Australian Hiker | Australian Hiker’s Multi-day International Bucket List Hikes

Australian Hiker’s Multi-day International Bucket List Hikes

When you want to leave home

In this article we identify our ‘still to do’ bucket list of overseas (outside Australia) multi-day hikes. Each of these hikes, regardless of their length, has something that resonates with us for one reason or another. However, they may not be your cup of tea, given that most of them are long distance trails ranging from 75 km all the way up to the longest trip on the list at around 3,000 km.

Use these walks as a guide and hopefully it will spark some enthusiasm for you to add one or more of these walks to your bucket list – maybe it will inspire you to try something that you hadn’t thought about!

1. West Coast Trail

Distance: 74 km
Country: Canada
Start point: Pachena Trailhead, Vancouver Island
End point: Gordon River Trailhead
Duration: 6-8 days but be prepared for a longer trip due to environmental conditions
Best time: May to September

This is a trail that most Australian hikers wouldn’t know exists but for us it holds a special place. It was this trail that I came across around ten years ago in our local newspaper – it sparked my interest in North American hikes and sent me down a rabbit hole of internet researching that made me fall in love with long distance hiking.

Is this hike for you?

All group members need to be proficient in multi-day overnight backpacking
Able to hike long distances through rough terrain carrying a heavy backpack containing everything needed to be prepared for a wilderness experience
Flexible with their hiking plans to adjust if conditions warrant delays. Injuries, weather patterns, or other factors could mean a longer hike than anticipated. Hikers may have to wait several days during heavy rain to cross rivers safely

To note:

The recommendation is for at least one member of the group to carry bear spray
You need to book this trail
Try to avoid fire season

West Coast Trail Websites

A few challenging steps on the West Coast Trail (image: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/activ/sco-wct#plan)

2. Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James)

Distance: 774 km
Countries: France to Spain
Start point: Saint Jean Pied De Port, France
End point: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Duration: 33-45 days
Best time: April to October

One of the world’s best known long distance hikes and one that has spawned numerous books and movies. This pilgrimage walk is one that sits on many hikers and walkers bucket lists. It starts in France and spends much of its 774 km distance in Spain and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This trail is a well known pilgrimage trail and for many walkers a healing trail.

Camino websites

Camino de Santiago trail marker

3. John Muir Trail

Distance: 340 km
Country: USA
Start point: Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley (North)
End point: Mount Whitney (South)
Duration: 21 days
Best time: July through to September

Many people may know of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) but what about the John Muir Trail (JMT)? This 340 km trail takes in some of the best parts of the well known PCT and is a fraction of the distance. The JMT takes in some of the best of America’s parks including Yosemite, John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness.

The difficulty with this trail is that it’s so popular you make take a number of years to snag yourself a trail permit.

John Muir Trail websites

John Muir Trail Patch

4. GR20

Distance: 200 km
Start: Corsica (France)
Start point: Calenzana
End point: Conca
Duration: 12-16 days
Best time: June to September

The GR20 is a long distance hiking trail that traverses the island of Corsica diagonally, from Calenzana in the north, to Conca in the south. This is one of the harder GR routes but also one of the most unique. We were planning on doing this walk a few years ago but life (and Covid) got in the way!

GR20 websites

GR20 (image: https://www.le-gr20.fr/en/)

5. Coast to Coast Walk (UK)

Distance: 317 km
State: UK
Start point: St Bees on the west coast
End point: Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast
Duration: 12-16 days
Best time: May to June or August to September

As the name suggests this walk takes you from one side of England to the other in around two weeks. It can be done in either direction and is one of the best known British walks. In 2022 this walk joined the National Trails Network and is being progressively upgraded with work due for completion in 2025. How many people can say they have walked across the country, literally!

Coast to Coast websites

Mike Railton near the ‘Haystacks’ in the Lakes District, Cumbria (image: Mike Railton)

6. Te Araroa New Zealand

Distance: 3,000 km
Country: New Zealand
Start point: Cape Reinga (North)
End point: Bluff (South)
Duration: 100-130 days
Best time: October to April

New Zealand’s long trail and one that around 2,000 hikers complete each year. This is your chance to see what the land of the Long White Cloud has on offer as you walk from the north of New Zealand all the way down to the south for a distance of 3,000 km!

Te Araroa Trail Website

Te Araroa trail logo (image: https://www.teararoa.org.nz/)

7. Tour du Mont Blanc

Distance: 170 km
Countries: France, Italy and Switzerland
Start point: Les Houches, Chamonix Valley
End point: Les Houches, Chamonix Valley
Duration: 11 days
Best time: June to late September

The Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. It circles the Mont Blanc massif, covering approximately 170 km though France, Italy and Switzerland. It is done in a loop so the starting point is really up to you. This is one of the world’s most recognised hikes!

Tour du Mont Blanc websites

Tour de Mont Blanc (image: https://www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/)

8. Via Transilvanica

Distance: 1600 km
Countries: Romania
Start point: Bucovina (north)
End point: Terra Romana (South west)
Duration: 60-80 days
Best time: September-October or May-June

The Via Transilvanica long distance hiking trail which was officially launched on the 8^th of October 2022. At that time the trail was 1400km but at the time of this interview covers just on 1600km in distance. The aim of this trail was to give travellers the chance to discover various parts of Romania in quite a unique way – different regions with their history, people, culture, landmarks, and stories. On launching it was designed to be the trail that unites.

Trail Guidepost, there is. post every 1km

9. Camino Primativo

Distance: 311 km
Countries: Spain
Start point: Oviedo, Spain
End point: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Duration: 15 days
Best time: April-November

The Camino Primitivo, or Original Way, is the oldest of all the Camino de Santiago routes. It was first walked in the 9th century by King Alfonso II of Asturias, who travelled from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela to confirm that the remains discovered there were those of St James the Apostle. His journey marked the beginning of a pilgrimage tradition that would inspire millions over the centuries.

Camino Primitivo information
Find out more in our Australian Hiker podcast interview

Sunrise on the Camino Primitivo

10. Camino del Norte

Distance: 803 km
Countries: Spain
Start point: San Sebastián, Spain
End point: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Duration: 29 days
Best time: April to October

The Full Camino del Norte is a stunning route that stretches through the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias before reaching Ribadeo in the scenic region of Galicia.This Full Camino del Norte route is a medium to challenging Camino route and is recommended for hikers with previous hiking experience and a good level of fitness.

Camino Primitivo website
Find out more in our Australian Hiker podcast interview

Camino Norte and Camino Primitivo guidebook

11. Le Puy Camino

Distance: 727 km
Countries: France, Spain
Start point: Le Puy-en-Velay, France
End point: Saint-Jean, France
Duration: 11 days
Best time: April to October

Le Chemin du Puy from Le-Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, starts in the spectacular town of Le Puy-en-Velay in central France. It follows the GR65 trail and is France’s most popular Camino de Santiago route. You then commence the Camino de Santiago rot make for a very long trip.

Trail website

12. Lycian Way

Distance: 760 km
Countries: Türkiye
Start point: Ölüdeniz (West)
End point: Geyikbayırı (east)
Duration: 35 days
Best time: February-May or September to November

Türkiye first long-distance trekking route. Lycia is the historical name of the Tekke Peninsula, which juts into the Mediterranean on Turkey’s southern coast. The mountains rise steeply from the rocky coast, giving beautiful views and varied walking. Forestry predominates; pines are mixed with strawberry trees and carob, and give way to juniper and cedar at higher elevations.

Lycian Way coastal view

13. Hexatrek

Distance: 3034 km
Countries: France
Start point: Wissembourg or Hendaye
End point: Hendaye or Wissembourg
Duration: 90-150 days
Best time: June to October

HexaTrek is a 3034 km hiking trail, connecting 14 of the most beautiful nationals parks and crossing France from the Vosges to the Pyrenees. The path follows the highest mountain regions of our country, often nicknamed “l’Hexagone” for its hexagonal shape, joining together some of the most emblematic summits, natural wonders and wildest places.
47 Great Hiking GR® trails have been brought together in a single path to create this thru hike.

Forest on the Hexatrek

Final thoughts

While not my intent, we (I) ended up choosing a range of multi-day walks for our overseas bucket list hikes (that we still have left to walk). Having said that, we chose these walks because they resonate with us for one reason or another. Some of these walks are really well known and others you’d be hard-pressed to locate on a map but they all have the potential to create life long memories.

A number of these walks, in fact most of them, are only going to be for serious walkers but for those of you who like their walks on the longer side, there are some great ones to choose from!

The only thing for us to decide is which one we’ll do first!

Last updated

24 March 2026

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