10 Best Destinations for the Outdoorsy Couple

Are you on a quest for a destination where you can skip the lines and avoid flag-waving tour guides? Kelly M and her husband are tired of battling the crowds and prefer to hike, kayak, cycle and indulge in good food. They posted this question:
Where should an outdoorsy couple go on vacation? We are in our mid-20s and enjoy hiking, kayaking/canoeing, easy cycling and good food. We would prefer to go somewhere that is not too crowded/touristy.

Thanks to the answers posted by Trippy users, here are 10 best destinations for the outdoorsy couple:

1. Western Australia


Go to Western Australia and hike the Bibbulmun Track. The Bibbulman Track is 621 miles (1,000 km) from Kalamunda, a suburb of Perth, to the historic town of Albany on the south coast. See the ancient eucalyptus forests, rolling hills and valleys of Darling Range, and breathtaking coastal views.

‘To hike the 1,003km Bibbulmun Track in Australia’s southwest is to walk through a natural history museum’ https://t.co/qifUYWVbaI pic.twitter.com/RWXavqjm2w


— Geographical (@GeographicalMag) March 7, 2018



It will take around eight weeks to hike 621 miles. If you don’t have time, we recommend the coastal track from Denmark to Albany.

With the introduction of Qantas non-stop flight from London to Perth, it’s getting easier and faster for Europeans and Americans to get to Western Australia.

For additional information, go to Bibbulmun Track.

2. Alaska


Alaska is the ultimate remote wilderness for an outdoorsy vacation in the United States. It’s where you view the glacial fjords, mountain bike, fish for wild salmon and see gray whales and the 1,000 pound Alaska Coastal brown bears. And that’s not all. Depending on when you visit, there is snowmobiling, hiking, river rafting, wildlife viewing, mountain climbing and a whole lot more things to do.

Trippy user, Frances McEachran visited Alaska, and she wrote:
I would go to Alaska!!! We flew into Anchorage and then drove down to Seward hitting many spots along the way. We hooked up with Liquid Adventures http://www.liquid-adventures.com/ and did a one day SUP trip into Bear Glacier, check out their website. This is the only place that does this. Then we went with them on a four-night kayaking trip where we didn't see another human for five days. Awesome trip! People are great food was great, and Alaska is amazing!!!

3. Wadi Rum, Jordan


Fancy camel treks or jeep tours in the desert? Go to Wadi Rum in Jordan. Wadi Rum, also known as Valley of the Moon is a protected desert wilderness in the southern part of Jordan, near the border of Saudi Arabia. See sandstone mountains (Jebel Um Ishrin), natural arches (Burdah Rock Bridge), ancient rock carvings and inscriptions.

There is a "Martian" holiday destination, open for business on the Wadi Rum desert. :)


The tourists get to live in domes and gaze on a "martian" landscape. You should bring your own potatoes though.

Anyone going? :) pic.twitter.com/CrzfbYAnKU

— Surviving Mars (@Surviving_Mars) April 21, 2018



Join a tour from Amman, the capital city of Jordan, and drive for four to five hours to the land of the Bedouins, the nomads in the desert. A tour to Wadi Rum usually includes dinner by the campfire, trekking on camels, and camping or glamping (comfortable tent with beds) under the stars.

4. Swiss Alps


Trippy user Eric Porter said:
I would suggest the Swiss Alps in August. They should be easily reachable with a short connection in Frankfurt or another major European city. We recently spent a week in Zermatt. It was packed with all types of hiking trails of all levels; our longest was 21km.

The other great thing is no cars are allowed, so you really feel as if time stops in this place. On top of amazing trails, there are great little places up in the mountains you can hike to for a drink or some lunch. Should you wish to have a couple of days in between hikes you have all the mountains that can be explored via ski lift, loads of spas, great restaurants, and you can even ski in August at the top of the glacier if you're interested. We stayed at Hotel Berghof Zermatt which was perfectly located near the lifts and start of numerous trails.

Zermatt is a car-free village, located at the foot of the Matterhorn at 1,620 meters above sea level in the southern part of Switzerland. It’s the place to be if you like hiking, biking, and mountaineering. Even skiing is possible from May to August in Zermatt.

5. Kauai Hawaii


Molly Wilson suggested Kauai:
Kaua'i. Hands down. We are heading there in March. This will be our third trip. Hike the Na'Pali Coast State Park. Amazing. Least touristy of all the Hawaiian Islands. Enjoy!

Read Hawaii Magazine’s 10 must-do Kauai outdoor adventure for suggested things to do. Here are five outdoorsy activities I chose:

6. Costa Rica


Trippy user Mona Johnson from Fayetteville said:
Costa Rica has everything you could ever want to enjoy in the outdoors. The west coast (Jaco and Playa Hermosa) has some of the best surfing and sports fishing in the world. The east coast is the home of the sea turtles and their nesting areas. There are 9 active volcanoes some of which can be seen at night (La Fortuna). Since Costa Rica is about the size of South Carolina, getting around by rental car is not hard.

Experience an adrenaline rush with Costa Rica Experts. Check out their recommendations: 12 action-packed adventure vacations for active travelers.

Take to the skies for a parasail!


What other adventures will you seek in Costa Rica?https://t.co/PZdzvBjASP

📷: costaricaair
📍: Costa Rica pic.twitter.com/vNT3RMtId6

— Visit Costa Rica (@Visit_CostaRica) April 20, 2018


7. Iceland


Justin Schmid recommended Iceland. He said:
If you want more solitude, Iceland. Landmannalaugar, Lake Myvatn, Kirkjubaejarklaustur and Skaftafell National Park are just a few places where you'll find great hiking. There are plenty of unpaved backroads for cycling.

The food is very tasty, especially the seafood. There is a newly formed rawness about Iceland that makes it my top pick for active travelers. It seems like it's stuck in a time before humanity developed, and you can sometimes hike for hours without seeing other people. A word of warning: You can drive to many places in a rental car, but do not take the backroads lightly. Plan for drastic shifts in weather.

Iceland will give you opportunities to encounter whales, puffins, and Icelandic horses and experience geysers, lagoons, waterfalls, and volcanoes, in fact, lots of volcanoes.

8. Titusville, Florida


There’s always a crowd in Orlando’s theme parks and the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. But just a few miles from Cape Canaveral is the Space Coast of Florida, the place to experience glowing blue waters called bioluminescence at night. According to Adayawaykayaktours.com:
The swirling of your hand, every paddle stroke, the darting trails of nearby fish swimming, the torpedo-like aura of a dolphin swimming by all spark the blue that many compare to the "Avatar" or "Life of Pi" movies…

During the day, visitors can have close encounters with manatees, dolphins, herons, birds and sometimes gators.

Trippy user Matt Merkel wrote:
You can take a nighttime Bioluminescent Kayak tour in nearby Titusville – friends have told me the location here is brighter than the bio bays in Puerto Rico, which get a lot of tourists. Certain times of year are better than others for viewing (also aim for a new moon for darker skies). Check their website or call for info.


Bioluminescent Plankton @ Night, PlayaLinda Beach, Titusville, Florida. 20 minutes from https://t.co/eMQ2QFUekE pic.twitter.com/zDOVEnVJxG


— TGO Villa Rentals (@tgovillarentals) March 13, 2016


9. Portland, OR


Bethany Johnson from Portland highly recommended Portland:
You need to come to Portland!! We are seriously known for the best hikes, the most bike-friendly city, and we have more restaurants per capita than any other city in America (although the food carts are where it's at). We are also known for our countless local breweries and coffee shops if you're into either. We have a beautiful city that is far from crowded or touristy.

You can take day trips to the mountains (year-round snow), the high desert, the most amazing coastline (Haystack Rock, anyone?), the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (the most breathtaking hikes I've ever been on), or even Seattle, which is well worth a visit! Also, the time of year you are looking at is the best time to come.

I'm not just saying Portland because I live here, I think it would be the best for what you are looking for. There's a reason I live here :)

10. Southern Patagonia


Whether you’re looking to push your physical limits or just sit and stare at the stunning landscape, there’s a lot to love about Southern Patagonia. Home to Torres del Paine National Park, Los Glaciares National Park (Perito Moreno, Monte Fitz Roy, and El Chalten), and Bernardo O'Higgins National Park (O’Higgins Glacier).

It’s one of the best regions in South America for an outdoorsy vacation. You can walk on glaciers, hike or bike to remote villages, go fishing or boating in a Chilean fjord or lake, or choose one of the trekking tours in Torres del Paine National Park.



Torres del Paine National Park offers the W Circuit (shortest), O Circuit and Q Circuit (longest) trekking tours. The most popular is the W Circuit. O is also called the big circuit that takes about eight days and is catered to experienced trekkers.

Have a question about any of these destinations? Become a Trippy user and get your questions answered by locals and travel experts.




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