While orienteering is an outrageous outdoor activity that can yield numerous benefits, where one should partake in this adventure after being immersed in its outdoor luxury can prove overwhelming. Being lost, finding your way home and ultimately being embraced in the arms of nature’s wildenss
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
- Home of the world’s highest seaside peak
- Isolated mountain range in northern Colombia separated from the Andes by a low elevation area
- Wide variety of ecoregions, providing many challenging terrains like: beach, mountainous, tropical rainforest, marsh, and grassland.
- Not too far from civilization – The coastal city of Santa Marta would be a great base camp to begin at and return to after your adventure
- Elevation changes add to the challenge of the hiking experience
Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A
- Located in northwest Wyoming, also extending into Idaho & Montana
- Diverse landscape with cliffs, rivers, springs, fields, and mountains
- Known to be the most beautiful national park in America
- Dotted with volcanic regions and coated in volcanic rock from eruptions that have occurred over the past 2 million years
- Good location for orienteering because of its various terrains, including subalpine forest, rivers, cliffs/mountains, and flatlands.
- There are lots of tourist camps to navigate to
- The site is already mapped out extensively, making your experience easier
- Gorgeous landscapes that provide fantastical scenes as you hike
Everest Base Camp Trek, Nepal
- Located in central Nepal, nestled between the folds of the Himalayan mountains
- Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, at 29,029 feet above sea level, so high that the entirety of the mountain is coated in ice and snow
- Drastic elevation differences, difficult navigation between the mountain ranges, and challenging weather conditions add to the fun of the orienteering adventure.
- The mountain peaks are snowy, while the ground is dry but very cold nearly year round
- Helpful locals, most of which know a bit of English (in case you get truly lost)
Inca Trail, Peru
- Located in the Andes mountains of Peru
- Popular attraction because of rich cultural history and gorgeous views from the high mountain peaks
- Good location for orienteering because there are several overlapping trails to travel on and navigate to, the challenging elevation changes provide for interesting hiking, and because the navigation is not excessively difficult because the trails are well marked
Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
- Located in Tanzania right by the Kenyan border
- Mt. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic landform with 3 volcanic peaks creating one massive mountain
- Elevation tops off at 19,341 ft above sea level, with the peaks cold and snowcapped and the area around being very warm and forested
- Tallest free-standing mountain in the world
- Variety of climates at different elevations providing for a diverse set of terrains, some rocky, some icy, and others grassy.
- A total of seven trekking route options you could use to guide your journey
- There are multiple peaks (volcanic cones) to navigate to and around at the summit
Yosemite National Park, U.S.A
- Park in eastern California
- Very popular site, attracting visitors from around the world to its breathtaking waterfalls, mountains, and ecologically diverse forests and prairies
- Various path options for both cycling and hiking by foot
- Many differing terrains, some flat and some steep, mountainous and rocky
- Elevation changes provide for an interesting, challenging experience for the body & mind
MacLehose Trail, Hong Kong
- Hiking route in southeastern China, covering a distance of around 100 km
- Less extreme elevation changes than the rest of the sites on the list
- Distance markers along the way can act as checkpoints on your journey
- You can go off-trail for the orienteering trip and then get back on to navigate along the way
- This trail has incredibly beautiful, mystical views like none other in the world
Chugach State Park, U.S.A.
- Located in southern Alaska
- One of the 4 largest parks in the U.S.
- Bordered by the seashore on one side and mountains on the other, the rocky terrain is extremely diverse with lakes, glaciers, flatlands, and hills
- Good location for orienteering because each destination you navigate to could be in a completely different ecological ecosystem
- Extremely diverse park with extensive attractions, all different and all breathtaking
Overland Track, Australia
- Australia’s most prized park
- Located in Tasmania
- Ever-changing temperatures, fluctuating from hot to sub-zero add extra challenges to the hike
- When exploring, you may encounter a variety of wildlife native to Australia only, like quolls, wombats, and tasmanian devils
- Can make stops at huts along the way for a multiple-day trip, especially to stay warm during the cool nights
El Lucero, Spain
- Located in the Sierra de Almijara range in the south of Spain
- Known to be the most beautiful peak in the range and is a Spanish icon
- The least challenging site on this list, this mountain could be ventured by any reasonably fit individual who stays hydrated and takes care
- The dry, rocky environment you will experience here will give you a great representative image of the Spanish countryside
