Adventure Holidays For The Brave

Adventure Holidays For The Brave

(Main image: Eagle Hunters in Outer Mongolia)

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The wise sage David Mitchell once said, “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”

Which is particularly true if you’re travelling in the direction of a mirror shop.

But sometimes the spirit of adventure grips you, and you think – heck, today I’m going to head out into the great unknown. Maybe even to the end of the tube line. Or maybe, joining a team of nine in diving a sub down to the wreck of the titanic; spending a week living with eagle hunters in Outer Mongolia; before driving a pack of huskies through the Finnish wilderness to watch the Northern Lights.

Each to their own.

So behold, our pick of the most adventurous holidays out there…

 

LEARN TO HUNT WITH NOMADS IN MONGOLIA | Western Mongolia

Riding through deserts. Hiking up mountains. Milking the village cows. If any of this appeals to you, then you should leap at the chance to spend some time with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters; a 250-strong nomadic group who fled communist Kazakhstan for Outer Mongolia. Stay in a traditional ger (yurt), help out in the village, and join their amazing eagle hunts in time for the Golden Eagle Festival, where the scattered communities come back together for sporting games and tests of strength, including camel racing and a tug-of-war on horseback. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: From £4,415pp for 2 people for 11 days
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RIDE WITH WILD MIGRATING HERDS | Tanzania

Watching herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plains of the Serengeti is only the second most exhilarating experience you can have in Tanzania. Because the most exhilarating experience is to do it with them – leaping onto a horse and riding amongst the stampede as they gallop across the land, cross rivers, and sniff out crocodiles. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: Price on asking
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GO STORM CHASING IN THE STATES | Colorado

Generally, the only things that enjoy bad weather are wind turbines. Apparently they’re big fans. But if you’re also partial to the odd 200mph cyclone, you can take a ten day trip to Colorado’s tornado alley or the Canadian prairies and go out storm hunting (driving really close to a storm, then driving away again. Quickly). Weather Holidays also run a supercell tour of Arizona, where you can spot mass rotating thunderstorms over the desert. VIEW MORE INFO
Details: From £1450pp for 10 days
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SAIL LIKE A VIKING | Scotland to Iceland

Following in the footsteps of the Vikings? We know what you’re thinking. Norway. But this tour allows you to sail one of the ancient plundering routes in reverse, from Scotland to Iceland. On the way you’ll stop off on various islands, exploring Game Of Thrones-worthy places like Skara Brae, Slaettaratindur, and the Ring of Broadgar; helping to actually sail the tall ship; and crossing a 35m hanging bridge across the Atlantic. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: £3,367pp for 22 days
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GO CATTLE DRIVING WITH COWBOYS | Wyoming

It’s not often you can tell someone it’s not their first rodeo and actually mean it. But on this trip you’ll be able to don your chaps and meet some real-life cowboys, who’ll take you out on rides through the incredible countryside, teach you to drive cattle on horseback, take down rustlers, and sing songs by the campfire in the evening. VIEW MORE INFO
Details: From £2264pp for 6 days
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SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ON A HUSKY SLED | Finland

Seeing the Northern Lights is already a pretty awe-inspiring experience. But you’re only in the market for entirely awe-inspiring experiences, which is why you’re going to be seeing them whilst steering your own pack of sled-pulling huskies through the snow-covered Finnish wilderness at midnight. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: From £1,515pp for 5 nights
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TAKE A SUB DOWN TO THE TITANIC | Atlantic Ocean

Launching this summer for the first time ever, the nippy-looking Cyclops 2 sub will take tiny groups of tourists down to the wreck of the Titanic, allowing glimpses of the grand hall inside. It’ll probably be an insanely expensive trip, but considering fewer people have been down there than have been jetted into space, it’s also going to be absolutely incredible. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: POA for 10 day excursion
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STAND AT THE NORTH POLE | The Arctic

Brave is the operative word here, considering the North Pole doesn’t actually have any proper land under it, that there’s a genuine risk of dropping through the ice into sub-zero water, and that you might be required to climb over frozen chunks of sea the height of a two storey building. But it’s worth it, because on this tour, you’ll get to gawk at polar bears before taking a hot air balloon or helicopter to the pole – a spot that’ll be uniquely yours, since the ice sheets will move in a matter of hours. VIEW MORE INFO

Details: From £22,427 for a 13 night trip

PS Looking for more holiday inspiration? Check out the world’s coolest yoga retreats…