From polar glamping in Antarctica to a private Vatican art tour, here are eight high-end adventures where money truly can buy memories of a lifetime.
Whether it’s a high-end client seeking an ultra-luxury adventure, or transformative experiences to celebrate a milestone – here are eight exceptional journeys to some of the world’s most remote and exclusive realms.
White Desert luxury camps, Antarctica
Antarctica is the world’s last frontier, with expedition cruising presented as one of the best ways to experience the White Continent.
White Desert has other ideas, offering luxurious expedition camps that blend polar exploration with creature comforts, including chef-prepared meals.
Accessible from Cape Town, White Desert offers three distinct camps: the original Whichaway, Wolf’s Fang, and Echo.
While futuristic Echo Camp offers six polar-heated Sky Pods with a wellness dome, Wolf’s Fang and Whichaway feature old-world interiors, a nod to the 19th-century Heroic Age of Antarctica Exploration.
Annually, only 300 guests can explore the region’s blue ice fields and dramatic peaks – on foot, skis, or fat bikes – along with the rare opportunity to meet Antarctica’s famed emperor penguins.
Glenapp Castle Hebridean Sea Safari, Scotland
From picture-perfect castles to a rugged adventure through the Scottish Hebrides by private rib boat, the Glenapp Castle Sea Safari could be lifted from the pages of a fairytale.
Across this five-day experience, guests enjoy two nights in the 21-bedroom luxurious Relais & Châteaux Glenapp Castle before heading out to sea to encounter minke whales, basking sharks, seals, dolphins, and the 40,000 seabirds found at the Ailsa Craig Wildlife Sanctuary.
After reaching the Isle of Jura, guests enjoy a remote fine-dining experience and two nights under the stars (and possibly Northern Lights) at the property’s private seaside glamping site.
Namibia Flying Adventure
On a six-night flying safari with Natural Selection, your clients can explore the best of Namibia’s dramatic landscapes from the air.
Jetting between remote luxury camps, guests enjoy dune quad biking, cultural encounters with Himba tribes, and wildlife safaris in search of elephants, lions, oryx and more.
Jet between three remote luxury camps – Kwessi Dunes, Hoanib Valley, and coastal Shipwreck Lodge – with adventures in NambiRand, Africa’s first Wilderness Quiet Park and an International Dark Sky Reserve. Other highlights include rhino tracking in Hoanib Valley and climbing the world’s highest dunes in Sossusvlei.
Spectacular night skies, stargazing rooms, elegant accommodation, and ever-changing aerial views across Namibia’s desert landscape round out this elevated adventure.
Aerobatic jet flight, Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga
For a different kind of flying adventure, adrenaline-seeking guests at Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga can take a thrilling aerobatic flight with Latvia’s Baltic Bees Jet Team.
Taking to the skies in an L-39 Albatross fighter jet, this extreme activity joins a Baltic Bees daredevil pilot for a series of high-speed manoeuvres over Riga and the Baltic Sea.
Participants can reflect on their exhilarating experience during private transfers to and from the hotel in the heart of Latvia’s capital.
Chaco Canyon Celestial Glamping, New Mexico
In New Mexico, glamping reaches new heights at Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site renowned for its astronomical significance and sacred connection to the Hopi, Pueblo, and Navajo peoples.
Capitalising on Chaco Canyon’s accredited International Dark Sky National Park status, The Inn of Five Graces – Santa Fe’s only luxury resort means guests can experience meteor showers, equinoxes, and new moons.
Sleep in bespoke luxury tents, experience chef-prepared meals, explore the canyon by day, and gather for expert stargazing commentary under the unpolluted night sky.
L’Observatoire, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
The most exclusive carriage aboard Belmond’s legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, L’Observatoire brings artistic vision to luxury rail travel.
Designed by acclaimed French photographer and street artist JR, L’Observatoire is a private sleeper suite – the most spacious on any Belmond train – drawing inspiration from “astronomical observatories and Renaissance Europe’s cabinet of curiosity”.
Alongside revelling in sleeping in a “studio on wheels”, guests enjoy 24-hour butler service, private in-cabin dining, all-inclusive beverages, and curated surprises from JR himself.
Exclusive Sistine Chapel tour, Rome Cavalieri
An art lover’s ultimate privilege: Turn the key to the Sistine Chapel and find it empty. Guests at Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, can book a private pre-dawn tour of one of the world’s popular cultural treasures.
One of Rome Cavalieri’s ultra-luxe bucket list experiences, the tour begins with the Vatican’s Claviger – the Key Master – unlocking galleries for a private viewing before opening.
This intimate, unhurried journey through galleries, corridors, and courtyards affords ample time to relish this rare moment of cultural immersion without the crowds.
Ponant East Greenland polar trek
For an exclusive experience on Greenland’s remote east coast, Ponant invites Le Commandant Charcot guests to join expert guides on a Nordic ski adventure navigating the Ammassalik and Blosseville regions.
Crafted with input from Inuit hunter Ole Eliasson, the two-day, one-night expedition traverses glaciers few ever reach. An overnight camp stay on the ice completes this immersive Arctic experience.
This rare excursion takes place across two departures on Ponant’s eleven-day Inuit Spring of Ammassalik expedition, to a maximum of ten guests each.
The broader Greenland expedition also includes dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and kayaking amid ice floes.
