Zipline over Jodhpur, India
Why explore a fort on foot when you can whizz over it on a zipline? The sandstone Mehrangarh Fort, built into the cliffs overlooking Jodhpur, is so impressive even Rudyard Kipling referred to it as “the work of giants”. Visitors zoom along six separate ziplines, crossing lakes and battlements, soaking up sweeping views over Mehrangarh as they go. And with little effort required.
How: Ampersand Travel offers the 13-day ‘Rajasthani Nights – Dreamy Desert Luxury Tour of North India’ itinerary from £3,515 per person. ampersandtravel.com
Cycle the Giro Route in Northern Ireland
The prestigious Giro d’Italia bicycle race began in Belfast this year and wound its way down the Causeway Coast before heading into Dublin. Bad news if you wanted to take part – it finished at the start of May. But from 12 May, the Hastings Hotels chain is offering wannabe riders the chance to recreate the journey, with its tongue-twisting (but slightly more leisurely) ‘Ride the Road they Rode’ package. And post-cycle, they’ll welcome you back to Ballygally Castle with afternoon tea.
How: Hastings Hotels offers the ‘Ride the Road they Rode’ package staying at Ballygally Castle from £95pp based on two sharing. Price includes overnight stay, Pink Afternoon Tea, Giro d’Italia route map, safe bike storage and more. Bike hire is not included but can be arranged through the hotel concierge. hastingshotels.com
Explore rugged and remote Kyrgyzstan
Given that Kyrgyzstan is about as barren as its use of vowels, it makes a decent adventure destination. Wild Frontiers, set up by legendary travel writer Jonny Bealby, has a 15-day Kyrgyzstan Explorer trip that promises the best of this adventurous nation. Dubbed ‘the Switzerland of Central Asia’, almost all of the country is more than 1,500m above sea level. The trip takes in the alpine scenery of Sary-Chelek, ancient walnut forests, famous Silk Road stop Tash Rabat, and the endless grasslands around the high mountain lake of Son-Kul.
How: The next trip departs 10 August 2014, and costs £1,695pp excluding flights. wildfrontierstravel.com
Pack off the family to Peru
Nowadays, a family holiday can be so much more than struggling with bent guy ropes at a campsite in the south of France. Powder Byrne’s Peru trip takes in treks and horse-riding in historic Cusco, mountain biking on the salt pans of Maras, hiking Machu Picchu and exploring the wild rainforest. A family holiday will never be the same again.
How: Costs from £2,669pp, depending on length of trip, and not including flights. powderbyrne.com
Hike a volcano in Iceland
Iceland is perhaps the ultimate adventure destination: it’s got glaciers, volcanoes and hot springs. Exodus’ week-long Volcano Hike tour crosses the country’s most impressive landscapes, from tundra to rugged coastlines. True to its name, it also hugs the craters of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (best known for the ash cloud of 2010), passing lakes and canyons. Catch the famed midnight sun during the summer months, too.
How: Eight days from £1,649pp including flights from London, accommodation and breakfasts, first departing 5 July 2014 on a midnight sun itinerary. exodus.co.uk
Lion tracking in South Africa
If you really want to get your heart rate going, hanging out with one of the most fearsome predators on Earth should do it. Even better, it’ll all be for a good cause. Get up close and personal with a pride of lions with GVI’s two-week volunteer programme in the wilds of either KwaZulu-Natal or Limpopo provinces in South Africa: expect sleeping out in the wilderness, tracking the big cats through the bush and researching their behaviour. Oh, and incredible scenery.
How: GVI offers two-week volunteer programmes from £1,195pp, excluding flights. gvi.co.uk
Hiking Brazil
Brazil is big news this year, mostly thanks to the World Cup. But if you fancy something more active than diving in the penalty box, head to Bahia, the stunning region to the north-east of the country. Discover Adventure’s ten-day trip takes in hiking in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, home to breathtaking valleys and the famous Brazilian rainforest. Adventure of a different nature comes from a visit to Bahia’s colourful party capital, Salvador.
How: Discover Adventure’s ten-day trip departs on 27 September and costs from £2,399pp based on two sharing. Includes ten nights’ accommodation, international and domestic flights, most meals, and entry to sites listed in the itinerary. discoveradventure.com
Ice swimming in Finland
Plunging headfirst into icy water sounds like the ideal way to spend a holiday in Finland, right? OK, bear with us: the adventure sport – rapidly gaining a following among young Finns – is guaranteed to give you a burst of adrenalin, even if your heart feels like it might freeze over. Man up: many Lapland residents start their day off with an icy dip.
How: For something really cool, adventure company Safartica Ylläs offers a night-time trip that includes a traditional smoke sauna, Jacuzzi (£380pp) and ice swimming in the Ylläsjarvi Lake, in western Lapland, under the stars – and if you’re lucky, under the Northern Lights as well. yllasadventures.fi
Wales on two wheels
MudTrek, based in rural Carmarthenshire in Wales, is a ‘one-stop-shop’ for mountain biking holidays. A two-day trip includes accommodation in a ski-style chalet (possibly talking it up a little – the more accurate phrase would probably be ‘barn’) and a day’s off-road, off-piste riding across some of the gnarliest adventure terrain the UK has to offer. With Wales’s renowned Brechfa trails on the doorstep, you can get from ‘chalet’ to countryside in seconds.
How: A two-night break costs from £150pp based on six sharing a barn. Includes accommodation, meals, off-piste guiding and transportation to and from the trail. Optional full suspension bike hire is also available for £40 per day. mudtrek.com
Sail a yacht around the world
The 40,000-mile, 11-month Clipper race around the world in a yacht is about as adventurous a trip as you can imagine. But before you sign up and drop a large chunk of your savings, check out the latest homecoming this July as the Clipper 2013-14 race finishes in St Katharine Docks. Entry is now open for the tenth anniversary race next year, if your sea legs can handle it. How: The race costs £45,200 for the full distance, with individual legs costing around £5,000 each. clipperroundtheworld.com
Heli-biking in New Zealand
Taking a sport and adding a helicopter to the mix usually means it packs a pretty decent adventure punch, never more so than in New Zealand, the adrenalin capital of the world. Fat Tyre Adventures does heli-biking over its epic ‘high country’ – either strap your bike to the side James Bond-style, before leaping out and whizzing down from heights of 2,000m, or take a heli-ride up to the Nevis Valley to land on the moon-like terrain of the Old Woman Range. The only way is down, but you finish up in the heart of the wine-growing region, so we’re not complaining.
How: Half-day trips from around £115pp. Flights from £1,266 return with Air New Zealand. fat-tyre.co.nz; airnewzealand.co.uk
Fly a jetpack in Florida
If you’d choose being able to fly as your superpower, then sorry, we can’t sort that. But we’ve got the next best thing. In Florida’s Fort Lauderdale, there’s a new adventure in town: the Rocketman. A giant jetpack is attached to your back, with water nozzles capable of producing a huge upward thrust to propel you 8.5m into the air, at a top speed of 47mph. And the best thing is, you can keep doing it for up to three hours. By far the best way to enjoy the view of the beaches of southern Florida.
How: The Rocketman experience in Fort Lauderdale costs around £150pp. riderocketman.com
