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Outdoors & hiking

Activity type

Best outdoors & hiking experiences

Guided hikes, canyons, volcanoes and national parks. Fitness ratings on these are often optimistic.

1

Vatnajokull glacier hike with certified guide

The highest-rated activity in Iceland and the one thing you legally and sensibly cannot do alone. Crampons and helmets are provided.

  • Moderate fitness is enough, this is not mountaineering
  • Ice caves included on the November to March versions
  • Bring waterproof trousers, not jeans
4.9(9.4k)
fromISK 19,500

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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2

Singapore Zoo or Night Safari — pick one

Night Safari is the distinctive product. Day zoo is excellent and hotter. Both are far north — budget travel time. Not a "quick stop."

  • Tram at Night Safari is the core
  • Book timed entry
  • Mandai is a half-day minimum
4.6(14k)
fromSGD 55

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Klook. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

3

Swamp tour (airboat vs pontoon)

Pontoon boats are calmer and enough to see cypress and alligators. Airboats are loud and splashy. Neither is wilderness camping. Go for the landscape, not a guarantee of a leaping gator.

  • Hotel pickup often included
  • Sunscreen, insect considerations
  • Small operators vs cattle boats — read recent reviews
4.6(11k)
from$79

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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4

Skyline gondola and either luge or a walk

The gondola is the easy overlook. Luge is fun and not a thrill-sport. Hiking Ben Lomond is the free version with more sweat. Do not stack gondola, bungy and jet boat in one afternoon unless you like queues.

  • Dusk for the lake
  • Luge sessions sell as combos
  • Wind can close it
4.5(12k)
fromNZ$69

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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5

Mount Srd cable car

The view is the whole city and the islands. Go late afternoon. The restaurant is optional. Walking down is possible, walking up in July is a statement.

  • Sunset slot books up
  • War museum in the fort at the top if you like context
  • Wind can stop the cars — have a backup evening
4.6(9.0k)
from€27

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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6

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

If the cableway is closed, this is the mountain from below, with plants. Sunday concerts in season. Easy, beautiful, under-booked relative to the Waterfront.

  • Boomslang canopy walk
  • Picnic if the weather is good
  • Combine with a Constantia tasting if you skip Stellenbosch
4.8(5.4k)
fromZAR 200

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

7

Northern lights hunt by small boat from Reykjavik harbour

Choose an operator with a free re-try policy if the aurora does not appear. Boat beats bus because you escape all city light pollution.

  • Most operators let you re-book free if you see nothing
  • September to March only, and cloud cover matters more than KP index
  • Thermal suits provided, and you will need them
4.3(14k)
fromISK 12,500

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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8

Appian Way and catacombs e-bike tour

The best half-day escape from central Rome, and almost nobody books it. Not for you if enclosed spaces are a problem.

  • Original Roman basalt road with almost no other tourists
  • Catacomb entry included, which needs a guide by law
  • E-bike handles the cobbles that make a normal bike miserable
4.7(3.6k)
from€69

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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9

Cascais and Estoril coast e-bike tour

The best half-day out of the city that is not Sintra. Genuinely easy on an e-bike, and Guincho beach is the payoff.

  • Flat coastal path, so fitness is not a factor
  • Reaches Boca do Inferno and Guincho without a car
  • Train back to Lisbon takes forty minutes
4.7(1.9k)
from€65

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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10

Remarkables or Coronet Peak (seasonal)

Winter: ski fields above town, hire in town, check avalanche and wind closures. Summer: hiking and the scenic chair if running. Do not assume summer snow.

  • Chains and shuttle buses
  • Hire gear in Queenstown
  • Weather holds the veto
4.6(2.2k)
fromNZ$169

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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11

Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa park — on foot or bike

The plaza is free and spectacular. A bike tour is only useful in July when walking the park at 2pm is unwise. Otherwise walk at 9am or 7pm.

  • Tiled alcoves for each province
  • Rowing boats if you insist
  • Golden hour, not midday
4.6(2.1k)
from€25

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

12

Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park guided hike

You can walk it alone in 45 to 90 minutes. Book a guide only if you want geology and a sensible route in bad shoes. Do not go in cloud if you want the view — wait two hours, Edinburgh weather rotates.

  • 251 metres, steep, proper shoes
  • Free without a guide
  • Salisbury Crags are a shorter alternative
4.8(1.4k)
from£25

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

13

Foz do Douro and coastal e-bike tour

The best half-day that is not the Douro Valley. Porto's centre is beautiful and also tiny — this is how you see the Atlantic side.

  • Flat riverside path then the Foz promenade
  • E-bike handles the climb back from the mouth of the river
  • Far better than a hop-on bus
4.7(1.6k)
from€55

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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14

MacRitchie Reservoir or Southern Ridges walk

Singapore's actual surprise is how much rainforest is in the city. Southern Ridges (Henderson Waves) is easy. MacRitchie canopy walk is hotter and better. A guide is optional; water is not.

  • Free without a guide
  • Weekday mornings
  • Monkeys — no food in hands
4.8(700)
fromSGD 50

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

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