5 BEST ADVENTURE HOLIDAYS

Looking for an escape that combines your love of adventure and sampling new cultures with far-flung destinations? Then now’s the time to put your leave application in, as we take you through our top 5 adventure holidays.

1. BELIZE – DIVING

With its famed aquamarine iris, Belize’s Blue Hole on the Lighthouse Reef is considered a ‘bucket-list’ dive for many explorers. While most dives into the Caribbean Sea’s dark sinkhole are under 10 minutes, the descent into this subterranean world of limestone, coral, stalactites and Reef Sharks is relatively deep – up to 40 metres – so best reserved for experienced divers.

2. AUSTRIA – PARAGLIDING

Take in the sights of Salzburg – a picturesque city dotted with medieval and baroque buildings on the border of Germany – from a bird’s-eye view. A mecca for the world’s top paragliders, Salzburg is a two-hour drive from the aerial superhighway which joins the Pinzgau Valley with the Hohe Tauern Mountains in the south and Kitzbüheler Alps to the north – offering amazing cross-country flying.

3. ICELAND – ARCTIC SURFING

Looking for a hidden surf spot? Well look no further than Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula. Surrounded by volcanic reef and basalt rocks, this unlikely break in southwest Iceland is only a 60-minute drive from Reykjavik and boasts great surfing. Late summer water temperatures can hit a maximum of 12ºC, so be sure to pack your thickest wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots.

4. BRAZIL – TRAIL RUNNING

The Amazon jungle. Apex predators. Swamps. River crossings. Scorching heat and humidity. Sound like your kind of R&R? Then the Jungle Marathon could be for you. Choosing from either 127km or 254km distances, this annual race through Brazil’s national parks attracts some of the world’s bravest ultrarunners.

5. INDIA – MOUNTAIN WHITEWATER RAFTING

Explore the breathtaking beauty of Rikikesh with mountain whitewater rafting and kayaking down the fast-moving Upper Ganges. Nestled into the Himalayan foothills in the north of India, dozens of operators offer routes down the holy river, with the most extreme – paddling 40kms from Kaudiyala to Rikikesh on Grade III and IV rapids.