1. sossusvlei, namibia. the hike starts at the small parking lot about 60 km east of sesriem on a dirt road. there is no real trail here, but you can find your way around in the midst of high sanddunes, following the salty flats that curve a little south in the beginning. sossusvlei is about 5 km from the parking lot.
2. grand canyon, arizona, usa. i hiked the southern part of the bright angel trail, starting from the south rim, up to indian gardens and plateau point, where you'll have an incredible view through the canyon. this 9 km down and 9 km upcanyon trail took me about 7 hours.
3. palaung mountain, kalaw, burma. on this day long hike from kalaw of about 20 km i was accompanied by a local guide. we hiked over small paths, still in use by mountain people who bring their farmer goods to the kalaw market. because of heavy rains this steep trail was very slippery. but beautiful. we've had lunch in the remote pain nai pin monastery, and ate pineapple in the longhouse of a pa-o family.
4. uluru/ayers rock, australia. two hikes are very much worth the effort. the first is the climbing of ayers rock, the second is just circling around, keeping the rock either on your right or left side. the climbing of ayers rock starts very steep. you'll need the attached chain to sometimes pull yourself forward. on top of the mountain it's not flat. there's a sea of rolling rocks.
5. sliding sands, maui, hawaii, usa. the hike starts near the summit of haleakala volcano at the island of maui. it slides down the caldera through multicoloured sands and gravels. ka lu'u o ka o'o dome makes a convenient turning point. the vista within the caldera is astonishing. shifting clouds often give shade to the burning sun.
6. lake karakul, xinjiang province, china. this walk along the borders of lake karakul in the karakoram mountains is in fact a very easy one, if the altitude of the lake wouln't be at about 4,000 meters above sealevel. Even 100 meters is quite a distance. but the area is beautiful, walking in between snowcapped mountains ranking way past 7,000 and in between yaks, camels and wild donkeys. just start at the yurts along the karakoram highway.