…its an experience of a lifetime!!
Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave

Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave

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Eisriesenwelt Cave

This is not a post about the cave itself, its about the hiking adventure to reach this magnificent cave at the top of the Austrian Alps. Of course, you’ll be rewarded from this tough hike with a tour at the largest ice cave in the world! But if this is your only goal, then you can take a cable car directly to the cave’s entrance:) However, as we are all adventurers here, so we have to do it the tough way & On Our Own:) so lets start.

First, these caves are located near the town of Werfen in Austria, so you can take a train from anywhere in the country to this town. After reaching Werfen train station, there is a bus that will take you directly to the cable car station for the cave (click to request info). The trailhead to the top of the mountain and the cable car upper station is directly next to the station; yet, you’ll find very few brave people going that way as 99% of the visitors will take the cable car!

On the day I visited the caves the weather was not perfect as it was cloudy and raining and the guy at the cable car tickets’ booth tried to discourage us from hiking! But we checked the weather forecast and there were no thunderstorms, so we decided to go on with the hike as it will even be more adventurous in this weather:) The trail, as expected, is all uphill to the top with no breaks in between, so you’ve to be fit & up to it to be able to conquer this mountain. The trail itself is very adventurous. First, it starts steep in the forest

then, in some places, it crosses some rock fields on a steep slope that can be tricky to navigate.

After navigating the first sections of the trail, it starts to go around the mountain with sheer cliff drops next to you.

I remember on the day I did this hike, there were sections where the trail was hanging around the mountain and the clouds were making the visibility almost close to zero, so it was a bit scary, yet very adventurous:).

Finally, the last section of the trail becomes a bit steep and tough, but the reward of reaching the cave entrance in an adventurous way will keep you going. In total, it took us 1:15 hours to reach the top of the mountain, so time to rest and catch your breath before joining in with the rest of the tourists who took the cable car.

From the cable car’s top station, its another 20min uphill hike to the cave’s entrance with amazing views of that particular natural phenomenon.

When reaching the cave you’ll join the standard tour into the cave, no adventure here & no photos allowed, but the cave itself and the ice formations are amazing. However, beware that this is an ice cave so it is freezing inside so be prepared with some warm clothing!

After finishing the tour, its time to go back down using the same trail. Of course, this will be all downhill which will be much easier, yet still tricky to navigate in some parts. Lucky for us, the weather cleared on our way down and revealed the amazing views of the valley below that we missed on our way up:).

Final word, for me, the cave itself is not worth the trip unless you are in the area, but, the hike and cave combo is definitely worth it, so enjoy:)
Anaga Mountains

Anaga Mountains

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Anaga Mountains

The forgotten part of Tenerife, yet a place of extreme beauty and serenity. The Anaga mountains are located at the far northern corner of the island, a world away from the bustling cities and beach resorts. It is a landscape that you won’t find something similar in the entirety of the Canary Islands. Unlike the volcanic nature of these islands, the Anaga mountains are lush green mountains up in the clouds with forests and wild beaches dotting the entire region. In this region, you’ll truly experience the local life of these islands with small villages nestled up in the mountains and shepherds and herds of sheep roaming freely on its slopes. Venturing into this region will satisfy your adventurous soul and is well worth the effort to at least do a day hike in this off-the-beaten path region.

Although there is an extensive network of trails in these mountains, it is really hard to get a good map of the entire trail network. However, the website of the natural preserve has detailed maps and descriptions of each individual trail and it is up to you to combine these trails together to enjoy a magnificent day hike On Your Own in this serene region (click to request info).

I did a day hike in the Anaga mountains totally independently through using public buses to connect to and from the start and ending points of my planned hike. I combined a number of trails together to enjoy an amazing hiking day of approximately 17 kms which took around 5-6 hours to complete, passing through several local and stunningly beautiful mountain villages and wild beaches…So lets start the adventure!

This is a rough sketch of my hiking tour in the Anaga mountains and in the following sections, I’ll take you through a detailed journey on each of these trails.

I started my hike at the Mirrador Cruz del Carmen which I reached using a public bus from Santa Cruz (click to request info). I got off the bus and hit the ground running from the excitement. The first trail I hiked on was a 3.7km hike from Cruz del Carmen till Las Carboneras via trails #10 and 10.1. The entire trail is a downhill, so it’ll be a nice warmup for the day. The trail starts from the bus stop at Cruz del Carmen and immediately you’ll enter into the lush green forest and you’ll be forgiven if you forgot that you are in the Canary Islands:)

This trail is so surreal and after around 2.5km on trail #10, you’ll reach a junction with trail #10.1 on which you’ll continue hiking for around 1.2km. This trail should take you around an hour to complete, but don’t be in a hurry and just enjoy the sounds of the forest:)

When reaching the village of Las Carboneras, its now time to switch to another trail. The next trail you’ll hike on will be the longest section of the day (6km). This leg will take you from Las Carboneras to the village of Afor via trail #9. The first section of this trail is mostly downhill again that will take you around a small mountain gorge. One tip here, look back while hiking for magnificent views of Las Carboneras.

The landscape here gets wilder as you are now in the middle of towering mountains and surrounded by forests from all angles…Stunning!

The next section of this trail is one of two uphill sections in the entire day; and although, it is only 1km in length, it is moderately tough and would require some effort to tackle it. Reaching this high point stunning views will start to unveil in all directions. So take a rest and enjoy the views as now you’ll start feeling the true Anaga experience.

From this point the trail will almost be flat for 1.5km, allowing you to soak in the views while hiking and you’ll start passing some local houses with domestic animals playing around:). The next 2km will be a steep downhill to the village of Afor…Facing the ocean while hiking this section, you can’t ask for better views and you’ll reach Afor after almost 1.5 hours on this trail.

Afor is at the mouth of river running from the mountains to the ocean, so the next trail will be hiking along the river till you reach the wild beach of Playa de Tamadite on trail #8. This trail is 2.5km in length, but it is an easy trail and should take you around 30-45 minutes to complete. Along the way you’ll pass several small bridges that cross the river and hiking this trail will feel like you are in a playground:) and it is your own playground as from now on, you’ll hardly meet anyone till you finish this day hike.

Playa de Tamadite is a very wild beach with high waves smashing into the rocks, you can swim there, but it is not easy, so be careful…I personally didn’t:)

Have a good rest here as you’ll start the next big uphill section after this point. The next trail is trail #8 that will take you all the way to the village of Taganana. It is a 4.5km wild hike up the cliffs above the ocean with no one around you…and its amazing! First, you’ll have to navigate the 0.7km uphill section till you reach the top of the trail…its tough but well worth it! At this point, the views are unbelievable… it is beautiful, wild and very surreal. From here to Taganana, you’ll hike on almost a flat trail with the ocean to your left, the mountains to your right, and the beautiful horizon in front of you.

It is a narrow trail that hugs the edge of the cliff which will keep your adrenaline pumping all the way. With every turn, stunning views and rock formations will unveil in front of you…so enjoy:)

Finally, you’ll reach the top of the village of Taganana and you’ll hike down between its white houses till you reach the main square and the bus stop from which you’ll catch your bus back to Santa Cruz. One final tip, Taganana is famous for its locally produced wine, so treat yourself with a glass of tasty wine before you head back and enjoy a magnificent sunset:)
El-Teide

El-Teide

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El-Teide

The mighty El-Teide, the dominant volcano that rises in the middle of Tenerife. This is an active volcano that rises proudly above the clouds and you are going to hike it all the way to the top; but before we start, there are some logistical stuff that you need to take care of first.

Yes, there is a cable car that takes you up the mountain, but it does not reach the summit, as it is no place for tourists… and that is what you are aiming for! Being an active volcano, the summit of El-Teide is a protected area and there is a limit on the number of people who can go up at any given time, so you got two options to be able to hike all the way to the top of this majestic volcano. First, if you want to hike up and down in one day, no camping allowed up there, then you’ll need to get a free permit for your planned day (click to request info) and chose from the multiple trails that reaches the top, but be aware…this will be a very long and demanding hiking day. I personally don’t recommend this option as it does not allow you to enjoy the full experience of being up this mighty volcano, and you’ll know why when you see the other option. The second option is the true El-Teide experience, it is a 2-day hike with a sunrise ascent to the summit, and believe me…there is nothing that beats the views that you’ll see:)

So where to spend the night when no camping is allowed?! No worries, there is a mountain refuge at an elevation of +3,260m called Altavista Refuge. This is a mountain hut type of refuge with shared dorms and fully equipped kitchen that you need to book in advance via their website (click to request info) as it gets full quickly.

The next logistical issue that you need to take care of is to plan your hiking route and chose the hiking trails that you want to hike up and down. So, armed with the hiking trails’ map of Parque Nacional Del Teide, you have two options to chose from when going up.

First, you can park your car at El-Portillo and hike all the way up to the refuge via trails # 6 & 7. If you have enough time, I recommend this trail as it traverses a lesser known part of the national park and not as steep as the other trails, although its much longer. The other option, the one I did, is to park your car at Montana Blanca car park and hike up via the Montana Blanca trail # 7 till you reach the refuge. This is a shorter, yet steeper trail, but an equally beautiful one that will take you to the refuge in less time. This will be your first day hike, then the next day you’ll do the sunrise hike to the top of El-Teide from the refuge.

So what about going down? You’ll find that most hikers who spent the night at the refuge will opt to go down via the cable car. Yes, you’ll be tired and beaten, but I strongly don’t recommend this option unless you are in a hurry or have other plans in the island. Honestly, it’s a shame to come up all this way and not to explore the other beauties of the national park; and believe me, the adrenaline will be pumping in your body from your earlier summit achievement and you’ll want to continue your hiking adventure. So, what I did, is I took trail # 12 from the cable car station to Pico Viejo, another perfect conically-shaped volcano that is further downhill at an elevation of +3,134, and then go down to El Parador car park via the long trail # 23. Obviously, the only way to do this hiking trip is to park at one of the car parks at Montana Balance or El Parador and hitch a ride to the other, which is perfectly doable. All set…enough with the logistics and lets start the real fun:)

The first day hike starts at Montana Balance parking; however, the drive to this parking lot is itself an amazing experience as you get closer and closer to this mighty volcano and you’ll say to yourself “no way that this is the mountain that I’m going to hike up”…but…it is:) The trail up to the refuge is 6.5km in length, with an elevation gain of +912m. The first 4km of this trail are not so steep and the trail is easy to follow. You’ll be hiking in a landscape that resembles Mars more than the earth, a total contrast from the lush green beaches that are allover the island. I can’t describe the views and the landscape enough, but they are simply stunning, beautiful, and wild.

After these 4km, you’ll reach a junction with trail #6 and the real ascent will begin. This last 2.5km are a series of switchbacks that go steeply up…forever. So, take your time in this part as you are now close to +3,000m of elevation and your breathing will get more difficult.

Drink lots of water and take as many breaks as you want and soon you’ll be at the refuge, and the feeling when you catch the first sight of the refuge will be one of total relief:) 

At this point, you’ll be done with day one after around 3:30 hours of tough hiking, so simply relax and enjoy the stunning views from up there.

At the refuge itself, they’ll assign you a bed in a 15-20 bed dorm room and there is a fully-equipped kitchen and wifi, so prepare your dinner, relax, and go to be d early to get ready for the big day. P.S. there is no drinking water at the refuge so take your water with you or better…(click to request info) 

It’s the big day now!! you’ll reach the very top of the mighty El-Teide at +3,718m high for a magnificent and an unforgettable sunrise. It will take you around 2 hours to reach the top from the refuge, so time your sleep accordingly to give yourself time to have a good breakfast and a cup of coffee because you’ll need every bit of energy on this day, and DON’T FORGET your headlamp and warm clothing:)

During these 2 hours, you’ll hike in complete darkness, but this adventure has very surreal feelings! Take a picture before you start hiking to commemorate this exciting moment.

The first part of the hike is as steep as the switchbacks from the previous day, but you can do it! With every step, El-Teide will start revealing itself to you in its full force and you’ll think that it is impossible to go up that mighty volcano, but keep believing in yourself:) After this part, there is a part that is half a kilometer away from the cable car station that is almost flat which is a nice reprieve. From the cable car station, the big uphill starts!! This part is around 0.7km, but they are grueling and the trail will start getting exposed as, by now, you are above anything that exists on this island. And as the dawn starts cracking the views and the feelings are simply unbelievable.

 You did it!! You are now at the top, you’ll be ecstatic, awed, and proud of yourself. I can’t describe how is it up this mighty volcano and how stunning this sunrise is, I’ll leave you with this collection of pictures and they’ll do the talking…BTW, these are the clouds, not the ocean:) 

After watching this magnificent sunrise, its time to head back down to the cable car station. Take a good rest here, have a picnic and recharge, as the day didn’t end yet:)

From here, take trail # 12 to Pico Viejo, which is a downhill, and well-marked trail. While on this trail, you’ll have Pico Viejo in front of you and El-Teide in your background…what more to ask for:)

The trail till the view point of Pico Viejo is easy and finally downhill:) then from this point it’ll get tougher as you’ll hike on a lava field till you reach Pico Viejo after around 1:30 hours. 

Have a good rest and lunch as from here you’ll almost be alone till you reach El Parador. It is a 5km hike, all on tough lava field and it’ll be very tiring after this long amazing day. Take your time admiring the magnificent views around you, you are almost there:) 

It will take around 2:30 hours till you reach the parking lot and along the way you’ll pass by the rock formations of Roques de Garcia with lots of tourists around you…what a different world:)
Zion Canyon National Park

Zion Canyon National Park

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Zion Canyon National Park

One of the most iconic national parks in the wild wild west is Zion Canyon NP in southern Utah. Dramatic landscape and a deep canyon carved by the North Fork of the Virgin River provides scenery that is out of this world.

Of course, no trip to the wild west is complete without true adventures and no place can do adventures like Zion NP and all On Your Own! You can spend an entire lifetime here and still you wouldn’t be able to explore the entire beauty of this park. The extensive hiking trails in Zion NP, whether day hikes or backcountry ones, will take you to places that you wouldn’t have imagined that they exist.

But be warned!! This isn’t a land for the fainthearted and any hike here should be well planned in advance. In the next blog posts, I’ll first show you an introductory hike that will get you acquainted with this park before we endeavor into 2 of the wildest & most iconic hikes that you can find anywhere in our planet:)

Hike 1: Emerald Pools

Hike 2: Angels Landing

Hike 3: The Narrows
The Narrows (Zion NP)

The Narrows (Zion NP)

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The Narrows (Zion NP)

If you think that you’ve seen it all, wait till you hike The Narrows!! Technically, the adventure into The Narrows is more of wading in waters rather than hiking, as 60% of it will be in the Virgin River! And the landscape you’ll encounter during this adventure is truly out-of-this-world. Add to that that this adventure will take you off-the-beaten-path in one of the busiest NPs in the entire US, so the feelings and experience of exploring such a unique place, On Your Own, are priceless.

Most people will only venture to the entrance of The Narrows by hiking the easy 1-mile paved Riverside walk from the Temple of Sinawava, unaware, or not adventurous enough, that they only got a faint glimpse of what lies ahead.

This means that this adventure is not for everyone, especially if done in the springtime, as I did. There are risks of flash flooding and hypothermia that you might face. In the spring, the snow is still melting, which mixes with the Virgin River water in The Narrows, so the water is freezing and the weather can change suddenly leading to risks of rain and flash flooding. So don’t attempt to undertake this adventure unless you are very well prepared!

The first step of your preparation is that you’ve to consult with the rangers at the visitor center the day before your planned adventure about the risks of flash flooding. They’ve all the necessary information that will allow you to make an informed decision. If the risk is low, then you still have to avoid the risk of hypothermia as you’ll walk in a freezing waters, in some sections it’ll be knee-high, for more than 4 hours.

Your normal gear won’t cut the chase here, evern if you use waterproof gear, you still need something like a drysuit to insulate the cold; so, you’ll need special gear from head to toe! (for details on the gear you need click to request info). Luckily, you don’t have to buy them as there is an outfitter in Springdale, UT who rent out this gear and they are reliable (click to request info). So, prearrange your gear, and on your planned day to hike The Narrows, pick them up in the morning and get ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!!

As I mentioned earlier, the access to this adventure is after hiking the Riverside Walk. So, park your car at the Temple of Sinawava parking lot and don’t put on your gear yet, hike this trail to the mouth of The Narrows first.

Now it is time to gear up and getting ready to venture away from the crowd On Your Own

The total length of this adventure is about 3.6 miles (1-way) of hiking, rock hopping, and wading in the water inside a narrow gorge and splendid sandstone formations, till reaching Big Spring as you are not allowed to continue further on a day hike and without a permit; however, this is, by all means, not an easy 3.6 miles to navigate.

At the start of the adventure, the water level will be very low and even some sections will be dry, but you’ll start to get an idea of this special terrain and landscape. The first section will take you to an area called Narrow Alcove. In this section, you’ll have to continuously hop on the rocks to find your way around the fast running waters. It is fun, yet not to be underestimated.

With every step, the water level will get higher, making your experience more adventurous and unique.

When you reach the Narrow Alcove, there will be a small beach on the side where you can rest and take a break.

Right after the beach, the gorge will get narrower and narrower, and you’ll feel that you are on a different planet!

This section till the Grotto Alcove is the easiest of all sections and, in some areas, it gets wider and the water will be peacefully still.

Now, and after 1.6 miles, the highlight of The Narrows begins. Right after the Grotto Alcove, the narrowest part of the entire Narrows, called Wall Street, begins. This is the section for which you saw pictures in famous websites and thought that they were photoshopped as you couldn’t imagine someone can access this area:) The gorge here becomes so narrow and, in some areas, only 20-feet wide!

At the beginning of Wall Street, there is a detour to your right to Orderville Canyon which is a scary even narrower tributary of the Virgin river that isn’t for the faint hearted. Even if it looks scary from its entrance, try to, at least, venture a couple of hundred feet inside and back to experience this wild place.

No words can describe the Wall Street section…the curvy sandstone formations, the clear water, and the narrow gorge, gives it all a feel of exclusivity and eeriness that makes you feel unique and privileged. In some sections the water is shallow.

And it gets deeper and deeper in others

But in all sections, it is a landscape that will make you appreciate the beauty of our stunning planet

The wall street section ends about half a mile before Big Spring, the gorge will get wider and you’ll feel that you are back to life:)

Continue your way to Big Spring, have your picnic and rest and get ready for heading back and more adventures:)  

Angel’s Landing (Zion NP)

Angel’s Landing (Zion NP)

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Angel’s Landing Hike (Zion NP)

I have to admit, this must be the scariest hike that I’ve ever did!! It needs strong courage and belief in your abilities to be able to navigate the last part of this crazy trail! but the reward is the iconic view over the entire Zion canyon that only few can reach. It is a hike that truly captures the essence of the Wild Wild west; and as always…you can do it On Your Own!

To access this hike, you’ve to first start by hiking the strenuous West Rim trail till you reach Scout lookout. If you are here for this hike only, then you can access the West Rim trail from the Grotto parking lot; however, I combined this hike with the Emerald Pools hike so it was longer but with added rewards. So, following on from the Emerald Pools hike blog, I’ll take you in this blog through this amazing and unforgettable hike.

Coming down from the Upper Emerald Pools, you’ll merge with the Kayenta trail instead of heading back to your car. This is a moderate 1-mile trail that will mark the start of your endless uphill journey to Angel’s Landing:) The trail first starts gently along the North Fork of the Virgin river.

Then will start climbing up till you reach the junction with the West Rim trail. At this point you would have gained 150ft of elevation and, looking back, the bird’s eye views of the valley will start to unfold.

Now you’ll start the real hike, or shall I call it…the battle! From here you’ll continuously hike uphill on the West Rim trail. You’ll need every breath with every step you take, so take your time and use the opportunity to admire the views along the way…Behind You!

After around half a mile, you would have gained a considerable elevation by now; and looking back towards the rive and the snaking trail, you’ll realize how high up you are! The views here are a glimpse of what awaits you during the rest of your adventure, but they are outright amazing.

Take your breath and continue hiking up! Your muscles will start to ache by now, but also the adrenaline will be pumping:) The trail will continue along the rim for another mile or so before the start of the switchbacks to Scout landing, so take a break here and admire those yet more amazing views.

The landscape here is a true reflection of the Wild West with rocky desert terrain, a deep canyon carved by a mighty river, and cactus trees dotting the landscape.

Now you are close to Scout landing, only half a mile, but it is all uphill through endless switchbacks.

The switchbacks will take you away from the river and deep into the rocky rim that will give you a feeling of a wanderer:)

Finally, you’ll reach Scout landing after gaining an elevation of almost 1,400ft. At this point, the views are magnificent enough to make you wonder wait more can possibly await you! You are now almost at the top of the west rim of the canyon and you can see all the way down to the bottom of it.

And this is the road that you drove on!!

You can also see both sides of the canyon from here which gives you a stunning 360 degrees panoramic views.

Now its time to take a long rest and have your lunch because what awaits you is a completely different animal! You only have half a mile left to hike with approximately 90ft of elevation gain till you reach Angel’s landing, but this is not what should concern you here…what should is the trail itself!!

Take a close look at this picture!

Yes, you’ll hike on that trail and On Your Own!! So, you’ve a big decision to make! You should trust your abilities, but also know your limitations as fatalities are not uncommon here! So take your time, assess the trail and the weather, and decide if you want to continue or not…and, if you need any encouragement… I spent almost an hour at Scout landing trying to make a decision! I kept peaking at the trail, hike few yards and back, and thinking will I be able to do it! But, at the end, I gathered all the courage that I have and decided to go for it…and I’m glad I did. My advice to you when doing this part of the hike is to take your time, watch every step you take, use the guardrails and chains installed, don’t get distracted by the views, forget about taking pictures here:( and above all…NEVER LOOK DOWN!! And remember you have to come back the same way!

The start of the Angel’s landing trail will be on a slippery rock face. After this initial hurdle, you’ll feel a bit secure as, although the trail gets very narrow, it is not exposed from both sides. But this is the last of such comfort feeling which explains why I was happy in these pictures (took on my way back), and why these are the last pictures that I took:) I’ve to admit, I was scared to death and being a solo hiker, self-timer pictures aren’t an option here:)

  

It took me nearly an hour to navigate this trail and, lucky me, it wasn’t that windy. At some sections, I felt that I want to go back, but I couldn’t turn as the trail is so narrow, so my only option was to go forward and gather all the courage I have and trust my abilities.

I can’t describe the feeling when I reached this magical spot and because it took me so long to come here, I was alone which is an added bonus! It is so surreal, scary, and peaceful st the same time. So enjoy this unforgettable moment and take as long as you like…you did something really tough and you deserve this reward.

One last advice… don’t get a false sense of security on your way back and say to yourself that it’ll be easy as you did it before! Yes, it will be easier, but never easy. So, take the same precautions on your way back till you reach Scout landing…at this point youcan start dancing if you want:)

 

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