The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
BEST FOR ADVENTURE
Inject some excitement back into your life – fill your lungs with fresh air, your body full of adrenaline and head for the great outdoors
SARAH MARSHALL
21
EMBRACE PEAK
SEASON IN SPAIN
Making the most of a dire situation, explorer Sam McManus mothballed his adventure travel company YellowWood Adventures and rode out the pandemic on surf waves in Costa Rica. Returning to Europe, he moved to northern Spain and spent months between lockdowns devising new hiking routes. This one is a challenging scramble across the central massif, the wildest and most scenic area of the national park, where lammergeiers swoop between peaks and views plunge into a crisp blue ocean. Sleeping in refuge huts, follow trails used mainly by chamois and the occasional bear or wolf reintroduced to the park.
The nine-day High Trails Through The Picos, from YellowWood Adventures, costs from £1,350, excluding flights. Departs September 4 (020 7 846 0197; yellowwoodaventures.com).
22
It was an uphill struggle for 19th-century female mountaineers, who sweated twice as hard to gain a foothold in the great explorers’ hall of fame. In 1871, Liverpudlian Lucy Walker became the first woman to successfully climb the Matterhorn, and her pioneering efforts are recognised with a new walking tour at the Monte Rosa Hotel, where she started her ascent. To mark the 150th anniversary of the event, the hotel’s two female owners have designed walks to explore Zermatt from a female perspective. Meanwhile, spa sessions and cooking lessons give 20th-century men an equal opportunity to excel at challenging stereotypes. Monte Rosa Hotel (00 382 69 300600; monterosazermatt.ch) from £932 for two, excluding flights. To book with the security a tour operator provides, try Tui (0871 971 0577; tui.co.uk), which offers a seven-night stay (without the extras above) from £1,416pp, including flights.
23 FIND FEMINISM ROCKS IN THE ALPS
BLITZ THE BLUES IN GOZO
The underwater world is an endless fantasy. In a matter of minutes it’s possible to descend from reality, moving peacefully and listening to the sound of your heartbeat. A playground of caverns, caves and tunnels, Malta’s sister island Gozo has some of the best dive sites in Europe. Float through pools of shimmering light in the Xlendi Cave and disappear into the Blue Hole, dropping down rocky tubes and weaving through limestone formations. Wreck dives of battleships and a scuttled tourist ferry add to the adventure. Original Diving tailor-makes a four-day dive weekend from £1,040pp, including flights (020 7978 0505; originaldiving.com).
24
TRY DIFFERENT STROKES IN SWEDEN Providing a release from lockdown lethargy, wild swimming boomed during the pandemic. The hobby is nothing new for Swedes, who spend long summer days splashing in a network of rivers and lakes. With hundreds of hidden pools to discover, only dragonflies ever share their swimming lanes. Hike through pine forests, dive into clear waters and warm up with a wood-fired sauna on the shore. Wild-camp listening to howling wolves and rise early for a dawn dip. Much Better Adventures offers a two-night break from £570pp, excluding flights. Departs 27 August
25
BREAK AWAY BUBBLES IN DOMINICA
Beaches are an afterthought on this Caribbean island, where adventure takes centre stage. Hike through a rainforest interior laced with volcanic vents, rappel down waterfalls and raft along a collection of rivers big enough to fill every calendar day of the year. Top a cork-popping experience by diving through Champagne Reef, where bubbles from underwater hot springs effervesce like the finest fizz. From dainty seahorses to leviathan sperm whales, creatures great and small can be encountered along the way. Steppes Travel has a seven-night
B&B stay at the historic Fort Young
Hotel & Dive Resort from £1,795, including flights (01285 880980; steppestravel.com).