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Relax on your own sandbar in Mozambique

One of you needs naps beneath a palm tree between meals; the other wants to plunge into the water, pull dinner from the ocean and take the windsurfer for a spin. Do all this and more on the Quirimbas Archipelago, one of the few parts of the earth where the marine environment remains largely untouched by human hands. Lying just off the coast of Mozambique, the archipelago consists of 12 major islands, about 20 smaller outcrops and any number of sandbar beaches.

One of the cultural gems is Ibo Island, with its strong Arab and Portuguese influences. Stay at Ibo Island Lodge, where there are just 14 rooms and a private sandbar beach for complete separation from the rest of the world – if only for a few hours. For divers, this is a must-visit. Shallow sites swarming with tropical life are suitable for newcomers, while those with a few stamps in their logbooks will want to hit the staggeringly beautiful drop-offs. One popular spot is the southern tip of Matemo Island, where you can see dolphins, turtles, groupers and stingrays in the drift.

Dip into a canyon secret

With its endless rugged cliffs and deep red crevices, the Grand Canyon couldn’t be more awe-inspiring – that is until you discover its hidden jewel, Havasu Falls. Nestled in the tribal lands of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, this spring-borne waterfall plunges from a 30-metre-high cliff top into a natural amphitheatre.

Clear blue-green pools glow against the terracotta-stained rock, their luminous colour generated by naturally occurring calcium carbonate and magnesium. Rise early and hike there or, if you’re super keen, take a helicopter. However you get here, this is one gem you want to find.

Pack a punch at a Muay Thai camp

There’s no better way to get close to the action of Thailand’s national sport than by training with a Muay Thai master. Poptheeratham Muay Thai Camp in Bangkok is owned and run by legendary fighter Samart Payakaroon, one of the sport’s best combatants of all time. Famed for his extraordinary ability to avoid being hit, and packing power beyond his light frame, Samart was so good he switched to boxing when no one would fight him. With movie-star looks that survived more than 170 fights, Samart turned to acting and music after retiring, becoming one of the more famous men in Thailand.

When we asked him what it was that makes a great fighter, he smiled and patted his chest: “Without heart you have nothing.” Seize the opportunity to learn from a legend, jump onto the mat, pull on your gloves and discover how to jab, kick and clinch like a true warrior.

Plunge into a sinkhole

Take a break from Tulum’s ruins and jump straight into this emerald sinkhole. Part of the Ik Kil Archeological Park – also home to Chichén Itzá, a pre-Columbian city built by the Mayans – this swimming hole is just one of about 7000 cenotes (the word means natural well) dotted throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, thanks to an elaborate underground river system.

It’s a 26-metre drop from the lip of Ik Kil to the water. If you’re brave enough you can take the plunge – the water is about 40 metres deep, so you’re not about the hit the bottom. For the rest of us, there’s a set of stairs carved into the limestone for a more sedate entry. Get there early, or leave it till the late afternoon, to avoid the tour buses.

Adventure into a Rock Forest

The pinnacles of World Heritage-listed Mulu National Park have to be seen to be believed. Imagine sword-like blades of eroded limestone piercing from the verdant forest floor. The pinnacles cling to the side of Gunung Api (Fire Mountain) on Malaysian Borneo, with some reaching heights of up to 50 metres. You can witness this peculiar landscape on a strenuous three-day trek departing from Mulu National Park headquarters.

Feel great, do good in Laos

It’s true – in one part of the building you can give blood and in the other you can get pummelled into submission during a traditional Laos massage. Granted, the surrounds at the Red Cross Spa in Luang Prabang aren’t all rich silks and wafting incense like you might find at one of the ritzier hotels in the city, but the rooms – each with several beds separated by curtains for privacy – have undergone a reno and are bright and clean.

The quality of the massage is completely dependent on the person who’s assigned to dig their elbows into your sore spots, but at about US$6 for an hour-long treatment (admission to the sauna costs less than US$2) there’s not a lot to complain about. All proceeds go to Red Cross projects in some of the poorest parts of Laos, so you’re doing good while feeling great.

Zip-line Thrills in Cebu City

Zip-lines aren’t particularly novel in South-East Asia, but there’s one a little different from all the rest. SkyExperience Adventure in Cebu City links two buildings – the one you jump off is 150 metres above the ground – via a 75-metre highwire. It takes just eight seconds to fly through the air to your destination, but then you also need to be winched back to the starting point. For extra thrills, take the plunge at night or hanging by your feet.

Simmer in hot springs

Hold onto your bathing suits because United Airlines have made it easier than ever before to fly from New York to Nuuk, Greenland if you’re in dire need of a hot spring soak.

They’ve just launched direct flights (the first time a US-based airline has ever done that), and there are thousands of hot springs across Greenland, but none quite like Uunartoq which can be easily accessed from Nuuk. Located in South Greenland, Uunartoq Island is completely uninhabited, making it the perfect spot to reconnect with nature.

Three converging warm streams keep its crystal-clear geothermal pool brimming with steamy water – even when the winter temperature drops below freezing. The stone-dammed pool is a plunge-perfect 37°C year round, thanks to the heat created by friction in layers of the Earth’s crust. Take a boat from the nearby islands of Qaqortoq or Nanortalik and sink into Uunartoq Hot Springs’ warm embrace against a backdrop of dramatic mountains and floating icebergs.

Tiny Primates in Bohol

Everyone loves a monkey but these little guys, who more closely resemble a mogwai than a chimp, aren’t the sort to clamber around playing games and picking bugs from one another’s fur. The Philippines is one of the few places you’ll still find tarsiers, although they’re very much in danger – their natural habitat is under threat and people think they make cute pets even though the nervous little creatures, being mostly nocturnal, tend to perish in captivity.

Near Bohol, you’ll find a sanctuary where the Philippine Tarsier Foundation is establishing a natural feeding and breeding space. Visitors can walk along paths below the trees and test their eyesight trying to spot tarsiers in the trees.

Surf Solomon Islands’ Deserted Breaks

Only a short drive from Gizo and a quick paddle off a postcard-perfect, white sand beach is Titiana surf break, a gentle right hander that breaks over a deep reef.

If you’re lucky you might share the break with a few of the local villagers, but more than likely you’ll have it all to yourself. The water is perfectly clear and warm enough that wetsuits are never needed.

The local surfers are overly friendly and inevitably you’ll find yourself sharing a post-surf beer at one of the local bars.

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