While the idea of planning a luxury outdoor adventure is compelling, the fact is, it takes a ton of work. You need to research what location you want to go to, find an Airbnb or hotel, book a guide, make sure you have all of your gear, and hope that everything goes according to plan. Or do you?
If you’re looking to skip the stress of planning an adventure vacation, consider an adventure lodge. Across the globe, adventure lodges offer in-house guides and packages tailored specifically to your needs, all in the lap of luxury. Looking to go heli-skiing in British Columbia? No problem. Fly-fishing in Argentina? These lodges have you covered.
Minaret Station
Best for Mountain Biking:Minaret Station takes luxury camping to the next level. Accommodations come in four glamping-style “alpine chalets” with queen beds, and not even 100 yards from your bed lie the lodge’s helipad and helicopter, which is how you get in and out. Minaret offers everything from jetboat tours to fly-fishing to hiking, all of it accessible by helicopter.
Location: Minaret Bay, New Zealand Starting At: $2,095
Best for Cat Snowboarding: Looking to go cat-skiing or snowboarding on some of North America’s best powder? Baldface Lodge has you covered. Whether you’re intermediate or advanced, Baldface has trip options to suit your abilities. Each day starts with locally roasted espresso and breakfast, then it’s on to a full day on the snowcat; the day ends with après drinks, massages and a sauna.
Location: Nelson, British Columbia Starting At: $2,500
Best for Hiking:Explora Patagonia was designed by José Cruz Ovalle and Germán del Sol, two of Chile’s most respected architects. The hotel’s excursion program includes gaucho-led lessons in horseback riding and full-day hikes to the park’s famous torres.
Location: Torres del Paine, Chile Starting At: $4,356
Best for a Bit of Everything: Located just outside Thingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ion provides countless adventure opportunities wrapped in a decidedly Scandinavian luxury package. The hotel opened in 2013, and has since become the world’s premier luxury adventure hotel. Ion also offers incredible food, including lamb provided by local farmers.
Best for Heli-Skiing: CMH is known for its heli-skiing trips, but at Bobbie Burns it also offers heli-hiking, via ferrata hikes, indoor rock climbing, cross-country skiing and more. Waist-deep powder is common, and CMH’s Bell 407 helicopter provides quick and easy access to world-class steep terrain.
Location: Columbia-Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada Starting At: $4,589
Best for the Forest Experience: Located in the heart of Bhutan’s Paro Valley, Como Uma Paro offers a number of trekking itineraries, including a five-hour hike to the Taktsang Palphug Monastery. The monastery is perched on the side of a cliff, towering above the valley below.
Best for Fly-Fishing: Tipiliuke was voted one of the 72 best boutique hotels in the world by Taschen. The main draw at Tipiliuke (outside of its luxurious digs) is the trout fishing. Typical rainbows and browns reach around 14-20 inches, but each season guides at Tipiliuke reel in monster browns approaching the 30-inch mark.
Location: San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina Starting At: $680
Best for Horseback Riding: Located roughly 20 miles southwest of Telluride, Colorado, Dunton Hot Springs is tucked away in sliver of the Rocky Mountains. If you’re in search of a luxury Wild West experience, it doesn’t get better than this. Accommodations are available in 13 cabins, and while many people come for the horseback riding, Dunton also offers hiking, mountain biking, mountaineering, rock climbing, heli-skiing and dog sledding, just to name a few.
Best for Rock Climbing: Chalet Pelerin is located in the picturesque village of Le Miroir, 45 miles as the crow flies from Geneva, Switzerland. The lodge itself is as premium as they come, offering wide selections of wines and cheeses to pair with the Finnish sauna and hot tub. Guided rock-climbing adventures are available along with parasailing, skiing, cycling and hiking.
Best for the Safari Experience: If your idea of adventure includes exotic wildlife, &Beyond’s Phinda outpost offers some of the world’s finest. One of the more unique offerings is the on-foot black rhino tracking. The excursion teaches you to follow rhino tracks and recognize rhino middens and scratching posts — all in search of the elusive black rhino.
Location: Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa Starting At: $4,137
