Best walking holidays in NZ and overseas

What’s not to love about a walking holiday? It’s a chance to visit places you have never been, maybe immerse yourself in a new culture, and explore stunning landscapes, all while boosting your physical and mental health.

This month we are focusing on walking holidays – two intrepid explorers share their experiences, and we have tips and advice on how to prepare for your own adventure.

So let’s explore some of the best-loved walks in New Zealand and around the world.

Walking in Aotearoa

Living in New Zealand, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to walking and hiking. In fact, last year, New Zealand was named the Best Destination for Walking Holidays in the International Traveller Readers' Choice Awards, with voters highlighting our glacier-carved valleys, iconic movie-set landscapes, and pristine networks of trails.

Here are a few options.

The official Great Walks of New Zealand
These are 11 premium walking and tramping tracks that provide access to some of the country's most spectacular natural landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage. You can check them all out on the Great Walks website. The Milford Track is the best-known of these walks, while the Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of the most accessible options for beginners.

Much of it follows a well-graded coastal track, although there are some steeper sections. Walkers move through beautiful native bush alongside golden-sand beaches and turquoise bays. You can even arrange for water taxis to carry heavy overnight bags between huts and walk with just a light daypack. And if the blisters get too bad, just hop on a boat back to civilisation.

Otago Central Rail Trail
Although best known as a cycle trail, this is also suitable for walkers and would be a fantastic first hiking holiday. The full trail is 152km and takes six to seven days on foot but you can do shorter sections. The big advantage is the terrain: it follows the old railway line, so there are no steep climbs, and the surface is predominantly a wide, compacted gravel path. Even better for a first walking holiday, you’re not sleeping in huts or carrying everything on your back. There are country hotels, motels, B&Bs, cottages, farm stays and more upmarket accommodation in the towns along the way. You can organise it independently or use a tour planner, and some accommodation providers offer pick-ups and drop-offs.

Tora Coastal Walk, Wairarapa

This is another supported option, but considerably more luxurious. It's a three-day private walk over farmland and coastline, with three nights' accommodation, all meals and daily luggage transfers included. The 2026/27 price is $1,095 per adult.

Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds
In total, this covers 73.5km, but you can walk individual sections or do the whole thing over three to five days. Crucially for beginners, there are lodges along the way and you can have your luggage transported by boat, so you only need to carry a daypack. DOC describes the track as wide and benched, although a good level of fitness is still needed for the full walk.

Aotea Track, Great Barrier Island
This track is a step up from beginner level but it’s a good Auckland option and a nice contrast to the South Island tracks. It can be done over two or three days and combines relatively easy walking with some steeper sections. Tourism New Zealand highlights the natural hot springs as one of its attractions.

Hollyford Track, Fiordland
For more experienced walkers, this track is 56km over four to five days and travels from the mountains towards the coast. Independent walkers can stay in six DOC backcountry huts along the track. They have mattresses, heating and toilets, but no cooking facilities, so you carry your own food and stove. Then there is the more upmarket guided version, which uses private accommodation such as Martins Bay Lodge and includes extras such as guiding and transport. So it can range from a traditional carry-your-own-gear DOC hut tramp to a much more comfortable walking holiday.

Overseas adventures

The Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago isn’t one single trail but a network of ancient pilgrimage routes that lead to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. The best-known, the Camino Francés, runs for around 800km from the Pyrenees and can take five or six weeks to walk, but you can tackle as little or as much of the Camino as you like.

For a shorter walking holiday, a popular option is the final 100km of the Camino Francés from Sarria to Santiago, usually walked over five or six days, while the final 100km of the Camino Portugués from Tui offers another relatively gentle option with stages that can be spread over six days.

Discover more from people who have walked the walk – Atatū Toasted founder Clare Robinson shares her adventure in Postcards from Portugalwhile Grant Caunter from State of Play non-alcoholic brewery details two trips to the Camino in his blog Going on a gap month - Camino Style.

Great Glen Way, Scotland
A good option for beginner walkers, this runs about 120km from Fort William to Inverness, following the Caledonian Canal and lochs including Loch Ness. It normally takes four to seven days and much of it is relatively low-level walking on canal towpaths, forest tracks and roads, with accommodation in communities along the route. The official site says it suits all levels of walker, although there are some more challenging sections.

Kumano Kodo, Japan
This is an ancient network of pilgrimage trails through the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, with traditional inns, villages, shrines and hot springs along the way. Some sections are genuinely tough, but you don't have to do those: the official tourism bureau recommends the 7.5km Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha section for beginners, and there are three- and four-day itineraries combining shorter walks with overnight stays. Luggage transfers are also available.

Tour du Mont Blanc, France, Italy and Switzerland
The roughly 170km circuit around Mont Blanc crosses three countries and is usually walked in seven to 10 days, staying in mountain refuges, hotels and villages along the way. It isn't technically difficult, but there is close to 10,000m of climbing in total, so you need decent fitness and preparation. It can also be broken into shorter sections or walked over 11–12 days to make the daily distances more manageable.

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru
This is probably one of the world's most recognisable multi-day walks and would give you a completely different setting. The classic trek combines Andean mountain scenery and Inca archaeological sites before arriving at Machu Picchu. Altitude and steep climbs make preparation important, and access is controlled through permits, so it's one that requires more advance planning.

Whichever route you choose for your walking holiday adventure, make sure you have set aside enough time to really enjoy the experience. This is one time when the journey is definitely more important than the destination.