Glacier-hiking: Alaska

With majestic mountains, tidal-water glaciers and fascinating adapted wildlife, Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for lovers of the great outdoors. As your ship heads north from Vancouver there is a thrilling sense of adventure as the temperature drops and the landscape becomes increasingly hostile. From deck you can spot humpback whales, seals floating on chunks of ice and even the odd black bear roaming the shores, and once you get to maritime town Juneau you can pull on your hiking boots and join them. On this cruise an expert naturalist leads a guided trek over the Mendenhall Glacier, through a stunning valley alongside rushing mountain streams, with goats on the hillsides and bald eagles soaring overhead, before returning you to luxury ship Seven Seas Navigator for a well-earned sundowner.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers seven-night ‘Alaska Gulf Coast’ cruises from Vancouver on Seven Seas Navigator, calling at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka before ending in Seward.

Jungle zip-lining: Costa Rica

The Monteverde Cloud Forest is so high that clouds hang in the branches of the trees, and if you’re brave enough to go even higher you can look down at them from a network of treetop walkways – or even take to the air on one of the world’s highest zip-lines. The forest is one of the most important reserves in the New World tropics and sits at 4,600ft above sea level. The cool air at this altitude is ideal for hiking and if you’re lucky you’ll see some of the more than 400 species of birds, 100 types of mammals and 420 varieties of orchid. The tour also includes a stop at an extraordinary insect museum containing more than a million tiny preserved creatures – after which life back on premium ship Azamara Journey will seem even more civilized.

Azamara Club Cruises offers 16-night ‘Panama Canal’ cruises from Miami on Azamara Journey, calling at Cartagena (Colombia), Puntarenas (Costa Rica), San Juan del Sur (Nicaragua), Huatulco (Mexico), Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas before ending in San Diego.
 
 

Performance-yacht racing: US Virgin Islands

Get soaking wet and blown away with a ride on the fastest charter boat in the Caribbean. The Soma is a Formula 40 race catamaran based in St John, Nevis, and if you book early, a handful of lucky yachties can spend the morning ripping around the Virgin Islands at speed. Don’t expect sunloungers or a buffet, this catamaran was built for racing and there’s only a trampoline between the two hulls, minimum onboard comforts and no space for idle hands – so get ready to trim sails, fly a hull or even take the tiller. SeaDream Yacht Club is all about small-ship cruising, but this excursion is ideal for energetic sailers to get even closer to the action, and feel the salt on their faces and the wind in their hair.

SeaDream Yacht Club offers 10-night cruises from St Thomas on SeaDream II, calling at St John, Nevis, Montserrat, Saba, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke before returning to St Thomas.

 

Ancient sites: Arabia

Nothing can prepare you for seeing the Treasury for the first time – carved out of the pink rock-face deep in the desert, it’s a thrilling experience matched only by your first glimpse of the Pyramids at Giza, eerie and timeless on the Cairo skyline. You won’t get many chances to see both Petra and the highlights of ancient Egypt on the same holiday, as well as cruise the Nile and explore Omani capital Muscat with its battle-scarred fortresses and ancient fishing port. This fantastic cruise on small ship Spirit of Adventure does a full circuit of the Arabian Peninsula taking in authentic and remote ports from the Suez Canal to Dubai, with endless opportunities to get your boots dusty and have your breath taken away.

Spirit of Adventure offers 18-night ‘Arabian nights’ cruises from Limassol (Cyprus), calling at Port Said (for Cairo), Aqaba (for Petra), Sharm El Sheikh, Safaga (for Luxor), Suakin (Sudan), Djibouti, Salalah (Oman), Muscat and Khasab, before ending in Dubai.

 

Shark-feeding: Bora Bora

The French Polynesian island of Bora Bora sits in its own turquoise lagoon, completely surrounded by warm, shallow water ideal for snorkeling and diving. Endless species of colourful fish, beautiful coral and even manta rays, sharks, turtles and dolphins live just beneath the surface, and watching these graceful creatures swim silently by is an experience you’ll never forget. After a day’s guided snorkelling and swimming around the lagoon you’ll be able to watch your guide hand-feeding reef sharks – something else to tell them about back home. Your mask and flippers will see a lot of action on this cruise – Seabourn Odyssey also calls at the Cook Islands, Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands which are all as colourful below the waterline as they are above.

Yachts of Seabourn offers 20-day ‘Southern Cross’ cruises on Seabourn Odyssey from Los Angeles, calling at the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Cook Islands and Bay of Islands (New Zealand) before ending in Auckland.