Top 10: Exclusive Adventures

While sprawling on a beach for two weeks with a chilled margarita is certainly preferable to a hard-day’s slog in the office, more and more of us are looking for a side portion of something a little more challenging for our vacation time. That said, just because we’re up for a little adventure Indiana Jones style, it doesn’t mean we’re prepared to skimp on creature comforts; yes, we still expect world-class customer service and five-star accommodation while we’re trekking up the side of a mountain or exploring the coral reefs deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Indeed, more companies than ever are catering to the well-heeled adventurer like ourselves, and we’ve tracked down the top 10 exclusive adventures you can book for your next stint away from the burdens of office life.
Number 10
Gorillas in the MistUganda, Africa - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Uganda, East Africa

Home to over 300 birds and the greatest concentration of primates in East Africa, Uganda begs to be explored. If you don’t want to head off into the wilderness with just a compass and a tent, the Adventure Company is your best bet. Offering an adrenaline-pumping 11-day itinerary, this exclusive adventure starts by tracking chimpanzees in the lush Kibale Forest before moving on to take in the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II National Park. Here you’ll get the chance to watch antelopes, elephants, hyenas, and baboons in their natural habitat -- a Kodak moment if ever there was one. Next up on this exclusive adventure, you’ll board a boat and sail down the Kazinga Channel for a spot of hippo- and bird-watching and then you’ll head south to the Impenetrable Forest of Bwindi National Park. Half the world’s population of mountain gorillas live here, so you’ll certainly be in good company as you trek through the forest with an expert guide to lead the way.

Exclusivity: Tired and exhausted, you’ll come to the end of your Gorillas in the Mist exclusive adventure at the Lake Kitandara Camp, which features luxury tents with expansive verandas where you can unwind and watch the sun set over the valley.
Number 9
Ski ‘n’ SnowChamonix, France - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Chamonix, France

While many designer ski-suited visitors come to the plush French resort of Chamonix to do nothing but sip champagne in trendy bars, it is one of the best places in the world for extreme sports and is definitely one of the top exclusive adventures to check out. With tour operator Azzure, you’ll be able to push yourself to the very limit, and we’re not just talking off-piste skiing here. Providing a range of luxury accommodations, Azzure will set you up with your own James Bond-style chalet where you’ll be able to party when the sun goes down on the slopes. We recommend Chalet Zenith, which comes with a chauffeured four-by-four, outdoor Jacuzzi and sauna. During the day get the blood flowing by going paragliding or parachuting above the soaring peaks. Of course, you could always take to the skies in a more serene hot air balloon ride.

Exclusivity: If that wasn’t enough adventure for you, then you have the option of going trekking, mountain biking, horse riding or climbing, using the mountains of Chamonix as your very own playground.
Number 8
Into the BlueScuba diving - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Beqa Island, Fiji

Those looking for water-related exclusive adventures should look no further than Fiji. A mecca for surfers, divers and boaters, this paradise isle in the South Pacific is where the surf is always up and the water is always lovely. Book your island adventure with Scuba Safaris and check in at the luxurious Beqa Lagoon Resort, which usually includes no less than 10 dives in its package deal. After you’ve settled in at your eco-friendly beachside bungalow, strip off and take to the water in your Matthew McConaughey-style board shorts. Whether it’s sailing, surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, deep-sea fishing or scuba-diving you’re after, the action never stops in the warm waters of the South Pacific.

Exclusivity: If you want even more adventure, you could always organize a cage dive to get up close and personal with the sharks that roam the murky deep.

Exclusive adventures are much more fun than boozing on the beach...

Easy RiderPortugal - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Arganil, Portugal

While you could easily book an all-inclusive resort in Portugal and never leave the grounds, you’re never going to get the best out of this Mediterranean gem like that. Arguably the best way to explore this hunk of land next to Spain is by bike, zooming across its forests and fields, riding over its streams and rivers, and tearing through its quaint mountain villages. Book a tour through Motorcycle Holiday and burn rubber on a BMW 650 Dakar, going off-road in Arganil, central Portugal, on carefully selected trails that ensure you see the most rural parts of the area. By night, you’ll rest at a luxury villa, where you’ll be able to take a dip in the salt-water pool, ease those tired muscles in the outdoor Jacuzzi, expel the toxins in the steam bath and finish off your evening with a mouthwatering meal prepared just for you.

Exclusivity: If that’s not enough excitement for a big, burly biker like you, make use of the package’s other activities, such as go-kart racing, clay-pigeon shooting, fishing, canoeing, and golf. If this kind of vacation is good enough for the likes of Ewan McGregor, it’s certainly good enough for you.
Number 6
Hunting GroundTanzania, East Africa - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Tanzania, East Africa

If you’re a natural-born huntsman, but want to incorporate your need for bloodshed with an exotic locale, look no further than Tanzania, East Africa. Organized by Legendary Adventures and either of its two outfitters, Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris or Wengert Windrose Safaris, you’ll storm the wide-open plains with a rifle in search of big game and horned ungulates. When you find them, your experienced professional hunter will tell you all you need to know to successfully load, aim and fire. As well as giving you the chance to explore this wonderfully rugged, untamed landscape, hunting in Tanzania will reaffirm your masculinity and take you back to the days when we couldn’t buy our dinner in the frozen section of a grocery store.

Exclusivity: Now all you’ll need is a woman to throw over your shoulder and drag back to your luxury digs, which feature an open fireplace, four-poster bed and stuffed animals (no, not teddy bears) on the wall.
Number 5
Driving WildLondon, England - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
London, England

Let’s face it, everyone wants to drive a supercar; sometimes the envy you feel as your coworker tears out of the office parking lot in his Lamborghini Gallardo Spider is almost too much to bear. When you’ve got a couple of days to spare, hop on a plane to England and live out your very own supercar fantasy, without the worry of sky-high insurance or costly maintenance. Contact Prestige Car Hire and select from their stunning portfolio of high-end motors, including the Bentley Continental GTC, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the Maserati GranTurismo and, coincidentally, the Lamborghini Gallardo Spider. Delivered direct to Gatwick or Heathrow airports, you’ll speed down the motorway toward London like the true superstar you are. When you finally reach the capital, stay at the prestigious Dorchester Hotel and have the valet park \"your\" supercar safely on the premises.

Exclusivity: The keys will be yours for the next three days, so whittle away the daylight hours by burning rubber across the unspoilt British countryside, such as the verdant Sussex Downs, before returning to the city by night and swinging your flashy four-wheeler by some of the hottest restaurants and clubs. Finally, deliver your car back to its rightful owners at the airport, hop back on the plane and fly home with a wonderfully massaged ego.
Number 4
Pirate’s LifeGrenadine Islands, Caribbean - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Grenadine Islands, Caribbean

There aren’t many guys who watched Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and didn’t want to follow is his swashbuckling footsteps. Well, on board the Royal Clipper, you can. The largest full-rigged sailing ship in the world, complete with towering mast and billowing sails, you’ll be able to live out all your plundering fantasies as you climb aboard for its tour of the Grenadine Islands. Navigating the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, the enormous vessel will take you from Barbados to seven or more of the 30 lush islands that make up the Grenadines. Swimming across the turquoise waters, you’ll be able to enjoy some of the best diving in the world amongst age-old coral reef, as well as all the luxuries offered on board. While this is more pirate’s life than P&0, the ship has every creature comfort imaginable.

Exclusivity: Carrying 227 guests, the Royal Clipper boats 19,000-square-feet of open deck, three swimming pools and a three-deck atrium that opens out onto a three-level dining room. Make sure you climb up the mast to the crow’s nest during your stay.

If an adrenaline-pumping adventure is your idea of a vacation, check out our top 3...

Number 3
Raging RapidsMachu Picchu, Peru - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Peru, South America

If exploring Peru from the comfort of a Hilton Hotel suite doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, book a white water rafting adventure with Andean Trails and uncover the remotest corner of Peru via raging rapids. Offering an eight-day river expedition, the tour will take you on a journey through the upper and lower Tambopata, from the shores of Lake Titicaca to the heart of the Amazon rain forest. There’s not a dull moment as you’re thrown about on the rough waters, sleep in an isolated jungle lodge and end up on a train journey to Machu Picchu, the incredible Lost City of the Incas. Not for the faint-hearted resort lovers, you’ll feel like Rambo when you finally emerge from this extreme vacation.

Exclusivity: Near the end of your exclusive adventure, you\'ll visit Cusco and have the opportunity to visit Inca ruins and visit local museums and shops to really immerse yourself in the culture of Peru.
Number 2
Desert StormMarrakesh, Morocco - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Marrakech, Morocco

There’s something undeniably cool about trekking through the desert on a camel, which is why the seven-day desert exclusive adventure from Responsible Travel is so damn appealing. Undoubtedly wearing a tea towel around your head to protect your sensitive skin from the scorching sun overhead, you’ll mount your camel and enter the Sahara Desert from the fringes of the cultivated Draa valley. With sweat running down your forehead, you’ll be amazed as you trudge pass locals going about their daily business -- drawing water from crumbling wells and the like -- before stopping at night and sleeping in traditional nomad tents set against a stunning backdrop of eroded Kasbahs, dried-up oases and shifting sand dunes.

Exclusivity: Finishing your trek in Marrakech, you’ll have time to explore the wining city streets and souks before you board your plane home.
Number 1
Arctic ExpeditionICEHOTEL, Sweden - Credit: iStockPhoto.com
Arctic Circle, Sweden

The polar opposite, quite literally, of those all-included beach holidays you’re used to, Responsible Travel’s Arctic expedition will see you sledding across frozen lakes, forests and tundra in the world’s iciest conditions. Thankfully, you’ll have an expert guide so you won’t end up looking like you should be in a morgue somewhere with a tag on your foot. Staying in a different wooden cabin every night, you’ll work in a circular movement from Kaupinnen to Tornetrask Lake, Jarama, Ovre Soppero, and Jukkasjarvi. Standing proudly on the back of your sled, shouting \"Mush! Mush!\" in your deepest voice, your exploration of Swedish Lapland will leave you more fulfilled than any R&R trip ever could. Not that you’d want to live here full-time, however.

Exclusivity: You’ll get the chance to visit the world-famous ICEHOTEL before heading back to base camp at Kaupinnen.
action adventure vacation
While your pals will undoubtedly have dark tans and bloated bellies from all the excess they’ve indulged in during their annual trip to the Bahamas, you’ll have tales of bravery and heroics from the four corners of the globe -- with plenty of photographic evidence in case they don’t believe you.