New Year, New Adventures: 14 Extraordinary Experiences in 2014
This new year make a resolution that you’ll actually stick to. See more than the 4 walls of your office. Make time for friends and family. Get outside and breathe more fresh air. Do something you’ve never done before. Take that trip – that adventure you’ve always wanted and do it! 2014 is all about making things happen. 2014 is all about you!
Here are 14 inspiring experiences that you can do to make 2014 extraordinary!
Get to know the gentle giants of SE Asia in a world renowned Elephant Sanctuary
Getting up close with these quintessential icons of SE Asia has long been an essential “must-do”. For good reason, these lovable, lumbering pachyderms will put a smile on anyone’s face. Interact closely with these endangered gentle giants in their natural habitat, spending time feeding, bathing and walking with them at the Elephant Nature Reserve in Chiang Mai.
Founded by passionate conservationist Lek, this is a renowned sanctuary and reserve dedicated to the safe well being of these animals – no painting, no riding, no tricks! This is a truly wondrous and rewarding encounter.
Want to Experience This? Take a look at our Southeast Asian Odyssey and South East Asian Explorer tours.
Abseil off a bridge on a free hanging rappel into Yorkshire’s most dramatic gorge
Get your heart racing peering over the edge of bridge 100 feet above the surface floor. Abseil down into the gorge in the stunning hills of Yorkshire, then clamber, scramble and slide your way through the canyon. No experience necessary for this, what are you waiting for?
Want to Experience This? Visit our Gorge Walking page.
Circumnavigate the 8th highest mountain in the world in a stunning Himalayan trek
Walk amongst the Himalaya and face to face with Manaslu, at a towering 8,156m, this is nature on a beautiful, grand scale. Get off the beaten track on this one of a kind teahouse trek – simply out of this world!
Want to Experience This? Visit our Manaslu Circuit Teahouse Trek.
Reach the summits of the UK’s 3 highest peaks in one weekend
3000m of ascent over 3 peaks in 3 countries – challenges in the UK don’t get any better than this.
On this expedition you’ll have the full support of qualified mountain guides and transport, leaving you to enjoy the views and claim some serious bragging points.
Want to Experience This? Visit our Hiking in the UK page.
Watch the sunrise on the Mekong
One of life’s greatest moments can be had, with a cold Beer Laos in hand, watching serenely as the sun sets gently on the great river Mekong. Meandering and winding its way through 7 countries, this is the lifeline of SE Asia. Fisherman get their catch of the day, goods are transported up and down, women tend to the arable soil on its banks, kids splash and play – the Mekong, with its continuing flow, is where life is lived.
Want to Experience This? Visit our tours to SE Asia.
Celebrate the exuberant celebrations of the Holi festival in Nepal!
Splashes of colour and happy revellers fill the streets of this fun and boisterous celebration. People throw a brightly coloured mixture of powder and water, where everything and everyone is fair game. The Festival of Colour, occurring in the March, is best experienced in Nepal. Whether you are in the busy streets of Kathmandu or tiny villages in the Himalayan foothills, you are guaranteed to have a memorable time.
Want to Experience This? Visit our Nepal Treks & Tours page.
Learn to climb at the home of the UK’s rock legends in the Peak District
Leo Houlding, Don Whillans and Jonny Dawes all got their start in the UK’s most prolific climbing area – The Peak District and its plethora of crags.
Stanage Edge in particular has hundreds of routes well suited for a beginner’s ramble up your first route to overhangs where you can hear cries for mercy on the ascent. Either way you’ll feel on top of the world when you reach the finish.
Want to Experience This? See climbing and abseiling in the UK.
Chat with monks in Chiang Mai or Luang Prabang
Travelling to SE Asia isn’t all about embracing the lush natural surroundings, active adventures and night markets (those are great too!). Get engaged in the region’s fascinating cultural heritage too. Learn of a monk’s life, Buddhist culture and wonder about life’s great mysteries with informal monk chats at a few select temples in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang.
Want to Experience This? Visit our tours of Thailand and Laos.
Take on a classic Himalayan trek with a twist in an Annapurna adventure
There’s a reason our trip was recommended by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine – this tour is awesome!
Trek up the eastern flank of the classic Annapurna Circuit, until you pass the high and mighty Thorung La (5416m high). Then, bike downhill for 4 days onto the western side into the deepest gorge on earth. See this region in a whole new light. There’s nothing like it!
Want to Experience This? See our Annapurna Hike & Bike page.
Kayak the free flowing rapids on the Sun Kosi
Spend the day kayaking with internationally certified guides in the warmest white water in Nepal. Kayak the grade 1/1+ rapids of the Sun Kosi – rightfully described as one of the top 10 river journeys anywhere. When you’re not paddling there’s heaps of time to enjoy the abundant wildlife and world class scenery.
Want to Experience This? Visit our Journey to the Top of the World trip page and other Nepal tours.
Take a light aircraft into the Himalaya and spend 4-days descending on your bike
Take a light aircraft flying into the heart of the Himalayas. Land at 3800m above sea level and take a jeep to the holy town of Muktinath. Then, from here it’s 4 days of the best downhill one can find, anywhere. Period. Single track, broad sweeping trails, suspension bridges, natural berms, rock gardens and rarely used jeep tracks lead the way back down into the foothills. This is what dreams are made of!
Want to Experience This? Visit our Mountain Madness Nepal or Nepal Xtreme page.
Stay in a Newari mansion perched in the foothills of Nepal
High along a ridge is the cobble stoned village, Bandipur. It’s hard to believe that this stunning Newari village with views to to rival, has escaped the throngs of mass tourism – it’s merely a short drive off the main Nepali highway. Bandipur presents itself as living museum with its restored square and ancient temples, traffic free streets, and quiet demeanour, but part of the beauty lies in the fact that it is still a market town with farmers and traders going about their daily business. Stay in a beautifully restored mansion when you visit this gem.
Want to Experience This? Visit our Day Trips to Nepal page or come with us on a Journey to the Top of the World.
Drink yak butter tea, try the raksi or raise your glass to Lao Lao (Laos rice whisky).
Ever tried fried grasshoppers or snake soup? One of the most fun you can have on any holiday is trying all sorts of weird and wonderful things. We never thought that bamboo grubs would taste so good – until we tried them! We won’t mention how the local rice whisky tasted, but that’s all part the experience!
Often you’ll get invited into a local home and the first thing they’ll offer you is drink. The best thing you can do is say yes. So cheers, to local delicacies – whatever they may be!
Want to Experience This? All of our Asian Adventure Tours get you immersed in the local culture and encourage you to taste new things!
Natural hot springs, blue lagoons, hidden waterfalls – this is wild swimming!
Whether you’re in the Yorkshire Dales down a gorge, going for a dip in a Welsh mountain stream, soaking tired muscles in natural hot springs surrounded by the Annapurna’s, feeling the cooling mist of a secret waterfall in Laos or find yourself jumping from a tree swing into crystal clear, turquoise pools, nothing is as refreshing as going for a swim.
Want to Experience This? Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Yorkshire, the Peak District and mountains of the UK – we can take you there.
