We’re obsessed with adventure travel at Lifeventure HQ so of course the topic of wishlist destinations for 2016 came up over our morning coffee. We narrowed it down to one per continent! Here are our seven top picks… 1. North America: Grand Canyon hike It’s got to be hiking off the South rim into the Grand Canyon in winter. Leave modern life behind as you walk the South Kaibab Trail right down to the Colorado River. Experience the vastness and solitude of this awesome landscape without the crowds and overbearing heat, and immerse yourself in the strata of rock and history. Image: Richard A McMillin 2. South America: Navel gazing in Cusco Cusco is called the bellybutton of the world, and we think we know why. It’s the perfect base for treks into the past and into your mind! Once you’ve explored the incomparable Macchu Picchu (avoiding busy times June to August), get spiritual in Sacred Valley, Pisac and at the Temple of Pachacamac. Dance at the parade and finish with yoga at Lake Piruay. Image: Curioso Shutterstock 3. Africa: Sunrise in the Namib-Naukluft National Park If you’re looking for a mesmerising desert experience, camel trekking the ancient Namib is hard to beat. This Mars-like landscape features enormous snaking orange sand dunes, the breath-taking Naukluft mountain range, and at the clay pan of Deadvlei, long-dead camelthorn trees black against a scorching blue sky. Be enveloped in the silence. Image: Efimova Anna Shutterstock 4. Antarctica: Kayak with icebergs If budget is no barrier, sea kayaking in Antarctica is on the bucket list! Bob about, terrified by the whipcrack of an iceberg calving, and charmed by the thousands of curious, shuffling penguins. Hire a zodiac (rigid inflatable boat) and be skippered along the narrow passageways to see leopard seals. Cruise the notoriously rough Drake Passage and the stunning Lemaire Channel. Image: Mario Lopes 5. Europe: Gaze at the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland Go north for a stunning view of the Aurora Borealis between September and March. These glowing, dancing lights flashing across the sky are hypnotic. We’d either hunker down in a tent, or watch them from a cosy bed in a heated glass igloo in Rovaniemi or Kakslauttanen. Feel tiny and irrelevant below these ethereal lights produced when atmospheric gases are agitated by solar winds at altitudes of over 100km. Image: Jens Ottoson 6. Asia: Climb the highest volcano in Asia You’ll have to be a fit trekker to summit Mount Damavand and venture into its snow-filled crater. Asia’s highest volcano just north of Tehran rises over 18,000 feet and is a challenging ascent with icy tracks and volcanic scree. It has lain dormant for 10,000 years and looks stunning with its almost symmetrical outline. We’d celebrate coping with the altitude afterwards in Iran’s craziest city, Tehran. Image: P.Fabian 7. Australia: Choose your vehicle – kayak, surfboard or 4x4 Noosa is a jewel for the sports-mad traveller. Glorious surf and sea kayaking, hiking in Noosa’s National Parks and canoeing through the Everglades. From August to November, spot pods of humpback whales frolicking in the warm water as they break from their migration. Then hire a 4x4 to bomb around massive sand dunes on stunning Fraser Island, before camping out in one of its lush rainforests. Image: Jan Kratochvila
