From Portugal to Japan, These Are the Best Multi-Adventure Trips

Whether it’s the thrill of something new each day or the stress-relieving benefits of nature, adventurous travelers are increasingly spicing up their trips with multi-adventure journeys that combine several activities over the course of a week or two. With guided trips, planning such a vacation becomes simple—and adventurers enjoy not just the experience itself, but also significant physical and mental health benefits.

Among the health benefits of being in nature, according to a 2025 UCLA Health article, are boosts in immune system function, cognitive function, heart health, mental health, stress management, and sleep quality. Researchers also discovered that people enjoy exercising in nature more than indoor workouts and spend more time and effort when they exercise outside.

Bolstering the case for spending time outdoors, a 2017 review of studies on the topic showed that visual exposure to nature and through other senses is key for providing health benefits. Multisensory activities in nature make multi-adventure tours ideal for health-conscious travelers—and two-thirds of travelers today are open to taking adventure travel trips, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association. For those eager to take the plunge, look to epic multi-adventure trips through EF Adventures and other adventure travel operators.

Kayak and hike in Alentejo, Portugal

A 2007 study found that viewing natural landscapes was superior to viewing artificial urban landscapes, contributing to improvements in long-term physical and mental health and aiding in recovery from illnesses, mental fatigue, and stress. To reap these benefits, try this nine-day multi-adventure tour in Portugal’s Algarve and Alentejo regions, a veritable feast for the eyes.

The small Atlantic nation is a hotbed for adventure seekers who e-bike through the Alentejo countryside, hike to a fairy-tale palace, kayak past towering golden cliffs and into a sea cave, and stroll through the medieval hilltop village of Monsaraz. Jena, a 2025 participant on the tour, said, “With hiking, kayaking, boating, e-biking, and sunrise yoga, there were so many distinct ways to experience Portuguese beauty.”

Try whitewater rafting and zip-lining in Norway

Courtesy of EF Adventures

Nature sounds, from rushing rivers to birdsong, are more than pleasant background noise. Hearing them reduces your stress, improves your focus, and even increases your physiological recovery from exercise. Multi-adventure travel that incorporates water sports, forest hikes, or wildlife watching immerses travelers in natural soundscapes.

The sounds you’ll hear on a nine-day multi-adventure tour in Norway include the swish-swishing of paddles while sea kayaking, birds as you hike mountains, crunching ice and gravel during glacier trekking and gravel biking, the roar of rapids that accompany whitewater rafting, and the rush of arctic winds while zip-lining, providing a soundtrack bursting with nature. Besides enjoying these activities in the land of fjords, often for the first time, travelers take well-earned, rejuvenating breaks from all sound in saunas.

Go paddleboarding and e-biking in Japan

Touch is a powerful sense. Wading in streams or simply feeling sand, grass, or water on your skin can benefit physical and mental health. And adventure experiences that involve touching nature’s textures amplify the restorative effects.

Courtesy of EF Adventures

Outdoor enthusiasts will adore a 12-day Japan trip that offers many ways to experience all the tactile delights nature has to share. They feel the chilly waters caress their feet during paddleboarding in Lake Nojiri, the breezes over the turquoise waters of an inland sea as they e-bike across stunning suspension bridges, the swirling foam while negotiating Class III/IV rapids in Oboke Gorge’s Yoshino River, and the soothing mineral waters in an ancient, three-story bathhouse from soaking in hot spring pools.

Hike and e-bike in Slovenia and Croatia

Tasting natural foods connects travelers to the land in an intensely physical way. Culinary adventures, vineyard tours, and farm-to-table meals are a tasty way to travel—and they actively support emotional well-being and stress reduction.

Courtesy of EF Adventures

Steffanie, a participant on a 2025 Slovenia and Croatia Multi-Adventure trip, enjoyed “becoming educated on the science behind bees while tasting delicious honey.” Another traveler on the trip, Jacqueline, said that guides were flexible enough to add unscheduled stops to please their palates, including “a bonus olive oil tasting, an impromptu lunch at a church overlooking the Soca Valley, and an opportunity to indulge in gelato at a pit stop.” The 11-day tour—which features mountain hiking, lake paddleboarding, whitewater rafting, e-biking through medieval villages, and Adriatic Sea kayaking—also includes a sommelier-led wine estate tasting in the Goriska Brda wine region of Slovenia and a meal of white truffle-infused canapes, meats, and cheeses on a farm on Croatia’s Istria Peninsula.

Enjoy river tubing and snorkeling in Costa Rica

Scents in nature—such as those from flowers, fresh soil, and trees’ essential oils—have measurable effects on mood and alertness. Guided forest walks, aromatic gardens, and spice or tea farm tours are just some of the ways to tap into these benefits.

A longtime favorite of adventurous travelers, Costa Rica’s volcanic mountains, rainforests, beaches, and rivers offer ample opportunities for olfactory-rich activities on a 10-day tour. The fragrances you take in include saltwater in the Pacific while kayaking and snorkeling; the lush scent of the rainforest and cloud forests as you hike, mountain bike, and go rafting, river tubing, and zip-lining; the earthy aroma of a mud mask treatment at a hot spring; and the bitter smell of roasting beans on a coffee plantation tour.

Kayak and visit a geyser in Iceland

Courtesy of EF Adventures

Beyond the five senses, studies have found that airborne phytoncides (plant compounds), negative ions (found near waterfalls and mountain peaks), and environmental microbes can strengthen immunity, reduce stress, and improve mood. Multi-adventure trips that mix forests, waterfalls, and activities in coastal areas can expose travelers to these subtle, almost invisible airborne phenomena.

On an eight-day multi-adventure tour in Iceland, guests breathe in plenty of these healthful particles while visiting an active geyser, walking on ethereal black sand beaches, taking an off-road Super Jeep tour of a nature reserve, hiking on “Waterfall Way,” shooting through Class IV rapids in Gullfoss Canyon, gliding past icebergs calved from Europe’s largest glacier on kayaks, and immersing themselves in the Reykjadalur thermal river.

Find more transformative multi-adventure trips to thrill all your senses and benefit your health here.