About Us

Ryder-Walker celebrates 40 years!

National Geographic named Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures one of the “Top Ten Best Outfitters on the Planet” for hiking and trekking. Telluride Magazine named us “Telluride’s Ultimate Adventure Company,” and we’ve received numerous mentions in the New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post and Outside Magazine, just to name a few. Please note just a few of the reasons why the media trusts us with avid hikers and walkers, and why you should too.

Ryder-Walker team photo

Trekking Specialists.

Founded in 1984, we’ve spent 40 years designing, customizing, and fine-tuning innovative inn-to-inn hiking and walking adventures throughout the world. Three decades of specialized service gives us an edge over our competitors. We offer guided, private-guided, and self-guided hiking tours that explore the most beautiful landscapes found anywhere on the planet.

First-class accommodations.

From cozy wood-paneled chalets to grand, old-world hotels, we seek the inns that exemplify the character of each village and the charm of days gone by. From well-appointed luxury hotels to remote mountain huts, we know each property personally. Read more about our accommodations.

Inspired cuisine.

The cuisine is paramount and we enjoy inns offering the best in regional and haute cuisine with inspired menus and a fascinating array of local wines and beverages. Many of our chefs enjoy the highest culinary rankings awarded by the Gault Millau and Michelin restaurant guides. Two of our closest colleagues have repeatedly enjoyed Switzerland’s “Chef of the Year” distinction.

Ryder-Walker team membersPassionate Guides.

At Ryder-Walker, we have extraordinary leaders. Our guides have passion and extensive knowledge of our destinations. They are experts in their field and love sharing hidden trails, local cuisine, relationships with the locals, and culture that guidebooks don’t offer. Peruse our team page to get a look at some of our outgoing, fun, adventurous, and passionate guides.

Meticulous detail.

We take care of everything, from luggage transfer to taxis. You simply hike with a day pack and leave your “real world” cares behind. But don’t just take our word for it. Read what our guests have to say. Better yet, join one of our hiking tours, and experience for yourself why more than half our guest list includes repeat travelers.

Ryder-Walker team photo

Our Guests Say It Best:

“Some 25 years after using Ryder-Walker repeatedly in Switzerland for high altitude, strenuous treks, my wife, Emily, and I called and asked about a trip to Ireland that was not as strenuous in terms of altitude. Ryder-Walker recommended “The Dingle Way,” and we asked them to add accommodations at the Cliffs of Mohr and Galway. Our two-week trip was superbly planned and had ZERO interruptions or problems. The maps designed for our 89 mile walk were perfectly outlined as were the written descriptions of each hike. Every single B & B and/or hotel reservation was perfectly planned and the food recommendations were superb. To make the trip even more convenient the taxi recommendation was very fun, as the driver was as much a tour guide as a taxi driver. We saw even more sites than we asked about with the guidance of this driver. Another great individual to meet was Deloris, the contact with Ryder-Walker for all rides with either our luggage and/or ourselves from lodge to lodge throughout the trek. She became a great friend over the two weeks with her sense of humor and laughter. Ryder-Walker proved again, 25 years later, that they can plan independent trips for individuals in their 40’s or in their 70’s. HATS OFF to a GREAT COMPANY AND TEAM !!!”
David A. Dageforde