Adventure holidays can include anything from trekking and horse riding to skydiving and bungee jumping. There are many places in the world where you can go to experience the thrills of adventure sports. You can go for adventure holidays with your friends and family or even sign up for package holidays with complete strangers who are as adventurous as you are. When you are planning an adventure holiday, you need to keep a few things in mind. You need to decide what kind of activities you wish to take part in and plan your trip based on that. All places do not offer every activity so you need to be very clear about what you want to do and then plan your destination according to that.

Air Sports

Air sports would include activities like paragliding, skydiving and hang gliding. Going on a hot air balloon would also qualify as an air sport. There are many places where you can enjoy these activities.

Paragliding is mostly found in hilly areas though you can go paragliding in plains as well. Some of the best places to go on paragliding adventure holidays are France, Indonesia and Slovakia. In France you can go paragliding in the Pyrenees or Chamonix which are good spots in summer as well as winter. Bali and West Java in Indonesia are the best paragliding spots in Asia.

Skydiving is an air sport for real brave hearts. If you are looking for adventure holidays with skydiving as your main pursuit then there are many places you can visit. Skydiving entails jumping from an aircraft from an extremely high altitude and then free falling for a while before you activate the parachute. It is not for everyone but is available in many countries. United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland and South Africa are some of the best countries for skydiving adventure holidays.

Hang gliding is similar to paragliding except that the wing structure and weight of the gliders are different from each other. Hang gliding is available in places which have hills and slopes as well as good places to land below. Brive and Argentat in France, Arusha in Tanzania and Guadalajara in Mexico are some of the popular destinations for hang gliding adventure holidays.

Water Sports

Activities like surfing, wake boarding and kite surfing are some of the water board sports that you can enjoy in many places in the world. Kite surfing is a popular beach adventure holiday activity. With just a little training, anyone can try their hand at kite surfing at many beaches around the world. Tarifa in Spain, Dahab in Egypt and Lisbon in Portugal are some of the most popular destinations for kite surfing.

Surfing is of course an extremely popular board sport. Wherever there is a beach with mighty waves, you will find surfers from all over the world. Surfing adventure holidays are very popular in countries like Spain, USA, Portugal, Morocco and Australia. All you need is a surfboard, a wetsuit and a spirit of adventure.

A relatively new sport that is making waves, literally, is wake boarding. It is similar to water skiing but you stand on a board instead of skis and are pulled by a speed boat. This sport is available at a lot of places and it is advisable to complete a course before actually trying it out. You can enjoy wake boarding adventure holidays in Goa in India, the Thai Wake Park in Bangkok Thailand and Cordoba in Spain.

Mountain Sports

You can enjoy adventure holidays at many mountain resorts where you can take part in several mountain sports. Some of the activities you can enjoy at these package holidays are snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing and skiing.

Snowboarding is similar to skiing as it can only be done in snow covered hill and mountain slopes. You need to strap a board on your feet and slide down a mountain slope. There are many snowboard championship games organised by resorts in Canada and United States of America in winter. You can even go snowboarding in places like Chamonix in France, Borovets in Bulgaria and Ramsau in Austria.

Mountain biking requires a lot of stamina as you have to ride sturdy bicycles over rocky terrain and down steep slopes. This type of sport is naturally available only in mountainous areas. Some of the places you can enjoy mountain biking adventure holidays are Fort William in Scotland, Rossland in Canada and Les Gets in France.

There are several places to go for rock climbing holidays. You will find many rock climbing enthusiasts wherever there are hills and mountains. You can learn the basics of rock climbing just a few feet off the ground if you are not ready to climb hundreds of feet up in the mountains. There is special rock climbing gear that you can get at any of the locations. This gear includes ropes, climbing anchor, carabiners or metal connectors and harness to support the climber. Some of the popular spots for rock climbing holidays are Wharepapa in New Zealand, Paarl Rock in South Africa and Kalymnos Island in Greece.

Many mountain resorts offer skiing as their main sporting activity for holidaymakers and for professionals. You can receive training at these resorts and there are separate slopes for beginners and experts. The basic equipment required is a pair of skis to be strapped to your feet and proper winter clothing. You can enjoy skiing adventure holidays at places like Soll in Austria, Whistler Blackcomb near Vancouver in Canada and South Island in New Zealand.

Wildlife Safaris

Adventure holidays are incomplete without a mention of wildlife safaris. Going into jungles in a jeep or even riding on an elephant’s back is a huge adventure for most of us. When you think of wildlife safaris, the first continent that comes into mind is Africa. But there are many other places where you can enjoy the wildlife just as much. India, Costa Rica, Australia and Indonesia are some of the countries where you can enjoy wildlife safaris. One horned rhinos, elephants, komodo dragons, kangaroos and brown bears are some of the animals you can see in each of these places. You can drive through the jungles in half open 4x4 vehicles and see the wild animals really up close. You can also ride on elephants backs and travel through the forest in search of wild animals and birds.

Extreme Sports

When you think about extreme sports the first words to come to your mind would probably be bungee jumping. It really cannot get more extreme than that! There are many types of extreme sport adventure holidays that you can go for. It all depends on how adventurous you are. Not many places offer some of the extreme thrilling activities like bungee jumping and base jumping. Other activities that can get quite thrilling are ski jumping, sky diving, wing suit flying and ice climbing.

Bungee jumping is an extreme sport which is definitely for the even remotely faint hearted. Your feet are tied together using a rope and you jump from a structure like a bridge and free fall till the rope ends and you are pulled up. You can find this activity in certain parts of the world but more countries have been adding this to their repertoire of adventure sports.  Victoria Falls in Africa is a famous spot for bungee jumping as is the Nevis River in New Zealand.

Ski jumping is a predominantly winter sport and is offered at most ski resorts in the mountains of Canada, Austria, New Zealand and Germany. Ski jumping entails skiing down a ramp from which you jump and attempt to land as far as possible on the hill below. It is even an Olympic Sport and can be quite a thrilling experience on your winter adventure holidays.

Ice climbing is where you climb up icy rocks and hills which can get really slippery. It requires a high level of fitness and skill. Some of the best destinations for ice climbing in the world are Iceland, Colombia, Canada and Alaska in USA.

Another extremely thrilling activity you can enjoy on your adventure holiday is wing suit flying. This is where you wear a special suit with fabric under the arms and between the legs which help you to glide through the air. You jump from an aircraft just like in sky diving and glide through the air for a while before you activate your parachute for a safe landing. This is not for untrained or inexperienced people so you need to get your training done by an expert teacher before you can even think of wing suit flying. 

What To Take On Adventure Holidays

The main thing you need to take with you is your spirit of adventure! Other items you carry with you depend on the type of activities you will be involved in. You should remember that you will get most of the equipment required at the location of the activity. For instance, if you go for a skiing holiday then you can hire skis at the resort instead of lugging a pair with you while travelling.

Make sure you have comfortable clothes which are appropriate for the place you are going for your adventure holiday. You should pack your bags according to region, culture and climate of your holiday destination. If you are planning a skiing holiday, you will naturally have to carry warm winter clothes for the ski resort. Planning a wildlife safari holiday in South Africa? You must take light cotton clothes and a lot of sun screen. Comfortable shoes are also a must for adventure holidays so leave all your fancy footwear at home.

Find out more about the place you are going to before you pack your bags. There may be a certain dress code to be followed at certain places or you may need to carry some equipment yourself. So it is better to be prepared for your adventure holidays so you are not faced with any unpleasant surprises at the last minute.

It is also important to find out which is the best time to visit different places for different activities. Skiing holidays for instance will take place only in the winter months. If you are travelling to places like India and Indonesia then it is better to avoid the rainy season. You can go for adventure holidays at any time of the year depending on the location and the type of activity you have chosen.

There is always a possibility that weather conditions prevent you from taking part in certain activities. In that case it is better to have alternate plans. For example, if you can’t go skydiving because it is raining, maybe you can go for some water sports instead. It is better to be flexible in your plans when planning adventure holidays so you will not be disappointed in case something does not work out.

When you are planning adventure holidays, it is important to decide what kind of activities you would like to take part in and then choose your destination accordingly. There are many adventure package holidays for groups that you can choose. These package holidays offer various activities which you can enjoy with your friends and family too. You may be able to fit in water sports, air sports and mountain climbing all in one trip.

You could even go for adventure holidays with complete strangers who are as adventurous as you are. You will find many package holidays like that if you can’t find companions in your own friend circle. If well planned, your adventure holidays will give you all the thrills you are looking for no matter who you go with.