8 minute read

Adventure: Ideas for global adventure travel in all forms

10ways to have an adventure

cycling in Alsace

1GO ON A BIKE RIDE

Go hard: Biking around the verdant amphitheatre that is Peru’s Sacred Valley will test your mettle thanks to the altitude (3,000 metres-plus). But you’ll be distracted by the spectacular landscape carved by ancient civilisations, well-dressed alpacas and bustling Andean towns bursting with colourful textiles, ancient ruins and Spanish architecture. Go soft: Cycling France’s oldest wine route, the Alsace Route du Vin, is less about pedal power and more about staying power if you’re stopping to try its renowned Riesling. Meander past sloping vineyards, red-roofed villages and the Alsatian wine capital of Colmar with its cobbled streets, canals and gingerbread houses. Go home: The rugged green patchwork of the Peak District is a cyclist’s dream. Try the High Peak Trail, an old railway line that cuts through dramatic limestone peaks.

ways to have an adventure

2TAKE A HIKE

Go hard: Tasmania’s Overland Track is a 40-mile hike over six days that travels through the Australian island state’s wildest reaches. Trek past alpine moors with grazing wombats, through forests of eucalyptus and over the summit of craggy Cradle Mountain. Go soft: The Nakasendo Trail was a feudal highway between Kyoto and Tokyo. Today you can walk sections of it through valleys and forests of bamboo and cedar. At night, stop in evocatively-preserved old Japanese post towns with traditional wooden inns and hot springs to sooth tired feet. Go home: Scotland’s West Highland Way stretches 96 miles past stunning lochs and windswept moors and glens.

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3GET PADDLING

Go hard: Extreme humidity and being the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist are two reasons why a kayaking trip in Florida’s Everglades is no picnic. You’ll be rewarded by deserted waterways lined with whispering grass, floating lilies, twisted mangrove forest and 10,000 islands. Less toothy wildlife includes white tailed deer and pink spoonbills birds. Go soft: The fjord-like ‘khors’ of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula (closer to Dubai than Muscat) are perfect for exploring by kayak. The region points into the Straits of Hormuz, with a coastline of arid, jagged cliffs and deep blue dolphin-filled waters. Tours leave from the bustling harbour at Khasab, watched over by a blue-domed mosque and an imposing castle. Go home: Take a stand-up paddleboard tour of Cornwall’s rugged Lizard Peninsula to discover hidden coves, sandy bays and cute fishing villages.

Saracino

The only place in the world where alligators & crocodiles coexist, the Everglades are lined with whispering grass, floating lilies, twisted mangrove forest and 10,000 islands

Bucket list adventures Wyoming’s wild slopes

4STRAP ON SOME SKIS

Go hard: Jackson Hole in Wyoming is a beacon for advanced skiers and boarders. They welcome the steep ungroomed pistes of deep powder balancing between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges, about half of which are classed as black or double black diamond. Go soft: The Swiss village of Grindelwald is looked over by the north face of the Eiger but in the valley it’s a chocolate box scene of icing sugared wooden chalets, skiing for all abilities and Europe’s longest sledge run. Go home: Head to Scotland’s Cairngorms for the UK’s most reliable skiing – you can even take a funicular up the mountain to get there.

5TAKE A DRIVE

Go hard: The Canning Stock Route through Western Australia’s stark red outback is one of the world’s most remote road trips, running for 1,150 miles between the dusty towns of Wiluna and Hall’s Creek. Along the old livestock drover’s trail are aboriginal rock art sites thousands of years old and sand dunes higher than a three-storey building. Go soft: Linking two of Canada’s famous national parks, in Banff and Jasper, the Icefields Parkway is a corridor through the majestic Rocky Mountains, passing turquoise lakes, snow-capped peaks and the Athabasca Glacier. Go home: Motor through the Cotswolds’ villages of honey-stone cottages and rolling countryside.

Bucket list adventures Alberta’s Icefield’s Parkway

6JUMP ON A TRAIN

Go hard: The Trans-Siberian Railway may only traverse one country but the 5,772-mile track runs from the European capital of Moscow to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan. Over 15 days you’ll pass through seven time zones, cross the endless Siberian tundra and pass the world’s largest and deepest freshwater lake, Baikal. Go soft: Trundle between South Africa’s capital city Pretoria and Cape Town in the lap of luxury on the iconic Blue Train. You can enjoy fine dining or laze in your bath tub as you cut nearly 1,000 miles through South Africa’s mountains and bush, stopping at Kimberly’s ‘Big Hole’ diamond mine in between. Go home: The Northern Belle steam train chugs along the spectacular 72-mile Settle to Carlisle line across the picturesque North Pennine moors and Yorkshire Dales.

The Trans-Siberian Railway runs 5,772 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan, across seven time zones

y our next adventure Book

7SET SAIL

Go hard: You can’t get more extreme than Antarctica, the most remote place on earth. Cruises cross the notoriously rough Drake Passage from South America before arriving at the sparkling continent to see crowds of penguins, slick orcas and dancing humpback whales. Go soft: Croatia’s Adriatic is ideal for a sailing trip. Board a yacht to island hop the Dalmatian coast between the historic cities of Dubrovnik and Spilt. Discover Korcula’s vineyards and olive groves, the green wilds of Mljet and the lavender fields and terracotta-roofed towns of Hvar. Go home: The Solent, between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, is one of the busiest waterways in the world but also a renowned place to learn to sail.

Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

8GO ON SAFARI

Go hard: In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest there’s a 90% chance of seeing a gorilla but you’ll work for it as you trek through this steep tropical jungle. Once spotted, you’ll have the privilege of being able to observe these powerful but playful giants for an hour, safe in their natural habitat. Go soft: It’s easy to spot wildlife in Costa Rica, even if you’re as lazy as the sloths dangling from the trees. There’s turtles on the Caribbean beaches, howler monkeys and red-eyed tree frogs in the rainforest and toucans flitting in the highlands. Go home: Knepp is a 3,500 acre estate and a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex. Take a safari to see what untamed England looks like and spot rare turtle doves, purple emperor butterflies and the first nesting storks in the UK for 600 years.

Bucket list adventures make new friends in Galapagos

9LOOK UNDERWATER

Go hard: The Galapagos Islands are not for beginner scuba divers. Colder water, strong currents and often low visibility are challenging but it’s worth the effort for its truly unique sights. The islands are famous for huge schools of hammerhead sharks and marine iguanas. Even snorkellers can spy sea lions and penguins, graceful in their underwater realm. Go soft: The Bahamas’ balmy 700 islands and cays span 100,000 square miles and offer sublime diving and snorkelling with incredible visibility. At Peterson Cay National Park barracuda and manta rays flit above a pristine reef of vivid purple and yellow coral. Go home: Off Devon’s Lundy Island you can snorkel with attention-seeking Atlantic seals.

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Kawarau Bridge

10TAKE FLIGHT Go hard: New Zealand was where the modern bungy jump was invented so there’s no better place to hop into the abyss. The original bungy at Kawarau Bridge in adventure capital Queenstown might not be the highest but views are stunning and you get a complimentary dip in the river. Go soft: Step aboard a hot air balloon for a bird’s eye view of Jordan’s beautiful desert at Wadi Rum. You’ll fly at sunrise to drift silently on a cool breeze above the red sand and dramatic rocky outcrops, before the day’s heat begins to build. Go home: Book an exhilarating paragliding experience with an instructor, flying over Dorset’s dramatic Jurassic Coast.