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This is a feature from Issue 6 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
Go hard: Cycling around the verdant amphitheatre that is Peru’s Sacred Valley will test your mettle thanks to the altitude (3,000 metres-plus). But you’ll be distracted by the spectacular landscape carved by ancient civilisations, well-dressed alpacas, and bustling Andean towns bursting with colourful textiles, ancient ruins and Spanish architecture.
Go soft: Cycling France’s oldest wine route, the Alsace Route du Vin, is less about pedal power and more staying power if you’re stopping to try it’s renowned Riesling. Meander past sloping vineyards, red-roofed villages, and the Alsatian wine capital of Colmar with its cobbled streets, canals, and ginger bread houses.
Go home: The rugged green patchwork of the Peak District is a cyclist’s dream. Try the High Peak Trail, an old railway line that cuts through the dramatic limestone peaks.
Go hard: Tasmania’s Overland Track is a 40-mile hike over six days that travels through the Australian Island state’s wildest reaches past alpine moors with grazing wombats, forests of eucalyptus and craggy Cradle Mountain, which juts out over serene glacial lakes.
Go soft: The Nakasendo Trail was a feudal highway between Kyoto and Tokyo. Today you can walk sections of it through valleys and forests of bamboo and cedar. At night, stop in evocatively-preserved old Japanese post towns with traditional wooden inns and hot springs to soothe tired feet.
Go home: Scotland’s West Highland Way stretches 96 miles past stunning lochs and windswept moors and glens.
Go hard: Extreme humidity and being the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist are two reasons why a kayaking trip in Florida’s Everglades is no picnic. You’ll be rewarded by deserted waterways lined with whispering grass, floating lilies, twisted mangrove forest, and 1,000 islands. Less toothy wildlife includes white tailed deer and pink spoonbills.
Go soft: The fjord-like ‘khors’ of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula (closer to Dubai than Muscat) are perfect for exploring by kayak. The region points into the Straights of Hornmuz, with a coastline of arid, jagged cliffs and deep blue dolphin-filled waters. Tours leave from the bustling harbour at Khasab, watched over by a blue-domed mosque and an imposing castle.
Go home: Take a stand-up paddleboard tour of Cornwall’s rugged Lizard Peninsula to discover hidden coves, sandy bays, and cute fishing villages.
Go hard: Jackson Hole in Wyoming is a beacon for advanced skiers and boarders. They welcome the steep ungroomed pistes of deep powder balancing between the Gros Ventre and Teton Mountain ranges, about half of which are classed as black or double black diamond.
Go soft: The Swiss Village of Grindelwald is looked over by the north face of the Eiger, but in the valley, it’s a chocolate box scene of icing sugared wooden chalets, skiing for all abilities and Europe’s longest sledge run.
Go home: Head to Scotland’s Cairgorms for the UK’s most reliable skiing – you can even take a funicular up the mountain to get there.
Go hard: The Canning Stock Route through Western Australia’s stark red outback is one of the world’s most remote road trips, running for 1,150 miles between the dusty towns of Wiluna and Hall’s Creek. Along the old livestock drover’s trail are aboriginal rock art sites thousands of years old and sand dunes higher than a three-storey building.
Go soft: Linking two of Canada’s famous national parks, in Banff and Jasper, the Icefields Parkway is a corridor through the majestic Rocky Mountains, passing turquoise lakes, snow-capped peaks and the Athabasca Glacier.
Go home: Motor through the Cotswolds’ villages of honey-stone cottages and rolling countyside.
Go hard: The Trans-Siberian Railway may only traverse one country but the 5,772-mile track runs from the European capital of Moscow to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan. Over 15 days you’ll pass through seven time zones and cross the endless Siberian tundra as well as the world’s largest and deepest freshwater lake, Baikal.
Go soft: Trundle between South Africa’s capital city of Pretoria and Cape Town in the lap of luxury on the iconic Blue Train. You can enjoy fine dining or laze in your bathtub as you cut across nearly 1,000 miles through South Africa’s mountains and bush, stopping at Kimberley’s ‘Big Hole’ diamond mine in between.
Go home: The Northern Belle steam train chugs along the spectacular-mile Settle to Carlisle line across the picturesque North Pennine moors and Yorkshire Dales.
Go hard: You can’t get more extreme than Antarctica, the most remote place on earth. Cruises cross the notoriously rough Drake Passage from South America before arriving at the sparkling continent to see crowds of penguins, slick orcas and dancing humpback whales.
Go soft: Croatia’s Adriatic is ideal for a sailing trip. Board a yacht to island hop the Dalmatian coast between the historic cities of Dubrovnik and Spilt. Discover Korcula’s vineyards and olive groves, the green wilds of Mljet and the lavender fields and terracotta-roofed towns of Hvar.
Go home: The Solent, between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, is one of the busiest waterways in the world but also a great place to learn to sail.
Go hard: In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest there’s a 90% chance of seeing a gorilla but you’ll work for it as you trek through this steep tropical jungle. Once spotted, you’ll have the privilege of being able to observe these powerful but playful giants for an hour, safe in their natural habitat.
Go soft: It’s easy to spot wildlife in Costa Rica, even if you’re as lazy as the sloths dangling from the trees. There’s turtles on the Caribbean beaches, howler monkeys and red-eyed tree frogs in the rainforest and toucans flitting in the hills.
Go home: Knepp is a 3,500 acre estate and a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex. Take a safari to see what untamed England looks like and spot rare turtle doves, purple emperor butterflies and the first nesting storks in the UK for 600 years.
Go hard: The Galapagos islands are not for beginner scuba divers. Colder water, strong currents and often low visibility are challenging but it’s worth the effort for its truly unique sights. The islands are famous for huge schools of hammerhead sharks and marine iguanas. Even snorkellers can spy sea lions and penguins, graceful in their underwater realm.
Go soft: The Bahamas’ balmy 700 islands and cays span 100,000 square miles and offer sublime diving and snorkelling with incredible visibility. At Peterson Cay National Park barracuda and manta rays flit above a pristine reef of vivid purple and yellow coral.
Go home: Off Devon’s Lundy Island you can snorkel with attention-seeking Atlantic seas.
Go hard: New Zealand was where the modern bungy jump was invented so there’s no better place to jump into the abyss. The original bungy at Kawarau Bridge in adventure capital Queenstown might not be the highest but views are stunning and you get a complimentary dip in the river.
Go soft: Step aboard a hot air balloon for a bird’s eye view of Jordan’s beautiful desert at Wadi Rum. You’ll fly at sunrise to drift silently on a cool breeze above the red sand and dramatic rocky outcrops, before the day’s heat begins to build.
Go home: Book an exhilarating paragliding experience with an instructor, flying over Dorset’s dramatic Jurassic Coast.
This is a feature from Issue 8 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
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