Delve into the Amazon Peruvian Amazon

Time to lace up your hiking boots for a week of back-to-basics exploring in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. Travelling in a small group accompanied by an experienced, local guide, you’ll be plucked from civilisation and transported deep into the jungle for a hands-on survival course.

Equipped with a machete and an open mind, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to thrive in one of the most extreme environments on the planet. There’ll be lessons in fire building, raft construction and shelter making, as well as expert guidance on which plants can be used as effective medicine for the likes of fever and bug and snake bites.

As you travel through the land on foot and by boat, sourcing fresh drinking water will be a priority but soon you’ll learn about catching and foraging for food, too; namely how to build a fish trap, which beetle grubs are edible (aren’t they all?) and what fruits dangling from the canopy will make for the sweetest and juiciest mid-trek snack.

This trip will leave you feeling alive and connected to nature. After eight days in the wild, you’ll be ready to face down any challenge awaiting back in the ‘real’ world. Not ready for the full monty? The standard Amazon experience offers a less extreme trip. From £1,500pp. perujungle.com

Raft and trek Nepal Kali Gandaki river, Nepal

Nepal is renowned for the mighty Himalayas but in the valleys between the peaks there is a web of wild rivers – the sources and tributaries of great South Asian waterways like the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, most of which are older than the mountains they traverse. Combining the best that Nepal has to offer, a trekking and rafting trip along the course of the Kali Gandaki invites you onto the water, following the winding pathways through hundreds of kilometres of untouched wilderness.

Spend the first part of a 15-day trip hiking in the shadow of 8,000m+ snow-capped mountains, before taking to the river for a white-water journey. With support from a local guide, you’ll ride rapids by day and wild camp on pristine white sand bars at night. The reward at the end of your hard work? A day exploring the flora and fauna in Nepal’s oldest national park. From £12,000pp. epictomato.com

Explore Ethiopia Simien Mountains, Ethiopia

The jagged peaks of the Simien Mountains cut a stunning silhouette across the horizon of Northern Ethiopia. Characterised by grass-covered foothills, volcanic peaks and deep gorges, it’s a landscape so unique that it holds Unesco World Heritage status. Travelling as part of a small group, you’ll get the chance to experience the mountains as the locals do, trekking along rough and exposed trails and taking the time to visit small villages hidden in the hills along the way.

This is not a journey for the faint-hearted: much of the two-week trek takes place 4,000m above sea level. But as you catch your breath between arduous climbs, there's a chance to spot Ethiopian wolves, Simien foxes, birds of prey and troops of shrieking Gelada monkeys. It's the perfect adventure for those with a love of hard-won vistas and native wildlife. From £2,899pp. anotherworldadventures.com