Looking for a guided hiking trip in Belgium? Then look no further than WHATtrips!
I sometimes get queries from readers of this blog asking if I organize guided hiking trips in Belgium. I have done a few in the past, but it’s not something I do now. However, a new initiative has recently been set up in Belgium with this goal in mind.
It’s called WHATtrips. “WHAT” is a memorable acronym that stands for Walking, Hiking And Trekking. WHATtrips has been created from the Walking, Hiking & Trekking Facebook group that was first formed back in August 2017. (It still exists in this form: check it out here). Over the last five years I’ve watched it grow, and it now has a staggering 74,500 members. Under the leadership of Niamet Ali Khan, a research scientist in the Department of Oncology at the University of Leuven, the group organized one-off hiking trips throughout Belgium – mainly to the Ardennes.
Based on the popularity of these trips, Niamet has now formed his own company – WHATTrips BV – to formally organize guided hiking trips in Belgium (and sometimes in neighboring countries) throughout the year.
They already have five hiking day trips planned over the next five weekends: to Ninglinspo, Bouillon, Lake Gileppe, the Eifel National Park, and Florenville. Prices per person start from 29 EUR. For this you get a seat on the air-conditioned bus (pick up from Brussels, Leuven and Liége), and the services of an experienced hiking guide. If you like hiking in a group and want to meet some fellow hikers, this seems an excellent way of spending a day free from the stress of organizing everything yourself. From the comments on the FB Group page it seems that these trips are a lot of fun. Here are some photos of the group enjoying themselves:
Customized hiking trips too!
What might be of interest to companies, organizations, social groups, expat groups etc., is that with WHATtrips you can create your Customized Bus Tour! Choose the departure and return date, the number of people, the location you want to hike around, and you will get a personalized offer.
WHATtrips seems to me to be a wonderful initiative that I am sure will be popular. Further details are available on the WHATtrips website.
I’ve never done a walking trip like this but I think it would be good fun.