Activities & Adventure Travel Articles

Australia's Grampians provide travel columnist Lindsay Hawdon and her family with extraordinary landscapes and adventure… but will there be 'roos?

A century after the gold rush, Canada specialist Elizabeth Beeson discovers plenty of riches and adventure left in the Yukon's vast, tranquil landscapes.

New Zealand is famous for its epic, mythical landscapes and outdoor activities. But it's also renowned for great wines and fascinating Maori culture. Here's our guide to the 'Land of the Long White Cloud'.

Mightily big, sometimes brash but certainly never boring, the USA is a country of striking contrasts and exhilarating experiences.

You'll find wolves and grizzlies but no TV or Twitter. Chocolat author, Joanne Harris and her daughter travelled with Audley in 2011 and fell in love with the Alaskan frontier.

As David Lean's classic film 'Lawrence of Arabia' turns 50 this year, John Gimlette (author of 'Wild Coast: Travels on South America's Untamed Edge') and family set out for the fabulous Jordanian desert.

This exotic region offers the perfect mix of wildlife, temples, cuisine and sunshine. But which country should you head for? Use our handy guide to help you choose the one that suits you

Head to Alberta for a lesser-known travel icon, suggests Fiona Clark, Canada, Alaska & New Zealand specialist. One of Canada's best kept secrets, Moraine Lake offers fresh air, adventures and breathtaking views.

Taking in the wilderness, wildlife and wine that South Australia and Tasmania have to offer, Australia specialists Jenny Bouquet and Chris Wilson suggest how to combine the best bits of the great outdoors Down Under.

Do you look for adventure and new experiences when planning a trip? Do you wish to stretch your limits and try something you've never done before? Here's some ideas to whet your appetite...

North and Central Asia specialist Alex Shaw shares three of his favourite shots from a recent visit to China.

It can be hard taking time out of our busy lives to wind down and relax. Quality time spent enjoying the simple pleasures in life can rejuvenate us and help us get back in touch with who we are.

Often one of the best ways to explore a destination on an Audley tailor-made holiday is by bicycle. We highlight our top five places to take a bike ride.

Ian and Susan Johnson visited Sumatra and Malaysia with Audley in August 2011. They describe their experiences of wildlife viewing, jungle trekking and some welcome relaxation on one of Malaysia's east coast beaches.

From Indonesia to Vietnam, we examine our top five off the beaten track destinations you can visit on an Audley trip to Southeast Asia.

The vast pampas, or grasslands, that sweep north from the rugged mountains and barren lands of Patagonia through Argentina, southern Chile, Uruguay and southern Brazil are home to one of South America's most iconic figures - the gaucho.

Southeast Asia is inhabited by many different peoples and unique wildlife, and offers the traveller a wide range of experiences. We list out top five reasons why you should visit.

Wedged between the arid plateau of Tibet and the hot fertile plains and jungles of India, Nepal offers a plethora of opportunities to travellers despite its small size. The Himalaya Range forms the backbone of Nepal and provides arguably the best mountain scenery in the world. However, there’s far more to Nepal than mountains and the country’s national parks and unique architecture provide a wonderful contrast to the wild landscapes.

From the glorious jungle-tangled temples at Angkor to the lush mountain-fringed white sand beaches of the south and the little-visited villages of the north, Cambodia has our Southeast Asia team hooked.

David Peckett, John Driskell and Les Sims travelled with Audley on their return visit to Nepal.

A late Easter weekend in 2011, followed by the May Bank Holiday means that you can take just four days out of the office to enjoy an 11-day-long break. Take a look at our Easter trip ideas for a little inspiration.

The Canadian Rockies offer undoubtedly some of the world’s most breathtaking natural scenery as well as some of the best wildlife spotting in Canada.

Lonely Planet author and sometime Audley Tour Leader Nick Ray looks back on 15 years of travelling in the kingdom of Cambodia.

Volcanoes can be surprisingly accessible, some even offering the possibility of reaching the crater rim and looking inside to the tumult below. Others are less so, but all are in locations which normally offer sublime views. We showcase 10 of the best and which you could see as part of an individual tailor-made itinerary.

With Halloween just around the corner our thoughts have turned to some of the more unusual experiences available on a tailor-made trip with Audley. Wander around a cemetery at dusk, listen to the eerie tales of malevolent spirits on a tour of a disused penitentiary, or follow in the footsteps of soldiers past at some of the world's most important battlefields.

We have a number of properties around the world where it’s possible to get involved, work alongside the locals and really get a feel for a place. From a cattle station in Australia to a rubber plantation in India, we present friendly family-run properties which introduce frontier life as it interacts with nature.

If you've explored a destination on land, why not spend a few days exploring the underwater part of it? A whole new world is waiting to be discovered just beneath the waves.

Just off the coast of Queensland in Australia are the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Some are tiny specks, others little more than sandy cay swirls, crowded with seabirds, but all are spectacular and worthy of their UNESCO World Heritage status.

Some of the world’s most beautiful, ancient and iconic destinations are well known for good reason, but this popularity usually means that crowds of tourists and sightseers vying for space are a common sight.

A night spent under canvas or open to the night sky with the stars for company is the stuff of dreams. Here we choose our top 10 experiences from across the Audley programmes.

Vancouver Island is located off the West Coast of mainland Canada. At 290 miles in length and 50 miles wide, it is the world’s 43rd largest island and a place that manages to condense most of the highlights of Canada. Audley's Canada team pick out their own personal highlights of the island.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and one of the most diverse, with a huge array of landscapes, people and culture. Discover our top tips for the best places to go on a first-time visit to this magnificent country.

A hot air balloon ride can be the highlight of any trip as you drift silently over stunning landscapes and scenery. Here is a list of our favourite hot air balloon journeys that can be experienced on a trip with Audley.

Aoraki, or Mount Cook, stands at an impressive 3,754 metres tall and lies in the Southern Alps the mountain range that breaks through the length of the South Island. It is here that many visitors to the country have caught their first glimpse of the dramatic peaks that the South Island has become so renowned for.

Often borne out of local traditions and customs or just plain weird. Here we present 10 of the world's more bizarre sporting events which, with good timing, it's just possible to see on an Audley trip.

Hear the early morning chanting ritual of Monks in Thailand, or visit Lang Cave or Deer Cave at dusk to witness the bats emerging in their shadowy hordes. There are many ways in which you can awaken the senses on a trip with Audley.

Zambia's South Luangwa has been home to some of Africa's legendary guides, probably the best known name though is Robin Pope, owner of Zambia's most successful safari company - Robin Pope Safaris.

Audley's Chile experts break down the attractions and share a few of their own personal highlights from their travels to the region.

To mark their 60th Anniversary of safaris in the Luangwa Valley, Norman Carr Safaris are offering a special community and conservation safari.

Kirsty, our Botswana Specialist, gives a first hand account of the recently reopened Caprivi Strip in Namibia.

The Gorongosa National Park lies in Mozambique is one of the finest game viewing destinations in Africa. National Geographic have recently returned from filming there and have given us permission to put a short clip of it on our website to help promote Gorongosa.

To be able to experience genuine settler life away from the bright lights is rare indeed, but joining the Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive for a few days allows you to do exactly that.

Follow an Audley itinerary which includes some of the highlights of comedian Billy Connolly's new TV series which sees him journey through Canada's Northwest Passage.

Botswana is best-known for its luxury safaris but as Victoria explains, you can still experience its fantastic wildlife by avoiding luxury lodges and staying in mobile tented camps.

Combine exhilarating helicopter flights and walking in otherwise inaccessible parts of Canada's beautiful Columbia mountains.

As part of our commitment to charity, we invited a group of clients to join a fundraising trek to the summit of Morocco’s Mount Toubkal.

There are many fantastic aquariums in the world, whether you're looking for number of species, volume of water or pure entertainment value. Many offer the chance to swim with sharks, feed penguins or simply learn about the amazing creatures that live in our oceans.