Adventure Travel Destinations & Suppliers

You get a lot of bang for your adventure travel buck when you visit Belize with Intrepid. Over the span of a week, you’ll experience a rich and diverse culture alongside abundant natural beauty, all while touring with a local guide. Your explorations might include visiting a wildlife refuge enclosed within a jungle of cashew and mango trees, snorkeling along the world’s second largest barrier reef, taking a sunset catamaran cruise, or spending a day relaxing on the beach.

Among the unique itineraries offered by Backroads are several designed specifically for families with adult children. When you take your grown-up kids on this trip, you'll bike, float, and boat your way through Banff and Jasper National Parks. Stops along the way include experiencing the sparkling blue waters of Lake Louise and walking on the Athabasca Glacier.

Tauck’s Bridges program specializes in family trips that offer exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences. Zip-lining past the Arenal Volcano. Taking a guided pineapple farm tour including sweet treats. Participating in a hands-on chocolate-making demonstration. Exploring Tortuguero National Park by land and sea with expert naturalists. It would be difficult to do all of that in a week on your own, but your Tauck guides will make it look easy.

While it's quite possible to get to Machu Picchu by train, it's undoubtably more memorable to hike there via the Inca Trail. Locally based guides, who are called "Chief Experience Officers" at G Adventures, lead your four-day small-group trek. Along the way, you'll travel among ancient ruins, take in breath-taking mountain vistas, and marvel at the region’s astonishing cloud forests.

Perhaps the best adjective for a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer is “panoramic.” From your seat in a spacious glass-domed coach, you’ll spend your days crossing the continental divide, traveling along canyons carved by the Colorado River, and traversing the red rock canyons outside Moab, Utah. Nights are spent in luxury hotels, so you won’t have to worry about sleeping past any of the site

Geysers and grizzly bears. Waterfalls and wildlife. Panoramic peaks. There's nothing like spending a week exploring iconic Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with Adventures by Disney. Horseback riding, rafting, and hiking are all on the itinerary led by Disney-trained Adventure Guides.

An expedition cruise with Seabourn brings an all-inclusive resort experience onto a ship made for exploration. Your journey starts in the small country of Uruguay before continuing to São Paulo, stopping on the island of Ilha Grande, and docking in Rio de Janeiro. Each port offers an amazing variety of museums, monuments, scenery, and culinary experiences. And the ship overnights in Rio so you can soak in world-renowned nightlife into the wee hours.

The folks at Azamara often refer to themselves as "the land line," because to them exploring destinations is as important as traveling on their boutique-style ships. Your ports of call include Puerto Rico, where you can visit a tropical rainforest; St. John where hiking or snorkeling might be on the agenda; a late night stay on St. Maarten; and St. Barts and Tortola for even more sea, sun, and sand adventures.

Arriving into a Caribbean port on one of Windstar Cruises masted sailing yachts suggests something out of a romance novel or classic movie. With wide-open, teak decks and just 148 guests, you’ll feel like you are on your own private yacht. While off the ship, your adventures might include coffee-tasting in Cartagena, feeding ostriches on Curacao, birdwatching on Bonaire, diving into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean off Granada, or walking along white-sand beaches on St. Vincent.

First things first: There are no children allowed on Virgin Voyages. Yup, only 18 and over. And while Virgin cruises are not just for young adults, they are best suited for the young at heart. Sound like you? Then don’t miss this visit to lesser known, but equally dynamic and historic, Mexican ports south of the better known areas around Cancun. Oh, and while there’s nothing wrong with going to bed early after a day of exploration, doesn’t a martini sound really good?

If there was ever a trip to put on your bucket list, it’s discovering for yourself the unique and abundant wildlife that inspired the writings of Charles Darwin in the Galápagos Archipelago. Your National Geographic Expeditions team, including a certified photo instructor, will be your guides on a small expedition ship, leading you into harbors that the larger ships just can’t reach.

Hurtigruten has been sailing since 1893, so it can probably be said that they invented expedition cruises. On this trip, you'll sail from Halifax to Sable Island National Park Reserve, home to packs of wild horses and colonies of gray seals. Then you'll head back to Maine to experience "Down East" culture and visit Acadia National Park before your journey ends with walks along the historic streets of Boston.

A frequent quandary when visiting Hawaii is choosing which islands to visit. But why choose just one? When you sail with Disney Cruise Line, you’ll visit exotic ports on O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island of Hawaii. While onboard, you'll experience the magic and storytelling that only Disney can deliver. Or, if you decide you just want to visit one island, Disney’s Aulani Resort on O’ahu is perfect for the entire family.

As the name implies, a trip with UnCruise will be unlike any other cruise you’ve taken. All their ships carry fewer than 100 passengers, meaning no disembarkation lines stand between you and your explorations of a shoreline filled with a wildlife, whales, and quaint coastal towns.