7 ideas for summer trekking
Environment — di Chiara Boracchi
Trekking in nature is a different way to travel, far from mass tourism, discovering places that can only be reached on foot!

Trekking in nature is a different way to travel, far from mass tourism, discovering places that can only be reached on foot!
A travelling journey through the Black Forest, a name that evokes myths, legends and tales shrouded in mystery. With its fir trees, lakes and deep canyons, the Black Forest stretches from Karlsruhe to the upper Danube and from Pforzheim to Lörrach on the border between Germany, France and Switzerland. A land rich in castles, monasteries and medieval fortresses that will, in turn, serve as a springboard for learning the myths and legends of these places. The oral tradition passed down through generations tells of merciless monks, wizards and witches, maidens and sprites, and bloodthirsty werewolves, such as the mythical werewolf of Freudenstadt. Legend has it that, exhausted by the unspeakable cruelty of the wolf, the villagers called upon an infallible hunter who set off on its trail, eventually managing to wound the werewolf one night, though not fatally. The following morning, in the village, one of its mildest and apparently most harmless inhabitants got up from his bed… with a bleeding wound on his arm!

The legendary and impressive Hadrian's Wall lies in England but almost on the border with Scotland, in a region that combines the beauty of its coastline with a great variety of landscapes: along the coast there are fishing villages and spectacular sandy bays, while inland, sites of historic battles and castles open out across the moorland. Following the Wall, the last frontier of the Roman Empire — very well preserved, especially in the section from Housesteads to Birdoswald — visiting towers and encampments, forts and market towns, means embarking on a journey through time to a place where life seems to have stood still.

Not just sea and nightclubs: the Greek islands have far more to offer and lend themselves to being explored on foot, reaching by short excursions those places far from mass tourism where enchanting beaches await us for almost "intimate" swims. From the well-known Santorini, which, when experienced with an expert guide, reveals hidden places of enchanting beauty, to the lesser-known Sifnos in the Cyclades, where crystal-clear water alternates with typical tavernas perched on the cliff edge; from the inaccessible Karpathos, the Land of the Titans, fascinating precisely for its remote location, to legendary Crete, the island of the Minotaur, where history, nature and sea intertwine in an irresistible combination!

This is a route of great naturalistic interest through an area dotted with fumaroles that will make us feel the atmosphere of the Divine Comedy, catapulting us into Dante's Inferno before suddenly crossing lakes and waterways of unusual colours, with the sensation of being inside a painting. Wading across rivers, walking through a desert of black sand, standing spellbound before a glacier and experiencing the magic of mountains where legend has it that elves dwell are just some of the surprises in store at these latitudes. Seasonality also changes the perspective and expectations of a trip to Iceland: while from June to September the brief warm season can be enjoyed for trekking and bathing in hot springs, in winter — especially in the northern part — every traveller's hope is to witness the breathtaking phenomenon of the northern lights!

A true life experience rather than a simple holiday, an opportunity to get to know an unspoilt region of the Amazon — remote and in places unexplored — through the experience of its traditional inhabitants, the Xixuaù people. A truly unique opportunity from a naturalistic and cultural perspective, offering direct contact with the forest's inhabitants while exploring the Amazon through forest trekking, canoe excursions, birdwatching, and observation of flora and wildlife. Far from any contact with modern civilisation, more than a day's journey from Manaus and reachable only by boat and canoe (there are no roads), the Xixuaù village stands on the bank of the Rio Jauaperi, and its few inhabitants still live by hunting, fishing, traditional activities, building wooden canoes and trading local handicrafts, the proceeds of which are used to purchase whatever the community needs. Recently, a tentative opening to the Western world has begun bringing a handful of fortunate travellers to the village, allowing them to live — if only for brief periods — in ways they could never have imagined!

The power of nature, the thrill of tracking animals, the history and culture of a country painted against breathtaking backdrops… South Africa recaptures the authentic spirit of deepest Africa and combines it with the courtesy and quality of hospitality of a people in full development. From Cape Town, with its extraordinary Table Mountain, day excursions set off to reach the "end of the world", the Cape of Good Hope. Along the southern coast, the search is on for the great white shark and the southern right whale, before the grand finale devoted entirely to the animals of the savannah, north of Johannesburg in Kruger Park, in search of the mythical "Big 5" — the traditionally most "aggressive" animals: lion, buffalo, elephant, the rare rhinoceros (both white and black) and the elusive leopard. True highlights of this quest will be encounters with African wild dogs, extremely difficult to spot as they are always on the move; with shy and reserved felines such as the serval or the caracal; with the more common yet ever-fascinating herbivores such as giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and antelopes; or with the captivating raptors soaring overhead, from the martial eagle to the vulture, from the majestic African fish eagle to the colourful bateleur.

There is a new way to discover these 115 islands with divine beaches set like jewels in the Indian Ocean. No longer just couples' getaways, but an innovative itinerary, unique of its kind, dedicated to solo travellers, which through short trekking routes leads us to discover hidden beaches completely off the traditional tourist trail, where more often than not we will find ourselves alone, surrounded by sea, jungle, coral reef and brilliant white sand! The Seychelles as a mass destination becomes a distant memory when, after crossing the forest, a blue sea with emerald-green hues opens up before our eyes, a long stretch of flour-white sand, a coral reef waiting only to be explored once we slip on a mask, but above all a privacy and intimacy that are truly unexpected given the deep-rooted stereotype about the Seychelles. And around us: coconut palms, giant tortoises, plants bearing exotic fruit that can be eaten straight from the trees, a myriad of colourful birds and the legendary "coco de mer", the plant that produces a seed perfectly identical to the shape of a woman's body!
