Chile
Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay
Forest paths climb from Vilches towards high Andean plateaux and open sky.
The trail leaves oak shade and enters bare rock where the horizon suddenly widens. Far below, folded foothills soften into the Maule Valley.
Signed routes rise from the Vilches sector towards valleys, viewpoints and El Enladrillado. Longer objectives demand honest daylight, water and weather planning, with CONAF's current entry information setting the boundaries. The transition from forest to exposed plateau gives the reserve its full-day depth.
Solo
Signed routes from Vilches suit an early independent walker who carries enough water and daylight margin.
Friends
A strong group can take on El Enladrillado while sharing navigation, provisions and the long return.
- Altos de Lircay climbs from oak forest at Vilches onto open Andean plateaux above the Maule Valley.
- El Enladrillado and the longer valleys demand honest daylight, water and weather planning.
- The shift from deep forest shade to bare volcanic rock gives one walk two distinct worlds.
Talca below claims chancho en piedra as its own creation — the stone-mortar salsa of the Maule.
Tortillas de rescoldo and pan amasado are its traditional partners at the table.
Sfakia
Greece
Rebel gorges and fortress villages clinging to cliffs above the Libyan Sea — Crete's wildest coast.
Isole Eolie — Vulcano
Italy
Sulphur vents hiss beside black beaches on the island where Vulcan kept his forge.
Sani Pass
South Africa
A switchback road climbs from green foothills to a high border above the clouds.
Spiti Valley
India
A high-altitude desert of wind-sculpted spires hiding Tibetan monasteries older than the borders.
Bahía Exploradores
Chile
Braided rivers run out at a bay where boats face the San Rafael icefield's edge.
Carretera Austral
Chile
Ferries and gravel carry Route 7 through more than 1,200 kilometres of green Patagonia.
Queulat National Park
Chile
Twin streams fall from a hanging glacier into rainforest dense with rain.
Punta de Lobos
Chile
Long Pacific lines bend around a protected headland south of Pichilemu.