help me find good area other than Colorado

[stiz]

Any thoughts on good place to do some peak bagging other than USA ...
Would prefer place where I can camp or stay in nearby hotels and do the
peaks as mostly day hikes.
I have been going to Colorado in summer doing 14ers mostly on weekdays,
or more remote if on weekends....may go back again but wondering what
other options there are ..... Have also done some Calfornia peaks and
peaks around Las Vegas, and some in Ecuador, and one in Ireland.
Shasta, Whitney, and Illiniza Norte are probably the bigger ones I've
done.

Preferences:
-guide not required or expected
-lower cost area
-less crowded area
-no significant risk of predators (e.g. grizzlies), I'd be going solo
-prefer more dry area, low risk of getting rained out
-height doesn't matter although prefer higher as views are usually more epic
-prefer class I-II+ or easy class III.
-prefer hikes I can do in trailrunners and microspikes if needed, not mountaineering boots

E.g.
Oahu and other Hawaiian islands have great hikes/peaks but it's very expensive.
I've thought of doing Scottish Monro's but Europe is pretty expensive and probably
very crowded in late August? What about the Dolomites? lesser crowded areas of Alps?
Central/South America has plenty of high peaks but most require guides.
I'm sure I'm missing something, hence the post...

Thanks!

[greenschist]

I spent a couple of weeks in the Cusco area of Peru this June, and it may be a good option for you. The city is at 10-11k feet and there are Class 1/2 14ers, 13ers, and 12ers all around. Wanakawri, Sinqa, Pillku Urqu, and Mamacimuna are all nearby. Some of these can be easy to arrange a taxi drop-off and pick-up - I wouldn't recommend driving yourself in Peru. During the dry season (roughly May-October) there is little rainfall and not much snow below 17k feet. The scenery resembles Colorado in the autumn in many ways and is extremely unique in others. Cusco is dense with hotels of all types and price levels. In addition, the city is full of things to do and see on rest days (museums, ruins, restaurants, etc).

A few downsides:

-Hours of daylight: about 9 hours in the height of the dry season
-Crowds: popular areas can be very busy, but peaks are probably much less crowded than archaeological sites
-Cost: it's for sure more expensive than Mexico, definitely less than the US
-None of the day-trip peaks are in any kind of wilderness. You're much more likely to see open grazing of llamas and alpacas than true wildlife

I get the impression that a lot of climbers travel to Peru only for the high glaciated peaks of the Andes, and a lot of hikers travel there for treks to places like Machu Picchu. Peakbagging in the 12-14k range kind of puts you in a grey area that doesn't draw as many people in. I climbed only one peak on my trip there and we didn't see anyone else on the hike. I'd recommend using Alltrails for routes/navigation. It has its downsides but there isn't too much beta to be found anywhere else for these type of peaks in the area.

[stiz]

Thanks! You reminded me how much earlier it gets dark out when you’re close to the equator. I need to take that into consideration.

[cedica]

Preferences:
-guide not required or expected
-lower cost area
-less crowded area
-no significant risk of predators (e.g. grizzlies), I'd be going solo
-prefer more dry area, low risk of getting rained out
-height doesn't matter although prefer higher as views are usually more epic
-prefer class I-II+ or easy class III.
-prefer hikes I can do in trailrunners and microspikes if needed, not mountaineering boots

Pirin planina!