Camino Alternatives: 10 Epic Thru-Hikes 2026

Camino Alternatives: 10 Epic Thru-Hikes for 2026

The Camino de Santiago is many things: a profound pilgrimage, a social trail, an accessible long-distance route through northern Spain with well-spaced accommodation and a nearly foolproof waymark system. It’s also, increasingly, very busy. The Camino Francés now sees more than 400,000 pilgrims registered at the Santiago Pilgrim Office annually. The peak summer months have transformed sections of the trail into a moving queue, with beds in albergues requiring advance booking and the reflective atmosphere that draws many pilgrims increasingly difficult to find.

None of this diminishes the Camino. But for hikers who want the long-distance trail experience — the daily rhythm of pack-on-back walking, the accumulated landscape of a country unfolding beneath your feet, the meditative depth of weeks of continuous movement — there are extraordinary alternatives. The trails in this guide range from 2-week winter hikes in southern Jordan to 3-month odysseys across New Zealand’s entire length. They cross Arctic Norway, rural Japan, alpine Corsica, Austrian limestone gorges, and the highlands of Georgia. Each offers something the Camino cannot: genuine remoteness, wilderness camping, cultural immersion that hasn’t yet been shaped by pilgrim tourism. Updated for 2026 with current trail conditions and access logistics.

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1. St. Olav’s Ways, Norway: The Nordic Pilgrimage Network

Distance: Various routes, 70–640 km | Duration: 5–45 days | Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

The St. Olav’s Ways (Pilegrimsleden) are a network of pilgrim trails across Norway converging on Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim — the burial site of King Olav II and Norway’s answer to Santiago de Compostela. Unlike the Camino, the Norwegian network passes through genuinely wild terrain: high mountain plateaus, deep fjords, dense forest, and small farming communities where the 21st century feels only loosely applied. The main route from Oslo to Trondheim (560 km) takes 25–35 days for fit hikers.

The trail infrastructure has improved significantly since the Pilgrim Society of Norway launched a trail renewal program in 2022. Pilgrim stamps and passports are available, and a growing network of pilgrim hospices (pilgrimssteder) offers affordable accommodation. Unlike the Camino, however, wild camping is legal throughout Norway under the Right to Roam (allemannsretten), meaning you can supplement hospice stays with tent nights in the wilderness — an option that dramatically changes the nature of the experience.

Best hiking season: Late June through mid-September. The mountain sections above treeline are inaccessible before snowmelt, which can extend to mid-June in high years. The trail through Gudbrandsdalen valley is particularly beautiful in August when the high meadows are in full bloom.

Cost estimate: $40–$80/day (pilgrim hospices + self-catering), $25–$45/day with wild camping.

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2. Michinoku Coastal Trail, Japan: 1,000 km of Tsunami Recovery

Distance: 1,025 km | Duration: 40–60 days | Difficulty: Moderate

Opened in 2019, the Michinoku Coastal Trail is Japan’s newest long-distance hiking route and one of the most culturally significant. The trail traverses the entire Pacific coastline of the Tōhoku region — the area most devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami — connecting fishing villages that are still rebuilding, coastal headlands of extraordinary beauty, and communities that have turned tourism into a tool for recovery and resilience.

The trail is divided into 100 sections averaging 10 km each, making it uniquely accessible for section hiking over multiple Japan trips. But done end-to-end from Hachinohe in Aomori to Soma in Fukushima, it becomes a profound encounter with Japan’s rural coast — a landscape almost entirely unknown to foreign visitors, where the hiking infrastructure of local guesthouses (minshuku) and their evening meals (seafood, invariably, and extraordinary) is among the finest of any long-distance trail in Asia.

The cultural dimension is unlike any Western long-distance trail. You will walk past memorial stones for tsunami victims, through reconstructed fishing harbors where the catch is being processed at dawn, and between cedar-forest shrines where the presence of the trail is still new enough that local residents come outside to watch you pass and occasionally, tentatively, begin to talk.

Best season: May–June or September–October. Summer (July–August) brings heat, humidity, and typhoon risk. Winter (November–March) is cold but manageable on the lower coastal sections.

Cost estimate: ¥6,000–¥10,000/day ($40–$70) including minshuku accommodation and meals.

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3. Lechweg, Austria: Alpine Gorge Walking at Its Best

Distance: 125 km | Duration: 8–12 days | Difficulty: Moderate

The Lechweg is among Europe’s finest mid-length hiking trails, following the Lech River from its source on the Arlberg in Vorarlberg through the Austrian Alps to Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. The river itself is the point: the Lech is one of Western Europe’s last wild, unregulated Alpine rivers, running through braided gravel channels, turquoise pools, and dramatic limestone gorges in a landscape that hasn’t been engineered for flood management. The trail alternates between alpine meadow ridges above the valley and intimate riverside paths where the water crashes through polished stone.

The Lechweg’s infrastructure is exceptional for a 125 km trail: 10 dedicated trailside huts and guesthouses, daily luggage transfer, and waymarking of Bundeswanderweg standard. This makes it an ideal introduction to multi-day Alpine hiking for travelers who want the mountain experience without wilderness navigation demands. The trail runs through the Reutte district of Tyrol, a region with no major airports and almost no English-language marketing — meaning the village guesthouses, the cheese shops, and the local Weißbier haven’t been optimized for tourism.

Best season: June through mid-October. July and early August bring the best wildflower displays but also the most day-hikers on the popular Arlberg sections. September is the optimal balance: good weather, thin crowds, autumn colors beginning.

Cost estimate: €80–€130/day (guesthouses, meals included or self-catering).

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4. Jordan Trail: Desert Kingdom End to End

Distance: 650 km | Duration: 40 days | Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

Launched in 2017, the Jordan Trail traverses the entire length of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from Umm Qais in the north — overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights — to Aqaba on the Red Sea in the south. It crosses pine forests above the Jordan Valley, the Biblical highlands of Ajloun and Gilead, the desert plateau of Wadi Rum, and the Nabataean city of Petra, which the trail enters on foot through the back-country route rather than through the main tourist gate.

The Petra entry is genuinely extraordinary. Trail hikers descend to the ancient city from the high plateau through the Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) canyon — arriving among the carved rose-red tombs from above, rather than approaching through the tourist Siq from the highway. This perspective, shared by almost no other visitors, makes the trail’s approach to Petra one of the most dramatic moments in long-distance walking globally.

Jordan is one of the safest countries in the Middle East for independent travelers, with consistent political stability and a government that actively promotes adventure tourism. The trail passes through Bedouin communities who participate in the trail’s hospitality network — nightly camping with Bedouin families (meals included) is arranged through the Jordan Trail Association and costs approximately $25–$40 per night.

Best season: March–May and October–November. Summer temperatures on the desert sections (Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba) reach 45°C — dangerous for hiking.

Cost estimate: $40–$65/day total including accommodation and meals.

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5. Te Araroa, New Zealand: The Country End to End

Distance: 3,000 km | Duration: 90–120 days | Difficulty: Variable (easy to very strenuous)

The Te Araroa Trail runs the full length of New Zealand’s two islands, from Cape Reinga at the northern tip of the North Island to Bluff at the southern tip of the South Island. At 3,000 km, it is one of the longest continuous thru-hiking routes in the world, and it traverses a landscape of extraordinary diversity: volcanic plateaux, geothermal fields, subtropical forest, golden coast beaches, the Southern Alps, and the fjord-country of Fiordland.

New Zealand’s section hiking culture means the Te Araroa can be broken into segments over multiple visits, but the full thru-hike — done in one continuous journey, November through April (Southern Hemisphere summer) — has developed a vibrant trail community comparable to the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail in North America. The “trailie” culture provides social connection through a largely unmaintained route that requires genuine wilderness navigation skills.

The South Island sections through the Richmond Range, Nelson Lakes, and the Southern Alps represent some of the most technically demanding hiking in the Southern Hemisphere. River crossings (sometimes waist-deep) are a regular feature of the South Island Te Araroa and require solid judgment about flow conditions. This is a trail for experienced backpackers, not beginners.

Best season: Start November, finish March–April. North Island hiking is hot in December–January — pace accordingly.

Cost estimate: NZD $60–$100/day ($37–$62 USD) on a budget, including hut passes, food resupply, and town accommodation.

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6. GR20, Corsica: Europe’s Toughest Long-Distance Trail

Distance: 180 km | Duration: 12–16 days | Difficulty: Very Strenuous

The GR20 (Grande Randonnée 20) in Corsica is widely regarded as Europe’s most physically demanding long-distance trail. The route traverses the spine of Corsica’s central granite range from Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south, covering 180 km with 10,000 meters of total ascent through boulder fields, exposed ridge traverses, and talus slopes. It is not a trail for hikers who haven’t carried heavy packs on sustained mountain ascents.

But the GR20’s reputation for difficulty also understates its beauty. The Corsican interior that the trail passes through — granite peaks, crystal mountain lakes (particularly Lac de Nino and Lac d’Oriente), high-altitude bergeries (shepherd shelters) with fresh sheep cheese available — is some of the most dramatic alpine landscape in the Mediterranean basin. The northern section (Calenzana to Vizzavona) is significantly harder than the southern section, and some hikers split the trail, doing only the southern half for a more manageable 8–10 day experience.

Refuges along the GR20 are managed by the Parc Naturel Régional de Corse and provide dorm sleeping, meals, and basic supplies. Booking ahead in peak season (July–August) is mandatory — the refuges are regularly full. Our team recommends mid-June or mid-September for optimal weather and manageable crowds.

Cost estimate: €50–€80/day (refuge stays, meals at refuges).

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7. Via Dinarica, Balkans: The Emerging Giant

Distance: 1,930 km | Duration: 60–90 days | Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

The Via Dinarica connects the Balkan mountains from Slovenia through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and into Serbia — a continuous highland route through one of Europe’s most scenically dramatic and culturally layered regions. The trail is still developing its infrastructure, which means the experience is genuinely frontier: some sections have excellent waymarking and local guesthouse support; others require GPS navigation and wild camping.

The Durmitor National Park section in Montenegro and the Valbona to Theth crossing in Albania are consistently cited as the most spectacular segments. The Albanian Alps section (known locally as the Accursed Mountains or Bjeshkët e Namuna) has become one of Europe’s most celebrated hiking discoveries of the 2020s — towering limestone peaks, traditional stone-built guesthouses, and a hospitality culture that overwhelms visitors from the first day.

For a shorter introduction to Via Dinarica terrain, the week-long Peaks of the Balkans trail loop (Theth, Albania → Valbona, Albania → Gjakova, Kosovo → Peć, Kosovo) is an exceptional standalone hike.

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8. Shikoku Pilgrimage, Japan: The 88 Temple Circuit

Distance: 1,200 km | Duration: 40–60 days on foot | Difficulty: Moderate

Japan’s Shikoku pilgrimage — the 88 temple circuit (Shikoku Hachijūhakkasho) — is Asia’s most established long-distance pilgrimage trail, completing a circuit of the island of Shikoku and honoring the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) who was born here in 774 CE. Unlike the Camino, where pilgrims are now predominantly secular walkers, the Shikoku circuit retains a deep spiritual dimension: most walkers are Japanese pilgrims (henro) dressed in white with a walking staff bearing Kūkai’s inscription “We Two Walking Together.”

The hospitality culture of the Shikoku circuit is extraordinary. Ohenro (the cultural tradition of generosity toward pilgrims) means that local residents regularly leave water, food, and small gifts at trail-side shelters for passing henro. Some walkers complete the circuit for free on this generosity alone. This level of cultural immersion — being absorbed into a living tradition rather than observed as a tourist — is the experience that makes the Shikoku circuit incomparable.

Best season: April–May (spring) and October–November (autumn). Summer is hot and humid.

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9. Transcaucasian Trail, Georgia/Armenia: The High Caucasus Frontier

Distance: Various completed sections, up to 200 km | Duration: 10–25 days | Difficulty: Strenuous

The Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) is a volunteer-built long-distance trail network being constructed through the Caucasus, with completed sections in Georgia’s Svaneti and Kazbegi regions and Armenia’s northern highlands. The completed sections of the TCT are among the most dramatic high-altitude hiking available anywhere in the world — traversing glaciated ridges above 3,000 meters with views of peaks exceeding 5,000 meters, through villages where traditional Caucasian tower-houses cluster against the mountain backdrop.

The trail remains a work in progress by design — the TCT Association is building collaboratively with local communities, and the hiking experience reflects this: sometimes excellent waymarking and local guesthouse networks, sometimes a GPS track through alpine wilderness with wild camping. The Svaneti section (Mestia to Ushguli and beyond) is the most established and accessible, with well-developed tourism infrastructure in Mestia as a base.

For the full Georgia adventure context, see our Georgia adventure trekking guide.

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10. Haute Route, France/Switzerland: The Alpine Classic

Distance: 180 km | Duration: 12–16 days | Difficulty: Strenuous

The Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland is the classic European high-mountain hiking route, crossing 11 high passes and traversing the heart of the Alps between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Unlike the Tour du Mont Blanc (which circles a single massif), the Haute Route covers a genuinely wild cross-section of the Western Alps — the terrain is more varied, more remote, and more demanding.

The hut-to-hut format makes the Haute Route accessible to hikers who prefer reliable accommodation to wild camping, but the mountain huts (refuges in France, Berghütten in Switzerland) fill rapidly in July and August — book all accommodation 6–8 weeks ahead for peak season. Our hut-to-hut hiking beginners guide covers the booking and logistics strategy in detail.

Best season: July through mid-September. Snow can linger on the high passes into early July. Cost estimate: €100–€150/day (hut accommodation, meals, cable car assistance where taken).

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How to Choose Your Alternative Camino

The right trail depends on three variables: the depth of wilderness you want, your hiking experience level, and your available time. For hikers wanting to stay within Europe at moderate difficulty: the Lechweg or GR20 south section. For those seeking cultural depth with accessible infrastructure: the Michinoku or Shikoku in Japan, the Jordan Trail in the Middle East. For maximum wilderness with high difficulty: the Te Araroa, Transcaucasian Trail, or the full GR20. For the emerging frontier experience: the Via Dinarica through the Balkans.

All ten trails on this list offer something the Camino, for all its virtues, currently cannot: the sensation of walking through a landscape that hasn’t yet been shaped by decades of pilgrim traffic. That frontier quality is itself a form of spiritual reward — and it won’t last forever on the trails that are developing quickly. 2026 may be the ideal year to walk them.