Hikers from all over the world travel to the Arizona desert to hike among incredibly shaped towers of sandstone rocks. The red walls of Antelope Canyon have become particularly famous. The most expensive photo in the world, a black and white work by Peter Lik called Phantom, was taken here. Although you can’t see the canyon’s extraordinary colours in the photo, more and more tourists have been visiting the narrow passages through rock walls ever since.

Fewer hikers, however, know that red sandstone cliffs also line the Palatinate Forest in Germany. If you want to spend a few days descending between rock towers and caves, the Rodalber Felsenwanderweg (Rodalb Rock Hiking Trail) is the place to go. The 45-kilometre (28 mi) loop leads through the heart of the Pfälzerwald Nature Park, through the Rodalb side valleys and around the small town of Rodalben. The natural beauty along the path is abundant: forest so densely overgrown that some hikers even speak of a feeling like being in a primeval forest. In between, you find wide views of the surrounding hilly landscape and more sandstone towers than you can count.

The rock formations along the Rodalber Felsenwanderweg are around 200 million years old. You can climb many of them, walk through their arches and explore small caves. You can use the giant rocks as your chairs and tables, natural dining tables for your snack breaks. The German Hiking Association has also certified the Rodalber Felsenwanderweg as a ‘Quality Hiking Trail’. This means, for example, that the paths are well signposted and the infrastructure is hiker-friendly.

This Collection divides the route into two stages, with Rodalben as your base camp. Both the eastern and the western loop start and end at the railway station in the town. Plus, the journey to get there doesn't take nearly as long as it does to the Arizona desert – unless you live on the American continent, that is.