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From beaver safaris to gastro getaways Charlotte Methven has selected the wackiest and most worthwhile outdoors adventures to excite the whole family
Swimming, tennis and kids’ clubs – the usual summer fare – are all very well, but most of us have been there, done that. The family holiday stakes have changed. In today’s culture of hyperstimulation, with kids and teens spending more and more time in front of TV and computer screens, when the holidays roll around, offering a welcome break from school runs and the drill of daily life, many parents are seeking out activities that will take the whole family back to basics.
It may be best known for its ski slopes, but the resort of Morzine in the French Alps also boasts 11 tennis courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, two golf courses, an adventure park, summer luge and more. Nestled amid stunning scenery, the area has something to offer people of every age and is an ideal destination for families.
The ski lifts operate throughout the summer months, making the mountains your personal playground. Riding, summer tobogganing, rock climbing, white water rafting or hot-dogging, mountain-boarding (think snowboarding without the snow), abseiling and paragliding are just a few of the adrenaline-inducing adventures on offer.
For the more faint of heart, there’s swimming, tennis and mini-golf, plus hundreds of kilometres of footpaths to www.explore.simply-morzine.co.uk
Getting there
Brussels Airlines flies to Geneva, a 45-minute drive from Morzine, and Lyon, an hour and a half away.
ZooMarine is an ocean-themed park in Guia, Portugal, dedicated to highlighting the importance of preserving marine life with exciting displays and presentations that are bound to get children excited about oceanography. Among the eco topics tackled here are global warming and deforestation. Performances include dolphin and tropical bird shows, a pantomime performed by seals and sea lions, and a display of birds of prey.
There’s also a 4D cinema, with shows aimed at promoting environmental awareness – you’ll see monkeys chomping on apples and feel the terror of having sharks swimming towards you. The highlight of the experience, though, has to be the dolphin interaction area where you can swim with dolphins – a totally unforgettable experience. Who knew education could be such fun? zoomarine.pt
Getting there
Brussels Airlines flies to Faro, just down the coast from Guia.
Give your children the opportunity to develop a lifelong appreciation for food and an understanding of where it comes from with a trip to Tuscany with Sapori e Saperi Gastronomic Adventures.
As a family, you’ll learn about growing, cooking and eating food, and everything in between. You’ll discover how to make pasta by hand with young Italian mammas, milk cows, pick olives and press them to make olive oil, and forage for wild bilberries and turn them into jam. Even the simplest pleasures, such as collecting water from a fountain or visiting the beekeeper to see where honey comes from, will be unforgettable for your little ones. Spending time cooking together as a family can also strengthen relationships and enhance your home life.
Trips can be organised for four or six nights, and are suitable for children aged five and above. Accommodation is in village houses and farmhouses, some with swimming pools, near Lucca in north-west Tuscany. Mingling with locals and attending village festivals, most of which centre around food, is an integral part of the experience. sapori-e-saperi.com
Getting there
Brussels Airlines flies to Florence, which is a 90-minute drive from Lucca, and Bologna, a beautiful two-hour drive or a 90-minute train journey.
This water-based adventure is an ideal escapade for the entire family. You’ll float down Sweden’s longest river, the Klarälven, on a timber raft, Huck Finn style. As dusk falls, after a supper grilled on a campfire, you’ll begin your beaver safari.
Beavers tend to congregate around the river at twilight, and the quieter you are, the more likely you are to see one. Your guide will fill you in on the life of the animals as you search. Klarälven is one of the best areas for beaver-spotting; although beavers became extinct in Sweden in the 19th century, they were reintroduced in 1922 and have been thriving in the area ever since.
Other activities you may enjoy on this adventure include fishing in the local lakes, renting a canoe for the day or enjoying a traditional sauna on the shores of the river. At night, you’ll bed down in a rustic log cabin. www.naturetravels.co.uk
Getting there
There are trains to Karlstad from Stockholm (three hours), Gothenburg (two and a half hours) and Oslo (three and a half hours).
Channel your inner cowboy with a visit to Rancho Grande, a working horse ranch in Son Serra in north-east Mallorca, which offers horse-riding treks for all levels of ability. Children from the age of four are welcomed into the saddle, but little (or big) ones who feel a bit overwhelmed by the thought can follow behind at an easier – and less bumpy – pace in a horse-drawn wagon train, The Sangria Express.
This is the largest ranch of its kind on the Balearic island and is surrounded by breathtaking scenery. As well as horses, the ranch is home to a variety of wildlife, housed in its mini zoo. After an invigorating ride, children can get meet ostriches, black swans and local breeds of pigs and donkeys. Treks are followed by a barbeque, live music and line dancing. Yee haw! www.ranchograndemallorca.com
Getting there
Brussels Airlines flies to Palma, and it’s just a short drive across the island to Rancho Grande.
Domaine du Haut-Thorenc is a 700-hectare game park in the south of France where bison, deer, lynx, wild boar and horses roam free. Run like a miniature African animal reserve, Haut-Thorenc is an amazing place where your children have the opportunity to experience a safari without having to travel too far
from home. They can get up close and personal with massive 900kg bison and the stocky, untamed Przewalski’s horse, also known as the Asian wild horse, a species that disappeared from France 2,000 years ago.
It’s almost impossible to believe you’re just a flip-flop’s throw from the beaches of the Côte d’Azur as you explore the area in a horse-drawn wagon (cars are banned). Accommodation is in a beautifully restored building within the game reserve, with all rooms done up in traditional Provençal style. www.haut-thorenc.com Getting there Brussels Airlines flies to Nice, about an hour’s drive from the game park. It’s also accessible by train.
Nous avons sélectionné les aventures d’extérieur les plus délirantes et les plus intéressantes pour stimuler l’imagination des plus jeunes membres de votre famille, et que vous apprécierez à votre tour.
Le Domaine du Haut-Thorenc (haut-thorenc.com) est un parc d’attractions qui s’étend sur 700 hectares dans le Sud de la France où les bisons, les cerfs, les lynx, les sangliers et les chevaux sauvages courent en liberté. Vous ne croiriez pas vous trouver si près des plages de la Côte d’Azur en explorant la région dans une charrette tirée par des chevaux (les voitures sont bannies).
Donnez à vos enfants un goût de l’approche qualitative de la cuisine, quelque chose qu’ils garderont toute leur vie, et une connaissance de l’origine des aliments avec Sapori e Saperi Gastronomic Adventures (sapori-e-saperi.com), en Toscane. Vous découvrirez comment faire des pâtes à la main, cueillir des olives et presser de l’huile, et fouiller les buissons à la recherche de myrtilles sauvages. Des séjours peuvent être organisés pour quatre ou six nuits, et conviennent à des enfants à partir de cinq ans.
Ou encore, pourquoi ne pas tenter un safari à la rencontre des castors en Suède (naturetravels. co.uk), en descendant le plus long fleuve du pays, sur un radeau de bois ? Les autres activités prévues incluent la pêche, le canoë et un sauna traditionnel.
Vous pouvez aussi laisser parler le cowboy qui sommeille en vous en visitant le Rancho Grande (ranchograndemallorca.com), un vrai ranch qui abrite des écuries à Son Serra au nord-est de Mallorca, et qui propose des randonnées à cheval pour cavaliers de tous niveaux. On y trouve également un mini zoo.
ZooMarine (zoomarine.pt) est un parc axé sur le thème océanique à Guia, au Portugal, qui considère la préservation de la vie marine comme une préoccupation majeure. Au programme : des spectacles de dauphins et d’oiseaux tropicaux, un jeu de mime interprété par des phoques et des lions de mer, et une présentation d’oiseaux de proie…Mais l’attraction suprême se situe dans la zone d’interaction avec les dauphins, où vous pouvez nager parmi ces superbes cétacés.
Cette station est sans doute plus connue pour ses pistes de ski, mais en été, Morzine (simply-morzine.co.uk) dans les Alpes françaises offre 11 courts de tennis, une piscine olympique, deux parcours de golf, un parc d’aventures, de la luge estivale et plus encore. Equitation, sports de glisse d’été, escalade, rafting, descente en rappel et parapente…Aucune activité ne manque à l’appel pour faire monter votre adrénaline et tester votre audace.
We gingen op zoek naar de mafste en meest onvergetelijke avonturen om de stoutste dromen van de jongste gezinsleden (en ongetwijfeld ook die van jou!) waar te maken.
Domaine du Haut-Thorenc (haut-thorenc. com) is een wildpark van 700 hectare in ZuidFrankrijk, waar bizons, herten, lynxen, everzwijnen en paarden vrij rondlopen. Terwijl je met paard en kar (auto’s zijn verboden) het gebied verkent, is het moeilijk te geloven dat de stranden van de Côte d’Azur hier vlakbij liggen.
Breng je kinderen een levenslange liefde voor voedsel bij en toon hen waar het vandaan komt met een reis naar Toscane met Sapori e Saperi Gastronomic Adventures (sapori-e-saperi.com). Hier maak je eigenhandig pasta, ga je olijven plukken, leer je olijfolie maken en ga je op zoek naar wilde bosbessen. De reisjes worden georganiseerd voor vier of zes nachten en zijn geschikt voor kinderen vanaf vijf jaar.
Of wat dacht je van een beversafari in Zweden (naturetravels.co.uk), na een afvaart van de Klarälven, de langste rivier van Zweden, op een houten vlot? Maar ook vissen, kanovaren en relaxen in een traditionele sauna behoren tot de mogelijkheden.
Breng de cowboy in je naar boven tijdens een bezoek aan Rancho Grande (ranchograndemallorca.com), een paardenranch in Son Serra in Noordoost-Mallorca, die trektochten te paard voor alle niveaus organiseert. De ranch heeft ook een kleine dierentuin.
ZooMarine (zoomarine.pt) is een oceaanpark in het Portugese Guia, dat het belang van een gezond zeeleven aantoont. Hier woon je shows met dolfijnen en tropische vogels of een pantomime door zeehonden en zeeleeuwen bij en kun je roofvogels bekijken. Maar vooral het zwemmen met dolfijnen zal je nog lang bijblijven!
Hoewel Morzine (simply-morzine.co.uk) in de Franse Alpen vooral bekendstaat om zijn skipistes, vind je er in de zomer 11 tennisvelden, een Olympisch zwembad, twee golfterreinen, een avonturenpark, een rodelbaan en veel meer. Paardrijden, rodelen, bergbeklimmen, rafting, abseiling en paragliding zijn slechts enkele van de spannende avonturen die hier worden aangeboden.
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