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Trekking
If you want to do some serious trekking and mountain climbing, Latin America and Nepal are obviously two of the best places to get yourself to. But if you've never done much hiking, don't be put off by these awesome mountains; there are countless trails suited to different abilities and any decent tour company over there will be able to match you to a trek that is suitable for your fitness levels.
Places that are blessed with mountain ranges, valleys, rivers and any other breathtaking scenery you can think of, will be well prepared to cater for tourists wanting to head into the wild. You can rent kit, like stoves and walking poles, while you are there rather than trying (and failing) to cram tents and ice picks into your 20kg baggage limit! One thing you can almost guarantee is that you'll find many other backpackers who will be just as eager to recommend tour companies, treks and post-trek celebration locations to you, as you are to hear them.
The trekking community is very tight-knit and with everyone always moving around from one place to the next, it's easy to meet new faces and pick up new travelling companions along the way; this makes this kind of trip ideal if you are a solo traveller or travelling in a small group.
A fantastic site for trekkers and mountaineers is Go Trekking, a worldwide encyclopaedia of all things trekking related. The Wiki Trail section is an amazing resource, written by the hiking community and is full of information about their favourite treks including how to get to the start point, difficulty ratings, length of the trek and even the best places to buy your food in the local town or find water on the trail. It's a really useful site if you're looking for treks to do in certain areas and you can even submit any hikes you find yourself and share them with others.
Adventure Sports
It might be that you are already a pro-surfer or maybe it's something you've always wanted to try but never got round to; picking up a sport on your gap year is a brilliant way to learn new skills and have an amazing time doing it. If you find yourself by the coast, look into taking surfing, kite surfing or windsurfing classes- chances are the water will be a good bit warmer overseas than in the UK!
If you want to get more from your adventure travel, why stick with buses and trains to get you from A to B? You'll find specialist tour companies around the world that cater to people who are tired of public transport and offer exciting alternatives like mountain biking or off-road 4x4 jeep safaris. These companies get a lot of their custom from word of mouth recommendations so make sure you talk to people and check out notice boards in hostels to see if there are any near where you're staying.
Once you've made your escape from the busy city, you'll discover a whole range of exciting activities you can do in the mountains, underwater, underground or maybe in the sky. You could try abseiling, pot-holing, scuba-diving, ice-climbing, horse-riding or parasending- the only thing holding you back is your fear threshold!
Extreme Sports
If you like your activities high-altitude, high-speed and high-adrenaline, there is certainly no shortage of things you can get up to on your travels. From white water rafting, sky-diving or bungee jumping, there are countless companies ready to serve adrenaline junkies their fix and are more than happy to let you live your dreams whether it's scaling national monuments like the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia or paragliding through the Sacred Valley in Peru.
If the thought alone has got your heart racing, check out the Extreme Sports Café for more ideas of things to do around the world, straight from those who were brave enough to do it before you!