The Polar Regions

ANTARCTICA
CLIMBING AND DIVING ICEBERGS
Why go to Antarctica if you get to stand on solid ground for only a few hours? This cruise gets you some real time on—and under—the great white continent and takes you south across the Antarctic Circle, a feat only true polar explorers can brag about. You and 53 other adventurers will stay aboard the Polar Pioneer, your floating base camp, where you'll have input in planning the ship's day-to-day itinerary. Experienced drysuit divers can explore the undersides of icebergs and get a krill's-eye view of whales; hikers can summit unclimbed mountains on the western side of Antarctica and name them after their grandmothers. Other possibilities include visits to the defunct volcanic crater of Deception Island, the glaciers of Paradise Harbor, and the narrow 2,300-foot cliffs flanking Lemaire Channel. Price: $4,490
Outfitter: World Expeditions, 888-464-8735, www.worldexpeditions.net
When to Go: February

CLIMBING AND PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY
Hundreds of unclimbed peaks form the towering spine of the Antarctic Peninsula. Your footprints could be the first atop two of them on this 12-day journey to the frozen south. A refurbished Finnish research vessel, the Polar Pioneer, will carry 56 passengers—including a photography expert and a naturalist guide—from the tip of South America through the Beagle Channel and across the Drake Passage to the peninsula's west coast. First stop if the weather's good: the South Shetland Islands, where Zodiacs will take you ashore with climbing guide Tashi Tenzing, grandson of the famed Norgay, who'll help you navigate the crevassed terrain. As the ship makes its way south, you can scale the bluish bergs or paddle a kayak along the shore. You'll pass leopard seals and penguin rookeries, and may even have some up-close encounters when you spend a night camping ashore. Life on the ship is comfortable; you'll appreciate the onboard collection of polar literature and the porthole view from your cabin on the long cruise home.Price: $5,190-$8,390
Outfitter: Aurora Expeditions, 011-61-2-9252-1033, www.auroraexpeditions.com.au
When to Go: November-March

EMPORER PENGUINS SAFARI
For March of the Penguins fans, here's something new: A penguin specialist who helicoptered close to Snow Hill Island, in the Weddell Sea, during a 2004 Quark expedition, discovered an uncharted emperor rookery with 4,000 breeding pairs. You'll be among the first to witness the penguins on this two-week journey to the Weddell. Starting in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, you'll set out on the 108-passenger icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, traveling to shore by Zodiac or helicopter, then hiking about a mile across the ice to the rookery. You'll make up to three trips, and because it's early in the season, you'll likely see parents nuzzling chicks at their feet.Price: $8,495-$15,495 Outfitter: Quark Expeditions, 800-356-5699www.quarkexpeditions.com When to Go: October-November

GREENLAND
KAYAK GREENLAND'S FJORDS
Explorers' Corner's 16-day sea-kayaking expedition through seven of Greenland's remote fjords isn't luxurious—accommodations are a tent pitched on permafrost, and some meals come freeze-dried. But the payoff is worth it: expansive views of the five-mile-wide Knud Rasmussen Glacier calving into the Tasiilaq Fjord. A 1.5-hour flight from Reykjavík, Iceland, and a two-hour skiff ride with an Inuit hunter are required to reach Tasiilaq (pop. 2,000) and the mouth of the fjord. From there, spend your days dodging motel-size icebergs in your 18-foot kayak and hiking beside 4,000-foot peaks. Three departures in July and August; by application, From $3,890; explorerscorner.com

GREENLAND & ICELAND
EXPLORE THE ARCTIC
When you and your camera venture into the realm of polar bears and musk ox, it's comforting to know there's an expert on board whose input could turn a wasted frame into the shot of a lifetime. Award-winning nature photographer Frans Lanting—as well as renowned polar explorer Will Steger—will accompany you on this 11-day voyage from Spitsbergen, Norway, to Keflavík, Iceland. The 46-passenger polar research ship Grigoriy Mikheev carries a fleet of Zodiacs for explorations of Greenland's east coast, where migrating seabirds and whales skirt the pack ice. The ship will make its way up Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord in search of rare narwhals and visit Ittoqqortoormiit village en route to Iceland's southwestern shore. Price: $5,295-$6,995 Outfitter: Wilderness Travel, 800-368-2794, www.wildernesstravel.com
When to Go: September

The Middle East

CYPRUS
MOUNTAIN-BIKING THE TRAILS OF THE TROODOS
For a trip to fat-tire nirvana, try this six-day, 170-mile mountain-bike excursion on the island of Cyprus, south of Turkey. Pedal over rocky singletrack, fire roads, and chalky foothills, all of which have a mountain backdrop or a Mediterranean view. Your base camp is the Pendeli Hotel, in the high-country resort of Platres. From here, take daily cross-country explorations into the 6,000-foot Troodos Mountains, offering cool riding conditions even under the summer sun. Terrain is a mixed bag: technically demanding loose rocks and tight turns, scrappy climbs, fast traverses, and even faster descents. Ride up skittish slopes to the 6,401-foot summit of Chionistra and down to the sea, but be sure to pack that extra tube: The support vehicle can't follow you here. Postride, swim laps, soak in the hot tub, or have a sauna back at the family-run Pendeli Hotel. Price: $1,895 Outfitter: KE Adventure, 800-497-9675, www.keadventure.com When to Go: June, July, September

OMAN
TREK THRU ANCIENT OMAN
Just east of Saudi Arabia, on the Arabian Sea, centuries-old shepherd trails crisscross the rocky ridges and deep wadis of the Al Hajar range, which rises 10,000 feet above Oman's placid northern coastline. It's the Middle East that doesn't make the nightly news, and it's virgin territory for most American travelers. On this ten-day trip, you'll trek and camp in lush valleys filled with date palms, in ancient sand-colored villages that blend seamlessly with the surrounding hills, and on a sugary beach where you can snorkel in a sapphire bay. OUTFITTER: KE Adventure Travel, 800-497-9675, keadventure.com; PRICE: $1,995; DIFFICULTY: Moderate; WHEN TO GO: March–April, November–January

TURKEY
SEA-KAYAKING THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
Scout Turkey's dramatic Mediterranean shoreline from the cockpit of a sea kayak on this eight-day multisport adventure. Then explore it on foot with a local guide, visiting ancient Lycian rock tombs, Apollo's birthplace, and tiny Kas, a chic and lively 2,400-year-old village. A luxurious wooden gulet with a gourmet chef is your floating hotel, but the starry nights will make you ditch your stateroom for a mattress on deck. Paddle your kayak along empty beaches before dipping into Greece to snorkel over sunken ruins. Price: from $3,495 Outfitter: The Northwest Passage, 800-732-7328, www.nwpassage.com When to Go: September-October

YEMEN
ARABIAN TREK
Once home to the Queen of Sheba, Yemen had an advanced civilization more than 3,000 years ago. While security concerns have deterred visits in recent years, conditions seem to be improving. Over 18 days, you'll explore the diverse Arabian countryside. Begin in Sana'a, the 7,425-foot-high capital, then travel to the hilltop villages of the north before winding down in seaside al-Makallah. En route, sleep in castles right out of the Arabian Nights, wander through colorful, spice-infused souks, and four-wheel through steep-walled dry riverbeds. Price: from $4,995 Outfitter: Geographic Expeditions, 800-777-8183, www.geoex.com When to Go: March and November

Africa

ALGERIA
CAMEL TREKING IN THE SAHARA
Peter Grubb, founder of outfitter ROW Adventures, once wandered into a French travel agency to buy a ticket to Morocco and unknowingly ended up with one to Algeria instead. It was a fine mistake, given the weeks of warm Saharan hospitality he enjoyed, and he's been yearning to return ever since. Next fall he does, this time to lead a new adventure into the lonely canyons and quiet oases of a North African nation seldom seen by Americans. For 21 days, travelers will journey by 4x4 to ancient settlements in palm-ringed valleys and hike with Tuareg guides in Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, an area nearly twice the size of Switzerland, with life-size pictographs and gnarled chasms. Then they'll spend five days trekking with camels through the red-sandstone villages of western Algeria's Sahara, where they'll pitch tents under unfettered skies, mingle with nomads, and devour lamb stew with flatbread baked in the sand. OUTFITTER: ROW Adventures; rowinternational.com PRICE: $5,990 DIFFICULTY: Moderate WHEN TO GO: October, January

BOTSWANA
ADVENTURE TOURS
Aspiring safari guides, take note. This nine-day educational foray into the wilds of the Okavango Delta—among antelopes, lions, giraffes, Cape buffalo, and zebras—will give participants a strong introduction to the finer points of African bushcraft and survival skills. You’ll be schooled by professional South African guiding instructors in four-wheel driving techniques, navigation, tracking, fire starting, canoe poling, food foraging, rifle handling, game spotting, and (optional) venomous-snake wrangling. Though your graduation certificate won’t qualify you as a professional guide, it will certainly look impressive on the wall of your den back home.Price: $2,700—$3,300 Outfitter: Explore Africa, 888-596-6377, www.exploreafrica.com When to Go: Year-round

BOTSWANA, NAMIBIA & ZAMBIA
SAFARI IN THE KALAHARI DESERT
Want to save on a safari? Go in the off-season. On Wilderness Safaris' new Summer Spectacular trip, guests visit iconic sites like Victoria Falls and Botswana's Okavango Delta while staying in camps where plunge pools come standard. But the draw is your first stop, the Kalahari Desert. In the wet summer, from November to April, areas like Deception Valley teem with herds of springbok, which come to drink standing water. Lions and cheetahs aren't far behind. Trips leave between December and April; 8 DAYS, FROM $3,850 wilderness-safaris.com.

SAFARI IN THE SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
In 2007, Serengeti National Park officials rewrote their tourism plan to include walking safaris in select areas of the 5,700-square-mile savannah. Now, after several recon trips, luxury outfitter Mark Thornton Safaris is one of only three companies permitted to lead trips for up-close encounters with lions, buffalo, and elephants. (Yes, the guides carry rifles.) The three-to-six-day trips are usually added to longer tours of Tanzania, and begin each morning with a six-hour trek and end each night with sundowner drinks. All itineraries are customized. Departures between May and March; From $650 per person per day for a group of four, including transfers from the airport in Arusha; thorntonsafaris.com

SAFARI BY ELEPHANT
The trouble with most elephant-back safaris is that you never properly bond with your transportation. This issue is smartly resolved at the elegantly understated Abu Camp, in the Okavango Delta of the Kalahari Desert, where you live alongside eight resident elephants that roam the 395,000-acre reserve outside the six handsome platform tents. With assistance from the camp's wildlife experts and mahouts, spend four days and three nights interacting with the herd and riding them into the floodplains to graze undetected among zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, and impalas. At night, soak in the trill of some of the 500 species of birds while finishing off your five-star grub of sweet potato soup and harissa fish stir-fry by the campfire. Price: $6,270 Outfitter: Classic Africa, 888-227-8311, www.classicafrica.com
When to Go: May-October

KENYA
TREK THE GREAT WALK, TSAVO NATIONAL PARK
This 11-day, 110-mile Kenya journey is a walk in the park for trip leader Iain Allen, an honorary warden and seasoned adventurer who once trekked 300 miles from Mount Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean. You'll trace his steps along the wildlife-flush Tsavo and Galana rivers, tracking the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino) as you cross the 8,300-square-mile park from west to east. As for the carnivorous critters that are bound to catch your scent, Le Bon says, "They tend to walk away." The trek begins at Mzima Springs, a hippo hangout at the base of the Chyulu Range, 149 miles southeast of Nairobi. From there you'll follow the palm-fringed Tsavo River through giraffe and kudu habitat to your first campsite, at the base of the jagged Ngulia Mountains. After a nap beneath the down comforter in your plush safari tent, you'll be ready for an afternoon game drive and cocktails by the fire. In the next few days you'll track gazelles, impalas, and zebras en route to the park's more arid eastern side, where it's easy to spot hartebeest and fringe-eared oryx across the open plain. The journey ends with a night of pampering at the Hemingways Resort, a posh hotel on a white-sand stretch of Watamu Bay, where you can lounge by the swimming pool and ponder your epic feat. Price: $6,900 Outfitter: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com When to Go: March, June, September

LIBYA
TREK CROSS-COUNTRY
On this 17-day expedition from Tripoli—one of the first outfitted trips to Libya since the travel ban for U.S. citizens was lifted last March—you'll take in all five of Libya's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the ruins of the Roman-walled cities of Sabratah and Leptis Magna; the labyrinthine 2,000-year-old mud-brick western border town of Ghadames, a key stop on the great trans-Saharan caravan routes; and the haunting, desolate Greek temples and tombs of Apollonia and Cyrenaica, on a bluff overlooking the sea. Along the way, you'll camp in the desert and sleep on beds carved out of rock in the below-ground troglodyte houses of Ruhaybat.Price: $4,750 and up Outfitter: Geographic Expeditions, 800-777-8183, www.geoex.com When to Go: April, September

MOROCCO
TREKING THE COUNTRYSIDE
Most travelers know Morocco for its colorful markets. But on KE Adventure Travel's new Peaks and Valleys of Jebel Sirwa trek, expansive views of the Atlas Mountains are the climax. You'll keep an easy pace on the six-day, 50-mile trek, leaving plenty of time to visit the semi-fortified villages of Berber farmers. By night, you'll camp in grazing pastures. At trip's end, scramble up 10,800-foot Jebel Sirwa, an extinct volcano offering stunning views of the High Atlas Mountains. Trips depart from Marrakesh in March, April, October, and November; $865; keadventure.com

MADAGASCAR
PADDLE DISCOVERY OF THE FOURTH LARGEST ISLAND ON EARTH
Long isolated from the flora and fauna of the African mainland, the world's fourth-largest island teems with evolutionary anomalies, such as the 30 lemur species and countless other miscellaneous critters that exist nowhere else on earth. You'll hear a cacophony of grunts and wails as you kayak the aquamarine water of the Indian Ocean through the newly designated Masoala National Park. Inland you'll paddle on calm rivers and lakes through forest reserves on this 18-day adventure. In the tropical home of indiris, sifakas, and octopus trees, you'll sleep in wilderness lodges and camp on palm-shaded beaches where you can snorkel in secluded lagoons few outsiders have seen. OUTFITTER: Explorers Corner, 510-559-8099, explorerscorner.com; PRICE: $4,553; DIFFICULTY: Moderate; WHEN TO GO: October–November

NAMIBIA
SAFARI THRU A CHEETAH CONSERVATION AREA
Though Africa's largest population of endangered cheetahs—about 3,000—lives in Namibia, their propensity to snack on livestock keeps them in jeopardy. You'll try to change that during this two-week safari, five days of which are spent working at the Cheetah Conservation Fund training Anatolian shepherd dogs, building fences, counting wildlife, and staying in a nearby farmhouse. On your first night in Namibia, take in the view from the 1914 castle of Count von Schwerin, where the wine collection is stored in a cellar carved out of a stone hillside. Later, you'll check out the black rhinos of Etosha National Park, the shipwreck-littered Skeleton Coast, and finally the Namib Desert. After a day of sand-surfing the 1,000-foot-high dunes, refuge is in a kulala, an open-air bungalow with rooftop stargazing. Price: $4,400
Outfitter: Mango African Safaris, 888-698-9220, www.mangosafari.com When to Go: July-August

SEYCHELLES
FLY-FISHING THE COSMOLEDO ISLANDS
When you encounter the foot-and-a-half-long coconut crabs that reside in the Cosmoledo Islands, 500 miles off the coast of Tanzania, give them a wide berth: Their pincers can lift up to 65 pounds and crack coconuts with diamond-cutting precision. Then again, you won't be spending much time inland on this outer subgroup of the Seychelles—the real action is casting in the turquoise flats surrounding the four atolls. The Cosmoledos, protected by a ten-mile-wide coral ring, have never been inhabited—they had their last documented brush with humanity in 1822, when British captain Fairfax Moresby came ashore during an Indian Ocean mapping expedition. This isolation has led to a freakish evolution of fish species, including the giant trevally, weighing in at 70 pounds. You'll spend six days casting over the crystal water and seven nights aboard a retired 1935 North Sea research vessel, complete with teak-and-brass-appointed saloon and dining room. Price: $6,000 Outfitter: FlyCastaway, 011-27-82-334-3448, www.flycastaway.com
When to Go: November-April

SOUTH AFRICA
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
Jump into the hottest archaeological debate going—the true origin of man—with an exploration of the 3.2-million-year-old "Cradle of Humankind" sites at Sterkfontein and Swartkrans caves, 45 minutes north of Johannesburg. Led by the top archaeologists and paleontologists in the country, you'll spend 13 days poking around the gravesites of prehistoric Australopithecus africanus, from the limestone caves of Limpopo to the Knysna coastline, while bunking in wine-country estates and elegant hotels. You'll also check out the Big Five at Mthethomusha Game Reserve and the success at Addo Elephant National Park, where the pachyderm population has grown from 11 to 420 in the past 75 years.Price: $7,995 Outfitter: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 800-422-8975 ext. 146, www.crowcanyon.org When to Go: June

Fishing and Diving Adventure
This two-week coastal foray starts in South Africa's Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve, where you'll spend five nights in one of Rocktail Bay Lodge's 11 stilted chalets, tucked behind forested dunes. Between surfcasting for kingfish and snorkeling amid a confetti swirl of subtropical fish, you'll view freshwater lake hippos and crocs and hit the beach at night to track nesting leatherback and loggerhead turtles. After a quick flight to Mozambique, you'll board a boat for Benguerra Island, just off the mainland in the Bazaruto Archipelago, and check in to the thatched bungalows of Benguerra Lodge. Here, scuba divers may encounter 50-foot whale sharks and endangered dugongs, and anglers will work some of the world's best marlin-fishing grounds. Price: $4,395 Outfitter: The Africa Adventure Company, 800-882-9453, www.africa-adventure.com When to Go: Year-round

TANZANIA
SAFARI THRU MASAILAND
In partnership with the Masai Environmental Resource Coalition, a network of Masai organizations advocating for tribal rights and sustainable use of the great ecosystems of East Africa, this 12-day safari-with-a-conscience combines classic game drives and walks with daily visits to local schools and villages—well off the usual tourist path. The journey begins in the wide, lion-rich plains of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, then heads to the important elephant migratory ground of Amboseli National Park, at the foot of 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro. Tanzania's rustic tented Sinya Camp, a private Masai concession in the acacia woodlands, is the final stop.
High Point: Searching for game on foot with a Masai warrior in the Sinya bushlands—littered by giant elephant dung. Low Point: Realizing that for many years the Masai have not reaped equitable benefits from the tourism trade. Travel Advisory: Don't expect your guides to drive off-road to get a better look at wild animals. It damages habitat, harasses wildlife, and is strictly prohibited on this trip. Price: $3,750 Outfitter: Wildland Adventures, 800-345-4453, www.wildland.com
When to Go: February, March, June to October, December

Asia

CHINA
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING/HIKING/CAVING IN YANGSHU
Beijing may be the center of the 2008 Olympics universe, but the heart of China's adventure-sport community sits more than 1,000 miles to the south, near Yangshuo (pop. 298,000). Climbers first began setting routes in the myriad karst peaks here in the 1990s; today there are about 300 established climbs. (Last fall, Briton Neil Gresham set the region's first 5.14b.) After climbing, there's caving, hiking, and mountain biking. And anglers can hire a guide—who'll use a trained cormorant—to catch fish at night. Get on belay with China Climb ($40 per half-day with guide; 011-86-773-88-11-033, chinaclimb.com), then crash at the peaceful Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (doubles from $40; 011-86-773-87-77-091, yangshuomountainretreat.com).

HIKING/RAFTING IN YUNNAN
The Mekong may be renowned for its starring role in Apocalypse Now and as the newest target of China's village-displacing hydroelectric-dam campaign, but it's never been known as a commercial whitewater hot spot—until now. Under the leadership of your veteran guides, kick off the beginning of what may be a Mekong revival: commercial rafting trips on the wilder Class IV-V sections of the upper river. You'll spend the first week acclimatizing to Yunnan's Tibetan culture and altitude, with hikes through the 700,000-acre, bamboo-dense Baima Nature Reserve and a 5,000-foot ascent to the 12,000-foot-high village of Yubong, while sleeping in traditional Tibetan homes. By the second week, drop your raft into the Class IV rapids beneath the flapping prayer flags of Xidang's monastery for six days and 80 miles of gorge-squeezing whitewater bliss. Price: $4,990-$5,490 Outfitter: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com
When to Go: March

MINYA KONKA TREK
In the shadow of 24,790-foot Minya Konka, spend 19 days exploring Tibetan villages, Buddhist temples, and a high-alpine landscape where rhododendrons and wildflowers line paths leading to hot springs and crystalline lakes. The trip centers on a 12-day trek that tops out on a 15,150-foot mountain pass before dropping into the Yunongqi Valley, where you'll sip butter tea in a village home, then set up camp nearby.Price: $5,595 Outfitter: Geographic Expeditions, 800-777-8183, www.geoex.com
When to Go: April, September

EAST TIMOR
TREKING THE ISLAND
In the five years since East Timor won its bloody battle for independence from Indonesia, few travelers have ventured into the world's newest nation, where the tourist-free villages, coffee plantations, and verdant rainforests rival any in Southeast Asia. On this 15-day trip, you'll hike up the country's tallest mountain (9,724 feet), sail to a nearby reef-ringed island, watch villagers weave their traditional tais (sarongs), and spend your nights in humble guesthouses and thatched-roof seaside bungalows.Price: $1,380 Outfitter: Intrepid Travel, 866-847-8192, www.intrepidtravel.com When to Go: May to November

HIMALAYAS
WALK TO KACHENJUNGA
Pioneering adventure outfitter Mountain Travel Sobek celebrates its 40th anniversary with a series of back-of-beyond trips led by top guides. Our favorite: this northern-Sikkim trek, which ends at the base camp of 28,169-foot Kanchenjunga. After two nights in Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, a team of porters, 12 guests, and a seriously illustrious guide—Jamling Norgay, son of some guy named Tenzing—set off for ten days of trekking through remote high-alpine valleys near the Tibetan border. "It will be like hiking in Nepal in the sixties," says Narendra Gurung, Sobek's director of Asia operations. October 31–November 15; 16 DAYS, FROM $4,300 mtsobek.com.

TREK IN A ZEN MASTER'S FOOTSTEPS
In 1978, Peter Matthiessen published The Snow Leopard, the National Book Award–winning account of his quest to find the world's most elusive big cat among Dolpo, Nepal's 23,000-foot Himalayan peaks. One World Trekking's 29-day hike through Shey-Phoksumdo National Park retraces the legendary author and Zen master's footsteps, past 11th-century Buddhist monasteries and 100-foot waterfalls. With four 16,500-foot passes, this trip is for experienced trekkers. One World guarantees porters and cooks, if not leopard sightings. September 7–October 5; from $4,400; oneworld­trekking.com

INDIA
RAFTING THE TSANGPO RIVER
In 2002, a team of world-class kayakers sponsored by Outside became the first to descend Tibet's Tsangpo, the Everest of rivers. Last year, whitewater experts Global Descents made a 110-mile section of the river in India—where it's called the Siang—available to mortals. The ten-day expedition starts with a helicopter flight from Dibrugarh, Assam, to the put-in near Tuting, a village at the Chinese border. From there, 12 rafters and four guides spend six-hour days paddling big-water Class V rapids through rugged, 1,800-foot-deep canyons. Nights are spent camping on sandy beaches and feasting on fish curry. Five departures between November and January; $4,500; globaldescents.com

SURF THE MALDIVES
Surfers have long known that polar storms churning their way into the southern Indian Ocean create some of the planet's most consistent swells by the time the waves bash into the Maldives, 300 miles southwest of India. With about 1,200 islands and 20 atolls, finding the best breaks means living on a boat—in this case, one helluva boat. Australia-based outfitter Tropicsurf raises the bar on live-aboard surf safaris this month with the launch of Tropic Breeze, a 113-foot, three-deck yacht that's stuffed with so many accoutrements even kooks who love Point Break will want to sign up. There are eight cabins (each with a private bathroom), plasma-screen televisions, a library, a tender for surfboards, a bar, two cushy lounges, and a captain who knows how to locate the tubes. After embarking, up to ten surfers can set out to find swells pounding remote, secret atolls. You'll likely have breaks like the Peak to yourself, where deep-water channels make for safer exits from glassy faces up to 18 feet high. (Beginners can take longboards out at Betties for 300-yard-long rides on head-high waves, and onboard guides are always out in the water to give pointers.) At the end of the day, crash on the couch with a cold Tiger beer and watch videos of yourself to perfect your cutback. Yellowfin and mahi-mahi are reeled in, then transformed into sushi and curry dishes. When your shoulders can take no more paddling, learn to tow-in surf behind a Jet Ski, go snorkeling, or get a massage from the onboard masseuse. OUTFITTER: Tropicsurf; tropicsurf.net PRICE: From $5,556, for seven- to ten-day trips DIFFICULTY: Moderate WHEN TO GO: April–October

SAFARI IN MADHYA PRADESH
Last November, Taj Hotels and CC Africa generated big-time adventure travel buzz when they opened Mahua Kothi, the first of five upscale resorts in central India, marrying the African safari with Indian hospitality. Bandhavgarh National Park, abutting the Mahua Kothi, is one of the most famous tiger habitats on earth, with centuries-old man-made caves that now serve as big-cat dens. After a day exploring the sal forests and bamboo jungle, guests chill out in one of 12 suites on the 40-acre property, which offers all the best amenities of a conventional luxury safari—but with hookah pipes in the common area, private butlers in traditional costume, and in-room Ayurvedic massages ($600 per person, all-inclusive; 011-91-11-26-80-77-50, indiasafaris.com).

TRACKING THE SNOW LEOPARD
Hidden in the Himalayan high-desert passes of Ladakh are some of the oldest untouched Tibetan monasteries in the world, as well as one of the highest concentrations of the near-mythic snow leopard. For 19 days, play Peter Matthiessen under the guidance of the Snow Leopard Conservancy. You'll sleep in tents and mountain farmhouses while trekking and tracking the elusive cats through the 5,000-square-mile Hemis National Park, home to about 170 of the world's last remaining 4,600 to 7,000 snow leopards. Along the way you'll visit the spectacular tenth-century Hemis Monastery, enjoy the view at your 12,500-foot-high Rumbak homestay, and trek to the 16,700-foot-high pass of Kongmaru La. A portion of your trip's fee is donated to the conservancy to help improve conditions for the locals—both human and feline. Price: $3,575 Outfitter: KarmaQuest, 650-560-0101, www.karmaquests.com
When to Go: April-October

RAJASTHAN ON HORSEBACK
When film producer Alexander Souri's first expedition of "Relief Riders" trotted into a remote Indian village last fall, the caravan of nine Marwari horses, four pack camels, 50 goats, and 15 people caused quite a stir. "Across India it became front-page news," says Souri, 35, whose inaugural Rajasthan Relief Ride delivered supplies like antibiotics and eye drops by horseback to five villages in northwestern India, and had doctors on board for impromptu clinics. Hardy travelers can join the next cavalcade on a 15-day journey carrying goods deep into the Thar Desert. You'll saddle up in Mukandgarh, about six hours from New Delhi, then ride about 20 miles per day, camping or staying in 400-year-old forts en route to Jaipur.
High Point: Seeing villagers receive knowledge—such as AIDS education—plus food and supplies that they desperately need. Price: $4,800 Low Point: Watching people wait in line at the clinics for hours in the midday heat. Travel Advisory: Three to five hours per day is a lot of time in the saddle. Be sure your skills (and your posterior) are up to the task. Outfitter: Relief Riders International, 413-329-5876, www.reliefridersinternational.com When to Go: February, October

INDONESIA
CLIMB LIVE VOLCANOES
By the end of KE Adventure Travel's three-week Living Mountains journey, you'll have trekked through remote Javanese villages and 15th-century stone temples. Fun stuff, but nothing compared with the trip's primary thrill: watching the sun rise through clouds of gas and cinder from the summit of an active volcano. The voyage takes guests from Jakarta to eight feisty volcanoes on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok. Eight-hour treks—and a few nights of camping in Javanese leopard country—are offset by nights sipping Bali Hai beer in rustic island resorts. Departures in July and September; 21 DAYS, $2,800 keadventure.com.

SURF AND SAIL
In the 1980s, Martin Daly put Indonesian surfing on the map by piloting a single-engine boat between breaks and hunting for lost treasure. This fall, he returns as skipper of EpicQuest's 112-foot luxury yacht, the Indies Trader IV, for a two-month, five-leg trip. Surf-crazy guests book a single leg of the voyage, which leaves from Padang, Indonesia, and makes stops in Jakarta, Bali, Timor, and New Guinea. By day, hit Daly's now famous finds, such as Rifles—a quarter-mile right-hand wave. By night, crash in posh cabins and gorge on seafood. Tip: Ask for the trip's final departure, when Daly plans to cruise up the rarely surfed west coast of New Guinea. The boat leaves Padang August 21, and each leg lasts 12 days. From $5,500 per person with two people; epicquest.com

TREK THE GUNUNG RINJANI
If trekking near active volcanoes isn't daunting enough, how about climbing a few—including the 12,224-foot Gunung Rinjani, on the island of Lombok, east of Bali, via a scenic new route to its unexplored southern rim. On this ten-day trip, you'll start in the village of Aibuka, scramble to the gorgeous Sengara Anak crater lake, then paddle inflatable rafts to the base of Gunung Baru (7,752 feet), an active young volcano in mid-lake. After topping that "warm-up" peak, you'll soak in surrounding hot springs, then trek to Rinjani base camp. The push to the summit begins under a full moon at 2 a.m. and ends at about sunrise. OUTFITTER: No Roads Expeditions, 011-03-9502-3789, noroads.com.au; PRICE: $1,422; DIFFICULTY: Challenging; WHEN TO GO: May–June

CYCLING REMOTE BALI
Though the major Balinese tourist centers on the southern coast may still be reeling from the 2002 and 2005 bombings, the heady scents and lush foliage of the island's secluded interior and northeastern coast remain as untouched as ever. On this eight-day sampler, you'll get the full-immersion tour, biking 12 to 47 miles a day and sleeping in garden and seaside spa resorts at night. Starting inland, in Ubud, pedal to the Pura Taman Ayun, a "floating" 17th-century royal temple surrounded by a moat, and past acres of hydrangea and clove plantations. When you reach the northern coast and the black sands of Lovina Beach, strip off those Lycra shorts and take a dip in the Bali Sea. Then head east past volcanoes and verdant rice paddies, stopping to snorkel the coral reefs of the Blue Lagoon and dine on fresh coconut rice and rich green curry in the town of Candidasa. Price: $2,798 Outfitter: Backroads, 800-462-2848, www.backroads.com When to Go: October, January-April

MONGOLIA
PADDLING/TREKING/CAMEL EXCURSION
Explore Mongolia's wildest scenery, from a lake about the size of Rhode Island to the Gobi Desert, where the mode of transport comes with two humps. Guests land in Ulan Bator and hightail it to 85-mile-long Lake Hövsgöl, known for its rich purple color. After four days of kayaking along shorelines, camping in traditional gers, and horse-trekking through 8,000-foot-high meadows in the nearby Khoridal Saridag range, it's Gobi time. Between two-to-six-hour camel rides and trips to the iconic 2,500-foot-high singing dunes, unwind at the solar-powered Three Camel Lodge. Five departures between June and September; 12 DAYS, $3,600 PLUS $20 MEMBERSHIP FEE rei.com.

MYANMAR
EXPLORING THE MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO
The Moken "sea gypsies" who travel the recently opened Mergui Archipelago, an 800-island cluster off the southern coast of Myanmar, are among the few who still practice their traditional nomadic marine life, fishing for sea cucumbers and lobsters and wandering from island to island in hand-built boats. For 12 days you'll emulate this vanishing culture, hopping from the powdery beaches of Clara Island to the stunning old-growth coral of the underwater reef gardens around Hayes Island. Snorkel and dive uninhabited Lampi Island's boulder-strewn seafloor and kayak through the limestone cliffs and tunnels along Horseshoe Island's dramatic coast. Base camp is one of five air-conditioned cabins aboard an 85-foot wooden yacht, where meals are a merging of Moken and Thai flavors, such as fish fresh from the Andaman Sea steamed with coconut and lemongrass. Price: $3,995-$4,495 Outfitter: Wilderness Travel, 800-368-2794, www.wildernesstravel.com When to Go: November-March

NEPAL
TREK THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT
After years of violent unrest, a 2006 peace agreement between the government and Maoist rebels promises to return the tourism spotlight to this Himalayan wonder—one of the original adventure travel meccas. No trekking route is more spectacular, or more accessible to reasonably fit hikers, than the three-week, roughly 200-mile inn-to-inn Annapurna Circuit. With a constant backdrop of 20,000-foot peaks, the trail loops from the semitropical city of Pokhara, over 17,769-foot Thorong La pass, on the edge of the arid Tibetan Plateau, and back to the terraced lowlands. Thanks to the détente, U.S.-based outfitters have noticed a surge in interest in Nepal. Wilderness Travel will return to Annapurna this fall after a four-year absence (from $2,795 per person; 800-368-2794, wildernesstravel.com).

SRI LANKA
WILDLIFE EXPEDITION
Sri Lanka is serious about protecting its endangered elephants—the penalty for killing one is death. On this eight-day loop around the island, starting and ending in Colombo, you'll witness the slow recovery of the species—thousands of these mammoth mammals now roam the jungles of Yala National Park. En route to the two-day park safari, you'll visit Kandy and Polonnaruwa, two of Sri Lanka's oldest cities, and an elephant orphanage, and stay at an Edwardian manor house amid the tea fields of a former British hill station. Price: $1,099—$1,390 Outfitter: Big Five, 800-244-3483, www.bigfive.com When to Go: October to March

THAILAND
SAIL THE THAI ISLES
After a week of sailing between Thailand's southern islands, you'll be ready to go Gilligan. On Gap Adventures' new cruise, eight sailors lounge on a 37-foot live-aboard catamaran, drifting between ten limestone islands jutting from the 88-degree water of the Anda­man Sea. Like snorkeling? Tell the captain (guests help choose the trip's route) and he'll take you to the mangroves of 98,800-acre Ao Phang-nga National Park in the evening, after the tour boats leave, for a private viewing of the park's 80-plus marine species. Departures from November to April; from $1,250; gapadventures.com

TIBET
PHOTO EXPLORATION
Red limestone cliffs front the sapphire-blue surface of Lake Nam Tsho, where Tibetan pilgrims gather at a shoreline dotted with migratory cranes and geese. Any amateur could produce stunning images here, but you'll have expert guidance from Bill Chapman, whose photographic book The Face of Tibet has a foreword by the Dalai Lama. Starting in Lhasa, the 15-day adventure takes you on a challenging trek over 16,900-foot Kong La Pass. You'll bunk in nomad camps as you make your way to the riding competitions and colorful dance performances of the Nagchu Horse Festival. Price: $4,695 Outfitter: Myths & Mountains, 800-670-6984, www.mythsandmountains.com
When to Go: August

TREKING MOUNT EVEREST
Hard-charging guide and Imax cinematographer David Breashears shows his softer side on Destination Himalaya's new Two Faces of Everest Trek. The five-time summiter will lead up to 16 guests to the mountain's north and south base camps in the span of a month. During an eleven-day stay on the Tibetan side, clients will attempt a hike to advance base camp, at 17,500 feet, and to the ice pinnacles of the Rongbuk Glacier. The group will then drive to Kathmandu, Nepal, and fly to Lukla to begin the six-day trek up to the south side of the peak. En route, trekkers visit with Sherpa families and catch spectacular views of the high Himalayas. September 19–October 3 (north side) and September 30–October 17 (south side); $6,885 for either half or $12,770 for both; destinationhimalaya.net

TREK TO THE SOURCE OF THE TSANGPO, TIBET
The last time trekking guide Gary McCue set out to explore far-western Tibet, he happened upon an acre-size hot spring that tumbled from a mountainside near Lake Manasarovar. "I'd never seen a boiling creek just come crashing out of a hole in the ground," he says. But it's just the sort of surprise the Tasmania-based author of Trekking in Tibet: A Traveler's Guide has come to expect from this part of the world. Tourism may be booming—the controversial new Qinghai-Tibet Railway helped bump up visitation to Tibet by 30 percent last year—but much of this mysterious land of Buddhist temples and mist-shrouded peaks remains blissfully unexplored by outsiders. This spring, McCue will return to the Himalayas on a quest to reach the source of the Tsangpo River, the mightiest of four rivers that flow from the sacred 22,028-foot peak of Kailas. The 42-day exploratory trek is the first commercial expedition to a pilgrimage site very few Westerners have seen since a Swedish explorer hiked nearby in the early 1900s. After driving across the plains from Lhasa to Darchen, you'll trek the perimeter of Kailas before camping in the Lha Chu Valley during the annual Saga Dawa full-moon festival. Then you'll start the weeklong journey through a glacial valley to Tamchok Khabab, the river's source. The trip ends with a visit to the temple-strewn Limi Valley, a newly opened region of western Nepal. "It's hard to find wilderness this wild and remote that doesn't require Reinhold Messner-level skills to reach," says McCue. "It's the closest you can come to what the explorers experienced 150 years ago." OUTFITTER: Wilderness Travel, 800-368-2794, wildernesstravel.com; PRICE: $10,560–$13,160; DIFFICULTY: Challenging; WHEN TO GO: May–June

TANZANIA
TREKING KILIMANJARO
One of the world's tallest "walkable" mountains, this freestanding 19,340-foot massif draws some 30,000 wide-eyed—and often ill-prepared—hikers annually. Though technical climbing is not required, it's no stroll: A number of those who attempt the five- to nine-day push through rainforest to wind-flayed icefields turn back before reaching the top; about five die en route every year (often from altitude sickness). The payoff for summiters? Views of Africa, in all its brawny magnificence, in every direction. Guides are mandatory; book one in advance through a reputable company, and avoid touts pushing cut-rate outings via the tourist-trampled Marangu Route (the Umbwe Route and others get less traffic). For group treks, seek out experienced companies like Thomson Safaris, which offers hikes on less-traveled trails, with summit-success rates near 95 percent (from $3,990; 800-235-0289, thomsonsafaris.com).

Australia, New Zealand and Oceania

AUSTRALIA
AIR SAFARI
There's nothing like having a private plane to make short work of thousands of lonely miles between Indian Ocean sunsets and lively outback barbecues. Watch Australia's cool mountains bleed into burnt desert as your Dash 8 cruises between Kakadu National Park's wetlands, Broome's beaches, and the red mass of Ayers Rock on a 14-day runaround that would take more than a month by car. When the landing gear deploys, go for a dinner cruise around the town of Darwin's Harbor and wander through the massive boulders of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, near Alice Springs. In between, you can rest in the best accommodations available, like the Cable Beach Club Resort, where chefs serve kangaroo fillets. Save room on day 12 for a bowl of crocodile stew served al fresco in the middle of nowhere. OUTFITTER: Geographic Expeditions; geoex.com PRICE: $12,775 DIFFICULTY: Easy WHEN TO GO: May–September

DIVING WITH SHARKS
After three days spent exploring the ribbon of coral along the Great Barrier Reef, you'll keep heading east, some 110 nautical miles off the northern coast of Oz, to the Coral Sea, where the currents converge and the heavies of the Pacific come out to play. That's where Osprey Reef gives way to a 3,300-foot underwater shelf swarming with barracuda, tuna, manta rays, and scads of sharks—threshers, blacktips, whitetips, hammerheads, and leopards. Take it all in on four daily dives over six days. (If the deeps start to give you the creeps, try snorkeling.) Above water, watch and learn from Undersea Explorer's resident marine biologists, who measure and tag the reef sharks in an effort to secure protection for this remote and still-pristine marine environment. Price: $1,570-$1,950 Outfitter: Undersea Explorer,
011-61-74-099-5911, www.undersea.com.au When to Go: April-December

TRAINING RIDE
Join a peloton of serious cyclists for this tough ten-day, 780-mile loop from Hobart that hits both the east and west coasts of the rugged, cycling-mad Australian state of Tasmania. Be prepared for staggering scenery—desolate white beaches braced by sheer cliffs, emerald rolling farmland—and punishing ascents with names like Bust-Me-Gall and Break-Me-Neck. The final day includes a grind to the summit of 4,166-foot Mount Wellington—followed by a 13-mile cruise back to Hobart. On the lone day of rest, you'll undergo flexibility, strength, and aerobic testing, administered by the Tasmanian Institute of Sport. If this sounds hardcore, take heart: Three sag wagons and two masseurs accompany the trip. Price: $1,310 Outfitter: Island Cycle Tours, 011-61-36234-4951, www.islandcycletours.com When to Go: March

TREK THE LARAPINTA TRAIL
"Everybody thinks there's not much out there," says James Fuss, the Aussie guide who cooked up this new trip for Wilderness Travel. "But the Larapinta is one of the best desert treks in the world." Fuss selected the most scenic sections of the historic 139-mile Lara­pinta Trail, in the Northern Territory, and condensed them. Guests follow the West MacDonnell Ranges, just as Aboriginal red ocher traders have done for thousands of years; gape at the massive night sky from luxurious bush camps; and eventually wind up at iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock). May 25–June 4; 11 DAYS, $6,500 wildernesstravel.com. CASH TIP: Book now, with the U.S. dollar strong, and WT will lock in a discount that could reach up to $600.

FRENCH POLYNESIA
SEA-KAYAKING RAIVAVAE
Want to find out what Bora Bora was like in the days before tourism took over? Set out on a 13-day paddling recon mission to Raivavae (Ri-VA-vi), one of five time-forgotten archipelagos in the Austral chain, 2,244 miles northeast of New Zealand in French Polynesia. On this, one of the first outfitted kayaking trips from the island, you'll hop from motu to motu (tiny uninhabited islands) in the outer reef in the mornings, set up camp for the night, and head to the lagoons on an underwater hunt to spear grouper for dinner. (Don't worry, other provisions will be provided if you come up empty-handed.) Keep an eye out for blue whales—the reef's horseshoe shape brings the deep-dwellers of the Pacific right up to the shoreline. Price: $4,775 Outfitter: Explorers' Corner, 510-559-8099, www.explorerscorner.com
When to Go: July

SURFING THE TUAMOTUS
This is the ultimate surf safari in one of the world's last great undiscovered wave frontiers—the mostly uninhabited, low-lying 78-island Tuamotu Archipelago, 200 miles northeast of Tahiti. Spend seven to 11 days riding clean, hollow three- to ten-foot barrels as you shuttle from one heartbreakingly flawless break to another aboard the 64-foot Cascade, a five-cabin power cruiser equipped with surf-forecasting technology. When surf's down, fish for abundant black marlin and reef fish, kitesurf, sea-kayak, snorkel the jewel-like lagoons, and scuba-dive the deep "shark alley" passes, where hundreds of reef sharks ride the currents at feeding time. Evenings are reserved for surf videos, surf magazines, Hinano beer, and fresh sashimi and sushi. High Point: You and your nine surf brahs will have these waves all to yourselves. Low Point: If you hit it right, the waves can be so consistent you may actually start to get bored. Snap out of it! Travel Advisory: No need to bring your own surfboard; the Cascade travels with a diverse quiver of more than 60 boards. Price: $2,300—$4,717 Outfitter: Wavehunters Surf Travel, 888-899-8823, www.wavehunters.com When to Go: Year-round

MICRONESIA
SNORKELING YAP, ULITHI, AND PALAU
Twelve days of shallow-water bliss begin on the island of Yap, where you'll see tide-driven manta rays passing beneath you in the channels. A short flight north takes you to rarely dived Ulithi, a former U.S. military base opened to tourism within the past few years, where a huge population of giant turtles can darken the water and coral walls plunge just 400 feet from shore. The final five days are spent among the green, tuffetlike isles of Palau, famous for landlocked saltwater Jellyfish Lake, where you'll snorkel among thick, drifting clouds of harmless, if somewhat spooky, pale-pink Mastigias jellyfish. Price: $3,890 (airfare from Honolulu included)
Outfitter: Oceanic Society, 800-326-7491, www.oceanic-society.org
When to Go: April, June

NEW ZEALAND
HELI-FISHING
A year ago, this trip would have cost about $2,000 more. With New Zealand's top guides, you and your partners ride a chopper from Auckland to the private Poronui Ranch, a safari-style camp on the North Island, 16 miles away from the nearest road. Catch your fill of piggish trout on the Mohaka River, then fly to the South Island, where you'll set up shop at a hut in the Minaret Peaks. Spend your days choppering between alpine streams where the water is vodka-clear and the browns are football-size. Trips run between October and March; 11 DAYS, $4,475 exclusivelynz.com. CASH TIP: Four-day heli-fishing trips cost $2,680.

TREK/CYCLE/KAYAK
"This is a really punchy trip," says Andrew Fairfax, owner of Active New Zealand. "Punchy" is a Kiwi-ism for packing your days with adrenaline. To wit: On this whirlwind, called Tui Multisport, guests hike the Franz Josef Glacier, a World Heritage site; cycle Hollyford Valley; sea-kayak Milford Sound; and take a scenic flight to the Siberia Hut, one of the South Island's many isolated mountain lodges. Departures between October and April; 8 DAYS, $2,300 activenewzealand.com.

HELI-BIKING THE SOUTH ISLAND SINGLESTRACK
If the thought of riding the South Island tip to tail on century-old logging roads makes your heart pound, add this: You'll take a helicopter ride over the Roaring Meg River, get dropped in the Pisa Range, and descend 20 miles through high country overlooking the Southern Alps. Sacred Rides' new South Pacific Singletrack trip has everything: steep canyon descents, mountain traverses, and undulating cross-country pedaling. On a rest day, don crampons and pick your way through eight-mile-long Fox Glacier. End the day sipping local Monteith's ale at a bed-and-breakfast. Departures in December, February and March; 4 DAYS, $2,200 sacredrides.com.

CYCLING SOUTH ISLAND
You'll have to pick up your jaw several times on Bicycle Adventures' new South Island Budget Tour. The 600-mile trip starts in Christchurch, on the island's east coast, and ends ten days later in Queenstown. In between, guests cover about 45 miles of rolling country roads per day, from emerald-green Lord of the Rings country to craggy beaches to lush vineyards. Your steed: a smooth Jamis road bike. Your digs: rustic country lodges. (Bicycle Adventures trimmed $775 off the price by cutting out four-star hotels.) Your recovery: optional massages, visits to hot springs, and a jet-boat ride beneath Mount Aspiring National Park's misty mountaintops. Departures in January and March 2011; US$3,475; bicycleadventures.com

CYCLE-NAVIGATING THE SOUTH ISLAND
During Active New Zealand founder Andrew Fairfax's 2,700-mile cycling expedition from Istanbul to London in 2003, he thought, Why aren't we doing this at home? The result of that epiphany is the Weka, a 13-day supported bike trip circling the South Island. It hits all the top spots, like the majestic peaks and gushing waterfalls of Milford Sound and the blue ice of the Franz Josef Glacier, while staying off most of the main routes, worn thin by tourist traffic. You'll log roughly 400 miles on Specialized hybrids that can handle gravel farm paths and other classic Kiwi obstacles like cow dung and stubborn sheep. Typical day: Pull off the Central Otago Rail Trail, ditch your gear in a renovated millhouse that serves as home for the night, and head to a tiny rural-outpost pub for a Speight's with the locals. Price: $2,999 Outfitter: Active New Zealand, 800-661-9073, www.activenewzealand.com
When to Go: October-April

OCEANIA
DIVE INTO PALAU'S SHARK WEEK
Reef sharks in the midst of mating season are the headliners at Shark Week, the Micronesian Shark Foundation's annual conservation-oriented celebration of these cartilaginous creatures. Expect cameos from silvertip, tiger, and hammerhead sharks, among others, as you explore the reefs and walls of underwater Palau on this ten-day, resort-based expedition. By day, a 28-foot boat will take you to dive sites, many of which are open only during this event; the nights are enhanced by lectures from experts on sharks and preservation. OUTFITTER: Oceanic Society Natural History Expeditions, 800-326-7491, oceanic-society.org; PRICE: $2,990–$3,490; DIFFICULTY: Moderate; WHEN TO GO: March

SOLOMAN ISLANDS
SEA-KAYAKING JOURNEY
Spend 18 days exploring the remote string of jungly, Eden-like islands of the nation's Western Province. You'll paddle translucent blue lagoons and cool, dark, vine-strung rivers, hike high volcanic ridges, snorkel a shallow-water WWII plane wreck, and discover shrines built partially of skulls—remnants of the headhunters who lived on these Ring of Fire islands about a century ago. Transfers between islands are by motorized canoes piloted by native guides; most nights are spent camping on empty sand beaches.Price: $3,790 Outfitter: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com When to Go: November to December

SOUTH PACIFIC
SECLUDED-ISLE HOPPING
In 1790, the mutineers of the HMS Bounty selected Pitcairn Island, some 1,200 miles southeast of Tahiti, to live with their Tahitian brides because it was so far away and nearly an impossible place for their pursuers to anchor safely. Today, their 50-some descendants see few visitors for the very same reasons. Get a feel for their isolationist way of life by spending a week hiking craggy hills, helping the residents maintain their longboats, and hearing tales of life on a forgotten island. That's just the headliner of this three-week South Pacific voyage, most of which you'll see from the comfort of a 60-foot luxury sailboat. You'll also snorkel reefs teeming with tropical fish, hike the goat paths of Mangareva (a "floating mountain" in the Gambier Islands, 320 miles west of Pitcairn), and learn to trim the mainsails en route to uninhabited sand spits like Henderson and Oeno islands, where you can pretend you're starring in your own episode of Lost. Price: $5,950 Outfitter: Ocean Voyages, 800-299-4444, www.oceanvoyages.com When to Go: July-October

South America

FEATURE TRIP
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5 COUNTRY SAFARI
CHILE, BRAZIL, BOLIVIA, PERU, AND ECUADOR
Forget all that time-consuming land travel: Now you can knock off a slew of South America's ecological hot spots—the Atacama Desert, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, the Pantanal—in one 19-day extravaganza. The trick is a privately chartered airplane, a 46-passenger Fokker-50 that whisks you from flamingo-flecked salt flats to open savanna to Peru's magnificent city of Cuzco (for a visit to the Manu Biosphere Reserve or a hike around archaeological wonder Machu Picchu). And thanks to a close partnership between the World Wildlife Fund and Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions, you'll be introduced to some of these wild places by the people who are fighting to keep them wild—and who know them best. In Chile's Atacama Desert, you'll ascend to 14,800 feet in the Andes to walk among spouting geysers and fumaroles, see cool salt formations in the Valley of the Moon, and visit a pink flamingo colony on Chaxa Lagoon. In Brazil's Pantanal, South America's largest wetlands, you'll stalk giant anteaters, armadillos, maned wolves, and jaguars—as well as meet with WWF field staff to learn about conservation projects in collaboration with local ranching communities. On Lake Titicaca, on the Peru-Bolivia border, keep an eye out for the rare Titicaca flightless grebe; in Peru's Colca Valley, look for condors, Andean deer, and llama-like vicuñas. The place to watch red and green macaws feasting on clay from behind biologist-developed viewing blinds is Peru's Manu Biosphere Reserve, where you'll also hike to see five kinds of monkeys—emperor tamarin, black spider, capuchin, squirrel, and red howler—perform acrobatics above your head in the forest canopy, and spy 550-pound tapirs, a.k.a. "jungle cows," foraging about a mineral lick at dusk. End up in Quito, Ecuador, for a day trip to the famous Otavalo market.
High Point: Seeing the giant, cobalt-blue hyacinth macaw, which measures three feet from tail to beak, high in palm trees on the Pantanal's savanna. Low Point: Realizing that at least 10,000 hyacinth macaws were taken for the parrot trade in the 1980s, and that these exotic birds now number fewer than 10,000 worldwide. Travel Advisory: You'll be hitting five countries in 19 days: Because this trip is highly scheduled, leave your taste for a moseying, come-what-may pace behind. This is all about getting the most out of your time down south. Price: $19,950 Outfitter: World Wildlife Fund, 888-993-8687, www.worldwildlife.org/travel; Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions, 800-628-8747, www.zeco.com
When to Go: April

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ARGENTINA
CYCLING THE COUNTRYSIDE FROM INN TO INN
Thanks to its spectacular American-Southwest-meets-California-wine-country scenery, colorful Inca-rooted culture, improving infrastructure, and good value, northwest Argentina is on American tourists' radar. On this nine-day loop from Salta, the country's best-preserved colonial city, you'll pedal about 25 to 40 miles a day (hardcores can opt for rides as long as 63 miles) on dirt and paved roads through the terra-cotta-colored Andean foothills and adobe villages of the Quebrada de Humahuaca canyon, then south into the lush subtropical Las Yungas Biosphere Reserve and across the stark, giant-cactus-punctuated altiplano of Los Cardones National Park. You'll spend the last two days in the tranquil wine lands of the sunny Cafayate Valley, where acres of vines hang heavy with black malbec grapes. Among the highlights: a screaming descent from an 11,000-foot mountain pass, overnights in restored haciendas, and the chance to feast on empanadas, chorizo, and roast llama. OUTFITTER: Backroads; backroads.com PRICE: $4,500 DIFFICULTY: Challenging WHEN TO GO: May, September–October

TREK THE NORTHWEST
Amid the deep red gorges of Argentina's rugged northwest, aboriginal adobe huts stand as reminders that this country's rich history far predates the tango. This nine-day trip covers both past and present, from the pre-Spanish Calchaquis relics in Quilmes to the up-and-coming wineries of Cafayate. After a stay at a comfortable bodega lodge, you'll embark on a three-day trek through the Cachi Mountains, where you and your packhorses will hoof it 29 miles up the Belgrano River Gorge to the multicolored sandstone formations of the Pukamayu Valley. Price: $1,375-$1,735
Outfitter: Adventure Life, 800-344-6118, www.adventure-life.com
When to Go: April-October

ARGENTINE AND CHILE
BACK-COUNTRY-SKIING THE ANDEAN CORDILLERA
On this ten-day trip, combine volcano climbs with lift-served skiing and snowboarding. In Chile, you'll ascend the back side of 9,318-foot Volcán Villarrica, where you might see lava boiling below the caldera rim. In Argentina, you'll ascend the flanks of Volcán Lanín (12,388 feet) and Volcán Domuyo (15,446 feet), recuperating in the area's hosterías and abundant hot springs.Price: $2,000
Outfitter: ATAC (Adventure Tours Argentina Chile), 866-270-5186, www.adventure-tours-south.com When to Go: July to October

BOLIVIA
TREK THE ANDES/MOUNTAIN BIKING TO AND RAFTING ON THE AMAZON
Most Mountain Madness itineraries assume clients have high-altitude expertise. Not this one—though there's serious peak bagging to be done if that's your thing. The trip starts in the upper reaches of the Andes, where you'll hike through 50 miles of high mountain passes and decide as a group whether or not to scale 18,600-foot Cuchillo 2. Next up: three days and 10,000 feet of jeep-supported mountain-bike descent to the Amazon basin. After dismounting, guests hop into three-man rafts and Huck Finn it through untamed Madidi National Park on the Class II Beni River. Keep your eyes peeled for giant river otters. June 10–21 or 10–28; 12 OR 19 DAYS, $2,750 OR $4,600. mountainmadness.com.

BRAZIL
VISIT TRIBES DEEP WITHIN THE WEBSITE
Very few outsiders have traveled to the heart of the Xingu Amazon Refuge. The 9,000-acre forest reserve is the isolated home of the Kamayura Indians; no roads link it to the modern world. Tribal elders have granted special access to trip leader John Carter, a former Texas cattle rancher, because of his years spent lobbying the federal government to protect their surroundings and way of life. This translates into one of the most authentic cultural-immersion experiences you'll find anywhere in the Americas. After being deposited by Cessna on a hand-cleared runway, you'll hike and canoe beneath the thick rainforest canopy, then sleep in hammocks inside the chief's own hut before flying out the next day. The rest of the 12-day trip is only slightly less remote, with a visit to a frontier cattle ranch and the Xingu Refuge Lodge—a simple riverside retreat built to resemble a native village—and an overnight stay with the Waura Indians. Price: $5,386-$6,983 Outfitter: Ker & Downey, 800-423-4236, www.kerdowney.com
When to Go: June-August

CHILE
TREK THE TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK
Situated on the east side of Torres del Paine National Park, Adventure Life's new EcoCamp—a series of wind-powered, fireplace-equipped domes—is your launchpad for four days of guided treks. Highlight: an 11-mile round-trip to the glacial lagoon at the base of the granite towers of Los Torres. Bonus highlight: Colchagua Valley cabernet back at the dining dome. Trips leave between October and April; 7 DAYS, $2,280 adventurelife.com.

TREK THE THREE JEWELS OF AYSEN
This isolated piece of Patagonia, where the population density is just 1.2 people per square mile, is framed by vast icefields that feed blue-green rivers and streams so pure you can drink from them. The 27-day, 132-mile expedition combines three seldom-traveled routes: the Cerro Castillo hike, where you'll camp amid the basalt spires and crags that gave Castle Hill its name; the Aysén Glacier Trail, a year-old hut-to-hut circuit through an unspoiled wilderness dotted with glacial lakes; and on to the icefields surrounding 11,073-foot Fitz Roy, where iconic Andean peaks rise dramatically from the frozen lowlands. OUTFITTER: Patagonia Adventure Expeditions, 011-56-67-219894, adventurepatagonia.com; PRICE: $4,850; DIFFICULTY: Challenging; WHEN TO GO: January

SNOWSHOEING THRU PATAGONIA
When American Eric Shipton crossed Chilean Patagonia's Northern Ice Field, in 1963, it seemed like a frozen hell. But with porters, resupply camps, and a less severe route, Azimut 360's 11-day Ice Field Circuit will feel posh. After a three-hour flight from Santiago to Balmaceda and a long drive down the winding Carretera Austral, Azimut's 37-mile circuit sets out from the tranquil Terra Luna Lodge into the Leones Valley. After crossing Leones Lake, it's on to the Neff Glacier and six days in snowshoes or crampons. The route spits you out in the village of Puerto Bertrand, on the shores of the mighty—and dam-threatened—Río Baker. Monthly departures between November and March; $1,890 per person with a group of four; azimut360.com

Heli-fishing
Trout fishing in the Chilean fjords has always been popular, if a little rough around the edges. But you'll be living large when the brand-new, 120-foot custom expeditionary yacht Nomadsofthesea begins offering heli-fishing excursions from its base in Puerto Montt in January 2007. The 22-passenger boat, equipped with a helicopter, Zodiacs, and jet boats, offers unprecedented access to both fresh- and saltwater fishing in the Ríos Baker, Cisnes, and Simpson, among others. The myriad travel options mean that it's possible to cast a fly every day, despite the sometimes dicey weather, during Chile's peak trout season.
Price: About $10,000 Outfitter: Orvis Travel, 800-547-4322, www.orvis.com/travel

COLOMBIA
TREKING THE ANDES
After a 33-year hiatus, Mountain Travel Sobek returns to the Colombian Andes for a high-altitude lake-to-lake traverse. A 12-hour drive from Bogotá brings guests to the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, a 1,181-square-mile national park where days are spent trekking and camping among receding glaciers and virgin alpine lakes. Highlight: On day eight, guide Sergio Echeverria leads an ice-ax-and-crampon-assisted summit push up one of three potential peaks: Pulpito del Diablo (15,748 feet), El Concavo (17,061 feet), and Toti (16,733 feet). July 20–30 and August 3–13; $5,000; mtsobek.com

ECUADOR
DIVING AND TREKING THE GALAPAGOS ISLAND
Seeing the Galápagos from a yacht deck is akin to seeing the World Series on a luxury-box TV screen: inadequate and obnoxious. Get closer on Big Five Tours and Expeditions' new eight-day Galápagos Safari Camp Diving trip. Guests stay on Santa Cruz Island, at the Galapagos Safari Camp, a new series of 89-square-foot luxury tents on a recently reforested cattle farm. From there, divers of all experience levels can opt for guided, two-dive day trips to sites full of sea turtles and hammerhead sharks; landlubbers can comb Santa Cruz's white-sand beaches alongside sea lions and pelicans before lounging in the camp's infinity pool. Departures year-round; $2,700; galapagos.com

KAYAK THE GALAPAGOS ISLAND
Straddling the equator 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador, these far-flung volcanic islands have been the focus of scientists and wildlife lovers since Charles Darwin first scratched his head here in 1835. Now that the Galápagos have become one of the most popular destinations on the planet—120,000 yearly visitors come to spy on the islands' famous giant tortoises, fur seals, and blue-footed boobies—the Galápagos National Park Service keeps tight control on where boat passengers disembark and how long they spend at designated land and underwater visitor sites. The best way to avoid crowds? Charter a private yacht that's stocked with dive gear and sea kayaks. Mountain Travel Sobek can arrange private one- to two-week yacht charters (from $3,795; 888-687-6235, mtsobek.com). Or join Adventure Life's new nine-day hiking trip, with overnights in small inns (from $2,095; 800-344-6118, adventure-life.com).

SEA-KAYAKING THE GALAPAGOS
When a turtle the size of a grizzly bear glides beneath your kayak, you'll understand the significance of Lindblad's new status as the first and only large-ship operator with a Galápagos paddling permit. The conservation-minded company has been escorting visitors to the islands since 1968. Travelers onboard the 80-passenger MS Polaris have access to another perk when not snorkeling, beachcombing, hiking, or viewing wildlife: outdoor spa services administered on a glass-bottomed pontoon. Price: $3,650-$6,280 Outfitter: Lindblad Expeditions, 800-397-3348, www.expeditions.com When to Go: Year-round

GUYANA
TREK THE BIG EMPTY
Guyana has the land mass of Idaho, a population of 770,000, and exactly one road passing through its rainforest-rich interior. Which is to say, the place is wild. This year, high-end operator Geographic Expeditions leads an exploratory trekking trip in the country. After landing in the capital, Georgetown, guests are whisked into the jungle. First stop: 741-foot Kaieteur Falls, one of the largest single-drop waterfalls in the world. "There are no signs, no handrails, and no people," says Michael McCrystal, GeoEx's associate director of operations, who scouted the trip last year. Guests then hop between lodges via bush plane and canoe. (One lodge, the Karanambu Ranch, houses a small clan of rescued giant river otters, in addition to visitors.) Local guides lead the way on four-hour jungle hikes and harpy-eagle-nest-finding missions, but, according to McCrystal, "if you want to take the machete and bust into the jungle, we can arrange that." Year-round; 10 DAYS, $4,600. geoex.com

WILDLIFE WATCHING
Picture Costa Rica pre–tourism boom—gorgeous, wild, and practically empty—and you've got Guyana, a new frontier in South American travel. For ten days you'll head from lodge to lodge (some run by local Amerindian communities), exploring savannas and jungles and possibly adding jaguar and exotic-bird sightings to your life list. You can kayak lazy rivers to watch giant otters, venture out with flashlights to see black caimans hunting at night, and stand at the rim of Kaieteur Falls, which drops more than 740 feet, almost five times the height of Niagara. Price: $2,835 (airfare from U.S. included) Outfitter: Journeys International, 800-255-8735, www.journeys-intl.com When to Go: April, August, November

PERU
TREKING THE INCAN TRAIL/MOUNTAIN BIKING THRU ROCK SPIRES/KAYAKING THE TAQUILE ISLAND
Haute outfitter Austin-Lehman ups the ante on the classic Peruvian adventure by turning Machu Picchu into a starting block. After hiking seven miles of the Inca Trail and entering the big city via the Intipunku, or "Sun Gate," you get the rest of the day to explore the ruins. Then it's off to the Tinajani Canyon for two days of mountain biking through 100-foot rock spires. The trip wraps up on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where your sea kayak awaits. After a day of paddling to stark Taquile Island, you'll be ready to crash at the Sonesta Posadas del Inca Hotel, in Puno. Four departures between April and October; 9 DAYS, $4,000 austinlehman.com.

CORDILLERA BLANCA CLIMB
This triple-summit foray into high-altitude climbing in the Andes requires little technical skill, but the thin air and occasional crevasses make the two-week journey anything but easy. After a few days of acclimatization in the foothills of the Cordillera Blanca above the town of Huaraz, you'll trek through the lupine-carpeted meadows of the Quebrada Quilcayhuanca valley. The hike takes you on pre-Inca trails that trace the edges of alpine lakes. Here you enter crampon country, where you'll camp and, in less than a week, top three snowy peaks—Maparaju (17,470 feet), Huapa (17,761 feet), and Ishinca (18,138 feet)—before returning to civilization and a well-earned Peruvian feast. Price: $2,750 Outfitter: Mountain Madness, 800-328-5925, www.mountainmadness.com When to Go: July

RAFTING THE LOWER APURIMAC
To reach some hard-won whitewater, this ten-day trekking-and-rafting expedition starts with a six-hour hike down the western slope of Peru's lush Cordillera Vilcabamba. Follow this the next day with a 5,900-foot ascent to Choquequirau, ruins of one of the most remarkable Incan cities discovered to date. Then make history of your own, on the rarely run, Class IV–V Lower Apurímac River, home to parrots, monkeys, cormorants, and countless waterfalls. High Point: Peering into what guides call the Acobamba Abyss and realizing you're headed for expert-kayaker territory.
Low Point: If water levels are low, portaging a particularly narrow section of the Abyss. Travel Advisory: This is an exploratory trip, so be prepared for changes and delays. Price: $2,500 Outfitter: Bio Bio Expeditions, 800-246-7238, www.bbxrafting.com When to Go: October

URUGUAY
GALLOPING THE DESERTED COASTLINE OF ROCHA
It's hard to find a beach so deserted you can take a solitary stroll, let alone a weeklong horseback ride like this one, through eastern Uruguay's Rocha region. On this 140-mile journey, you'll visit fishing villages atop South American criollo horses, fuel up on lamb and steak, and gaze at capybaras (the world's largest rodents). Worthy detours include a sea lion conservation area and a botanical garden filled with dozens of orchids. Price: $1,850 Outfitter: Boojum Expeditions, 800-287-0125, www.boojum.com When to Go: March to April, October to December

Central America and Mexico

BELIZE
KAYAK LODGE TO LODGE
Some 450 sun-bleached cays dot Belize's 180-mile-long barrier reef. The best way to explore them? Take this new, lodge-to-lodge sea-kayak trip with Belize City–based Island Expeditions. The six-day journey is divided between traveling with the currents over coral structures teeming with marine life and unwinding at three rustic lodges (think seaside cabanas and conch-fritter dinners). Expect to cover up to six miles of turquoise per day in IE's unique, mast-and-sail-equipped sea kayaks. "There's nothing like sailing your kayak at six knots, two feet above the reef flats," says owner Tim Boys. Trips depart weekly from November to April; 6 DAYS, $1,590 islandexpeditions.com. CASH TIP: Book late—IE offers $100 discounts on unfilled trips within a month of departure.

Adventure Cruise
Spend eight days aboard a sweet four-cabin luxury yacht, exploring intimate coves that full-size cruise ships can't get anywhere near. An onboard naturalist will point out the sea turtle nesting sites and the manatees as you cruise along the Caribbean coastline from Belize City. You'll take a nighttime walking safari up the Sittee River, past Garifuna villages, visit Maya caves and an excavation site, and paddle kayaks with see-through acrylic bottoms over the world's second-largest barrier reef. Price: $2,095—$2,395 Outfitter: AdventureSmith Explorations, 800-728-2875, www.adventuresmithexplorations.com When to Go: Year-round

COSTA RICA
CROSS-COUNTRY TRAVERSE
Here's how to get off the tourist track in Costa Rica: Try crossing the country from the Pacific to the Caribbean by bike, foot, and raft. You'll start this 18-day sea-to-sea journey by pedaling two days from the coastal pueblo of Dominical to the Tinamaste Mountains, where you'll hike through the cloudforest to your first night's campsite—a cave surrounded by waterfalls. The next day takes you over a ridge, where you'll stay at a quaint hotel on the Chirripo River before starting a porter-supported weeklong trek through the highland forest of the Cordillera de Talamanca. You'll spend the last several days on a rugged stretch of the Pacuare River, running Class III-IV rapids and floating through lush canyons where water cascades from hundreds of feet overhead. The river will deposit you in the Caribbean lowlands, and you'll spend your last wilderness night camping at the rainforest's edge.Price: $2,790 Outfitter: World Expeditions, 888-464-8735, www.worldexpeditions.com
When to Go: March, September, December

EL SALVADOR
SURFING, MOUNTAIN BIKING, AND WAKEBOARDING
With civil war a thing of the past and a tourism board investing heavily in getting the word out about its world-class surf and unexplored rainforests, tiny El Salvador is poised to become a cooler, far less trampled alternative to Costa Rica. Access Trips, a six-year-old instruction-oriented outfitter co-founded by former investment banker/pro snowboarder Alain Chuard, has been introducing surfers to El Salvador since 2006. On this new seven-day multisport trip, you'll spend three days at a beachfront resort riding the glassy, consistent swells and wakeboarding the mangrove-sheltered lagoons of Costa del Sol, south of San Salvador; then head northwest to the village of Tacuba, on the edge of mountainous El Imposible National Park, where you'll stay in a family-owned inn on a coffee plantation and pedal steep singletrack through the butterfly- and bird-filled jungle. OUTFITTER: Access Trips; accesstrips.com PRICE: $1,450 DIFFICULTY: Moderate WHEN TO GO: February, June, October–December

MEXICO
SCOUTING FOR JAGUARS
Jaguars roam the tropical forest, wetlands, and dunes of Mexico's Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a Delaware-size protected zone along the Yucatán coast. With the help of biologist guides, you'll likely spot their tracks during your weeklong stay at the no-frills Santa Teresa research station, a ten-minute walk to a white-sand beach, and take daytime and nighttime hikes in a jungle that few outsiders get to explore after dark. You'll also camp one night amid the spider monkeys and white-tailed deer, and visit nearby Maya ruins.Price: $1,500 Outfitter: EcoColors, 011-52-998-884-3667, www.ecotravelmexico.com When to Go: January-March

MOUNTAIN-BIKING THE CONQUERORS' ROUTE
This two-week mountain-bike adventure traverses the same terrain as the route of the 16th-century Spanish army through the former Aztec empire, wheeling along 200 miles of desert, mountain, and coastal singletrack and jeep roads. You'll ride about six hours each day, from the outskirts of Puebla to the Sierra Madre hills and valleys near the base of 18,700-foot Pico de Orizaba, overnighting in tents, 18th-century haciendas, and lodges as you make your way to a Gulf Coast beach. Price: $1,395
Outfitter: Adventures SelvAzul, 011-52-222-237-48-87, www.selvazul.com
When to Go: November to July

NICARAGUA
KAYAKING/HIKING/CAVING THE ISLANDS
If the crater lakes and verdant slopes of Nicaragua's volcanoes have hosted few adventurers, it's not for lack of suitable terrain. The playground potential in the rumpled topography of this fun mecca rivals that of its neighbors. This nine-day trip takes you island-hopping by kayak in Lake Nicaragua, hiking through a rainforest, and wandering among the pre-Columbian artifacts, caves, and rock art of Zapatera National Park. You'll spend most nights in wilderness lodges, where howler monkeys provide the morning wake-up call. OUTFITTER: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-687-6235, mtsobek.com; PRICE: $2,690–$2,990 (plus $150 internal airfare); DIFFICULTY: Easy; WHEN TO GO: January–February, October–December

PANAMA
TREK DARIEN GAP
As your piragua putters along the Tuira River en route to an abandoned mining town, you'll see far more tapirs and peccaries than travelers. Total seclusion is the payoff for five to seven hours of daily trekking (and canoeing) across rugged, often muddy terrain on this two-week exploration of the Darién Gap, the mysterious 6.4-million-acre rainforest that separates Central and South America. When you do come across humans, it will be at the remote villages where you'll stop to mingle with Embera elders. You'll overnight at ranger stations and rustic camps, and wake to a cacophony of macaws and caracaras.Price: $4,995 Outfitter: Myths and Mountains, 800-670-6984, www.mythsandmountains.com When to Go: December-April

SURF THE GULF OF CHIRIQUI
Don't want to take out a second mortgage to reach Indonesia's Mentawais? There's a better way to plan your dream surf trip. In 2006, Panama-based Lost Coast Excursions started plying the Gulf of Chiriquí, on that country's Pacific coast, in its 100-foot motor yacht, the Explorer. What the outfitter found was a Pacific paradise with dozens of empty reef and beach breaks. The Explorer accommodates up to 16 guests in shared rooms—bring ten or so buddies and you've got a blue-water epic, complete with surf guides, for less than the cost of a week in Aspen. Start recruiting now for next spring, when southern swells wrap up the coastline. Guests take a shuttle from Panama City to Puerto Mutis, board the Explorer, and hit the water before lunch. Charters available between December and August; 6-DAY CHARTER, $2,500 PER PERSON lostcoastexcursions.com.

SURF AND FISH THE AZUERO PENINSULA
It seems everything is expanding in Panama. A $5.25 billion upgrade will more than double the Panama Canal's capacity by 2014, tourism nationwide has nearly doubled in the past six years, and in 2005 alone more than one million visitors spent upwards of $1 billion in this tropical destination. The Azuero Peninsula, four hours southwest of Panama City, on the Pacific coast, is a direct beneficiary of the cash infusion. The still-uncrowded peninsula has been getting increasing attention, thanks to its surf-filled beaches and world-class tuna and marlin fishing. Popular digs for foreigners include Villa Camilla, a classy seven-room hotel built mostly from local materials (doubles from $300; meals, $50 per day; 011-507-232-6721, azueros.com).

KAYAKING THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS
In 2001, Olaf Malver, the founder of outfitter Explorers' Corner, kayaked with his family to a remote part of the San Blas Islands, off Panama's north coast, where he met with a chief of the indigenous Kuna Yala Indians and requested permission to explore. Not only did the sahila agree, but he invited Malver to return with like-minded friends. On this ten-day trip to the Cayos Holandes, accompanied by two Kuna Yala guides, you'll paddle 60 to 80 miles, tracing the shorelines of mostly uninhabited Caribbean islands, camping on pristine beaches, visiting a Kuna Yala community known for its vivid molas, or tapestries, and tramping through orchid-filled jungles. High Point: Reaching the uninhabited island of Esnatupile after a mellow, nine-mile paddle across two c hannels. Low Point: Being outpaced by local fishermen in low-tech pangas.Travel Advisory: Don't touch the coconuts! Your permission to visit—seriously— is contingent upon a hands-off agreement.Price: $3,190
Outfitter: Explorers' Corner, 510-559-8099, www.explorerscorner.com
When to Go: December, January

Canada

ALBERTA/MONTANA
CYCLING THE CANADIAN ROCKIES
Four national parks, two countries, endless high-alpine relief, and a menagerie of outsize wildlife. That's what you'll encounter on Backroads' new 480-mile cycling trip, from West Glacier, Montana, to Jasper, Alberta. Twenty or so guests will spend nights in digs like Glacier National Park's Many Glacier Hotel—rustic western luxury at its finest. But it's the riding that shines. The trip starts on Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile asphalt snake charting an improbable course through the heart of Glacier National Park. With its expansive vistas, Going-to-the-Sun is a worthy bucket-list item for most cyclists, but on this trip the road is just the beginning. After crossing Glacier, guests pedal between 40 and 60 miles per day through Waterton Lakes, Jasper, and Banff national parks, while a support van totes gear. On the way, riders trace the Continental Divide and coast along the 143-mile Icefields Parkway, where three major river systems—and lots of elk and grizzlies—meet. Four trips between July and September; 9 DAYS, FROM $3,700 backroads.com. CASH TIP: Go with a partner and you'll save the $890 additional fee Backroads charges single riders.

ROYAL CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY FLOAT AND FISH ODYSSEY
Board the Royal Canadian Pacific Railway luxury train for a six-day, 650-mile loop from Calgary to some of the Canadian Rockies' most pristine rivers. Accompanied by local guides, you'll float in driftboats down the Elk River and chug through the most scenic rail corridors in Banff and Yoho national parks. Spend nights exaggerating your catch over Scotch and bunking in vintage 1920s Pullman cars. Price: $5,450 Outfitter: Off the Beaten Path, 800-445-2995, www.offthebeatenpath.com
When to Go: August

BRITISH COLUMBIA
SKIING AT THE NELSEN LODGE
In ten years, Revelstoke Mountain Resort will be the world's best ski destination. The place opened in December 2007 with one gondola and a quad accessing 1,500 acres. The master plan calls for 20 lifts, 10,000 acres, and 6,000 vertical feet—the most in North America. But there's no need to wait. The month-old, modern Nelsen Lodge is just 60 feet from the gondola and offers post-slope relief in the form of a massive outdoor hot tub. Bonus: Glass walls offer views of the Selkirk and Monashee ranges. Thanks to an opening special that lasts through May, doubles start at $200; thenelsenlodge.com.

SURFING AND HIKING AT THE BLACK ROCK RESORT
This three-month-old, 133-suite lodge rests on a rock promontory jutting over Barkley Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The location makes it prime real estate for three things: surfing Long Beach in summer (board rentals, Ucluelet's Inner Rhythm Surf Co., 877-393-7873); curling up by the fire to watch the jaw-dropping storms that roll through in winter; and hiking into temperate rainforest on the eight-mile Wild Pacific Trail in any season. Doubles from $175; blackrockresort.com.

HELI - MOUNTAIN BIKING THE SELKIRK MOUNTAINS
Sure, heli–mountain biking is a little absurd: You fly over roads to bike down trails. But we'd still love to try it out. Rilor Wilderness, a new outfitter dedicated to the pursuit, recently opened a 2,600-square-foot chalet on the shores of British Columbia's gin-clear Slocan Lake. On their four-day, intermediate-friendly tour of the 8,000-foot Selkirk Mountains, riders take four rides per day through alpine meadows into old-growth cedars. The last day is the biggest: a ten-minute helicopter flight for a four-hour, 5,700-foot descent from Toad Mountain to downtown Nelson. Cooldown is steak at the lodge. Eight departures between August and October; US$1,500; rilorwilderness.com

Mega-Yacht Heli-Skiing
When the B2 A-star helicopter drops you at the apex of a powdery slope amid millions of glacier-rimmed acres in B.C.'s Coast Range, you may think you've achieved the pinnacle of exclusivity. But that's only half the fun. After carving so many fresh tracks that your quads scream for mercy, you'll chopper back to a 201-foot luxury yacht to sip Dom and soak in an eight-person, 80-jet Jacuzzi. Moving anchor between two inlets in the Georgia Strait, the Absinthe serves as home base for the most extravagant, over-the-top heli-skiing in the world. Should the mountain weather turn foul, take out the kayaks, fire up the 40-foot fishing boat, or simply bask in the opulence of it all. Price: $36,000 per day (for 12)
Outfitter: Sea to Sky Helisports and Megayacht Adventures, 866-935-3228, www.motoryachtabsinthe.com When to Go: March-April

RAFTING THE NASS RIVER
Some of British Columbia's finest whitewater is merely 90 minutes from the city of Terrace, but it's been run commercially only once. Why? It wasn't until 2008 that Skeena Valley Expeditions, a local rafting outfit, received permission from the Nisga'a First Nation to run 30 miles of the Nass River, a Class IV beauty running through the wild Coast Mountains. The fortunate 12 who get on this year's trip will be among the first to paddle through the Nass's glacial water, alongside running salmon and underneath soaring eagles. Nights are spent at riverside campsites, sampling smoked salmon prepared by Nisga'a people. August 13–18; US$2,732; skeenavalleyexpeditions.com

SURF TOFINO
Take a province with more than 16,700 miles of coastline and a few hundred thousand snowboarders itching to embrace the coming summer and you get the British Columbia surf scene. Tofino, a sleepy town of 1,711 on Vancouver Island's Pacific side, explodes into a mini-metropolis every season as a horde of surfers descends in pursuit of consistent beginner and intermediate breaks. For the student who wants to mix surfing with celebrity, there's Bruhwiler Surf School, owned by one of Canada's renowned big-wave riders, Raf Bruhwiler (two-and-a-half-hour group lessons, $75; 250-726-5481, bruhwilersurf.com). At the Wickaninnish Inn, every room has an ocean view (doubles, $208–$398; 800-333-4604, wickinn.com).

LABRADOR
HIKING THE TORNGAT MOUNTAINS
Northern Labrador can be as hard to reach as parts of the Arctic, but after 12 years studying caribou herds there, these outfitters have the place dialed. Following a two-day boat ride from Maine to the Torngat Mountains, you'll carry your own pack off-trail for eight of the trip's 18 days, camping under the northern lights, crossing river valleys, and absorbing the solitude of this remote coast. Price: $3,200 Outfitter: Nature Trek Canada, 250-653-4265, www.naturetrek.ca
When to Go: July to August

MANITOBA
PADDLE HUDSON BAY
The locals in Hudson Bay aren't used to human visitors. "In 2007, a client was minding her business in her kayak when a 30-pound baby beluga whale jumped in her lap," says Wally Daudrich, owner of Manitoba's Lazy Bear Lodge, which will host paddlers on this Explorers' Corner expedition. The trip starts with a floatplane ride from Churchill to the South Knife River. From there, paddle a sea kayak alongside Explorers' Corner founder Olaf Malver for three days, sifting through mild whitewater chutes to the mouth of Hudson Bay. You'll know you've arrived when belugas start nuzzling the boat. The next five days are spent here, paddling with the whales and eating caribou steak at the Lazy Bear. Departures in July and August; 8 DAYS, $3,500 explorerscorner.com. CASH TIP: Ask about the August trip, when the price falls $500 thanks to lower local airfares.

SASKATCHEWAN
PADDLING THE WILLIAM RIVER
Here in northern Saskatchewan, all life depends on the rivers that flow toward the Arctic. The Class I-II William River, congested with foraging moose, black bears, and ospreys, is no exception. This 13-day trip begins and ends with great fishing (grayling and walleye at the outset, trout once you reach Lake Athabasca). Take a pit stop in the middle at the 100-foot-high Athabasca sand dunes to explore the ever-shifting topography. Price: $2,700 Outfitter: Piragis Northwoods Company, 800-223-6565, www.piragis.com When to Go: June

The United States

THE UNITED STATES
HIGH-STYLE TREKKING ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
Brace yourself for a debate as luxury through-hiking arrives on the Appalachian Trail in spring 2007. Foot Travel, an outfitter based in Black Mountain, North Carolina, will begin offering gear transport and other logistical services at key points along the trail, which means that the only chores left to you on this 2,170-mile, 153-day slog from Georgia to Maine are carrying a daypack and setting up your tent. Foot Travel does the dirty work—from cooking to cleaning to carrying that heavy load of Russian classics. Price: $10,120 ($66 per day) Outfitter: Foot Travel, 866-244-4453, www.bighike.com

CYCLE ACROSS THE USA
This epic, coast-to-coast challenge takes you from Santa Barbara, California, to Charleston, South Carolina—2,949 miles with 167,000 vertical feet of climbing—in 33 grueling days. You'll pedal on two-lane blacktop across the Mojave Desert, over Rocky Mountain passes, and through southern prairies en route to the Atlantic seaboard, staying in roadside hotels along the way. You'll earn a lifetime's worth of bragging rights (you're averaging a century ride per day) and get a two-wheeled take on the classic American landscapes that most travelers experience only as a blur through the car window. Just be sure to remember to dip a toe in both the Pacific and Atlantic or your efforts might be in vain. OUTFITTER: Trek Travel, 866-464-8735, trektravel.com; PRICE: $10,000; DIFFICULTY: Challenging; WHEN TO GO: September–October

ALASKA
PADDLE TOWARD THE ARTIC OCEAN
If any splurge is called for this year, it's this journey into America's still untapped, northernmost reaches from luxury outfitter Abercrombie & Kent. The trip starts in Fairbanks, from which bush planes fly eight guests to the North Slope of the Brooks Range. Too-loó-uk River Guides will paddle you on 14-foot rafts through 50 miles of the Marsh Fork of the Canning, a mostly lazy river that meanders through green valleys in the shadow of white peaks toward the Arctic Ocean. "You've got 5,000-foot peaks right off the river, treeless tundra, open hills and ridges," says lead guide Juliette Boselli. Bring your waterproof hikers for day trips along the way, and carbo-load each night on fresh-baked breads in the dome-tented camp. Scramble up a small peak and you'll spot Dall sheep, musk ox, eagles, and falcons. End the trip where the Canning meets the Beaufort Sea and fly out over the famous Porcupine caribou herds. Top of the world, Ma. Four departures between June and August; 10 DAYS, $10,000 abercrombiekent.com.

PADDLE TO WRANGEL IN THE BERING STRAIT
See how close Alaska and Russia really are on Aurora Expeditions' new trip from Nome, Alaska, across the Bering Sea, and along the Chukotka Peninsula, at Siberia's northeastern tip. Your base is the 100-passenger Marina Svetaeva, but Aurora's guides offer daylong sea-kayaking options along Chukotka's rugged coast, where sea otters and harp seals play. And pending icepack levels in the Arctic Ocean, Aurora plans to explore Wrangel Island, home to hundreds of polar bears. "We hope to get the sea kayaks in the water around Wrangel and hike onshore," says owner Greg Mortimer. August 6–18; 13 DAYS, FROM $5,500 auroraexpeditions.com.au.

CRUISE WHALE COUNTRY IN KENAI FJORDS GLACIER LODGE
Comprising 16 cabins and a dining building, Alaska Wildland Adventures' Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge is the only hotel within the boundaries of 700,000-acre Kenai Fjords National Park. Fresh-caught salmon in the restaurant is nice, but the draw is the setting: The lodge, which opens in July, sits on a pebble beach in 1,700-acre Pedersen Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary. And because Glacier is accessible only by boat, your stay comes with a cruise through humpback whale migratory waters. Doubles, $425, three-night minimum; alaskawildland.com.

TREK WITH YAKS
When Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International started looking for a way to make the Alaska bush more accessible to hikers, they turned east—to the Himalayas, where Tibetan yaks have been shouldering trekkers' loads for decades. With the help of visiting Nepalese Sherpas, several yaks were trained on trails near Denali National Park, and this summer they're ready for prime time. This unique, weeklong trek begins with a flight from Talkeetna, about 75 miles north of Anchorage, to Moonshadow Lake, south of the park, where your guides and the shaggy bovines await. Each day, you'll be hiking—gloriously unencumbered—across open, untouched tundra and up 3,000-to-5,000-foot peaks; camping by clear lakes in alpine valleys; spotting moose, wolves, caribou, grizzlies, and black bears; and getting your fill of wild blueberries and salmon, always with the soaring Alaska Range as a backdrop. OUTFITTER: Alpine Ascents International; alpineascents.com PRICE: $2,500 DIFFICULTY: Moderate WHEN TO GO: July–August

CANOE WITH THE CARIBOU
The 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve, on Alaska's north coast, holds the largest swath of unprotected wilderness in the U.S.—and you needn't look beyond its name to guess its primary purpose. But the region harbors much more than black gold: Half a million western arctic caribou march across its sprawling plains each year, along with grizzlies and wolves. On this 11-day trip, you'll follow the herd by foot and in two-person canoes on the untamed Kokolik River, hiking where woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers once roamed. OUTFITTER: Equinox Wilderness Expeditions, 604-222-1219, equinoxexpeditions.com; PRICE: $4,495; DIFFICULTY: Moderate; WHEN TO GO: June

HIKING/MOUNTAIN-BIKING/RAFTING/KAYAKING
Your new luxury tented base camp for spying grizzlies at the foot of Mount Iliamna overlooks sweet, juicy berry bushes where the big beasts love to feast. Between hiking, mountain-biking, rafting, and kayaking forays on the Kenai Peninsula, recuperate in a lounge chair and watch one of the greatest shows on earth. Outfitter: Outer Edge Expeditions, 800-322-5235, www.outer-edge.com

ARIZONA
RAFTING THE GRAND CANYON
Few paddling experiences come close to matching the epic 297-mile Colorado River run from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead. There's the monster whitewater (including Lava Falls, called the fastest navigable rapid in North America), the mile-high bisque- and red-hued rock walls, the tent-perfect beaches, and the sheer, walloping Great American West feel of it all. About 22,000 people a year raft a portion of the Colorado's 277 Grand Canyon miles; most travel with one of 16 outfitters licensed by the Park Service, but those with strong river-running skills can arrange a private outing. Good news on that front: As of 2006, noncommercial launch permits are being awarded by lottery (800-959-9164, www.nps.gov/grca), replacing the laughable 25-year waiting list. Motorized or oar-powered rafts are the most common way to go, but purists say nothing beats the grace and responsiveness of a wooden dory. Veteran outfitter OARS offers 15- to 19-day full-canyon dory trips (from $4,535; 800-346-6277, oars.com).

CALIFORNIA
PADDLE THE TUOLUMNE AND HIKE YOSEMITE
This new, amphibious itinerary from rafting specialists OARS starts fast and ends slow. First up: an 18-mile paddle through Class IV rapids on the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River, Central California's roiliest. From the take-out at Wards Ferry Bridge, it's a 50-minute drive to the bar-equipped Evergreen Lodge, on the western edge of Yosemite National Park. The next four days are spent "glamping" on air mattresses on the lodge's property and trekking to Yosemite classics like 8,842-foot Half Dome and wildflower-studded Tuolumne Meadows. Five trips between May and August; 5 DAYS, $1,900 oars.com. CASH TIP: Ask if there are any openings—or last-minute discounts—on the May trip, when the Tuolumne runs fastest.

CYCLING THE EPIC TOUR
Lance, Levi, and LeMond all trained on the 15-degree inclines of Northern California's roads, and after you finish this seven-day epic, you may be able to keep up with them—for a few minutes, anyway. Starting from Santa Rosa, you'll ride up to 75 miles a day on inland country byways. Once you hit Mendocino, you'll return to Santa Rosa via the coast—with plenty of opportunities to regroup in some of the area's finest restaurants and hotels, like Bodega Bay's Inn at the Tides. Price: $2,398 Outfitter: Bicycle Adventures, 800-443-6060, www.bicycleadventures.com
When to Go: October-November

HAWAII
ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP
When you wake to the sounds of your personal chef whipping up an egg-white omelet in your oceanfront villa on Kauai's north shore, you'll know this boot camp isn't Parris Island. Here you can customize all your meals and five days of activities to reach your fitness goals. Start out by surfing in Hanalei Bay or hiking to the base of 250-foot Hanakapeii Falls. After one-on-one yoga or weight training, recuperate with a massage, and cap off the day by learning how to grill fresh ahi. Price: $3,075
Outfitter: Pure Kauai, 866-457-7873, www.purekauai.com When to Go: Year-round

IDAHO
PADDLE THRU HELL'S CANYON
This five-day, 34-mile raft trip down the Snake River is a Class IV adventure—and an inward journey. Days begin with riverfront yoga, and shore time allows for journal writing, side trips to view Nez Perce rock art, and meditation. But cleansing your mind doesn't mean you can't indulge in the arsenal of lasagna, Idaho trout, and double-fudge brownies.Price: $1,130 Outfitter: ROW (River Odysseys West), 800-451-6034, www.rowinc.com When to Go: September

IDAHO, OREGON & NEVADA
PADDLE THE UPPER OWYHEE
A good measure of the quality of a float trip is the difficulty in getting there. By those standards, it's hard to beat River Odysseys West's new expedition-style journey to the Class II Upper Owyhee. "The road's crummy, there aren't any shuttle services, and the portages are a bitch," says ROW founder Peter Grubb. "But I've never been up there and seen another party." From the Nevada put-in, on either the South or the East fork of the Owyhee (the East is the more striking canyon by far), each guest paddles his own inflatable kayak 50 miles through a basalt gorge to the confluence with the main Owyhee. (A 12-foot raft totes gear.) From there it's another 30 miles to the take-out at Three Forks, in Oregon. The route goes through bighorn sheep country and passes abandoned stone pioneers' cabins. Day four is reserved for two tough portages, but hard work makes Dutch-oven brownies taste better. Bonus: ROW's new trip comes just in time for new federal legislation that, if passed, will add the desert canyon to the national Wild & Scenic Rivers registry, and protect an additional 570,000 acres of the area. Four departures in June and July; 7 DAYS, $1,890 rowadventures.com.

OREGON
PADDLE THE RIVER WILD
If your idea of an ideal float involves low cost, high refreshment, and Oregon's lush landscapes, have we got a trip for you. Two, actually. On Rogue Wilderness Adventures' Paddles and Pints trip, 18 guests spend three days rafting the Rogue's Class IV rapids and two nights sampling the finest local hops with the Golden Valley Brewery's Mark Vickery, who spent ten years brewing up magic at Bend's Deschutes Brewery. August 27–29; $935; wildrogue.com. Meanwhile, on ROW Adventures' Kayaking 101 trip, aspiring river rats learn to read whitewater, paddle an inflatable boat, and prepare camp meals on eastern Oregon's fir-lined, Class III Grande Ronde. You'll cover ten miles of smooth water per day, cook Dutch-oven ribeye by night, and, by trip's end, be ready to lead your own expedition. Three departures in June and July; $1,000; rowadventures.com

MOUNTAIN BIKING THE UMPQUA RIVER TRAIL
The 79-mile Umpqua River Trail, completed in 1997, is a line of undulating singletrack from southern Oregon's Maidu Lake to Swift Water Park, perfect for a five-day blast through Douglas firs, cedars, and ferny hillsides. You'll chase the river along sheer drop-offs and to low points where you can cool your feet—as a chase van ferries your gear to camp. Price: $925 Outfitter: Western Spirit, 800-845-2453, www.westernspirit.com When to Go: July to September

TEXAS
CYCLE WITH LANCE ARMSTRONG AND THE RIDE FOR THE ROSES
What could be better than a long road ride? Try a long road ride interspersed with a yuk-it-up session with Lance Armstrong himself. You'll be treated to a 20-mile "morning spin" with the six-time Tour de France winner, just one of the highlights of this eight-day whirl through the Texas Hill Country from San Antonio to Austin. You'll spend 30 to 45 miles a day in the saddle, overnighting at a dude ranch and the Hangar Hotel before settling in at Austin's superluxe Driskill Hotel. There you'll join 8,000 volunteers and survivors in the weekend-long Ride for the Roses, a 100-mile Lance Armstrong Foundation benefit for cancer research.
High Point: Spinning wheels with Lance. Low Point: Parting with a whopping $10K, half of which goes to the Ride for the Roses. Travel Advisory: You're in Texas—don't mess with it. Price: $10,000 Outfitter: Trek Travel, 866-464-8735, www.trektravel.com
When to Go: October

UTAH
HIKING THE WATERPOCKET FOLD
Grant Johnson has been exploring southern Utah's Waterpocket Fold, a 3,000-foot-high, 100-mile-long dinosaur-era geological formation, for 30 years. Thanks to drought conditions in nearby Lake Powell, he recently discovered an ancient Anasazi trail that allows him to lead trips into this remote, unmapped backcountry region. For six days, shimmy through two-foot-wide narrows and hike on slickrock to incredible vistas, camping beneath the cottonwoods while listening to his stories of the prehistoric landscape. Price: $1,375 Outfitter: Escalante Canyon Outfitters, 888-326-4453, www.ecohike.com When to Go: April, October

WASHINGTON
MOUNTAIN BIKING THE WESTERN SPIRIT
Local mountain bikers have been riding southern Washington's lush Gifford Pinchot National Forest since the mid-eighties. But it wasn't until 2007 that the Forest Service opened this 2,138-square-mile forest—home to more than 700 miles of singletrack—to commercial trips. The first outfitter to take advantage: Moab, Utah–based cycling specialists Western Spirit, which debuted this five-day tour last July. The 100-mile haul starts near Mount Adams and traces a series of three subalpine lakes. "The old-growth cedars we ride through make the perfect canopy, keeping the trail surface tacky," says Western Spirit owner Mark Sevenoff. Other highlights include postcard views of the Lewis River's descent from the Cascades; nights spent camping and mauling grilled salmon (guides cook while you sip local beer); a trip-capping ride off the flanks of Mount St. Helens; and a price so low you'll want to book a second date. Eight trips in July and August; 5 DAYS, $1,200 westernspirit.com.

TREKING THE WILDS OF OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
Despite its proximity to Seattle, Olympic National Park is still untrammeled—especially in its mountainous interior, home to more than 30 glaciers and 300 climbable peaks. Explore a handful of those on Mountain Madness's 77-mile Bailey Range Traverse. Days one and nine put guests deep in lush, moss-draped forests. The rest of the time you're finding high-alpine routes, gawking at the Pacific crashing to the west, and, on days seven and eight, traversing the Blue Glacier en route to the summit of 7,969-foot Mount Olympus. July 24–August 1; from $1,800; mountainmadness.com