The 4 Best Destinations for Adventure Travel

Adventurous experiences look different for everyone. For some people, adventure can be as simple as pushing themselves slightly out of their comfort zone, but for others, adventure means new places, new experiences, and new challenges.

If you fall into the second category, you’re likely someone who opts for adventure travel when it’s time to book a holiday. From visiting remote parts of the world to trying adrenaline-inducing activities, these kinds of experiences are a wonderful way to expand your horizons and enjoy holidays that the majority of people would never dream of going on.

Your options are endless when it comes to adventure travel, from tours jam-packed with outdoor activities to challenging treks through some of the wildest landscapes in the world. In this article, we share four of the best destinations for adventure travel along with suggestions of what you can enjoy in each.

Kenya

Wildlife safaris are one of the most popular types of adventure travel, and there’s no better place to go on safari than Kenya. This African country is famed for its wild landscapes and incredible animals and has been visited by travellers for decades who want to explore the plains.

Of course, the classic way to enjoy a Kenya safari is on a game drive, where a small group of you will be taken out into the wild by an expert guide and led around a reserve to some of the best spots to see the area’s animals. But there are also more adventurous options, such as a walking safari where you’ll be traversing the creature’s habitats on foot and have the opportunity to get much closer to a range of species in the wild.

The Masai Mara is the most popular place to visit to spot some of Kenya’s most iconic wildlife and also where you’ll be able to witness the famous Great Migration. You can also visit the Nakuru Lake Reserve, or for more adventurous terrain, head to the Aberdare Mountains.

New Zealand

New Zealand has long been a destination on many adventurous traveller’s bucket lists. Whilst the two islands that make up the country might be pretty tricky to get to, once you arrive you’ll be rewarded with a huge variety of places to explore.

Adventure travel in New Zealand takes many forms, from road-tripping along the coast of the south island to hiking up dormant volcanoes. It’s the perfect travel destination for anyone who likes to spend a lot of time outdoors and is up for getting active in a variety of ways, especially if you visit in the summer months when you can make the most of the sunshine and dry weather.

Surfing, swimming, kayaking, bungee jumping, ziplining, caving, canyoning and sailing are all on the cards for an adventure holiday in New Zealand. It’s a country with a truly incredible array of scenery and things to do, and once you arrive, you’ll find it easy to fill out your itinerary for every single day of your trip.

Antarctica

If your version of adventure travel looks like visiting some of the remote places on the planet, we highly recommend adding a trip to Antarctica to your bucket list. The southernmost continent in the world is only accessible to tourists for several months between November and March when the ice melts enough for ships to access it, making it the ultimate adventure destination if you’re willing to tackle the journey.

Reaching Antarctica involves either crossing the infamous Drake Passage by boat or flying to King George Island which is 120km from the coast of Antarctica. From here, Antarctica cruises are the only option for actually exploring the continent, so you can feel like the famous explorers of old as you sail through the ice and snow.

The great thing about cruises in Antarctica is that everything is included in the package that you book, as your transport and accommodation are obviously wrapped up in the ship you’re travelling on. The kind of cruise you choose will dictate your itinerary and activities, but you’ll be led by Antarctica experts no matter what and will have all kinds of opportunities to see the continent and learn more about the kind of research taking place and wildlife that live here.

Peru

Our final recommendation for the best places for adventure travel is Peru, a country on the coast of South America. If you’re looking for exploration that takes you off the beaten track, it’s a brilliant part of the world to visit rugged landscapes, learn more about ancient cultures, and feel like you’ve disconnected from the modern world.

Trekking is one of the best activities if you’re looking for adventure in Peru, with the Inca Trail an incredibly popular route to tackle. Not only do you get to explore a trail that was carved through the Andes mountains by the ancient Inca people, but you’ll finish your trek at the iconic Machu Picchu citadel in the Sacred Valley, which is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. 

For adventure closer to ground level, you can also explore the Amazon rainforest in Peru, which covers almost two-thirds of the country. You can sail down the Amazon River to experience this unique ecosystem from the water, or brave a trek through the forest with a local guide to feel absolutely surrounded by the wildlife and plants that make this habitat such a biodiverse part of the world.

Adventure is out there for anyone willing to search for and experience it. We hope that this article has piqued your interest and sparked your wanderlust to start looking to plan an adventurous holiday yourself.