Some people seek out the networks of serviceable huts scattered across mountain ranges, forests, and rolling countrysides all over the world.
Lodge-to-lodge, chalet-to-chalet—whatever you want to call them, the following seven hut-to-hut hikes will get your feet moving every day and let you unwind. Of course, five-star opulence isn’t always possible in places as remote as these, but having an ultra-comfortable place to lay your head and someone else organizing everything—logistics, luggage transfers, and maybe even a quick van transfer or two—leaves you with the luxury of simply focusing on the natural world around you.
(All listed prices are based on double occupancy.)
Shakti Himalaya has renovated rooms in Himalayan village houses so that guests can enjoy every comfort in some very remote locales.
Courtesy of Gentl & Hyers/Shakti Himalaya
1. Shakti Kumaon Village Walk + Shakti 360° Leti
- Location: Northern India
- Length: Eight days
- Price: From $7,595 per person
- Book now: shaktihimalaya.com
Although the Himalayas offer some of the most remote and punishing trekking terrain in the world, Shakti has managed to create truly indulgent experiences here. While the outfitter’s offerings in Ladakh and Sikkim bring travelers to Himalayan villages that most have never heard of, the experience in Kumaon, paired with a stay at the outstanding Shakti 360° Leti lodge, goes above and beyond.
Trekkers on the eight-day journey follow country roads through rhododendron forests, past Hindu temples, and from one farming village to the next, meeting and interacting with locals. The trip concludes with three nights in one of the teak-and-slate cottages at Shakti 360° Leti lodge. While you could spend your day relaxing at the lodge, it’s worth it to take a gentle walk (or a more strenuous hike, if you’re up for extra exercise) into the countryside. Or simply soak in your surroundings: At 8,000 feet above sea level, the views of the Himalayas from here—especially at sunrise—are spectacular.
Instead of opting for the Inca trail, consider walking other paths in the Sacred Valley.
Photo by Jon Chica/Shutterstock
2. Salkantay Trek
- Location: Peru
- Length: Seven days
- Price: From $3,300 per person
- Book now: mountainlodgesofperu.com
For decades, people have flocked to Machu Picchu to follow in the footsteps of the ancient Inca. Most zero in on the Inca trail, but in fact, the Inca made tracks all over the Sacred Valley. Luxury outfitter Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP) has been guiding people through some of those lesser-known rocky mountain passes, cloud forests, and steep, forested river valleys since 2007, connecting its guests to the Indigenous Andean communities that still live there, and doing it all in style.
MLP’s seven-day Salkantay Trek does culminate in a visit to Machu Picchu Sanctuary, but first, you’ll travel through blissfully crowd-free sections of the Andes, traversing 15 different ecosystems, exploring the stacked-stone walls of archaeological sites such as Quillarumiyoc, and crossing the Salkantay Pass at more than 15,000 feet above sea level.
Night stays throughout the trek include four of MLP’s proprietary lodges (the Salkantay, Wayra Lodge, Colpa Lodge, and Lucma Lodge), where you can soothe sore limbs in the outdoor Jacuzzis, opt for spa treatments, and enjoy gourmet meals. Each lodge blends Andean building concepts, such as thatched roofs, with contemporary design touches like huge, multi-paned windows—perfect for taking in commanding views of the landscape you conquered earlier in the day.
Spend the night in comfortable, cozy accommodations in fairy-tale hamlets high in the Alps on MT Sobek’s Tour du Mont Blanc.
Photo by Chris Bettencourt for MT Sobek
3. Tour du Mont Blanc
- Location: Italy, France, Switzerland
- Length: 10 days
- Price: From $7,795 per person
- Book now: mtsobek.com
The history of mountain refuge networks in the Alps—particularly in Italy and France—makes this a classic destination for hut hiking, and no peak here is more iconic to trekkers than the range’s tallest: Mont Blanc. Those travelers who circle the massif (rather than summit it) pass through France, Italy, and Switzerland, enjoying the culture and cuisine of each.
MT Sobek ups the ante on this classic route with its Tour du Mont Blanc experience, one of the adventure travel company’s most popular trips for over 40 years. On its 12-day trip, you’ll cover the same terrain that draws so many to the heart of the Alps: Roman roads that cut through wildflower-strewn alpine meadows, narrow trails that lead to mountain lakes, and gravelly high-altitude washes that give way to glaciers.
At night, you’ll descend into charming hamlets to feast on fresh, delicious fare and to sleep in fine hotels, resorts, and chalets with warm, wooden interiors, plus large windows and balconies and an occasional spa or sauna. When you’re not hiking, spend your time relaxing and enjoying Alpine cheese and Rhône wine while MT Sobek’s expert guides take care of everything else.
The Three Capes Lodge Walk allows hikers to experience the more than 40-square-mile Tasman National Park.
Photo by Joel Everard/Shutterstock
4. Three Capes Lodge Walk
- Location: Australia
- Length: Four days
- Price: From $2,287 per person
- Book now: taswalkingco.com.au
The Great Walks of Australia is a network, supported by Tourism Australia, of independently owned hiking experiences that highlight some of the country’s best natural wonders, while providing guests with luxury accommodations. Most of the collection’s 14 offerings explore the terrain from a single homebase, but on the Three Capes Signature Walk operated by Tasmanian Walking Company, guests trek from one night’s lodge to the next.
The two buildings, Crescent Lodge and Cape Pillar Lodge (guests spend two nights at the latter) are located within Tasman National Park and were designed with sustainable features, including solar-powered technology and Archimedes wind turbines, which don’t threaten local birdlife. Here, you’ll enjoy quick access the island’s dramatic southern coast where you can explore woodlands and dolerite cliffs; swim in the Southern Ocean; climb the 985-foot Arthurs Peak; spot albatross, petrels, and gannets; and revel in end-of-the-Earth views—there’s nothing between here and Antarctica.
At the end of the day, indulge in hot baths, facials, and massages, surrounded by clean-but-cozy contemporary decor, and dig into phenomenal three-course meals highlighting local cuisine and Tasmanian wine.
Follow the steps of gold miners on Oregon’s Rogue River Canyon.
Photo by Hills Outdoors/Shutterstock
5. Rogue River Canyon
- Location: Oregon
- Length: Four days
- Price: From $1,969 per person
- Book now: wildrogue.com
In the late 1800s, a band of gold miners cleared a trail deep into southwest Oregon’s Rogue River Canyon, along the charging river and through old-growth Douglas fir forest. This is the route you’ll hike during Rogue Wilderness Adventure’s four-day, 40-mile journey. Guides, all trained in wilderness first aid and CPR, ferry your luggage by raft from one remote lodge to the next. Every morning begins with a briefing on the day’s route. After a peaceful hike through the woods, your guides meet you along the trail for a picnic lunch. Each evening you share a home-cooked dinner at one of the lodges. (Don’t miss Black Bar’s sourdough biscuits and jam.) Later, the guides will regale you with tales of Bigfoot sightings.
Guests staying at CMH’s Bobbie Burns Lodge in Canada’s Columbia Mountains travel to hard-to-reach hiking spots via helicopter.
Photo by Tammy Hanratty for CMH Heli-Skiing and Adventures
6. Columbia Mountains
- Location: Canada
- Length: Seven days
- Price: From $7,090 per person
- Book now: cmhheli.com
Technically, guests on CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventure’s lodge-to-lodge experience don’t walk the whole way from one lodge to the next. But as the experience itself is all about heli-hiking, it seems fitting that the transition between bases includes a helicopter too.
Over seven days, trekkers explore the glacial lakes, peaks, and craggy terrain of the Columbia Mountains, spending three days at CMH’s Bobbie Burns Lodge and three at its flagship, log-hewn Bugaboos Lodge. If guided extreme adventures such as the Mount Nimbus via ferrata (a system of steel cables and bridges that allow hikers to traverse challenging terrain more easily) or a trek to the Conrad Glacier weren’t enough, both lodges feature indoor climbing walls.
After all that adventure, nothing is more welcome than the lodges’ saunas and hot tubs, which offer spectacular views. Order a glass of wine (Bugaboos Lodge has a huge glass-walled wine cellar), sit back with a book in a fireside leather armchair, or retire early to your room to prepare for the next day’s adventures.
The Tongariro Northern Circuit is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.
Photo by Roman Nikau/Shutterstock
7. Tongariro Northern Circuit
- Location: New Zealand
- Length: Three days
- Price: From $901 per person
- Book now: walkinglegends.co.nz
Taking on breathtaking landscapes by foot is no foreign concept in New Zealand. (The Lord of the Rings, which features arguably the ultimate hut-to-hut hike, was filmed here.) This specific route by Walking Legends takes trekkers on a 22-mile hike around no fewer than three active volcanoes—Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Ruapehu—showcasing both glacial valleys and alpine herb fields.
Trekkers start their trip exploring part of the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing before exploring the Rangipō Desert, which is the country’s only desert. Throughout the trip, trekkers spend their nights in two different Department of Conservation huts, Oturere Hut and Waihohonu Hut—here, the wood-fired heating and large verandas of the lodge contribute to an immersive experience.
This article originally appeared online in August 2019; it was updated on December 19, 2023, to include current information.
