Are you an avid traveler in need of a new way to check out the sites? Do you love the idea of being one with nature? If so, an outdoor tour may be exactly what you’re looking for. There’s no reason that all vacations must fit into a cookie cutter mold of lounging beach-side, visiting museums or taste testing foreign foods. The adventure doesn’t have to stop where the street ends. For every mode of transportation, there is a tour to match. Pick your favorite landscape and see which unconventional tour sounds the most fun to you.  

Desert Tour

Desert tours are in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. These tours give vacationers up close views of expansive mountain ranges, picturesque sunsets and a vast variety of wildlife. Guide-led group tours by foot, helicopter, all terrain vehicles, horse, jeep and segways are all available to the public.

Swamp Tour

Swamp tours can be found in bayous of Louisiana and the everglades of Florida. Most tours take place on an airboat. On your tour you will see native wildlife while learning about the ecosystem and history of the land. Under the watchful eye of experienced guides, travelers revel in the unique thrill of catching glimpses of alligators up close.

Boat Tour

Boat tours span across the country in almost any state that has large bodies of water within or nearby. Boat tours include steamboats, cruise ships, jet boats, river boats and canoes. These tours typically showcase the surrounding scenery, its history and interesting facts about the area. On larger boats and ships, dinner is sometimes served as well.

A few notable boat tours are:

Antelope Canyon Boat Tour of Arizona

San Antonio River Walk Tour of Texas

Architecture Boat Tour of Illinois

Maid of the Mist Tour of New York

Hawaii Glass Bottom Boat Tours of Honolulu

Helicopter Tour

Because helicopter tours take place in the air, they have few limitations and are available is almost any location. Helicopter tours are popular because travelers enjoy soaking in the breathtaking, bird’s eye views of cities and landmarks they’ve never seen from a different perspective. One caveat to keep in mind is hot air balloon tours similarly offer majestic views from the sky, but don’t typically travel as far or fast as helicopters can.

Cave Tour

Many southwestern states have hundreds of caves just waiting to be explored. But caves aren’t exclusive only to desert terrain. The tropical land of Hawaii offers tours of caves and caverns in the form of lava tubes. Three thousand miles away in Alaska, caves are a shocking shade of blue and formed completely from ice. You can travel to the midwest to find the Rushmore Cave of South Dakota. Depending on which climate you choose to explore, caves can contain bats, mammals, insects, reptiles and much more.

Next time you sit down to plan a vacation, remember to include outdoor tours in your brainstormed list. These tours stretch across various temperature zones, terrain types and vacation goals. No matter your preference, there’s guaranteed to be a tour that meets your needs. When researching, spend a few extra minutes to learn the physical demands, cost and duration of your tour of choice. Once you’ve locked in one, bring your camera along and let the memory making begin.