Bored of beach vacations? Tired of city breaks? Unchallenged by a ski trip? Perhaps you need a more epic escape. We've found some extraordinary adventure holidays that will take you way out of your comfort zone and really test your mettle.

Kit yourself out in your best cold-weather gear and set off for an icy expedition into the depths of Finland’s Arctic wilderness on two wheels. On this eight-day expedition, you’ll spend the first day perfecting your snow-riding skills on a fat bike (mountain bikes with wide tyres and low tyre pressure). When you’re up to speed with the technique, you’ll cycle through the thick snow and into the remote and untouched forests of eastern Finland.

Pedalling on snow-covered forest tracks, past frozen lakes and rivers, and at times up fells, it’s tough going but the wintry landscapes and wildlife spotting opportunities should numb the pain. The forests that edge the Russian border are home to elk, wolverines, brown bears, wolves, beavers and lynx. Days end at cabins with hot meals and traditional Finnish saunas, the best way to revive saddle-sore limbs. Hardcore cyclists can head out on self-guided trails.

If the idea of cage diving with a shark doesn’t send the slightest shiver down your spine (or the ethics puts you off), how about upping the scare factor and swimming right next to them? One of the best places to dive, or even freedive, with these incredible beasts is Roatán, the largest of the Honduras Bay islands.

The Cara Cara site, on the edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, is home to a large population of Caribbean reef sharks. While these beautiful predators, which can reach lengths of 32ft (9.7m), are normally shy and passive, the experience requires good diving skills and nerves of steel. For those wishing to challenge themselves even more, sign up to master the basics of apnea (breath-hold) diving at Freedive Utila on neighbouring island Utila. If you get hooked, you can stay on to do the advanced course.

Fancy yourself as a survivor? Test your skills on one of Desert Island Survival's trips, where groups of up to eight people are marooned on beautiful uninhabited locations. Think Tonga, French Polynesia and Panama. The first five days are spent learning survival skills (building campfires and shelters, finding fresh water and learning how to catch, prepare and cook fish) then you're marooned with your fellow castaways for three days with a basic survival kit. There’s also an option to go it completely alone, should you wish.

After the 72 hours are up, the castaways are 'rescued' by speedboat and spend their last night enjoying a slap-up meal in a hotel. Although previous survival and camping experience is not necessary, it’s recommended participants can jog at least half a mile and swim 328ft (100m). As you must learn to adjust to a low calorie intake, general discomforts and lack of sleep, the biggest challenge is definitely a mental one.

Experiencing the extraordinary and remote beauty of Antarctica is something very few people get to do. But plunging down into its icy waters to see the intricate form of icebergs up close and discover the Antarctic's marine life is something else altogether. The diving part of this 10-day trip, which departs from Ushuaia, is only for very experienced divers (with at least 30 dry suit/coldwater dives). After on-board tuition, you'll dive off the edges of ice flows and sometimes zodiacs into the water, which averages 0 to -1.5°C (32 to 29°F).

As well as coming face-to-face with leopard, Weddell and crabeater seals, and penguins, you will see some of Antarctica’s more bizarre species. Giant isopods scuttling along the seabed, colourful 34-armed starfish and icefish (who have anti-freeze in their blood) amid vast forests of kelp. The expeditions go in early spring when reduced plankton blooms mean clearer water and wonderful light so divers see the underwater landscape at its best. The dives are intense and the environment incredibly hostile, but it’ll be an underwater experience like no other. 

Up for an adventure in the wild? Paddling up the powerful Yukon river by canoe may be one of the most thrilling and challenging holidays you have on the water. Up North Adventures in British Columbia has self-guided and guided holidays that will see visitors gliding through crystal-clear waters, camping in the wilderness and catching fish for their dinner. Itineraries cater for a range of paddling experience and fitness levels, but they all deliver epic scenery and plenty of endorphin highs. 

Sign up for the 18-day expedition from Whitehorse to Dawson City to paddle 460 miles (740km) as the river flows north. You’ll travel through ravishing and remote (and bear) territory, and camp out along the way. While the river is suitable for a range of abilities, you’ll need to be fit for the paddling and day hikes involved. As well as getting from A to B, you’ll learn swift water techniques to help you navigate the quick-flowing waters. Confident canoeists can go it alone.

When notorious black runs become boring, off-piste becomes passé and heli-skiing barely registers a thrill, perhaps it’s time to up the adrenaline ante on the slopes? Sign up for the Engadin cross-country ski marathon, a glamorous but gruelling race near the Swiss mountain resort of St Moritz. It takes place every March and draws competitive snow-lovers from far and wide.

The epic 26.2-mile (42km) course tracks past stunning mountains and across gorgeous frozen lakes. It's a tough but thrilling experience. Pre-race training is advised to build up the endurance and stamina you need for this high-intensity sport. If that’s not quite strenuous enough, sign up for the world’s longest cross-country ski race. The Nordenskiöldsloppet, also in March, sees both elite and amateur skiers traverse 136.7 miles (220km) through bitterly cold but beautiful Swedish Lapland. It must be completed within 30 hours.

Trek into a place so off the beaten track that barely anyone has ever heard of it. Bears outnumber locals here and the skies light up at night with volcanic activity. Secret Compass’ 21-day expedition to the Kamchatka peninsula, a vast tract of volcanic land in Russia’s far east coast, is all about remote wilderness trekking. There are no well-tramped trails to follow (or other hikers to chat to beyond your group) as you make your own way about the wilderness. 

As you forge your way through this land of fire and ice (it has Eurasia’s highest and most active volcanoes), you’ll encounter lava flows, caves and smoking landscapes. You’ll trek and wild camp among active volcanoes and attempt to summit many. Although no technical experience is required, pre-trip training is advised. The terrain is tough going (expect river crossings, bogs, scree slopes, snowfields, steep volcanoes and high altitudes) with a total distance of around 112 miles (180km) covered. You’ll also be carrying up to 25kg (4st) of kit and food rations.

Where better than the clear and balmy waters of the Caribbean Sea to hone your open-water swimming skills? Swim Trek’s British Virgin Islands itinerary is the perfect holiday for confident swimmers looking for a new challenge. To take part in this small group trip you need to be able swim at least 3.7 miles (6km) a day and be comfortable in more challenging waters.

After honing your technique with guides in the first few days, you’ll swim over coral reefs and shipwrecks as well as between remote islands. The finale is a swim from the British Virgin Islands to the US Virgin Islands – you’ll set off from Norman Island in the BVI and swim over to Flanagan Island in the USVI. Although it’s not a huge distance, the open sea conditions can be challenging. With some hikes and snorkelling also in store, you’ll return from this active jaunt feeling revitalised.

Harsh and hauntingly beautiful, the Namib-Naukluft National Park is an incredible landscape for a long-distance trek. There are numerous trails that will take you to see the vast and extraordinary dunes of Sossusvlei and elsewhere in this parched landscape of rocks, mountains and burning sands. The eight-day self-guided Naukluft Hike is one of the toughest. The 75-mile (121km) circular route, which covers undulating terrain with some steep ascents and descents, is one for fit and experienced hikers. 

Each day brings incredible views and hikes of between six and nine hours, trekking past waterfalls, along gorges and clambering up kloofs (deep ravines). You’ll sleep in stone shelters and huts along the trail. The wildlife here is as bewitching as the scenery: keep alert for kudu and rare mountain zebra. You may also spy the elusive leopard but poisonous snakes are something hikers need to be wary of. Hiking is only permitted from March 1 until October 31, due to dangerously hot weather.

Conquering the world’s tallest freestanding mountain and highest summit in Africa is on most adventurers’ bucket lists. But with seven routes up Kilimanjaro to choose from, which will give you the toughest challenge? The Western Breach is widely acknowledged as the most technically difficult approach. It's not offered by many tour operators and it's advised that only experienced high-altitude trekkers take this route.

The Northern Circuit is the longest route on Mount Kilimanjaro with one of the highest success rates as climbers have time to acclimatise to the altitude. It can be completed on an eight or nine day itinerary and is also one of the quieter routes, taking hikers through some of the most wild and remote sections of the mountain’s trail network. But whichever route you go for, it’s likely to be one of the toughest physical and mental challenges you’ll ever face.

Fancy disappearing without a trace (well almost), learning how to survive and venturing out into unknown extreme terrains? With a hefty price tag, Black Tomato’s Get Lost experience is for the adventurous traveller who’s done it all. The trips last an average of 10 days and can be arranged pretty much anywhere in the world. The only clue you’ll be given is a pre-trip discussion about the terrain (will it be polar, desert, mountain or jungle?) and just how wild you want the experience to be. 

You’ll be flown to your destination and dropped by helicopter or 4x4 in a remote area where you’ll be given survival training and be set predetermined challenges (perhaps survival skills, navigation or a physical challenge such as climbing) before setting off on your own. Food can either be foraged or rations provided. Just how far out of your comfort zone you go depends on preference and previous outdoor knowledge. Guides will track you covertly along the way to ensure your safety before whisking you off to an ultra-luxe lodge afterwards to celebrate completing your mission.

Looking to push your body to your limits? The S.F. Experience has various bootcamps and events that deliver physical and mental challenges in spades. Designed by ex-Special Forces members, the Special Forces Bootcamp gives an insight into one of the toughest military courses in the world. Over the weekend, you’ll learn survival skills, weapon handling, map reading, military tactics and hand-to-hand combat as you’re put through your paces on intense training sessions.

The final exercise brings all of these skills together. Working in teams, you’ll undertake a close target recce then storm a designated stronghold to free the captives. Don’t expect any luxuries after your days of extreme endurance – you’ll need to bring your own camping gear and food is served in a military-style kitchen. But you’re not there for the jollies, you’re there to test your mettle. The next camp takes place in November in Essex, England. A good level of fitness is required.

When it comes to epic adventures, scaling Mount Everest is considered the pinnacle of human achievement. Climbing the world’s tallest mountain is a fearsome test of bravery, endurance and just how big your bank balance is. With specialist expedition operators charging between $60,000 (£47,400) and $65,000 (£51,300), it’s hugely costly and time consuming, as well as dangerous (as recent tragedies have reminded us). But those that manage to summit Everest achieve a natural high like no other.

For those without the experience, funds or desire to reach the summit, trekking to Everest base camp (which sits at 17,600ft/5,300m) is also a demanding and rewarding experience. As long as you are reasonably fit and determined, you should successfully make the two-week trek. After all, half the battle of high-altitude hiking is mental stamina. There are two trekking seasons in the Himalayas: from April to May and October to early December.

Bike riding is a wonderful way to see the magical landscapes, ancient monasteries and little villages of Bhutan, but you need steely determination (not to mention thighs of steel) to scale some of the steep ascents. KE Adventure Travel’s 13-day trip strikes a route through the fascinating Himalayan kingdom from Paro Valley to Sandrup Jongkhar on the eastern border with India. The climbs are worth it for the incredible descents – the longest of which goes from 10,692ft (3,200m) for more than 53 miles (85km). 

Recommended for keen weekend cyclists looking for a challenge, days are well-paced. You’re on the road for between six and eight hours each day, 10 on a couple, and not all of the route is steep. Though narrow, the roads are generally traffic-free and the spectacular views always diverting. You will be exposed to high altitudes, however, with the route reaching between 2,000ft (610m) and 12,400ft (3,700m). A support vehicle is always on hand for anyone who's flagging. 

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If you’ve skydived on just about every holiday you’ve had, then it could be time to take your love of extreme sports a step further. How about signing up for a course on BASE jumping? To learn the intricacies of this extremely dangerous sport with the experts at Learn To BASE Jump, you'll need to have completed at least 300 skydives. This is one of the requirements for enrolling on its 11-day BASE course, as is a total commitment and dedication to learn. 

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The intense training takes place at sites in Croatia, Italy and Switzerland, and includes jumps from bridges and cliffs. Once you're qualified, theoretically you can base jump anywhere – the more scenic the better. There are legal jumping sites in Norway while Angel Falls in Venezuela is a highly coveted location. Beginners should enrol for pre-training on a two-day BASEic skills course which take place in Switzerland, Australia and the US, and involves 25 skydives as part of the training.

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