Lonely Planet Great Adventures

HIKE

DIVE

BIKE

ABOVE & BELOW

CLIMB

ICE & SNOW

ANIMALS

WATER

DRIVE

by Ben Fogle

contents

JOHN KELLY | GETTY

The sheer rock face soared out of the rainforest, its summit
cloaked in cloud. I scrambled up a muddy slope, across one
of the few vegetated parts of the mountainside, and under the
plume of a waterfall. This was my portal to another world.
Trudging along the narrow trail, I zigzagged up the final path,
through the cloud and emerged onto the plateau.
Here I entered a place unlike anywhere I had ever seen or
dreamed. The top of the mountain was like the backdrop of a
sci-fi B-movie: blackened rocks of all sizes were interspersed
with tiny, colourful gardens. The anarchic landscape scattered
with white crystals and pink beaches was fissured with gorges
and babbling red rivers. Rolling mist, funneled up the cliff like
smoke, added to the eerie scene. Pterodactyls wouldnt have
looked out of place swooping above me.
I was 20 years old and I had just completed my first great
adventure, a journey through the jungles of Venezuela to Mt
Roraima (see ), one of the Tepuis of the Lost World.
Local lore insists that dinosaurs still inhabit these high-altitude
islands; it was clear how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had been

inspired by them to write his famous novel The Lost World . I
spent the night in a cave and felt like a pioneer in a new land.
My experience on Mt Roraima was life changing. From being
a hopelessly non-academic and helplessly unsporty child, I
immersed myself in new cultures, customs and environments
around the planet. Such adventures helped me understand
more about the world and enriched my life; the astonishing
growth in adventure travel doesnt come as a surprise.
Suddenly, we want more from our downtime than a beach
lounger and a book: we want something to talk about, an
experience that turns a week-long holiday into the trip of a
lifetime. This book is an inspiring collection of the greatest
adventures in the world, each satisfying our thirst for challenge
and discovery. And whether youre interested in trying a new
activity, exploring little-known places, or encountering wildlife
face-to-face, the Making it Happen section of each adventure is
the starting point for planning your own.
There are physical journeys, geographical journeys and
mental journeys, and over the years I have taken on plenty

INTRODUCTION

ADVENTURES OF A LIFETIME

MARTIN HARVEY | GETTY

that combine all three. One country where those three factors
often merge is Iceland. Its associated with fire and ice, but dip
beneath Icelands surface and youll discover an unimaginable
sub-aquatic world (see ).

From a mossy knoll next to a tiny pool of water I tumbled into
a liquid wonderland between the tectonic plates of Europe and
North America. In the Silfra Rift in ingvellir National Park,
where the water is just 2 above zero, you can see further than
100 metres. It is some of the clearest water on the planet,
giving the impression that you are suspended in deep space
or a giant glass of vodka. The chasm disappeared hundreds of
metres into the black horizon. I swam from Silfra Hall into the
celestial Silfra Cathedral. Even the cold water couldnt chill
my spirits. Long shafts of sunlight pierced the water, creating
an underwater light display to rival the Northern Lights.
It remains the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And
challenges that test our resilience, such as diving in icy water,
teach us about ourselves to be resourceful, to be patient as
well as reminding us to care for the wilder regions of our world.

I have pushed myself to my physical limits rowing across the
Atlantic Ocean and hauling a sledge to the South Pole, but
adventures dont have to be scary, hard, or adrenalin-charged.
Some of the most enjoyable havent even involved sweating.

Shortly after getting married, I booked our first holiday as
husband and wife, a ten-day rafting trip in Varnland, Sweden.

My wife and I drove for three days with our dogs and a couple
of fishing rods through Europe to Scandinavia, where we lashed
vast timbers together to form a raft that weighed more than a
car. It was backbreaking work, but the sense of reward when we
finally set sail with our tent and a small cooker, gliding with the
gentle current of the river as the sun slipped into the horizon,
was immense... Right up until the moment we realised neither
of us knew how to stop the thing. I resorted to jumping in the
river and looping a rope around the biggest tree I could find.

It isnt an adventure unless something goes awry. It poured
with rain, we got stuck in eddies, and it coincided with the
coldest Scandinavian summer on record. Eventually, the raft
began to break up thanks to my poor rope-work. We abandoned
it, paying the rafting company to salvage it. It may be surprising
that it remains one of my adventuring highlights, as meaningful
as my climb up Mt Roraima. We still laugh about the famous
rafting holiday and it has become part of Fogle family folklore:
I learned a lot about my wife, and she me, during that holiday.

Whether youre an armchair traveller or you use this book
as a bucket list, it could change your life. Even for a seasoned
adventurer like me, there are still experiences to chase. Ive got
my eye on rowing across Lake Baikal. Who wants to join me?

BEN FOGLE

Oslo, Norway, March 2012

INTRODUCTION

WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE | LUNDGRE | NATURE PL

HIKE

MICHAEL DEYOUNG | CORBIS

COLIN MONTEATH | HEDGEHOG HOUSE | GETTY

Pacific

Ocean

Tasman

Sea

SOUTH ISLAND

Milford Sound

Homer Tunnel

Fiordland National Park

Te Anua

Queenstown

HIKE

Stepping through lush beech forest along