Soft Adventures

By Chris Connolly

CONTRARY TO WHAT your teenager and television tell you, it is possible to take an adventure-filled vacation that doesn't involve bungee cords, parachutes and nerves of steel. The operators of an increasing number of fantastic and rugged destinations realize the vast majority of us don't have ice water flowing through our veins. We have, instead, nicely chilled Pinot Grigio flowing through them. (And hey, if you happen to have a warm spinach salad topped by baked, honey-drizzled goat cheese to go with the Pinot, we wouldn't say no to that, either.) The following six spots specialize in providing the adventure of a lifetime for people who aren't eager to end that lifetime right away.

BAJA AIRVENTURES We'll start an amazing journey in our own backyard. San Diego-based Baja Airventures offers sea kayaking, whale watching, fishing, snorkeling and surfing wilderness vacations to Baja. Its new marine mammal softadventure package is a six-day excursion showcasing the best of Baja. To ensure an intimate experience, tours are limited to 11 participants. As the company name suggests, Baja Airventures puts private aircraft to use, spiriting clients around to ensure they get the most out of their time with a minimum of fuss.

The trip kicks off with two and a half days at Scammons Lagoon, where guests get acquainted with pods of migrating California gray whales. Following a fond farewell, semi-intrepid explorers are whisked away to the secluded La Unica Wilderness Retreat in the rustic and beautiful Midriff Islands region of the Sea of Cortéz. (Think Gilligan's Island, but with a private chef.) This area offers a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems to explore, and visitors are invited to snorkel with friendly sea lions, watch whales spouting off the coast, or just enjoy the beach until lunch.

(Baja Airventures packages start at $1,395. See bajaairventures.com for more information, or call 800- 221-WAVE.)

RANCHO DE LOS CABALLEROS Some parts of the cowboy lifestyle are great. Others leave something to be desired. Bringing in the herd? Great. Sleeping with rattlesnakes and a giant cow poo for a pillow? Not so great. Fortunately, a place called Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona, of-fers a bovine-light ranching experience for those who don't want too many actual cows around as they "cowboy up."

Masters of the mild, mild West, the good people at Rancho de los Caballeros know there's nothing like eating traditional cowboy cuisine under a vast and starry sky after a hard day's herding. They also recognize there's nothing like sleeping on a firm mattress under a sheet with a thread count in the high five figures. So while they're certainly eager to put their guest cowboys to work, team penning and horseback riding both are offered. They're also just as willing to give a hard-working cowpoke the day off to play golf or tennis, go birdwatching, shoot skeet or take a tai chi class. Maybe if these facilities had been available to Jesse James, he wouldn't have been so ornery.

(Take your fistful of dollars to sunC.com for rates and full details, or call 800-684- 5030.)

EL MONTE SAGRADO El Monte Sagrado, in Taos, New Mexico, has established itself as a one-of-a-kind blend of luxury and unspoiled, natural beauty. The elegantly appointed suites--based on global themes like Marrakesh, Bali and Morocco--are constructed around a "sacred circle" and equipped with authentic furnishings and artifacts. In fact, the entire resort takes a global view of things, striving to showcase eco-friendly, alternative building techniques and means of safeguarding the land on which the resort sits. At the center of these efforts, and of the resort itself, is a biolarium--a "living machine" that uses a combination of enzymes, filters and opportunistic plants to treat the resort's wastewater.

Of course, marveling at the place's self-sufficiency isn't all there is to do at El Monte Sagrado. There's also shopping, skiing, horseback riding, hiking, whitewater rafting, hot-air ballooning, llama trekking, hot springs, historical touring and more. (Whew!) And if your llama isn't as soft as you'd have liked, you can reinvigorate with one of the dozens of treatments available in the luxury spa. Deep-tissue and hot-rock massages are particularly useful in easing the aftereffects of a lengthy llama trek. When you're properly restored, head to one of the resort's two fine restaurants. Try the yak chili. Seriously. Or go out and explore Taos on foot. This is a sublime getaway in a place that celebrates nature and bursts with positive energy.

(See elmontesagrado.com for rates and details, or call 505-758-3502.)

KILAUEA VOLCANO You'll have to hook up your own accommodations before embarking on this little adventure-- see bigisland.org for listings--but next time you get bored with swaying luxuriously in your hammock while sipping a mai tai on Hawaii's Big Island, the Kilauea Volcano Adventure is sure to heat things up. This semi-rigorous, 12-hour round-trip excursion lets you play Jules Verne in the stunning Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home of the world's most active volcano. Via a combination of hiking and driving, visitors get acquainted with some of this wild place's most wild places: Lava tubes, rain forests and actively flowing lava astound visitors while allowing them to read the tale of nature's savagery in the very rocks. And don't worry--the serene, sandy beaches will still be there when you get back. We'll reserve a hammock for you.

(Say aloha and ask for details at hawaii-forest.com, or call Hawaii Forest and Trail at 800-464-1993.)

KAKSLAUTTANEN HOTEL AND IGLOO VILLAGE If you're staying in an igloo, you're roughing it. It doesn't matter if you're less than 20 meters from a spa, a nice reindeer steak and a locally distilled Finlandia vodka martini--it's still Shackleton city, baby! The Igloo Village in Kakslauttanen, Finland, offers visitors the opportunity to shake things up in an actual snow globe. Sorry, softies, but this is the real deal. The igloos are equipped with sleeping bags and reindeer hides, but inhabitants still find them selves cooling their heels at around 35 degrees. Given the hotel's location well within the Arctic Circle, most guests only go 'gloo for one night before spending the rest of their stay in Kakslauttanen's hotel proper. During that night, however, they get very up close and personal with the Aurora Borealis, their sleeping bags and whomever they're bunking down with. (The Fins believe that a child conceived under the northern lights is sure to be a male.)

Fortunately for the completely soft-hearted adventurer, Kakslauttanen also has glass igloos that allow stargazers to engage in some celestial sightseeing without worrying about their noses freezing off. During the daytime--limited, since it is so far north--visitors can drive sled dogs, ski, snowboard or just stand around and ask, "Cold enough for ya?" as the moisture in their eyeballs freezes.

Before bed, you can dine sumptuously in either a well-appointed dining room or a hide tent. The hotel also boats the world's largest smoke sauna. And while your hosts will tell you it's traditional to burst from the sauna and dive into the minus-50-degree snow outside, don't believe them. At least not the second time . . .

(Plan your trip at travel.fi/int/Kakslauttanen/index.html, or call 011-35-81-667.)

Kangaroo Island, a sparse ridge of land off Australia's southeast coast, is as beautiful and untamed a piece of planet as you're likely to find. The inhabitants have managed to make the island accessible without compromising its main attraction: uncut nature. The island is a protected environment for kangaroos, wallabies, goannas, koalas, echidnas, dolphins, sea lions, penguins, fur seals, eagles, whales and ospreys. The coolest thing about KI--that's what the natives call it, mate--is that the wondrous beasts are always out and about. This isn't some kind of zoo or nature preserve where you can watch a koala bear sleep for 231/2 hours. KI's animals are doing their thing--on the roads, around the farms, on the beaches, everywhere. The first day, every time you see a pair of 5-foot kangaroos sproinging along the roadside, you'll freak out. The second day, you'll marvel at their powerful strides and perfect balance. The third day, you'll give them a businesslike nod and go back to reading your paper. Nature on KI is just so . . . natural.

Between animal sightings, you can tour a vast array of attractions ranging from caves to museums to the aptly named Remarkable Rocks: a cluster of wind-cut, sea-sprayed boulders perched atop a cliff that seems to erupt from the forest. Accommodations on KI range from camping to hosted farm stays to hotels to health spas.

(Check out tourkangarooisland.com.au/ki-tourism.htm to figure out what's right for you, or call 011-61-88-553-1185.)