The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Find your spirit of adventure
From journeying through Kazakhstan to meeting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda or trekking in the Himalayas, now’s the time to plan that special trip you’ve always yearned for, says Sarah Baxter
Adventure? What’s that again? After what seems like a lifetime spent essentially in lockdown, the concept has been somewhat redefined. Where it might once have suggested scaling mighty mountains, off-roading across endless savannah or cruising through iceberg-crusted seas, now… not so much.
The most adventurous activities many of us got up to in 2020 involved erecting a dusty old tent in the back garden, finding a slightly new way to walk to the shops or wearing our safari clobber on the sofa while binge-watching Netflix (well, why not?). With greater restrictions enforced across the UK earlier this week, our horizons have shrunk yet again, along with our opportunities. Our sense of adventure has been dampened, stifled; could it be in danger of being lost?
We must act fast (or, at least, as fast as rules and common sense allow). We cannot – must not – let our dreams be forever reduced, our curiosity permanently curtailed. As the world starts to reopen to travellers – as we all hope and pray it will soon thanks to vaccines – we need to think boldly, rekindle our desires to roam far and wild, reflect on what we’ve missed most during this horrible hiatus and use this forced time out to plot those big trips we really, really want to take, to the countries we’re truly yearning to see.
Even though the immediate travel landscape might look bleak, advance planning is vital on a practical level, too: with so many bookings carried over from 2020, availability this year will be more limited than you might think.
So we’ve sought out some of the best adventures to remind you what’s out there, waiting, in 2021. The greatest journeys, deepest immersions, wildest escapades. When we can explore once more, these are some of the hikes, bikes, rail rides, flights, cruises, canters and overlanders we most want to take…
CROSS A CONTINENT
Costa Rica
After a year of being restricted to small journeys, start thinking big: like traversing a continent. In helpfully slender Costa Rica, it’s possible to cross from Pacific coast to Caribbean entirely under your own steam in less than two weeks by means of trekking, cycling in the jungly highlands, a wild two-day raft down a whitewater river and one day of kayaking to the sea. Expect to encounter indigenous communities and abundant wildlife en route.
A 12-day small-group Costa Rica Traverse costs from £2,240pp excluding flights; Jan-May,
Sept-Dec 2021 (0800 0744 135; worldexpeditions.co.uk).
MASTER A MASSIF
Nepal
Trek a new bucket-list contender this year. With the classic Annapurna Circuit now marred by roads at both ends, the Annapurna Traverse offers a wilder, quieter, unspoilt alternative. This long, strenuous but spectacular route crosses the range from its eastern foothills to the remote town of Jomsom, via rhododendron forests, snow leopard paw-prints, lofty lakes, prayer flags, close-ups of snowcapped summits and three high passes (topping out at the 17,400ft Kang La) – but few other trekkers.
A 27-day small-group Grand Annapurna Traverse trip costs from £3,755pp excluding flights; Sept 25 2021 (01453 844400; mountain kingdoms.com).
PACE YOUR PEAKS
UK
Still prefer to staycation? Then tick off a close-to-home classic, at a leisurely pace. Many people race to climb the UK’s three peaks – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snowdon – in 24 hours; HF Holidays’s new itinerary allows seven days, so you can combine bragging-rights hikes up the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales with extra walks in the Highlands, Lakes and Snowdonia, plus ample recuperation time at cosy country-house hotels. A seven-night small-group UK Three Peaks Plus Guided Trail trip costs from £1,299pp excluding flights; July 14, Aug 11 2021 (020 3974 8865; hfholidays.co.uk).
RAFT THE RIVER WILD
Peru
Feel like a proper pioneer in deepest, darkest Peru. KE Adventure’s Descent of the Rio Tambopata trip was new for 2020 – but, thanks to you-know-what, was never attempted. This means you can still be one of the first to join this rafting expedition from Andes to Amazon. Put in near the Tambopata’s source, high in the mountains, and paddle down into the jungle, via wildlife-filled rainforest, river beaches (ideal for wild camping) and exhilarating rapids.
A 14-day small-group Descent of the Rio Tambopata trip costs from £3,695pp excluding flights; July 3 2021 (01768 773966; keadventure.com).
BIKE THE HIGHLANDS
Scotland
No need to go far for a really wild ride: a new traverse of the Scottish Highlands, from west to east, packs in two-wheeled thrills aplenty. Pedal through the country’s highest and most majestic mountains around Glencoe and the Cairngorms, top rarely ridden passes and descend into hidden valleys, sleep out in a loch-side hut, follow littleknown singletracks beside the River Spey and nip between the ancient trees in Ballochbuie Forest, looking out for stags lurking nearby.
A six-night small-group Wild Highland Trail trip costs from £1,795pp excluding flights; Sept 18 2021 (01479 420020; wildernessscotland.com).
FEEL AT HOME ON THE RANGE
United States
Riding out into southern Colorado and learning to herd bison, wrangle cattle and live the cowboy way, is the antithesis of life in lockdown. To mix big space and a sustainable ethos, head to Zapata Ranch, on the edge of Great Sand Dunes National Park; owned by the Nature Conservancy, Zapata works to preserve ranching heritage while focusing on conservation. Stay in the 19th- century homestead (now an upscale lodge) and get stuck in on the farm, then relax with massages, hot tub soaks, birding, yoga and gourmet meals.
A six-night stay at Zapata Ranch costs from £2,510pp excluding flights (01509 618811; ranchrider.com).