The world's best extreme travel experiences

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From scaling epic peaks to wildlife safaris in the Kenyan desert, add these adrenaline-filled escapes to your once-in-a-lifetime list.

Sky tour among polar bears in Canada

The Inuktitut name for Baffin Island is Qikiqtaaluk, which means “very big island”. It’s a fair description, though it could equally be called “empty island” as just 13,000 people live on this Arctic outpost. Each April, before the ice has melted, wilderness adventure group, Black Feather, offers a 13-day ski itinerary through a region that’s been called “polar bear central”. The 97-kilometre coast-to-coast trek inside Auyuittuq National Park ascends the Owl River Valley to the Akshayuk Pass. Guided by ski tourers hauling pulks (personal sleds) loaded with everything you’ll need for the trip, you’ll traverse serene glacial valleys shaded by the imposing granite towers of Mounts Asgard, Overlord, Odin and Thor.

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Sky tour among polar bears in Canada. Image: Black Feather

Climb a Himalayan mountain in Nepal

Ever since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest in 1953, trekkers have followed in their footsteps. Adventure specialists, World Expeditions, helped pioneer commercial trekking in Nepal in the 1970s. As well as offering hiking in the Annapurna ranges or to Kanchenjunga Base Camp, experienced guides lead challenging tours up ‘trekking peaks’, which require a high level of fitness but no mountain climbing expertise. Of these, Mera Peak is the highest at 6476 metres, while the 23-day trip through the Solu Khumbu region – home to Mount Everest – allows ample time for guests to acclimatise before ice axes are required for the final assault on the summit. Views towards five of the world’s six highest mountains greet those who make it to the top.

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Experienced guides lead challenging tours up ‘trekking peaks’, which require a high level of fitness but no mountain climbing expertise. Image: Supplied.

Explore the world's largest cave in Vietnam

Said to be as big as a Manhattan city block stacked with 40-storey skyscrapers, explore Son Doong Cave in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park on an exclusive six-day tour. Quang Binh-based Oxalis is the only company permitted to operate tours inside the cave, where you’ll be awed by stalactites, stalagmites, cave pearls and dolines. Expect to get muddy as you wriggle through gaps, abseil over drops, swim across underground rivers, navigate seasonal lakes by raft and climb a 90-metre-high wall to exit the cave.

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Explore the world's largest cave in Vietnam. Image: National Geographic

Join a camel safari in the Kenyan Desert

Jeep safaris among elephants and giraffes sound positively lame upon learning you can see Africa’s wildlife on foot. Camels accompanied by Masai and Samburu trackers are used to carry gear from camp to camp during Karisia Walking Safaris’ mobile group itineraries. Accommodation ranges from simple air mattresses inside dome tents to traditional canvas tents fitted with king-size mattresses, feather pillows, floor rugs and hot water bottles. Customised safaris operate on a private conservation area among the desert grasslands, high forests and broad sand rivers of Eastern Laikipia, a wildlife-rich desert region north of Mount Kenya. Optional extras include rock climbing and fishing or learning bush survival skills from Masai masters. The majority of itinerary suggestions are exclusive, and groups depart several times a year.

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Join a camel safari in the Kenyan Desert. Image: Supplied.

Originally published as The world's best extreme travel experiences