ONE of Scotland’s most popular walking routes has been named one of the most in-demand hikes in the world.
Adventure tour guides Explore Worldwide conducted new research to find which hikes around the globe are the most congested and which trails offer a quieter trekking experience.
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From the alpine crossings of Tongariro in New Zealand to coastal routes like the West Coast Trail in Canada, the study has highlighted the most popular trails worldwide.
It based its figures on the number of Instagram posts uploaded per kilometre of trail.
Topping the list of most in-demand hikes is Mount Kinabalu. The highest peak in Borneo doesn’t require mountaineering equipment, but walkers need to be fit enough to take on its high- altitude terrain.
It’s a short climb, only 8.5 kilometres, but with over 22,000 Instagram post uploads per km of trail, it’s the most popular trail in the world according to social media.
The iconic Inca Trail in Peru ranks as the world’s second busiest hike according to social media, with 6,723 posts uploaded per kilometre.
The ancient trail, leading to Machu Picchu, is a bucket-list hike for many travellers where a four-day trek leads explorers through the Andean landscapes, cloud forests, and centuries-old archaeological sites.
And there are 3,683 Instagram posts of Hawaii’s Kalalau Trail posted for every kilometre of the route, making it the world’s third most congested trail according to social media.
The challenging 18-kilometre hike to Kalalau Beach is an adventure that attracts many photographers and hikers thanks to the trail’s striking waterfalls and spectacular coastal views along the Na Pali Coast.
Returning to national soil, the United Kingdom is home to two congested trails: the West Highland Way in Scotland, and The Yorkshire Three Peaks in England, ranking tenth with 991 posts per kilometre.
The West Highland Way – the country’s first officially designated long-distance walking path – is the ninth busiest trail in the world.
The 96-mile route begins just outside Glasgow at the marker in Milngavie town centre in East Dumbartonshire and finished in the Highlands town on Fort William.
Popular with tourists from America and Canada, the trek takes an average of seven days taking them through the peaks and valleys around Conic Hill, Loch Lomond, the Rannoch Moor, Devil’s Staircase, Kinlochleven and finishing up in the Lochaber town.
In 2023, 47,576 people were recorded as walking the route, a year-on-year rise since the pandemic, making it the busiest path in Scotland.
Explore Worldwide said social media users on the trail left 998 Instagram posts per kilometre of trail.
Michael Edwards, managing director at Explore Worldwide said: “Our latest research on social media’s most popular hiking trails shows that there remains a huge appetite in travellers to trek and explore beautiful walking routes.
“Crowded trails can dampen a trekking experience for both new and accomplished hikers, and with more and more parks and trails introducing a visitor cap, we wanted to share which walks are the busiest according to social media data, as well as offer some wonderful alternatives that will offer explorers a less busy pathway.”
