Adventure holidays for singles over 40: whale sharks, safari, snow and an eclipse

If you are in your forties, on your own and after a holiday with some adrenaline in it, Spice Escapes runs small hosted group adventures: snorkelling with whale sharks in the Maldives, a sunrise game drive in South Africa, guided skiing in the Pyrenees and a total eclipse in southern Spain. You book on your own, a host travels with the group, and the people you meet on day one are the people you do the exciting part with.

Most adventure companies sell you the activity and leave the company to chance. We do it the other way round. The trip is built around a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, with a host from our team who knows everyone's name by the first dinner. Spice Escapes is for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, so you are booking into the right part of the travel world, not a gap-year bus or a coach tour.

The worry at the younger end, and how to settle it

The question we hear most from people in their forties is whether they will be the youngest on the trip by a mile. It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that the mix changes from holiday to holiday. The more active the trip, the more it tends to draw people who want to be up early and out on the water or the mountain. If it matters to you, ring us and ask about the specific holiday you are looking at. We will tell you what we know rather than guess.

What does not change is how the group works. You choose who to sit with at dinner, and if you would rather have an hour on your own with a book, nobody minds. If this would be your first trip away without a partner or friends, our page for first-time solo travellers walks through the first day step by step.

Whale sharks and a wooden boat in the Maldives

Maldives Wildlife Cruise & Beach Chillout is the one for anyone who wants to spend most of the day in the sea. You live for seven nights on MV Felicity, a wooden boat taking twelve guests at most, and snorkel from it most days. One whole day is given over to searching for whale sharks off Dhigurah, the old-fashioned way, by being out on the boat and looking. You might see two or three in half an hour, or none at all, which is half the thrill.

The evenings bring talks on the coral reefs and on manta rays, and the last three nights are on Fulhadhoo with nothing scheduled. It runs for 12 nights, departing 27 Nov 2027 – 9 Dec 2027, from £4,199, and Jonathan Banks is your host. Places: 2 places left. More on the islands is on our Maldives page.

A game reserve, Cape Point and the winelands in South Africa

South Africa Discovery mixes big days out with time to please yourself. Your local host meets you at arrivals in Cape Town and stays for the whole trip. One day takes in Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders Beach. Another heads into the Cape Winelands at Franschhoek. Then there is an overnight at a private game reserve, with a sunrise game drive, the kind of early start that is far better shared.

There is a free day too, for Table Mountain or Robben Island if you want them. It is 10 nights, departing 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027, from £3,499, with Sue Giddings as host. Places: 8 places left. See also our South Africa page.

Guided mornings on the snow in the Spanish Pyrenees

If your idea of adventure is a fast red run before lunch, Ski Baqueira in the Spanish Pyrenees is a good place to start. Five mornings of guided skiing are included, in groups of ten at most, so you are skiing with people at your level from the first day rather than trying to keep up with strangers. The Hotel Tuc Blanc is about 80 metres from the gondola, so you walk out in your boots, and the 166km of slopes across three sectors stay uncrowded.

It is 7 nights, departing 14 Mar 2027 – 21 Mar 2027, from £1,449, and Rob Thompson hosts. Places: 17 places left.

Glacier runs in Tignes for confident skiers

For anyone who already skis well and wants a big mountain, Ski Tignes links Tignes and Val d'Isère into more than 300km of slopes, with long blue and red runs down from the Grande Motte glacier. The nearest lift is under three minutes' walk from the hotel door, and breakfast and dinner are included every day, with a fireplace in the bar afterwards for comparing notes on who fell where.

It is 7 nights, departing 16 Jan 2027 – 23 Jan 2027, from £1,399, hosted by Jackie Whyte. Places: 3 places left. Our guide to how a hosted ski week works on your own covers lessons, lift passes and evenings.

A total eclipse from a hilltop town in Andalucía

Chasing the Eclipse is the most unusual adventure on our list. The group is based in the whitewashed hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera, in the path of a total solar eclipse, in the company of Dr Matthew Bothwell, the University of Cambridge Public Astronomer. Around that, the plan takes in sherry bodegas and flamenco in Jerez, a day in Cádiz by the Atlantic, and a guided walk around Vejer itself. You stay in a restored former Franciscan monastery in the middle of town.

It is 7 nights, departing 31 Jul 2027 – 7 Aug 2027, from £2,899, with Rob Thompson as host. Places: 18 places left.

What a room to yourself costs

Every one of these holidays carries a cost for a room or cabin to yourself, and we show it plainly. Our single supplement page explains how it works and how to keep it down. For the full range of active trips, browse our adventure holidays, and if you are weighing us up against other options, our page on solo holidays for the over 50s explains how the whole thing runs, whatever your age.

Questions people ask

Will I be the youngest person on an adventure holiday in my forties?

Spice Escapes is for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and the mix on each holiday varies. Ring us about the trip you have in mind and we will tell you honestly what we know.

Do I need to be very fit for these trips?

You need to be comfortable with the main activity, whether that is snorkelling most days, skiing or long days out sightseeing. Each holiday page sets out what is involved, and we are happy to talk it through before you book.

Can I book a ski week if I have only skied once or twice?

Yes, as long as you pick the right resort. Baqueira has dedicated beginner areas and includes guided mornings in small groups, which suits people still finding their feet.

What happens if I do not get on with the group?

The host is there to make sure nobody is left out, and there is always room to do your own thing for an afternoon. A shared adventure also gives everyone something to talk about from the first day.

Are flights included?

It depends on the holiday, and each one sets out what is included. Where flights are part of the package, the holiday is ATOL protected under licence 9046.

Talk to Rob before you choose

If one of these has caught your eye, the next step is a conversation. Rob Thompson owns Spice Escapes and hosts both the Baqueira ski week and the eclipse trip, so he can tell you what each day involves, how fit you need to be and which one suits the way you like to travel. Get in touch with the team and ask for Rob, or tell us what kind of adventure you are after and we will match you to a trip with places left.