Six Lodge-to-Lodge Hikes That Will Have You Falling in Love With Slow Travel

Fast-moving vehicles have transformed the way we explore the world. Zipping from one place to the next, leaving barely enough time to breathe let alone take in the culture of a new place—it was inevitable that travelers would revolt against the pace.

“Slow travel” is connected to the Slow Food movement, which evolved in direct response to the opening of a McDonald’s near Rome’s treasured Spanish Steps in 1986. The aim of founder Carlo Petrini and other activists was to fight against the homogenization of global culture through the defense and promotion of regional heritage, culinary traditions and a less frenetic pace of life.

Similarly, slow travel values sustainability and insight into local customs and culture over excessive consumption and instant gratification. The movement taps into an estimated 70 percent of travelers in search of experiences with less community and environmental impact, and a whopping 86 percent of millennials who cherish the concept of “living like a local.” Globally, slow tourism is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent, and the larger sustainable travel movement of which it is a part is forecast to grow by $335.93 billion between 2022 and 2027.

Travel “is a bigger priority, and [people] are traveling more often,” explains Melissa Moses, European specialist at Goway Travel. “This puts less pressure on each trip to see everything. They can slow down for a more immersive experience. [Slow travel] is as much a mindset as it is a plan.”

Those who embrace the movement spend more time in a single country or region, seek out a wider range of cultural and ecological experiences unique to that place, and integrate wellness activities, like movement, mindfulness and spirituality, according to Moses.

As slow travel has surged, so too has the popularity of one form in particular: multiday lodge-to-lodge hikes. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of walkers just on Spain and Portugal’s Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrimage leading to the purported tomb of St. James the Apostle, increased by nearly 100,000. There is, after all, no slower journey than one made on foot.

Lodge-to-lodge hiking is not backcountry backpacking. Walkers never have to lug their own suitcases or spend a fitful night on the cold, hard ground. The trail is, instead, a network of cozy bed-and-breakfasts. By day, walkers carry just the essentials as their luggage is transferred ahead of them to their destination. By night, they refresh with a warm shower, a hot meal and a soft bed.

On most lodge-to-lodge trails, being in tip-top athletic shape isn’t important. The majority are suitable for anyone who’s up for the challenge, from kids to octogenarians, and rest days can often be added to itineraries to make them more manageable. But just because amenities are available doesn’t mean that the path is an easy one. Blisters, sore muscles, dehydration and physical exhaustion are an inescapable part of the experience. A good attitude is the only way to push through, says Toronto-based traveler Tracey Widman, who’s done multiple lodge-to-lodge hikes, including Scotland’s West Highland Way earlier this year.

“Despite all the planning, something is bound to go wrong,” she adds. “Roll with it. Those days on the trail you are part of a shared experience and a community that wants to help one another succeed. The kindness and generosity amongst hikers on a trail is infectious. One day you’re giving out blister bandages to hikers in need, and the next day a hiker will offer you electrolytes for a boost and hydration.”

It’s a good rule of thumb, however, that the higher the altitude, the more intense the hike will be. On the four-day Cotopaxi Tour in Ecuador, where elevations start at almost 11,000 feet above sea level and go up from there, “proper acclimatization is a game-changer,” says Maria José Andrade, co-founder and project director at Tierra del Volcán, the agency that organizes the trek. She recommends spending at least two days adjusting to the 9,350-foot elevation in Quito before heading to the mountains, and consulting a doctor in advance if prone to altitude sickness. Endurance and strength training in the months leading up to a hiking trip can also help minimize challenges on the trail.

“Hiking gives you an on-the-ground perspective that you can’t get in a car or on a train,” says Widman. It’s “the perfect blend of adventure, culture and history.” And the views? They’re unparalleled.

Slow down and see the world on these six lodge-to-lodge hikes.

West Highland Way, Scotland

With its wind-swept moors and deep-blue lochs, the 96-mile West Highland Way is a stunning path that climbs out of the Glasgow suburbs and into the past. The route is anchored by some of Scotland’s most foundational stories—the battlefield from which hero Robert the Bruce barely escaped with his life; the ruins of Mugdock Castle, where the ancestors of the earls of Montrose hunkered down; the cave on Loch Lomond where Rob Roy, the “Robin Hood of Scotland,” allegedly hid out. But the West Highland Way is also steeped in natural beauty, from its scattered and steep Munros to its torrid rivers and boggy grasslands. May, June and September are ideal for tackling the trail, given that these months offer good weather and minimal biting midges and crowds, says Alexander Jenks, head of marketing, research and operations at Contours Holidays, which organizes self-guided walking tours throughout the United Kingdom. Though there are options aplenty (“there is a fair amount of scope for customization and tailoring for those who want it,” says Jenks), most hikers complete the moderate trail in seven days, with luggage transferred from charming historic inn to inn as they walk.

Shikoku Pilgrimage Trail, Japan

On one of Japan’s smaller islands, Shikoku, an ancient walking trail is the artery connecting 88 Buddhist temples across hundreds of miles. To hike the entire 750-mile Pilgrimage Trail would take weeks, so most stick to a three- or four-day route between some of the best-loved sites of worship (about 40 miles altogether). Nights are spent at traditional ryokan bed-and-breakfasts or temple lodgings laid out with tatami mats. With the exception of the strenuous hike to Shosan-ji (Temple 12), the trail is more beautiful than challenging, passing through a landscape of small rural villages and cedar forests. Luggage is transferred by affordable takuhaibin courier service, but, because it can’t be dropped at every night’s location, you’ll need a well-stocked daypack to complement the robes, slippers and bath essentials provided by each inn. Organize a trip on your own (luggage is arranged after arrival), or let a tour company like The Natural Adventure book your self-guided itinerary. April to May and September to October are the best times of year to hit the trail.

The Luberon, France

Maybe the best thing about hiking the Luberon in Provence, France, is the storybook villages with cobblestone streets, Renaissance architecture and castle ruins through which the trails pass. Between them, fields grow thick with lavender, and views stretch from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea. The six-day hike, which is rated with a difficulty level of two out of five, covers about 45 miles of trail (shorter options are available in some sections), from the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse to Apt. Tour company InnWalking organizes self-guided treks with inn-to-inn stays and luggage transfers from March through June and August through November, when the weather, and the crowds, are at their most optimal.

Rogue River Valley, Oregon

Not many places in the United States have the necessary infrastructure to support a lodge-to-lodge hike. But southern Oregon has found a way: a four-day trek through a swath of wilderness in the Rogue River Valley studded with remote lodges beyond the reach of the digital world. Instead of roads, Morrisons Rogue Wilderness Adventures transfers luggage (and sometimes tired walkers) by raft while hikers roll gently through meadow and forest. Experienced guides lead the all-inclusive tours, which run May to June and September to October, shepherding small groups to rustic but comfortable, Wi-Fi-free stays. Wine aficionados can opt for the “Wiking” (Wine Hike) variation of the trek, where they’ll be privy to tastings and nightly presentations by local winemakers.

Engadine Trek, Switzerland

Even in a mountain landscape of exceptional beauty, the Engadine Trek stands out. The Swiss lodge-to-lodge hike through the “Pearl of the Alps” travels along ancient footpaths to quaint villages and forgotten ruins. The 55-mile route climbs to soaring heights, then plummets to a national treasure, a medieval hill town called Soglio. The journey takes six days to complete in either self-guided or guided forms through Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures or other local tour companies. On some days, the elevation gain is positively herculean. But with elegant Old World hotels waiting each night among the rocky spires and deep, glacial valleys, the Engadine Trek paints an intimate picture of Alpine hospitality and heritage.

Cotopaxi Tour, Ecuador

On the Cotopaxi Tour, hikers travel through the otherworldly alpine tundra of Andean páramo in the shadow of some of Ecuador’s largest volcanoes. In this “chagra” (cowboy) country, the trail forms a chain from the Spanish colonial-style Cotopaxipungo Hotel to the inviting ranch at Hacienda El Porvenir to the Tambopaxi mountain refuge at the edge of Cotopaxi National Park, and the landscape only becomes more beautiful with each passing day. Despite the formidable altitude, “this is a very doable trek,” says Andrade of tour operators Tierra del Volcán, that consists of “four to six hours trekking daily, through trails and routes that have been designed to avoid steep hills and exposed areas.” Pioneers of the region’s ecotourism and conservation efforts, the outfit organizes guided four-day, three-night lodge-to-lodge hikes throughout the year. “We have two seasons in the Cotopaxi area,” Andrade explains. “In the green season, from October until May, we can expect more rain and showers in the afternoons and clear, dry mornings. The dry season, from June until mid-September, has stronger winds, clear blue skies, and great views of the volcanoes.” Whatever the conditions, this multiday lodge-to-lodge hike is, literally, breathtaking.

Shoshi Parks | READ MORE

Shoshi Parks is an anthropologist and freelance writer whose work on history, travel, food and the natural world has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Afar, NPR and a variety of other outlets. She lives in California's Bay Area.