Adventure is for everyone! (even for couples) That’s our motto. It was taking a five-week adventure trip to Thailand that put the spark back in our marriage and we have bonded through adventure travel ever since! It is true, couples who adventure together, stay together. We’re living proof!
You will make memories to last a lifetime, you get to know each other better, and you will be inspired by one another creating the foundation for exciting times ahead! So just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ve rounded up our best couples adventure vacations with a splash of luxury and romance to make it perfect.
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Amazing Couples Adventure Vacations
We feel adventure is an important part of our marriage, but we also feel that being pampered is important when going on an adventure vacation. It can’t only be about pushing ourselves to our limit, there needs to be relaxations too! These destinations mix adventure vacations couples will love with a twist of luxury to boot.
1. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
It the mother of all couples’ adventure trips. Nothing bonds a couple together more than completing an incredible bucket list item together. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro will create memories to last a lifetime and create a bond that can’t be broken. When you have accomplished something impossible together, your relationship with be stronger than ever!
Read More: Complete Guide to Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Followed by: Relaxing in Zanzibar
Once you have completed climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, reward yourself with a relaxing week in Zanzibar. This is truly one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Get a villa in Nungwi and soak up the finer things life like spa treatments, sunset cruises and morning walks.
Read more: Discover The Best Beaches in Zanzibar
2. Fly Over Cappadocia
Nothing says romance more than a hot air balloon ride followed by a champagne breakfast. Cappadocia is the premier place on earth to take a hot air balloon ride and it is one amazing adventure to fly over the fairy chimneys. This adventure will add a beautiful thrill to any couples trip and you’ll it will be at the top of all your adventure vacations conversation for years to come. Check out our picks for The Best Adventure Destinations For The Ultimate Vacations
Stay in a Luxury Cave Hotel
Up the romance factor in Cappadocia by staying in a Luxury Cave Hotel with your own Hammam. Have a Turkish massage in yourr villa and enjoy fine dining and even cocktails as you watch the sunset over the Goreme Valley.
Read More: Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon
3. Dive in the Maldives
The Maldives is the ultimate honeymoon destination in the world, but did you know there are plenty of adventures to be had? From some of the best scuba diving in the world to world class surfing, island hopping and parasailing these adventures will up the adventure factor on any couples trip.
Relish an Over the Water Bungalow
To make sure that the romance factor is just as exciting as the adventure, be sure to stay in a luxury over the water bungalow. Maldives is famous for its bungalows floating over crystal clear waters. Be sure to book one with a glass floor so you can watch the fish swim at night.
Read More: 15 of The Best Things to do in the Maldives
4. Take a Luxury Safari
It is the ultimate bucket list vacation and doing it together is the ultimate of couples’ adventures! We’ve done several safaris in Africa and when choosing one, we suggest going to Kenya or Tanzania. Seeing the great plains of the Serengeti or the Masai Mara will be etched into your memory for years to come.
There is nothing more exciting than seeing a male lion stalk its prey for the first time. Or to watch a giraffe eat leaves off of a high thorn tree. Even the skittish wharthogs are some of the cutest animals you’ll ever see.
Stay in a Luxury Safari Tent
When booking your safari, be sure that it includes accommodations in luxury safari tents. There is nothing more decadent than sleeping in a pillow soft bed with the sounds of wildlife rumbling through the night. Safari tents have outdoor showers, hot tubs and incredible views.
Read More: Kenya Safari – The Masai Mara Experience
5. Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls is one of the greatest adventure destinations in the world but it is also gorgeous making it the perfect spot for a bucket list couples adventure. Located on the border of Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that not only offers incredible scenery, there are out of this world adventures to be had. Take a jet boat tour to the heart of the falls and get soaked as it goes right under the cascade. Go cycling through the jungle and head to the bird park to see Parrots and toucans. Read more: Getting Soaked – The Ultimate Iguazu Falls Tour
Luxury in the Center of the National park
When it comes to accommodation, there is nowhere better in Iguazu Falls than the Belmond Hotel Cataratas. This luxury hotel is the only accommodation in the National Park. It is like stepping back in time and you feel like Hemingway explore the unknown land for the first time as you stay in its luxurious suites. It has a spa, thermal swimming pool and five star dining.
Read More: 11 Fun Things to do in Iguassu Falls
6. Walk with Polar Bears
Whenever we tell people we have walked with polar bears, they don’t believe us. Is that even possible? Yes it is! Visiting Churchill in August and September offers balmy weather and the chance to see moms and cubs fattening up on seals and berries on the arctic tundra. Take a tundra vehicle from a luxury lodge in search of polar bears, black bears, wolves and moose. We saw it all.
Enjoy a Luxury Lodge
When thinking of trips for couples, you need luxury, even if you are in the most remote unforgiving landscape and that is what Nanuk lodge offered. End your day surrounded by wildlife looking in at you (You are the one fenced in here) as you enjoy cocktail hour by the cozy fire reminiscing about the day’s events. The evening doesn’t end as a multi-course meal is prepared complete with wine pairings by your professional chef.
Read All About It: Walking with Polar Bears – The Greatest Arctic Safari
7. Sail to Antarctica
Looking for the ultimate couples adventure. Visit the final frontier, Antarctica. Nothing gives a couple more bragging rights than saying, “we’ve been to Antarctica!” Imagine finishing off your celbratory meal with all your friends and family and then hopping on a flight to Ushuai Argentina where you’ll board a ship to the 7th continent. This adventure will take you kayking around icebergs, walking beside glaciers and hobbling among millions of penguins. It truly is a trip to remember.
In An All Suites Ship
Antarctica doesn’t have to be bare bones, in the 21st century, travelers are visiting the 7th continent in all suites ships with five star dining and all inclusive alcohol. On Quark Expedition’s Sea Spirit we had four course meals with wine pairings each evening as we recapped the day of adventures from having whale breach the surface before our eyes to floating inches by leopard seals sunning on ice flows.
Read More: 11 of the Best Things to do in Antarctica
8. Explore The Mayan Riviera
There is a reason the Mayan Riviera is so popular with travelers in North America. There are incredible adventures to be had here. In fact, we’ve gone to the Mayan Riviera numerous times and we still have yet to do it all. The most amazing activity to do is to swim with whale sharks. That’s an adventure we’ll never forget, but there is world-class diving, Cenote adventures, zip-lining, and Mayan Ruins waiting to be explored.
Read More: Swimming with Whale Sharks Cancun
Stay at a Couple’s Resort
The Mayan Riviera caters to couples and there are plenty of all couples adults only resorts to choose from. So when you do book your accommodation along the Mayan Riviera, be sure to look for one of these all suites resorts with your own infinity pool.
Read More: The Best Things to do in Cancun
9. Marvel at the Beauty of St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is the honeymoon capital of the Caribbean and with good reason. Many of its resorts cater to complete privacy and seclusion. But it is an island filled with adventures. Hiking up the Grand or Petit Pitons is at the top of the list. But you can also visit the world’s only drive in volcano and bask in the hot mud of its soothing mineral waters.
Be sure to visit the North of the island for all the watersports you can think of and take a historic hike through Pelican Island.
Stay in a Private Villa
What makes St. Lucia so perfect for a couples vacation is that many of the resorts offer private villas with their own infinity pools. Between adventures you never have to leave your suite!
Read more: Where to Stay in St. Lucia – North vs South
10. Head to Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe has been the go to escape for the stars for decades. It knows how to cater to both the adventurous and the luxurious! A winter adventure getaway for couples to Lake Tahoe lets you hit the slopes on some of the best terrain in the world. It is home to a whopping 12 ski resorts. There’s tons of outdoor activities to be had.
Stay in a Cozy Lodge
Staying in a winter chalet is one of the most romantic things you can do. We loved Cedar Crest with their outdoor fireplaces and private amenities. It was close to everything in Lake Tahoe South so we could get in our car and explore by day and then pick up wine and cheese for a romantic dinner at night in our lodge.
Read More: Things to do in Lake Tahoe in Winter
11. South Africa – Africa’s Adventure Capital
South Africa has adventure blending with luxury down to a science. You can tick off all the couples bucket list adventures in South Africa. From going on safari, diving with great white sharks, ziplining through the rainforest, and horseback riding among zebras, this is the ultimate fantasy trip. We took microflights over Durban, kayaked with crocodiles and hippos, and went searching for turtles laying eggs in the wee hours of the morning. South Africa has it all.
Get A Room with a View
It’s difficult to choose our favorite accommodation in South Africa, there were so many beautiful yet affordable places that cater to couples. We had adventures all day long and then stayed in luxury places along the Garden Route to Cape Town like the outstanding Birkenhead House in Hermanus. Read More: 24 Awesome Things to do in South Africa
12. Swim with Stingrays – Grand Cayman
The Cayman Islands are one of our favourite island destinations in the Caribbean. It has been the leader in luxury for years, but there are also amazing things to do for an adventurous vacation for couples. It is one of the best places for scuba diving in the Caribbean, there are huge caves to explore and the star attraction is meeting the stingrays that hang out at Stingray City.
Stay at the Ritz
The Ritz is the premier luxury hotel around the world and in the Cayman Islands, the Ritz Carlton on 7 Mile Beach is extraordinary. Take a spa day, soak in the sun on the beach or enjoy a sunset sail.
Read more: Things to do in Grand Cayman
13. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is one of our all time favourite destinations and it is filled with adventure and romance. From world class beaches to great wildlife encounters, it is one adventure after another. Sri Lanka also has one of the great climbs on earth. The Adam’s Peak Pilgrimage attractions thousands of people each year.
21 of the Very Best Things to do in Sri Lanka
Luxury in the Jungle
Staying at Cinnamon Wild in Yala National Park in search of leopards was a real luxurious treat. Our private villa in the center of Yala National Park had elephants walking through and we watched monkeys play from our balcony. It was truly one of the wildest stays in pure luxury we’ve ever had.
Read More: Sri Lanka Safari – The Best of Yala National Park
14. Scale the Walls of Krabi Thailand
Railay is our favorite place to visit in Thailand. An adventurous couples vacations round up wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention Krabi because it was here that reignited our romance and passion in our relationship.
We feel that nothing brings a couple closer together than romance. Not only is Railay filled with adventures from some of the best rock climbing in the world, but there’s also sea kayaking, jungle hikes, and island hopping. Go kayaking at night through bioluminescence or get certified to scuba dive together. A couple that does adventures together, stays together.
Relax in Affordable 5-Star Resorts
What we love about Krabi is all the affordable five star accommodations. Thailand makes for the best adventurous couples vacation because it has perfected luxury travel yet it is filled with countless adventures. You can live like royalty in Thailand on a small budget. Thailand will always be our favourite place to put the romance back into our lives.
Where to Stay in Krabi
Read More: Beautiful Beaches in Thailand to Spark Your Wanderlust
And these are our top suggestions for the ultimate bucket list couples adventures followed by luxury and romance. Where have you been that added adventure to your travels?
Read Next: How to Survive Travel as a Couple
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I Must Say ! stupendous Article. Loved It. And the pictures you have used is very nice.