Backroads has long been a leader and an innovator in the world of adventure travel. They’ve also been at the forefront of change, keeping tabs on fluctuating demographics and traveler demands. Back in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, they first offered softer adventure trips called Dolce Tempo, or “sweet time,” as in “take your sweet time.” These were walking, E-bike, and multi-adventure trips designed for first-time adventure travelers and those looking for an easier option than regular Backroads trips. Call them easygoing active vacations designed with more downtime built-in. They were active adventures but at a more relaxed pace. They were clearly on to something because all the trips quickly sold out. They continued to do so even as the offerings expanded to include Active Ocean & River Cruises.
Back to nature: 8 of the wildest places in Europe
21.07.2023 - 08:51 / roughguides.com / In Europe
Europe is often seen as an over-populated, over-travelled continent. But it can still serve up huge helpings of mind-blowing natural beauty – and the peace and quiet with which to contemplate it at leisure. To prove it, we’ve listed eight of Europe’s wildest, most exhilaratingly and away-from-it-all spots – and the best ways to explore them.
When it comes to jaw-dropping natural beauty, few places can compare with the Lofoten archipelago, whose clustered mountains tower above deeply indented bays. It’s not exactly empty of people, with quaint fishing villages now playing host to a burgeoning tourist industry. But untrammelled nature is never far away.
A plethora of hiking trails, cycling routes and fjord cruises provide access to some truly heart-stopping scenery. The islands are well within the Arctic Circle too, so there's every chance that the midnight sun will add to the drama.
© DR Travel Photo and Video/Shutterstock
When it comes to European wetlands, few can compete in size and diversity with the Danube Delta. Here, the continent’s greatest river splits into myriad channels before entering the Black Sea. It’s a unique landscape of sandbar islands, semi-sunken forest and dirt-road villages, the majority of which can only be reached by boat.
Disembark at the fishing village of Crişan in the heart of the delta and you’ll be able to follow trails into reed-beds frequented by all manner of birds. Sfântu Gheorghe, the end-of-the-river settlement on the delta’s southern branch, offers more reeds, more birds and several kilometres of stark white beach.
© Calin Stan/Shutterstock
The last significant swathe of primeval woodland left in Europe, Białowieża Forest straddles the border between Poland and Belarus. This emerald world of trees, grasses, mosses and lichens is also home to a 900-strong herd of European bison, re-introduced in the 1920s after the last indigenous specimens had been killed in World War I.
Certain parts of the forest are off limits to casual visitors and can only be explored with a guide. But there's still a wealth of free-to-wander trails radiating out from the main access point, the pretty village of Białowieża itself.
Bisons at Bialowieza National Park © Alex Marakhovets/Shutterstock
Running for some 100km along Croatia’s Adriatic coast, the Velebit massif is one of the most brutally rugged mountain chains in southern Europe. While the canyon-riven Southern Velebit (site of the Paklenica National Park) is packed with summer trippers, it’s the less-trodden Northern Velebit that offers the most exhilarating hiking.
Towering Mount Zavižan marks the start of the Premužić trail, the 57km-long holy grail of Croatian hikers. However much of the route you manage to tackle, you’ll be rewarded
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