2019-10-01 Wanderlust

90 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019

82

Hikeabiological

hotspotinAngel’s

Tundra,Ecuador

Stephan Küffner, author,

TheRoughGuideto

Ecuador&TheGalápagos

EasyhikesinEcuador’s

PáramodelÁngel(Angel’sTundra).

protectedareaallowyoutoexplore

alandscapeworthyofaStarWars

­ilm,dottedwithhigh-altitude

lagoonsandmysteriousforestsof

polylepistreeswithpaper-likebark.

Aboveall,tall,fuzzy,rabbit-eared

frailejones–arareplantanddistant

relativeofthesun­lower–dominate

thisbiologicalhotspot.Whenthe

fogclears,theviewgoesalltheway

fromtheColombianborderinthe

northtotheequatorialglacierof

VolcánCayambeinthesouth.

TheupdatedRoughGuideto

Ecuador&TheGalápagosis

outinNovember.

83

Try the Teapot Trail,

Taiwan

The mountains of this tiny Asian

isle are catnip for in-the-know

hikersandclimbers.Forasea-

breezydaywalk,trythenorth-

westcoast’sTeapotTrail(medium

diŒiculty, 5 hours)–ifthesteep

climbdoesn’tstealyourbreath

away,theviewsoftheglittering

EastChinaSeawill.Thesummit

hikeupSnowMountainweaves

throughdarkforests,bamboo

groves,andalongrazor-edged

cli“tops:ifyou’re­it,it’sdoable

intwodays–orcanbethe­irst

legoftheepicsix-dayHolyRidge

Trail,acloud-grazingroutethat

barelydipsbelow3,000metres.

EvenTaiwan’scapital,Taipei,is

surroundedbyhikingtrails–like

theforestedpathupElephant

Mountain(easy, 30 minutes).Head

upatsunsettoseethecitylitup.

WALKS

Whether a gentle stroll, a long hike or a 3-day trek,

walking is a great way to ind unexplored territory.

Here are just some of those recommended trails.

84

Find peace along a

trailatLlynnau

CregenneninWales

George Tod, author,

Walking the Cambrian

Way (Cicerone)

Finding the beauty

and tranquillity of the mountains

normally requires a bit of e“ort

but Llynnau Cregennen is little

known and accessible by all. The

beautiful lakes sit amid a backdrop

of mountains including the majestic

CadairIdrisinanareaownedby

theNationalTrust.Aminorback

roadfromDolgellautoArthognear

Barmouthgivesaccesstothearea,

withagatedroadleadingtothe

freelakesidecarpark.FYI:Thepost

codesareinaccurateonSatNavs;

thebearingsareN52.710W3.987.

WalkingtheCambrianWayis

outnow

85

Goforaramblein

themountainsof

Andros,Greece

Sarah Baxter, travel writer

and former Wanderlust

deputy editor

The Cycladean island

of Andros is mountainous,

gorge-gouged, lush and riddled

Remote walks, adventures, photography and gear tips

Alamy;Dreamstime

Otherworldly wanders

Exotic plants in the Páramo

grassland landscape