Diving among colorful coral in Curacao
Diving among colorful coral in Curacao.

Adrenaline Rush in Belize

Belize is quickly becoming a top adventure vacation hub, offering caving and kayaking, snorkeling and diving, tours of ancient ruins and zipline tours, naturalist ecotours and journeys on horseback. The Adventure Package from Belize Tree Houses includes complimentary arrival drinks, all meals, local beverages, hotel tax and a choice of daily adventure tours for guests staying between three and seven nights at Caves Branch Jungle Lodge. These excursions include cave tubing, a drop into a black hole, a visit to Mayan ruins, ziplining and more. Prices start at $618 per person, commissionable at 10 percent. To make a reservation, reach out to Ingrid Murillo (888-332-4268) or visit the website.

West Africa ‘Expedition’

In April 2013, G Adventures’ 140-guest Expedition will take passengers up the coast of West Africa. It will stop at some unique sites, with expert guides onboard to explain what guests are seeing. Some of the attractions will include Coffins of Ghana—a visit to a local fantasy coffin-maker in Accra who designs coffins in the shape of mobile phones, cars, fish and Coke bottles; Kolmanskop, a German-designed ghost town in the desert just outside the Namibian port town of Luderitz; a float through a stilt village in Benin; the Bijagos Archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; and the former slave-trading post of Goree Island at Dakar, Senegal, complete with dungeons, slave quarters, opulent traders’ homes and The House of Slaves.

Glacier Hiking in Alaska

Alaska’s summer visitors can pair glacier hiking and ice climbing with rail travel through the state’s backcountry territory via Alaska Railroad and local guide service Ascending Path. Guests board the Glacier Discovery Train in Anchorage, Girdwood, Whittier or Portage for the glacier-based tours. Hikers meet their guide on the train and hop off at the Alaska Railroad’s Spencer Whistle Stop, in the heart of the Chugach National Forest. After a tour is complete, guests board the train and go back to their point of embarkation.

Ziplining on Hawaii Island

Visiting Mayan
Visiting Mayan ruins in Belize.

A great new option for adventure-seekers in Hawaii is the Akaka Falls Zipline Adventure Tour offered by Skyline Eco-Adventures. Close to Akaka Falls on Hawaii Island, the operation has seven ziplines that stretch across the Hawaiian rain forest, culminating in a 3,300-foot long experience over a 250-foot cascade located on private land, less than a mile downstream from the falls. Akaka Falls Skyline Adventure operates four tours daily starting at 10 a.m.

Diving in Curacao

For diving enthusiasts, Ocean Encounters offers Curacao Dive Packages all summer long and through the fall. They include seven nights’ accommodation and six days of two-tank boat diving. Breezes Curacao, Lions Dive & Beach Resort, Dolphin Suites and the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino are the participating hotels. Rates start at $1,191 for bookings made by July 31 through [email protected]. Also available from Ocean Encounters are a $92 one-day Two Tank Boat Dive and a $73 Night Boat Dive.