Many of us want to run to the hills when Christmas starts creeping in. When we can just find some hills to walk in instead, far away from the seasonal noise. The lack of daylight in the northern hemisphere at this time of year doesn’t help either, so being on a December walking holiday, with trails of four or five hours a day, and in sunnier climes too, will also give you the Vitamin D hit that you crave. You can lean into the spiritual time of year by walking the last section of the Camino Frances, for example. Or, in contrast, Colombia and Morocco have the best walking holidays in December if you like to have a private guide by your side. And for those who seek solace travelling solo at this time, we’ve got yule covered, as many of our hiking holidays are open to solo travellers.
Get a kick out of Colombia
If you really want to wake up and smell the coffee, then make your next December adventure in Colombia. Just like its celebrated crop, it’s vibrant, sweet and, in terms of tourism, ripe for the picking. It also has a kick like no other country in terms of natural adventures. With the support of expert guides, explore ancient, lost and now thankfully refound cities. You have the Caribbean one day and the Coffee Triangle on another. And then you have the buzziness of Bogotá thrown into the mix. It’s a vast, stimulating country which, like its coffee, should be sipped slowly, enjoyed sustainably and shared with good people along the way.
Hiking in the Cocora Valley in Colombia.
Winter walking holidays on the Malerweg Trail
Malerweg means ‘painters’ way’ and it’s named after the 18th century artists from the nearby Dresden Academy of Fine Arts who immortalised its landscapes in their work. This 115km walking trail leads you through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, with walkers usually taking on either the north or south section, but nearly always coming back to complete the trail. Some who hike it in summer fall in love with it so much, they come to walk it in winter for a very different picture. Which is why we’ve also recently introduced a couple of winter options, which take you through these unique landscapes when they’re frosty, fresh and fairytale-like, with tours between November and March. Temperatures average 02-03C but they are actually the driest months too.
Bastei Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, along the Malerweg Trail.
December in Vietnam
Although Vietnam gets busy at Christmas (and we recommend booking your flights as soon as possible), these walking holidays take you off the beaten track into northern Vietnam. You will forget any notions of seasonal over-consumerism, walking through the Hmong hill tribe villages, where homestay hosts welcome you into their daily lives. In December, you are also escaping the rainy season. It’s hot and dry, but these elevated landscapes are cooler than on the busier coast. And, if you like to treat yourself to good food at this time of year, these holidays are one moveable feast.
Walking in the Sahara, Morocco
If you can’t bear the Ch word being bandied around throughout December, Morocco’s Sahara is a great place to gain perspective – and also have a dry one! Such as this ten day walking holiday in the Sahara, which is easy to moderate level and an exciting immersion into the region’s cultural and natural heritage. Fully guided, walk and ride camels across the desert and trek into the surrounding valley towns of Ouarzazate and Zagora, with overnight stays in traditional tents and riads. Many of our guests also opt for an additional day in the coastal city of Essaouira, swapping Saharan sands for some seasonal surfing. We have plenty of other walking holidays in Morocco available in December too. But we like this one for the special Christmas ‘desert’ factor.
“Around 6:30PM, Al and I climbed a dune to watch the beautiful sunset and feel the silence. We’ve settled into the rhythm of our experience here in the Sahara… The sun sank behind a dune at 7:08PM to give us beautiful evening hues of orange and gold meeting the cloudless blue.” – Five star review and photo from Sages, Washington State, USA on our Sahara walking holiday.
Evening light on the Sahara, shared by Sages, quoted above.
Winter sun walking holidays in Spain and the Canaries
AAlthough there may be rain on the plains in December in Spain, there are plenty of sunny spots to be found too. Why not give yourself the gift of Granada this December, feasting your eyes on its spectacular centrepiece of Alhambra Palace on a walking holiday in the Sierra Nevada? The Canaries live up to their name, boasting six hours of yellow sunshine per day and maximum temperatures of 21C in December.
Málaga is majestic in the heart of winter, as you hit the hiking trails of Sierra de Tejeda and Almijara mountain range on our two centre-based holidays. On this holiday you stay in Canillas de Albaida and, on this upgraded version, the hotel is in Cómpeta, both villages being typical whitewashed beauties of the region. Another spiritual option for around Christmas is to spend four days walking around Montserrat Natural Park and its famous monastery. Here are all our Spanish walking holidays available in December.
Dear Santa – the Sierra Nevada would be just perfect this Christmas. Thanks.
Can you walk the camino in December?
You can, although not all of the more elevated routes are recommended this late in the year. However, you could opt for a calm and contemplative Christmas, hiking the last stage of the Camino Frances between Sarria and Santiago, for example. You can choose between a seven day, eight day, and 12 day itinerary. As well as a longer camino that goes beyond Santiago all the way to the ‘end of the world’ in Finisterre. You’ll need to wrap yourself up for this gift of a soulful sojourn, but what a way to bring your year’s journey to a close. And to set some intentions for the new year ahead.
For something completely different, you could consider a much longer camino of 24 days, walking the complete Ruta dels Indiketes. This is a 476km circular trail, starting and ending in Llançà, that takes you through the two regions of Alt and Baix Empordà. Following in the footsteps of Iberian people from ancient times who lived in this region, explore ancient paths and woodland, walk across ravines, through ancient villages and to remote coves. And, similar to our Camino de Santiago tours, you can get a passport stamped along the way to obtain an Indiketa Certificate at the end of the walk.
Where to go hiking in December in Portugal
You’ll have plenty of silent nights on a walking holiday in the Algarve in December, following an easy, gentle pace to the likes of Rio Formosa Natural Park. You can also treat yourself to a winter trip to Lisbon, and combine it with a walk between the palace of Sintra and Cascais. Heading further north, and hiking the Carmelite Route, explore a Portuguese pilgrimage trail that connects the historically academic city of Coimbra with the sacred town of Fátima.
Going a little further afield, this is a wonderful time to go trekking on Portugal’s islands. In the Azores, an archipelago of nine islands, you will get rain at this time of year, but you’ll also have their trails to volcanic craters, caldeiras hot springs, secret waterfalls and coastal hideaways all to yourself. The island of Madeira is one of our popular winter sun destinations, with its coastal and famous levada trails very much open for business. In both Madeira and the Azores, temperatures range from 12-18C in December, and the sea is still 18-20C, so get in!
Make your Christmas cake early and make it a Madeira.
