Everyone dreams of having a travel bucket list, that features experiences that are once-in-a-lifetime and places, that takes us deep into the realms of the wonder that planet Earth is. Here we bring you six great adventure holidays from around the world.
When the active volcano Cerro Negro (literally, black hill) erupts, it emits ash, not lava. And imagine a 167-year-old ash-covered hillside, courtesy of many ash eruptions that you can slide down on. This unique sport, known as volcano boarding, is best enjoyed at this particular Central American volcano. You trek up the 728m hill to the cone, from where the three-minute-or-so long downhill slide starts, touching speeds of nearly 100 kmph. Nicaraguan tour operator Vapues Tours offers a volcano-boarding group excursion that includes transportation, training and gear (from $25 per person volcanoboard.com). Cerro Negro is about 24km from Len, Nicaraguas second largest city.
Imagine exploring Finland on a sled pulled by agile and strong huskies. Artisan Travel has designed a seven-night Wilderness Winter Husky tour. It includes husky safaris across the pristine Pallas-Ylls National Park, where youll be riding with your pack all day across snow-terrain filled with beautiful forests, routes and frozen lakes. The icing on the cake are the Finnish wilderness cabins where you will spend the safari nights. Of course, caring for your dogs and their needs will also be an integral part of the experience. (From 2,095 for two, December onwards rate includes meals, accommodation, return flights from London to Kittil, transfers, instructors and guides and cold weather clothing. Arctic Sled Dog Centre, from where the journey begins, is near Kittil Airport in Finland. Find out more here
Think shark and danger is the first word that pops up in ones head. But not at Xcaret Park, an eco-archaeological park in Cancun, Mexico. Here, nurse sharks have been trained by experts and one can swim with them. The Sharks Interactive Adventure experience includes briefing, performance by trainers, shark interaction and, of course, supervised snorkelling sessions. This 40-min experience is also child-friendly (minimum age 8, $67 per person, includes snorkelling gear, Details here ). Cancun, located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, has an international airport.
Remember those biplanes from Tintin comics and Looney Tunes cartoons - the ones with a front propeller! What if you could go on a safari in one of them above the African jungles? Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, a 62,000-acre wildlife sanctuary, provides the opportunity to do just that. Lewa Wilderness Lodge claims to operate the only such service in Africa where you and your partner can hop onto an open-cockpit biplane driven by an ex-crop-dusting pilot who knows his way around flying at low altitudes and providing a breathtaking experience. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is 198 km from Nairobi International Airport. More details here
How about experiencing the Kenyan wilds on horseback? Borana Lodge, located in Kenya and equipped with eight gorgeous cottages, offers riding safaris. You could choose for these custom-tailored experiences to last anything between one and 10 days, but thats not even the best partyou spend your nights either fly camping in one of their community-owned lodges or in the cabins by Lake Rutundu, located on Mount Kenyas slopes. Bonus A horseback safari is a great way to spot animals as they are likelier to approach a horse easily, unlike a vehicle. More details here
Theres a lot of enigma surrounding the Mayans - their script, complex calendars, mythological legends and immense astrological and mathematical knowledge are all reasons enough to arouse interest. Perhaps theres even more to uncover in their cave systems Caves Branch Adventure Company allows one to spend a day exploring a Mayan cave in Belize, Central America. The excursion begins with a 40 min hike through a jungle, followed by an exploration of the actual cave chambers, which contain millennia-old fire pits, earthen pots, bowls, relics, glyph writings and even skeletons of people once sacrificed, yikes! Starts $85 per person, taxes extra includes lunch, helmet, headlights and water. More details here
