Adventure holidays and trips for 2014: Latin America and the Caribbean

Chasing lightning in Venezuela

Between April and November, on any given night at Lake Maracaibo – a large brackish bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela – lightning bolts, appearing 200 to a minute, draw great cracks across the sky illuminating the night. The lightning here is so intense and frequent that it has just won a place in The Guinness Book of World Records. You can travel here from Mérida, itself something of an adventure destination where thrillseekers will be able to experience the world’s highest cable car when it opens later this year.

From the historic town, tourists go north through the Sierra La Culata national park to catch a speedboat to the lake-top fishing communities at the heart of nature’s own plasma ball. This untouched land is remote enough to retain a wilderness feel, even without the lightning, and is home to jaguars, alligators, boa constrictors and monkeys, all of which retreat as the storms draw closer in the small hours. And when the lightning arrives – caused by heat, humidity and Andean winds, and accompanied by roaring thunder – it explodes in all directions burning jagged bolts into your retina. A unique Central American experience.
• One-night tours from US$120, catatumbotour.com

Town and country, Colombia

Colombia is an intriguing mixture of modern cities and remote wilderness, and on this trip you can experience both. It takes in the multicultural city of Bogotá, before heading north to the Caribbean coast and then plunging into the jungles of the Sierra Nevada mountains for a challenging five-day hike to the lost city of Teyuna, the last stage being a climb up 1,200 stone steps. From there it’s on to the Amazon Rainforest, on the border with Peru and Brazil, and a camp sited on a tree-top platform from which you can kayak to see caiman, monkeys and sloth.
• The 15-day trip costs £1,685 including most meals and internal but not international flights. 020-3642 4246, sumak-travel.org

Sky train, Ecuador

Photograph: Amar Grover

Ecuador’s Trans-Andean railway reopened last year after several years out of action. Although the famous Tren Crucero was created for trade purposes, it now operates at a leisurely speed for tourists wanting to see banana plantations, active volcanoes and plenty of wildlife on a four-day trip. With a maximum height of nearly 3,000 metres, getting back down again, via a nerve-inducing series of switchbacks (the aptly named Devil’s Nose) is a memorable white-knuckle experience.
• The 10-day Back on Track trip, including four nights on board, departing 26 June, costs £3,298 with Journey Latin America (020-3582 5502, journeylatinamerica.co.uk). Or book the train direct at trenecuador.com, three-day trip US$1,055, four days $1,270

Trekking, Brazil

Photograph: Alamy

The Chapada Diamantina national park in the state of Bahia is a beautiful area of dramatic flat-topped mountains, waterfalls, sparkling blue pools and lush rainforest. In the 1840s diamond prospecters flocked here but now it is a protected area and very peaceful. The six-day trek goes deep into the park, passing waterfalls – plenty of swimming opportunities – and spectacular rock formations with homestay accommodation. The walk starts and finishes in the pretty colonial town of Lençóis, then you will visit Salavador and Rio for a couple of nights’ recuperation.
• The 12-day trip departs 27 September and 17 January 2015 and costs from £1,950 including flights and most meals. 01722 718444, discoveradventure.com

Tour of Patagonia

Puerto Natales is the gateway to Torres del Paine national park. Photograph: Alamy

On this tour through Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia you’ll experience the wonder and scale of one of the wildest places on the planet, and see everything from whales and penguins to glaciers and Andean peaks. The trip will explore the Beagle Channel by boat, spotting birdlife and whales en route to Estancia Haberton, one of the first settlements on Tierra del Fuego. From there the expedition heads to the Patagonian ice field and the Perito Moreno glacier. Other activities include horse-riding through the stunning El Calafate and trekking in the Torres del Paine national park. Accommodation includes a traditional wood cabin near Bariloche with a log fire and home-cooked meals.
• The 17-day journey costs £3,450 and includes internal but not international flights, and most meals. 020-3642 4246 sumak-travel.org

Trek across Dominica

Photograph: Kevin Rushby

The Waitukubuli Trail is a 115-mile trek across a landscape filled with deep jungle, precipitous ridges and huge waterfalls. Along the way are a few tiny settlements and isolated farms that retain the pace of the old Caribbean. The trail follows old runaway slave paths high into the rainforested interior and takes in beaches and dramatic gorges.
• The 10-day walking tour includes all meals and guide and costs £2,745 including flights or £1,695 land only. 017687 73966, keadventure.com. Departs 5 April, 17 May and 20 December

Swim with Humpbacks, Dominican Republic

Every year thousands of humpback whales head to a limestone reef 70 miles north of the Dominican Republic for the breeding season. In this adventure, you sail to the Silver Bank in a liveaboard dive ship then, twice a day, move out on small boats to locate the whales. Once in the water you wait for them to approach, which they do, sometimes with their young. You will hear whale song and see them breech, fluke and nurse their babies – who themselves are often very curious about humans.
• A 10-day tour departs 14 March and costs from £4,295 including meals and flights. 017687 73966, naturetrek.co.uk

Sailing, Belize

Belize has the world’s second largest offshore reef, a fabulous place to explore by boat. Take Doris along and the exploration becomes hugely exciting, and also extremely comfortable. She is a 50ft catamaran equipped with sea kayaks, fishing and snorkelling gear plus a well-stocked bar, and a chef. Head out to Goff’s Caye, a palm-fringed tropical atoll then island hop to Tobacco Caye where, on the right night, there is magical bioluminescence. With luck you’ll also spot giant rays, turtles and manatees.
• Hire Doris for $1,295 a day all-inclusive for a group of six. absolutebelize.com; cheaper boats also available

Mountain trekking, Peru

One of the greatest adventure stories of recent years must be Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void and this trip takes you around the 30km long cordillera of Peru’s Huayhuash mountains where that epic story unfolded. Travelling with donkeys, you trek over several high passes and camp in emerald green meadows beside glacial lakes surrounded by snow-capped peaks. You need to be fit and strong but there are three days of acclimatisation before you go to just over 5,000 metres.
• 19 days from £2,795 with flights or £1,795 without. 0114 276 3322, jagged-globe.co.uk