Why every family should have an adventure holiday – and which one to book

From water-based fun in the UK to jungle expeditions in Sri Lanka, our writer rounds up the best ways to get active together

Family holidays don’t have to revolve around a pool or a beach. For a spot of family bonding – plus the chance to try something completely different – an adventure holiday is a great alternative to a fly-and-flop break. Not only is it likely to be far more memorable and exciting, but it’s a chance to discover more about the world and about each other. And to have some fun along the way. 
Of course, this type of holiday needs to suit your family’s ages and interests as well as your holiday budget. And adventure is a loose term. It could be a week’s stay at a residential centre in a UK National Park for challenging new activities in scenic surroundings. Or perhaps an action-packed week abroad combining high-octane land-and water-based thrills in the company of other like-minded families. Or maybe a more exploratory, long-haul trip where the adventure lies in discovering new cultures, new landscapes and new experiences.
With any kind of adventure trip comes a certain amount of risk. While the point is to push boundaries and comfort zones, it should also be within a controlled and safe environment, especially when it involves children.
Accreditation schemes in the UK include the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA), a government-run body overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the British Activity Providers Association (BAPA).
Both publish useful lists of approved centres. And when it comes to overseas adventures, it pays to travel with a reputable tour operator who has checked out the activity providers it uses and can give reassurance that proper safety procedures are followed. 
So, for families who want more out of their holidays than suntans and sandcastles, here are 20 great ways to stimulate the mind and body, and make the heart beat a little bit faster.
Prices are per person, based on two adults and two children aged under 12 years, including breakfast and transfers, unless otherwise stated and are subject to availability. All offer school holiday departures in 2024 and 2025.
The River Findhorn in the Scottish Highlands offers Grade 3-5 white water rafting from the village of Ferness at Logie Bridge to Daltullich Bridge near Relugas village, passing through deep gorges and woodland. With its combination of calmer water and mild rapids, it’s ideally suited to young families and first-timers. On low water days, alternative activities include river tubing and cliff jumping. 
Ace Adventures Hideaways (01309 611729; aceadventures.co.uk) offer Family White Water Rafting breaks in Achnagairn, Moray, from £70 per day (from five years). Bell tents, sleeping seven, with woodturner and fire pit, from £100 per night, self-catering.
Aimed at families with children aged from five years, High Adventure Holidays is based near Cowling, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Good for single parents and families who want to come with dogs, on-site activities include high ropes, climbing, zip wire and archery, and the itinerary includes excursions to Malham Cove, the limestone ravine of Goredale Scar and the viaduct at Ribblehead. 
High Adventure Holidays (01535 442035; highadventureholidays.co.uk) offer a two-night Weekend Family Adventure from £185 (adult); £165 (child) or a six-night Family Adventure from £435 (adult); £399 child), full board.
This Welsh region is ideal for water-based activities around the RSPB Nature Reserve at Ramsey Island. Preseli Venture offers trips in the Abermawr Valley, staying in a cluster of lodges or a new eco barn, sleeping eight. Families can opt to be more or less adventurous on a range of itineraries aimed at families with children aged eight years and over, including surfing and sea kayaking. 
Preseli Venture (01348 837709; preseliventure.co.uk) offers a four or five-night stay from Sunday to Friday with the option of an Action Packed itinerary with nine half-day adventures or an Action & Relaxed itinerary including six half-day adventures. From £555 (adult); £455 (child) full board.
Spectacular coastal paths along dramatic cliffs and past sandy coves make Cornwall perfect for bracing family walks. HF Holidays offers a chance to meet other like-minded families for optional guided walks with an experienced leader, based in Chy Morvah, a 39-bedroom house in St Ives. Close to beaches and National Trust-owned St Michael’s Mount, it also has an outdoor heated pool.  
HF Holidays (020 3974 8865; hfholidays.co.uk) offers a seven-night Cornwall Family Walking Adventure on the Penwith Peninsula from £1,475 full board (children aged five to 17 years are half price, and up to three under-fives go free when sharing a family room). 
Calm waters with good visibility make Malta one of the top destinations for families with older children who want to complete the PADI Open Water Diver course. Maximum diving depth limits are 12m (for 10 or 11-year-olds); 18m (for 12-14 year-olds) and 20m (15-18 year-olds).
Dive Worldwide (01962 302087; diveworldwide.com) offers seven-night stays at the Sands Apartments in St Paul’s Bay, a five-minute walk from the seafront and dive centre. From £1,275 self-catering, in a two-bedroom apartment sleeping four people, including flights, tuition and equipment.
Designed for families with children of all ages, guided groups of up to 16 are based in three-star Hotel Club Phellos – which also has an outdoor pool – in the small Turkish resort of Kas. Itinerary highlights include a boat trip and barbecue lunch, a walk in the Taurus mountains, a canoeing trip along the Xanthos River to Patara beach, and a sea kayaking trip to Simena harbour. 
Explore (01252 240 605; explore.co.uk) offers its seven-night Family Turkey Coastal Active Adventure trip from £825 per adult / £740 per child (under 11 years), including three lunches and accommodation.
Summer in the mountains provides families with the opportunity to try a wide range of adventurous outdoor activities. Newly offered by mountain specialist Alpine Elements is the four-star Hotel Tetras Lodge, in Tignes les Brévières. The price includes a guided e-bike excursion, a guided hike and use of mountain bikes, along with kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding on the lake.  
Alpine Elements (020 3949 8353; alpineelements.co.uk) offers seven-night stays at Hotel Tetras Lodge, from £887 full board, based on twin rooms including a three-day MyTignes Multipass for use of mountain lifts, aquatic centre, mini golf and tennis courts. 
Covering between nine and 29 miles per day, cycling specialist Saddle Skedaddle offers a self-guided family itinerary around the shores of spectacular Lake Bled which combines adventure and culture. The routes take in Bled Castle, perched on a lakeside cliff, a cable car ride up Mount Vogel, a boat ride to Bled Island, and a journey past the waterfalls and forests of Pokljuka and Vintgar Gorges, with accommodation in a four-star hotel.
Saddle Skedaddle (0191 2651110; skedaddle.com) offers the seven-night Highlights of Lake Bled trip from £1,025 per adult, with a 50 per cent discount for children aged two to five years, a 30 per cent discount for those aged six to 12 years, and a 10 per cent discount for those between 13 and 17. Excludes transfers.
Long days of summer sunshine make southern Sweden an ideal destination for camping, hiking and island hopping. Make the most of the region on an itinerary which starts in Stockholm, with time to explore the capital before transferring to Enhörna by steamboat. The circular itinerary includes a canoeing trip and overnight lake-shore camp, walks through the unspoilt landscapes of Södermanland, and time on the beach near Trosa. 
World Expeditions (0800 0744 135; worldexpeditions.com) offers a six-night Sweden Summer Family Adventure trip from £1,050 (adult)/£690 (child), including two lunches and two dinners. 
The country’s rural interior of open fields, mountain slopes and wide valleys makes ideal riding terrain for families with intermediate and advanced riders (aged 12 and over). Unicorn Trails offers itineraries to groups of up to six, with three to five hours of riding daily along trails winding through the Svilaja mountains, past small villages and along ancient Roman roads. Accommodation is provided in a family-owned ranch, an hour from Split.
Unicorn Trails (01767 600606; unicorntrails.com) offers a seven-night Croatia, Dalmatian Mountain Explorer trip from £1,069 per person, including full board. Excludes transfers.
Hossa National Park offers a wide range of adventurous activities, including cross-country skiing, sledging and snowshoeing. Families Worldwide offers stays in cosy Forest Houses, sleeping up to six, with private saunas, a short walk to an activity centre where families can learn essential winter survival skills, fire-making, ice-fishing and igloo building. 
Families Worldwide (01962 302062; familiesworldwide.co.uk) offers the seven-night Northern Lights Adventure trip in Hossa National Park from £1,195 (adult)/£1,045 (child), full board. 
Head for the west coast of Iceland on an adventurous tailor-made tour combining two self-catering bases, one 75km north of Reykjavík with views of Snaefellsjökull and Faxaflói Bay, and the other near the black sand beaches and waterfalls of the south coast. Pre-bookable excursions include a jeep safari to Thorsmork valley, a whale-watching boat trip, and a Golden Circle tour to view the spectacular landscapes.  
Discover the World (01737 428 307; discover-the-world.com) offers a seven-night Family Explorer the Icelandic Way trip from £1,347 per person, self-catering, including car hire.
Explore the glacial valleys and river canyons of Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park from the family-friendly, five-star Hotel Monasterio de Boltaña, a renovated 17th-century monastery with a pool and spa, on the Ara river near Aínsa. Sustainable adventure specialist Pura Travel offers families a private, tailor-made week of guided hikes, mountain biking, wildlife-watching, river canyoning and kayaking in the Mediano reservoir. 
Pura Aventura (01273 676712; pura-aventura.com) offers a seven-night Spanish Pyrenees Family Adventure trip from £1,400 per person, including flights, car hire, guided excursions, one dinner and two lunches.  
Jordan is an ideal destination for a varied week of adventurous activities – particularly for families with children aged five and older. Among the highlights of this group tour are a swim in the Dead Sea, a 4×4 jeep drive through the desert of Wadi Rum, a camel ride, a night in a Bedouin desert camp and a full day in the sandstone city of Petra. The tour winds up in the resort of Aqaba for swimming and snorkelling in the Red Sea. 
KE Adventure (keadventure.com) offers the seven-night Jordan Family Adventure Holiday from £1,770 (adult)/£1,580 (child) including flights, two lunches and one dinner. 
Escape the crowds on an adventurous trip along the Dordogne river by foot, bike and canoe, exploring medieval villages, historical sites and chestnut forests. Staying in three-star hotels, with luggage transferred daily, this break is aimed at families with children aged eight and up. All participants must be able to swim at least 50m, fully clothed. 
Headwater (01606 218839; headwater.com) offers the seven-night Dordogne Activities trip from £1,799 per person B&B, including five evening meals. Excludes transfers.
Join a small group tour on an adventurous foray to one of the world’s best wildlife-watching destinations, undertaking a fortnight of adventurous activities ranging from boat trips to rainforest walks. Starting in Costa Rica’s capital, San José, the itinerary takes in Tortuguero National Park, the white sands of Cahuita beach, the Sloth Sanctuary of Aviarios del Caribe, and the walking trails of Manuel Antonio National Park.
Exodus Adventure Travels (0203 553 2587; exodus.co.uk) offers the 14-night Costa Rica Adventure Family Holiday from £3,099 (adult)/£2,324 (child), including flights, three lunches and two dinners. 
It’s not all about riding at Cherokee Park Ranch, near Fort Collins in Colorado. From May to September, families also have the chance to try river rafting on the Cache La Poudre river, as well as fly-fishing and mountain biking. The children’s riding programme caters for those aged between two and 12 – of all abilities – and includes horseback scavenger hunts, wildlife hikes, cookouts and craft activities.
American Roundup (01798 865946; americanroundup.com) offers a six-night stay at Cherokee Park Ranch from £3,325, full board, based on a family cabin, including flights and car hire.
Incorporating tuk-tuk tours, wildlife-spotting and cooking classes, Scott Dunn offers adventurous, multi-base tours to families with children of all ages. The educational and conservation-led Junior Ranger programmes in Sri Lanka include guided nature walks, interactive games and workshops.
Scott Dunn (020 8682 5000; scottdunn.com) offers a tailor-made 10-night stay from £4,513 per person, based on a three-night stay at Uga Riva, a four-night stay in Uga Ulagalla (both half board) and a three-night full board in Uga Chena Huts, including flights. 
Venture Sail provides sailing holidays in all sorts of vessels, from catamarans to tall ships. One of its most adventurous summer 2025 family trips is aboard a traditional Indonesian sailing boat, Ombak Putih, which sleeps 12, with a crew of 14. Setting sail from Komodo, the itinerary includes snorkelling with sea turtles and whale sharks, exploring coral beaches, visiting local villages and sighting the Komodo “dragon”, the world’s largest lizard. 
Venture Sail Holidays (01872 487288; venturesailholidays.com) offers the eight-night “Family Sailing in Indonesia; whale sharks, corals and dragons” trip from £4,320 per person, full board.
The Great Plains Conservation Safari Camps – in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve – offer families a solid chance of spotting the “big five” (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes), while camps also arrange children’s programmes specifically crafted for different age groups. Children get personalised “Young Explorers” activity packs, as well as guidance on animal tracking techniques and bush survival skills.
Cazenove+loyd (020 7384 2332; cazloyd.com) offers tailor-made family safaris from £5,960 per person, full board,  based on a three-night stay at Great Plains ol Donyo Lodge, two nights at Mara Expedition and two nights at Mara Nyika.