Our 8 Favorite Types of Adventure Travel

Extreme Factor: Low to High

Glacier Hiking

Extreme Factor: High

If you like hiking, imagine taking those outdoor skills to an icefield. Glacier hiking is an amped-up version of the sport that requires more-specialized equipment, such as crampons (footwear traction devices), helmets, and ice axes. Not for the faint of heart, these expeditions allow travelers to immerse themselves in the rough outdoor beauty of hard-to-reach places. If glacier hiking tops your adventure travel bucket list, make it happen sooner rather than later, as climate change continues to shrink the world?s greatest icefields.

Try It:In Montana?s Glacier National Park; on the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland; and on one of the many icefields alongNorway?s fjords.

Horseback Riding

Extreme Factor: Low to Medium

Hopping on the saddle has always been a great way to take in the landscape, whether it?s a sunset ride on the beach or a multiday journey into remote wilderness. Horses can schlep humans and their provisions for the long haul and go places technology can?t, and excursions let travelers connect with and learn about caring for the animals.

Try It:Your Virtuoso travel advisor can arrange a ride through your destination?s surrounding plains, countryside, or coasts. For remote adventure, head toMongolia, where a ride through the country affords wanderlusters an authentic perspective on nomad culture.

Mountain Biking

Extreme Factor: Medium

Second only to hiking, mountain biking (also known as all-terrain biking) is one of the most popular ways to engage in the great outdoors. Equipped with knobby tires and serious suspension, mountain bikes are built especially for off-road adventures. If you?re able to shift gears, control your brakes, and manage moderately uneven surfaces (rocks, roots, and mud), you?re ready to ride. Bike tours range from slow and steady to super technical, so be sure to have your travel advisor find one that best suits your fitness level.

Try It:Pedal throughPatagonia?s Lanín National Park or go off-road inIceland.

Snorkeling

Extreme Factor: Low

For a fun day of tropical fish-peeping, strap on fins, a mask, and a snorkel and head to the sea. Snorkeling is an easy activity ? basic swimming skills, good equipment, and an understanding of the ocean are the most essential requirements. Many hotels, cruise lines, and tour outfitters will provide the supplies and instruction. Whenever possible, snorkel in the morning, when marine wildlife is more active and water visibility is best. And don?t touch or take anything from the ocean; sea creatures rely on the reefs for food and shelter.

Try It:Snorkeling is a must during any water-based vacation, be it in the Caribbean or theMaldives, off the coast ofMozambique, or in the warm waters of theHawaiian Islands, where adventurers can spot pristine coral reefs and sea turtle habitats.

Cave Tubing

Extreme Factor: Medium

Navigating an inner tube through a cave is very different from taking one for a ride down a ski slope or a leisurely float on a lazy river. Kitted with a life vest and a headlamp, visitors take subterranean cave tours through dark (sometimes pitch black) caverns studded with stalactites and stalagmites. Expert guides lead these underground river tours, but if you have a fear of dark, small spaces, you may want to sit this one out.

Try It:New Zealand?s Waitomo Caves, which are known for the thousands of glowworms that illuminate their caverns; and inBelize, where cave tubing originated as a local sport by kids using old car tires to float down rivers. A tour through the crystal-clear waters of the Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve is a must-do.

Kayaking

Extreme Factor: Low

If you want to get up close and personal with nature and wildlife, kayaks are an intimate way to explore. First built by the Inuit people in North America roughly 4,000 years ago, these vessels were designed to hunt on inland waters. Today, paddlers of all levels can glide through fjords, narrow straits, and oceans from a sea-level perspective.

Try It:Grab a kayak from the activity center at your resort, or sign up for a tour on a cruise. InAlaska, wild coastline meets dramatic maritime mountain scenery at Lynn Canal, the deepest fjord in North America. Paddlers can maneuver a former Klondike gold rush route in search of orcas, humpbacks, river otters, and Steller sea lions.

Zip-Lining

Extreme Factor: Medium

Few things make the heart pound with excitement like soaring through the air on a cable over rivers, canyons, and forest canopies. Fueled by adrenaline, you?ll experience a veritable playground in the sky via a series of platforms (and a set of safety harnesses), and you may even forget about how far you are from the ground. Fear of heights aside, most zip-line tours are suitable for all but the youngest of ages, with no experience necessary.

Try It:Zip-line courses can be found all over, from theCaribbeanand Southeast Asia to Australia?s Daintree Rainforest, where flight enthusiasts soar over rivers, waterfalls, and virgin jungle before ending on the coast overlooking theGreat Barrier Reef.

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