Here are are some of the top adventure travel companies that offer an interesting and eclectic array of adventure travel trips. Biking in Morocco, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and rafting through the Grand Canyon are just the briefest sampling of the experiences these companies offer travelers. Each company's website lists specific adventure travel trips, with detailed itineraries, pricing and images that give a taste of the adventures waiting for you.
1. G Adventures Open Up the World
G Adventures, which made National Geographic Adventure magazine’s top “Do It All” outfitter list again in February, 2009, offers a choice of more than 1,200 adventure travel trips to all seven continents. Check out the "Specials" section, where you can find discounts on fascinating trips.
2. Geographic Expeditions Adventurous Trips
Geographic Expeditions offers a portfolio of overland tours, treks, walks, and expeditionary voyages to the world's most astonishing places, ranging from journeys in China, Nepal and Vietnam to Mongolia and Ghana.
3. Mountain Travel Sobek
Mountain Travel Sobek pioneered the concept of small-group adventure travel 40 years ago and has been exploring the world in imaginative ways ever since. The itineraries are designed for travelers who want to explore the planet's fantastic diversity of landscapes, cultures and wildlife.
4. Austin-Lehman Adventures
If you're looking for adventure travel trips that kids of varied ages will enjoy, or trips for you and your teenagers, check out Austin-Lehman Adventures. Multi-Sport trips -- bike, hike, climb, paddle, ride -- go to such scenic places as Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and Bryce, Zion and Yosemite National Parks.
5. Ecotourism and Nature Trips With International Expeditions
International Expeditions offers small-group eco-tours and nature travel trips to exotic locations including the Amazon, Egypt, Galapagos, India and Kenya during the annual animal migration. the company offers in-depth itineraries designed to explore the soul of a region, through behind-the-scenes access to places and experiences. The group leaders are either naturalists or historians, sometimes both.
6. Off-the-Beaten Path Adventure Travel With Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a niche adventure travel company that focuses on taking travelers off the beaten track to more than 90 destinations around the globe. On these generally small-group trips you’ll travel in ways similar to the local people, respecting their culture and the environment. The groups take mostly public transportation, stay and eat in small-scale locally-owned establishments.
7. REI Adventures Offers Great Active Travel Trips
REI Adventures offers great active travel trips, such as canoeing on a lake here in the U.S., cycling in Vietnam, or sea kayaking and hiking in Croatia. And, these are just a few of the 90plus weekend-to-multiweek trips offered by REI Adventures, part of the REI that has more than 80 stores in the U.S. chock-full of equipment and clothing for adventure travelers.
8. Canadian Mountain Holidays Heli-Ski and Heli-Hike Trips
If heli-skiing or heli-hiking are on your adventure-travel radar, check out the variety of trips offered by Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH). In the winter this company offers heli-ski for advanced intermediates to expert skiers and snowboarders. In the summer, the heli-hiking trips for novices to experienced hikers and for families. CMH also has mountaineering trips.
9. River Rafting & Other Adventure Vacations with ROW Adventures
ROW Adventures offers river-rafting trips and adventurous vacations as diverse as snorkeling with sea lions and turtles in the Galapagos Islands and camel trekking in Algeria. Some of ROW's trips have been included in National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s “Tours of a Lifetime” for three years running, and Outside Magazine’s Top Ten New Trips for two consecutive years.
10. Adventure Travel Trips and Vacations With Travcoa
Travcoa is one of the leading providers of luxury escorted tours, luxury custom vacations and private jet trips. Some of the destinations include Antarctica, Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, India and China, and such exotic locales as Bhutan, Easter Island, Lapland, and Madagascar. The escorted tours are limited to 18 persons and the average is 12.