The popularity of adventure tours is one of the major trends in the travel industry that continues to grow. Combining everything from trekking and mountaineering to rafting, zip lining and bungee jumping with unique individual cultures and exotic settings, these destinations have just about everything an adventure traveler could ask for. The following are some of the best places to satisfy your desire for adventure.

British Columbia, Canada

Situated in western Canada, British Columbia is an adventurer’s paradise year-round, offering mountain ranges, the Pacific coast, and myriad lakes. Outdoor invigorating activity possibilities include mountain biking, hiking and climbing through the Canadian Rockies. Have you had enough of all this fun on dry land? The Pacific Ocean beckons with a variety of wonderful sailing and sea kayaking experiences. Don’t forget to visit Vancouver while you’re in this region too. With spectacular views, as well as multicultural charm and renowned Canadian generosity, you’ll have everything you need for a memorably adventurous trip.

Croatia

With its rich cultural history, Croatia’s place as a communications hub is marked by countless monuments ranging from ancient Greco-Roman to New Age secession. Croatia has a diverse natural charm. Its landscape varies from flat plains to low mountains and uplands, making it a great location for your next adventure. Inland, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, adventure running, camping, horseback riding, hunting, skiing, fishing, rafting, and caving are popular with tourists and residents alike. Sailing, diving, kayaking and canoeing are the best options on the water. Croatia also contains ten natural parks and eight national parks, as well as a multitude of special ranges.

The Himalayas – Nepal/Tibet/Bhutan

One of the most strikingly picturesque mountain ranges on the planet, the renowned Himalayas offer fantastic trekking tours, outrageous paddling excursions, and the most demanding mountaineering excursions. Combine these characteristics with the area’s unique culture and spiritualism, and you won’t be disappointed with a trip to Nepal, Tibet, or Bhutan. Each one has its own individual charm and to explore any of them, you will have to go through Kathmandu, a city that is as varied and diverse as the Himalayas themselves.

Home to eight of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest, Nepal prides itself on its mountain sports and rich culture. Known as the birthplace of adventure travel, Nepal knows how to pamper backpackers, thrill seekers and contemporary travelers alike. Trekking, mountaineering, climbing, and mountain biking are some of the best-known tourist activities here; however, rafting, bungee jumping, motorcycling, hot air ballooning, paragliding, and mountain flights are also available. The southern part of Nepal, the Terai, boasts national parks and game reserves offering elephant and 4×4 safaris to see rhinos, Bengal tigers and crocodiles, as well as an endless number of bird and butterfly species. Cultural treks are easily found in Nepal and usually take you to the Numbur Cheese Circuit, Indigenous Peoples Trail, Tamang Heritage Trail or Chepang Heritage Trail to name just a few.

While a similar Himalayan adventure can be found in Tibet, the wide and stark Tibetan Plateau will make your adventure original in itself. This is the side of the mountain that you can literally drive to get to Everest Base Camp. Along the way, you’ll be able to see Buddhist monasteries dotting the countryside located in some of the most surprisingly unlikely areas. In all likelihood, Tibet’s borders will remain open for the rest of 2010, despite unexpected regional conflicts, making it even more accessible to thrill seekers than it has been in the past two years.

Bhutan is arguably one of the most obscure and least familiar of these three Himalayan adventure sites. The government of this small monarchy has taken steps to ensure that the nation upholds its conventional values ​​and has placed restrictions on the total number of tourists it is willing to receive. Once admitted, however, travelers are invited to tour ancient monasteries and out-of-the-way villages as they travel through the eastern Himalayas, giving them a brief glimpse into a way of life that has, for the most part, endured. , intact for centuries.

These are just the beginning! Looking for more places and experiences that get your adrenaline pumping? Be sure to check out Adventure Travel Destinations 2010 – More Top Picks, where we’ll look at some suggestions ranging from tropical to frigid in terms of climate and dry land, as well as water, for your adventure of choice.