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Adventure Holidays

Adventure travel

Expert travel guides and holiday advice

There's nothing like a bit of adventure to turn a holiday into a trip of a lifetime. From adrenaline-raising abseiling to desert treks and ice water swimming, the world is everyone's oyster when it comes to thrill-seeking activities. The Independent’s travel experts have compiled the ultimate bucket list for you, with guides on the best activities around the world.

<p>Climbing Everest could be the ultimate new year resolution</p>
Activity & Adventure

10 ultimate bucket list trips to plan ahead

Get planning now for the future trip of a lifetime, recommends Tamara Hinson

Activity & Adventure

10 ultimate bucket list trips to plan ahead

Get planning now for the future trip of a lifetime, recommends Tamara Hinson

<p>Climbing Everest could be the ultimate new year resolution</p>
These elegant overnight options get guests back to nature
Activity & Adventure

These are the most extreme back-to-nature hotels

The ultimate adventure: rock climbing
Americas

How to have an adventure in Arizona

Fiji beach is known for its island paradise good looks
Activity & Adventure

Five things to do in Fiji for adventure seekers

Slightly more exciting than your urban foxes – Wolf Lodge nestles in Norway's Polar Park
Activity & Adventure

Eight of the best Arctic adventures

Slightly more exciting than your urban foxes – Wolf Lodge nestles in Norway's Polar Park
Activity & Adventure

Eight of the best Arctic adventures

Epic walks include an ancient section of the Great Wall of China
Activity & Adventure

10 of the world’s most epic hikes

Howler monkeys’ calls can be heard up to three miles away
Activity & Adventure

Nine best destinations for the ultimate ethical animal experiences

Visitors can eat and drink in fine style in Porto
Activity & Adventure

Holiday inspiration for every budget

Activity & Adventure

Six of the coolest cycling destinations

Travel

35 trips every couple should take in their lifetime

The salt flat at Uyuni, Bolivia, is the world's largest salt desert
News & Advice

The top travel bucket list experiences, ranked

An adrenaline fuelled adventure on Ecuador's raging rapids
Activity & Adventure

What's it like to go white water rafting in Ecuador?

A breaching humpback
Australasia & Pacific

Swimming with nature's giants in Western Australia

It pays to pack smart for Kili
Activity & Adventure

What to pack for Kilimanjaro, from boots to water bladders

Don't look down: the 'via ferrata' requires a head for heights
Activity & Adventure

New Zealand now has the world's highest waterfall climbing route

The Waterford Greenway offers 28.5 miles of coastal trail to explore
Activity & Adventure

How a Victorian railway line became Ireland's coolest new bike trail

Ubco e-motorbikes are practically silent
Australasia & Pacific

How to explore New Zealand by bike without working up a sweat

At 2,400 metres above sea level, the Atacama Desert is an unforgiving landscape
Americas

A holiday in the world's driest and highest desert? Why not

Above the clouds on Kilimanjaro
Africa

Frozen fingers and falling asleep on your feet: Climbing Kilimanjaro

Start your engines...
Activity & Adventure

The eight best Formula One destinations

Bliss Sanctuary for Women is a female-only retreat
Activity & Adventure

10 of the best female-only trips for solo travellers

Middle East

Inside the Middle East's new adventure capital

PortAventura offers a thrilling day out
Europe

Five reasons PortAventura is better than Disneyland

Adventure: good for the soul (Alamy/PA)
Health & Families

From boosting confidence to soothing the soul, why adventure is great for our wellbeing

<p>Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, Australia</p>
Australasia & Pacific

Australia’s top 10 unmissable experiences

Jane gets to grips with ‘eight-arm’ fighting
Asia

How to learn Muay Thai in Phuket

Adventure holidays in Europe

Read expert travel guides on the best holidays for adventure lovers across Europe.

Cliff camping means sleeping over the edge of a drop
UK

Why the UK should be your next adventure travel destination

From cliff camping in Dorset to sea kayaking around remote Scottish islands, Lizzie Pook argues you’ll find everything you need for a thrill-seeking escape right here

<p>Grin and bear it: Sian braves the icy waters at Löyly Helsinki</p>
Finland

Are ice swimming and sauna rituals the key to Finland’s happiness?

Salmon fishing at the Arundell Arms
UK

10 of the best hotels for fishing in the UK and Ireland

Head to the dramatic Apuseni Mountains for the ultimate adrenalin hit
Activity & Adventure

Why Romania is the next adventure travel capital

Madeira's landscape is ideal for trail runners
Activity & Adventure

Why Madeira is a trail runner's paradise

Cliff camping means sleeping over the edge of a cliff
Activity & Adventure

This is what it’s like to sleep dangling from a cliff edge

Trampolining in a giant underground cavern is just one of many high-charged activities
Activity & Adventure

How Snowdonia became the adventure capital of the UK

Freedive foraging
UK

What it’s like to go freedive foraging on the Cornish coast

Paddleboarding in Glencoe, west Scotland
UK

Best UK paddleboarding destinations and where to stay

Be master of your own private lake
UK

The best wild swimming stays in the UK

<p>Kayaking in Albania: a three-hour flight from the UK </p>
Adventure travel

The rise of ‘adventures on our doorstep’

<p>With wild beaches and boxy whitewashed villages, La Graciosa is a timewarp take on the Canaries</p>
Travel

Why you should visit the Canary Island you’ve never heard of

Grey seals on the beach on Coquet Island
UK

Sea kayaking with seals off the Northumberland coast

Mestia is the gateway to Svaneti
Europe

How to hike through the most remote region in Georgia

<p>With wild beaches and boxy whitewashed villages, La Graciosa is a timewarp take on the Canaries</p>
Travel

Why you should visit the Canary Island you’ve never heard of

Grey seals on the beach on Coquet Island
UK

Sea kayaking with seals off the Northumberland coast

Mestia is the gateway to Svaneti
Europe

How to hike through the most remote region in Georgia

More on adventure holidays

More adventure holiday guides and latest news

<p>Ras Abu Galum in the Sinai Peninsula offers an escape from the tourist crowds on the Red Sea coast </p>
Egypt

Southern Sinai’s secluded beach camps offer a different side to Egypt

Egypt

Southern Sinai’s secluded beach camps offer a different side to Egypt

<p>Ras Abu Galum in the Sinai Peninsula offers an escape from the tourist crowds on the Red Sea coast </p>
<p>Addison Lee was founded in 1975 by Sir John Griffin</p>
Business

London’s Addison Lee bought by Singapore-based transport firm for £269m

<p>British explorer Lucy Shepherd has travelled to some of the most remote places on the planet </p>
Adventure travel

Explorer Lucy Shepherd on surviving uncharted jungle wilderness

<p>Thailand is among the destinations being booked by families seeking adventure </p>
News & Advice

British families are swapping beach breaks for adventure holidays

<p>Wendy Searle and Annabel Grossman at the end of their expedition in Finse, Norway</p>
Adventure travel

We need more women in adventure travel – this expedition is a start

<p>Wendy Searle and Annabel Grossman at the end of their expedition in Finse, Norway</p>
Adventure travel

We need more women in adventure travel – this expedition is a start

<p>The Alps are one of Europe’s most popular destinations in both winter and summer </p>
Europe

Europe’s best family adventure holidays for adults, teens and kids

<p>Hold on to your hats (and coats) on the windy coast of Norway </p>
Norway

Why storm watching should be on every adrenaline junkie’s bucket list

<p>Dominic Bliss hit Huntington Beach and Mammoth Mountain within hours of each other </p>
North America

Surfing and skiing in California: can you do both in a weekend?

<p>Truck watch: Dragoman adventure vehicle in Ethiopia</p>
News & Advice

‘Our overland truck is stuck in Ethiopia with a £100,000 parking fine’

<p>Ciudad Perdida was ‘rediscovered’ by the outside world in the 1970s </p>
Colombia

Reaching Ciudad Perdida, Colombia’s lost city older than Machu Picchu

<p>This remote part of Lapland features birch forests, mountain plains, fast-flowing streams and icy lakes </p>
Sweden

I ditched my phone and hiked 110km through the Swedish wilderness

<p>Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and one of the Three Peaks </p>
UK

The 9 best UK adventure holidays for 2023

<p>Eyjafjallajokull glacier is the second highest peak in Iceland</p>
Iceland

Iceland’s famed volcano is the ideal introduction to mountaineering

<p>This remote part of Lapland features birch forests, mountain plains, fast-flowing streams and icy lakes </p>
Sweden

I ditched my phone and hiked 110km through the Swedish wilderness

<p>Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and one of the Three Peaks </p>
UK

The 9 best UK adventure holidays for 2023

<p>Eyjafjallajokull glacier is the second highest peak in Iceland</p>
Iceland

Iceland’s famed volcano is the ideal introduction to mountaineering

<p>Simon Calder looks at the vistas of Madeira</p>
Lifestyle

Discover the diverse, dramatic landscapes of Madeira

Lifestyle

Discover the diverse, dramatic landscapes of Madeira

<p>Simon Calder looks at the vistas of Madeira</p>
<p>Leap across rocks along the Pembrokeshire coastal path on a coasteering trip </p>
Wales

7 best activity holidays in Wales for couples and families

Liuwa Plain is a lesser known safari destination
Africa

How to go on a safari without breaking the bank in Zambia

Arksen runs a series of curated itineraries for keen sailors
Adventure Holidays

Could supersized expedition yachts be the way to save the ocean?

UK

Have a homespun adventure: How to save time and money on your travels

UK

Have a homespun adventure: How to save time and money on your travels

Activity Holidays

Jodie Kidd in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

Africa

Tanzania: Animal magic

Adventure Holidays

Masai Mara: A tribal quest

Adventure Holidays

Trail Of The Unexpected: Mount Kenya

Adventure Holidays

Mokogodo: "Baboons stole the fruit-scented soap from my bathroom"

Adventure Holidays

Timeline: Race for space

Adventure Holidays

Space travel: Are we nearly there yet?

Adventure Holidays

Texas: Home of the final frontier

Adventure Holidays

An Arctic voyage: White nights

Adventure Holidays

Trail Of The Unexpected: Super shopper

Adventure Holidays

Malta and Gozo: Easy rider on the med

Adventure Holidays

Malta and Gozo: Easy rider on the med

Adventure Holidays

Alaska: The last frontier

Adventure Holidays

High-level research in Turkey

Adventure Holidays

Bear watching in Finland: A very close-up adventure

Adventure Holidays

Where have all the Azores' whales gone?

Adventure Holidays

Where have all the Azores' whales gone?

Adventure Holidays

Shock and oar on a Norwegian camping trip

Adventure Holidays

Mount Etna: A flavour of Sicily

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