Tom O'Hara

The word 'adventure' means different things to different people, but for me it's all about getting away from the crowds and searching out those places that don't make it on to the front of many postcards.

My favourite adventure

Sea lion and blue-footed boobies on Isabela, Galapagos

My trip to the Galapagos was an incredible experience, like stepping ashore in a world without humans.

We spent a week exploring the western side of the archipelago, making daily zodiac landings on uninhabited islands and snorkelling amongst penguins, turtles, manta rays and pelicans. We saw hundreds of black marine iguanas slumped over the rocks on Fernandina, we wandered amongst dozens of giant tortoises on Santa Cruz, and we came across nesting blue-footed boobies on Floreana.

The Galapagos is a wildlife experience like no other, and it deserves to be on everyone's bucket list. But make sure you do your research first - different itineraries will show you different wildlife, and some species are absent at certain times of year.

Explore the Galapagos

My top adventure tip

'Try anything once' is my motto when I travel, even if it does lead to a few decisions I later regret...

The local liqueur or regional delicacy might not look that appetising, but you never know until you try it, and you might never get another opportunity.

Okay, so it doesn't always work out - kurt springs to mind, a dried out ball of sour goat's milk that I tried in Uzbekistan, and which tasted just as bad as it sounds - but at the very least you'll end up with a good anecdote!

Adventure News