sights uncovered
Travel with Tessa

Top 10
Amazing Hikes and Treks

  1. Peru
    A four day hike along the Inca Trail in the shadow of the ‘Apus’ – the revered Andes mountains – which culminated in reaching the ‘Lost City of the Inca’ – Machu Picchu.
  2. Northern Vietnam
    A two-day hike with our charismatic young guide, Cheung, into the mountains to visit the Hill Tribes: The Tays, the Black H’mong, and the Red Dao. We spent the night in the home of a Tay couple, their two young children, elderly parents and animals and took a long evening walk through the village, soaking up the charm of the locals going about their daily routines. We were awoken before daybreak by the village alarm clock – a choir of roosters- announcing the dawn of a new day.


    Peru- Machu Picchu.

    Tay Woman-Vietnam.
  3. Argentina – Patagonia
    Estancia Cristina. Horse riding beneath the snow covered Andes along rocky narrow paths, past waterfalls and through streams. Trekking to the view point of the spectacular Upsala Glacier. Two days were not enough for us. It’s paradise.
  4. Morocco – The Sahara
    Trekking on camels under a black ink sky embroidered with stars sparkling like diamonds. The only sound the ‘she-she-she’ of the camel’s hooves in the sand.


    Patagonia-Argentina.

    The Sahara- Morocco.
  5. Laos
    Riding through the dense forest, my legs astride the broad neck of a majestic male elephant. He lumbered through a stream, stopping every once in a while to wrap his trunk around the branch of a tree for a tasty treat.
  6. USA – Bryce Canyon – Utah
    Hiking at the break of dawn among the cathedral spires of stone that turn every shade of peach and pink. A natural high if ever there was one.


    A stop for a drink-Laos.

    Bryce Canyon- Utah.
  7. USA – Grand Canyon – Arizona
    The experience of a lifetime. Hiking to the floor of the canyon and camping for two nights in a tiny tent beside the turquoise river, then hiking up again. It was grueling and yet we never wanted the experience to come to an end.
  8. China – The Great Wall
    Two hours from Beijing by car is the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall built during the Ming Dynasty, starting in the mid 16th century. The crowds are thin especially when one sets out at 8:45 a.m. We had a picture perfect day with blue skies and incredible views of the wall snaking along the mountaintops.


    Grand Canyon-Arizona.

    The Great Wall Of China.
  9. Jordan – Petra (1996)
    We walked along a pathway between walls of rock the height of a small skyscraper, that look as though an artist has casually streaked them in shades of grey, gold, red and purple. At one point, these towering walls are so close to each other that there is almost no daylight and the temperature drops. A few steps farther, framed between the jagged pillars, a slither of an ancient golden temple appears. Khasneb – a treasury built into the rock face centuries ago. We hiked for hours spellbound by the temples, the tombs, the amphitheatre, the colonnaded street, the caves.


    Petra- Jordan. Our first view of The Treasury.

    Petra–Jordan. A tomb built into the rock face.
  10. USA – Zion National Park
    A hikers dream. We spent five days there and did a different hike each day. The sculpted rock formations are so majestic and powerful, that they leave one awestruck. From Observation Point – 2,150 feet above the valley floor where the terrain changes constantly offering the hiker a smorgasbord of breathtaking sights; to the Slot Canyons; the Emerald Pools with their elegant waterfalls; Hidden Canyon with its narrow ledges, fern covered walls and sheer drops; Weeping Rock where spring water seeps out of the rock; and the spectacular vistas from Angel’s Landing.


    Utah. Zion National Park. Hidden Canyon Trail.

    Utah. Zion Nationl Park.Slot Canyons.