Every successful person has an insatiable thirst for challenge. Much more than just a motivation, it’s who they are. They satisfy that thirst in boardrooms and at negotiating tables, in backcountry ski bowls, on fairways and in personal goals. The more adventurous even take it a step further, spending their free time challenging themselves by taking it up a notch in the grand and awe-filled theater of nature. On their behalf, the legendary travel company Abercrombie & Kent has created an entirely new portfolio of 15 Extreme Adventures.
Forget your preconceptions of “adventure travel.” These expeditions blow the lid off the box by combining the most spectacular regions, the finest wilderness guides and A&K’s trademark mix of privileged access, air-tight organization and outstanding service. The result is nothing short of extraordinary: a collection of expeditions in the true Amundsen, Hillary, Shackleton and Burton sense of the word, all guaranteed to take you to the outer boundary of experience and, in the process, to the edge of yourself.
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
…Edmund Hillary
Shut your eyes just for a moment and imagine the taiga forest in Northern Norway, the silence broken only by the scrape of the runners as you lean your sled into the turns, guiding your team of five dogs as they bound and bark their way through a world still with snow. Feel your heart race as you click your harness closed and settle back in the cockpit of a fighter jet, bracing for the G-forces from a vertical climb to 60,000 feet. Imagine standing on a glacier hundreds of miles from the nearest road, surrounded by a colony of 15,000 Emperor penguins. Consider the look on your son’s face as you turn the safari clock back a hundred years, walking along, and floating down, Tanzania’s wild Rufigi River.
“How many things have you done that you know, with absolute certainty, you will remember for the rest of your life? In the end, that’s what these experiences are all about,” says Peter Boese, vice president of Extreme Adventures, “providing the kind of memories that change the way you think about the world.”
“We each interpret ‘challenge’ in different ways,” Boese continues. “Test your mettle against the implacable forces of nature in the mountains or the desert, harness the raw power of thoroughbred machines and open the door to the most awe-inspiring places on Earth.”
The first of these extraordinary new adventures will begin in the fall 2008, starting with an Extreme Safari on foot in the Selous, Africa’s largest protected wilderness and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Challenge yourself with Mountain Trekking to Everest Base Camp or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia on Desert Expeditions in Egypt and Jordan. Satisfy your need for speed in South Africa with Man & Machine Extreme. Meet nature at its most challenging by Conquering the Final Degree and skiing to the South Pole.
Abercrombie & Kent guides are experienced, educated and supremely qualified. Their first priority is your safety. They have mastered the necessary bush and survival skills, and know how to keep you motivated in tough conditions to bring out your best.
With Extreme Adventures, Abercrombie & Kent comes full circle. Its pioneering tented safaris were born from an insatiable desire to experience the world in ways that few dare, to consistently deliver journeys that defy all expectations. When you find yourself at the ends of the earth, you want exceptional experience, knowledge, skills, support and reputation at your back.
For details on these trips and the specific challenges offered, go to www.akextremeadventures.com.
About Abercrombie & Kent (A&K):
Born as a safari outfitter in 1962, A&K’s unparalleled travel services now extend around the globe to more than one hundred countries on all seven continents. The company built its award-winning reputation by being the first to bring unexpected comforts and amenities to remote destinations. Small group or tailor made private travel with A&K combines the convenience, service and security of a U.S.-based company with support 24/7 from a network of 50 on-site offices that ensure “by invitation only” access to inspiring experiences in A&K’s personalized, low-profile and intelligent style. www.abercrombiekent.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".