Wayfarer, November: the Great Walks, Meghalaya and Kanha.
Editor's Dispatch
A good walk is a plain pleasure. You put one foot in front of the other and the day does the rest. What this issue tries to add is a second question: who made the path, and who looks after it?
In Meghalaya, people grow bridges out of tree roots and then spend years repairing them. In Kanha, women from the villages around the forest have become guides, drivers and guards. In Nepal, a young guide had to get past the doubts of her own relatives before she led her first group. Their stories come from published reporting, which we name on each page, and we have not interviewed them ourselves.
Lead story
New Zealand's Great Walks, and how to book oneA national network of multi-day trails, a hut-booking system that rewards early planners, and a river that has been recognised in law as a living whole.
Also in this issue
- Meghalaya: bridges grown from roots, forests kept by communitiesIn the Khasi Hills, people have grown bridges for generations and protected groves for centuries. November's dry weather is the time to walk to them.
- Kanha, after the rains: a tiger reserve and its neighboursA sal-and-meadow reserve in Madhya Pradesh, now in its best season, and the villagers who work in it.
- Nepal after the monsoon: an autumn walk toward Poon HillA short, popular route into the Annapurna Conservation Area, best walked when the rains have washed the air.
- Torres del Paine: walking Patagonia in springA Chilean national park whose W and O treks are among the best known in South America, and what the booking rules and fire history mean for visitors.
- The Trekker's ChecklistTwelve things to sort out before a multi-day walk.
Coming up
- DiwaliIndia · 8 November 2026 (Lakshmi Puja) (approx. — verify)
- Rann UtsavDhordo, Kutch, Gujarat · 1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027 per the organisers' release; other sources give different end dates (approx. — verify)
- Pushkar Camel FairPushkar, Rajasthan · Listed as 17–24 November 2026; climax at Kartik Purnima on 24 November (approx. — verify)
- Shillong Cherry Blossom FestivalNew Shillong Highland Grounds, Meghalaya · 20–21 November 2026 (approx. — verify)
One practical tip
Break in your boots at least a month before a trek, and carry a spare pair of laces. Blisters end more walks than weather.
Your turn
What was the first long walk you ever took, and who helped you finish it? Reply and tell us.