Tropical adventures showcase untamed beauty on land and sea

A tropical vacation used to mean sitting on a beach, soaking up the sun, sipping on a margarita. But, Hawaii, Latin America and the Caribbean have morphed into hardcore adventure hubs, places where travellers can work up a sweat, send their hearts racing and explore boundless, untapped nature.

Hawaii offers a number of ways to get the adrenaline pumping, from surfing the monster waves at Jaws and racing down a volcano on a mountain bike on Maui to snorkeling with sea turtles in the submarine canyons off Molokai. Even snowboarding is possible on the Big Island’s Mauna Kea.

For extreme adventurers, there is kayak camping along the Na Pali Coast on Kauai. The island in Jurassic Park (minus the dinosaurs) gives an idea of what the scenery is like along this spectacular and wild coast. There’s a reason why Spielberg filmed the movie here.

The pirates may be long gone, but there’s still plenty of adventure in the Caribbean. The British Virgin Islands are a huge sailing hub. An experienced skipper can hire a bareboat, plot a route and set sail. Those who prefer to have someone else at the helm can rent a crewed boat with a choice of trips with companion vessels or solo journeys to the isles of your choice.

Jamaican adventure options include hiking in the lush Blue Mountains, swinging on the Tarzan rope at secluded YS Falls, jungle zip lines and ATV tours, horseback riding along the beach and floating down tropical rivers on bamboo rafts. The island even features a simulated Jamaican bobsled run on a mountainside behind Ocho Rios.

Central America boasts several outdoor travel hubs. The Belize coast is protected by the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, a paradise for snorkelers and scuba divers. The mainland offers Mayan ruins lost in jungles and tubing through underground rivers.

Costa Rica’s adventure destinations feature active volcanoes, pristine cloud forests and national parks where you can get up close and personal with sloths, boa constrictors and crocodiles.

South America’s Manu National Park in the Peruvian Amazon has it all - a mosaic of rivers and rainforest, wildlife and indigenous villages that can only be reached via river travel. Outfitters can arrange a Manu expedition on a motorized longboat equipped with skipper, interpreter, cook and wildlife guide.

The world-famous Galapagos Islands are also best tackled by water - either by guided sailboat or a small expedition cruise ship. Five hundred miles off the Ecuador coast, the archipelago is renowned for its copious wildlife - giant tortoises, marine and land iguanas, hammerhead sharks and schools of tuna, penguins and scores of other bird species.

- Joe Yogerst, Brand Publishing Writer

For more great summer travel options, go to latimes.com/summertravelseries.

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