Holiday ideas for the adventurous

Promising plenty of unique experiences in surroundings of mystical beauty (which are even more surreal in the beautiful twilight of December and January), a holiday to Lapland is one that you will remember for years to come. Experience the thrill of gliding across the snow on a dog-sled, encounter reindeer at close quarters, contrast riding on a snowmobile with snowshoeing, and relax in traditional style with a sauna. The adventure doesn’t end at nightfall, however – with luck you will be able to watch the Northern Lights dance and twirl.

Walking on the high paths beneath some of the Alps’ most revered peaks is undeniably challenging, with demanding ascents and descents each day, but is highly rewarding, too – enjoy incredible views of these humbling mountains and the great camaraderie that exists among fellow walkers when you pause at the mountain cafés dotted along the routes. (Fortunately, there always seems to be one just when you need it!) The highest point on the holiday is the Augstbordhorn Pass, at 2,893 metres, a fantastic spot from which to admire the vistas.

Part of the feeling of adventure on this break comes from the northerly location. Occupying the same latitude as Alaska, the small Norwegian city of Tromsø boasts the world’s most northerly brewery and university. By day, you can choose from a range of activities, including dog-sledding, but the best part of the adventure comes at nightfall, when you join a local expert to go in search of the Northern Lights. Depending on the conditions, he’ll take you to a spot somewhere outside the city – sometimes as far as the border with Finland, if that’s where you have the best chance of seeing them – and, with luck, you will witness ribbons of green, pink, yellow and blue light swirling across the night sky.

Our holidays in India are about more than discovering landscapes of astonishing beauty – you have the chance to see traditional village life as few others see it, while staying as a privileged guest in the midst of village communities and exploring in the company of a local guide-cum-interpreter. Thus you may find yourselves being given an ad-hoc lesson in rope weaving in the backwaters of Kerala, joining in a game with the village children in the foothills of the Himalayas, or harvesting fruit on a smallholding on the edge of the Thar Desert.