Adventure holidays for singles over 50: wild days, good company, a host

Adventure holidays for singles over 50 work best when someone else has sorted the hard parts and there are people to share the day with once it is done. Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who travel on their own, with a host who comes with you, a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, and the option of a room to yourself.

If you are in your fifties and still want to snorkel beside a whale shark, walk a river valley in northern Spain or stand at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, the problem is rarely nerve. It is arriving not knowing a soul, or eating supper by yourself after the best day you have had in years. Most people on a Spice Escapes holiday booked by themselves, so you will not be the odd one out. The host knows everyone's name by the first evening, and the group does the rest.

Company without trading away the adventure

Going somewhere wild on your own usually means a big activity tour where the evenings are your own problem, or a friend who wanted a different holiday. A hosted group gets round both. You do the walk, the drive or the snorkel with people at the same stage of life, the host handles the timings, and at dinner there is a table waiting. If you want an afternoon to yourself, take it. Nobody keeps score.

If this would be your first trip of this kind, our page for first-time solo travellers covers the practical side, and our over 50s solo holidays show the wider range beyond the active trips. The five below are the adventure holidays we would point you to first.

South Africa: Cape Point, penguins and a sunrise game drive

South Africa Discovery is a proper adventure a long way from home without the logistics landing on you. Sue, the local host, meets you at arrivals in Cape Town and stays with the group for the whole trip. In a single day you travel Chapman's Peak Drive, walk up to the lighthouse at Cape Point if you fancy the climb, and watch the African penguins at Boulders Beach. There is a day in the Cape Winelands at Franschhoek, a free day for Table Mountain or Robben Island, and an overnight at a private game reserve with a sunrise game drive. You stay at The Vineyard, on the slopes of Table Mountain.

It is 10 nights in South Africa. Your host is Sue Giddings. Dates: 29 Mar 2027 – 8 Apr 2027. Prices from £3,499. Places: 8 places left.

The Maldives from a wooden boat, snorkel in hand

Maldives Wildlife Cruise & Beach Chillout puts you on the water: seven nights on MV Felicity, a wooden boat that takes twelve guests at most, snorkelling the reefs with a tour leader who helps with the kit and spots the marine life you might miss. One whole day is given over to searching for whale sharks off Dhigurah. You visit local islands and coral nurseries along the way. The last three nights are on Fulhadhoo, with nothing scheduled at all.

The trip runs for 12 nights in the Maldives, hosted by Jonathan Banks. Dates: 27 Nov 2027 – 9 Dec 2027. From £4,199. Places: 2 places left.

Boots on in Cantabria, at the pace you choose

On the Cantabrian Walking Week you walk with Jen and Jim, who have walked the area themselves to choose the routes. They are volunteer hosts, so you join them for a walk rather than follow a guide. The routes run from under three miles to nearly nine, along the coast, by rivers and through forest. Jen keeps a gentler pace, and Jim is happy to go further or faster for anyone who wants it. You stay at Agara, a large renovated house where every meal is included and there is local wine and beer to help yourself to. Three of its twelve bedrooms are ensuite, the rest share bathrooms, and an ensuite room carries a supplement.

It is 7 nights in northern Spain with Jen & Jim. Dates: 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027. Prices from £999. Places: 7 places left. Our guide to green Spain and Cantabria gives a feel for the area.

A total solar eclipse in Andalucía

Chasing the Eclipse takes the group to Vejer de la Frontera, a whitewashed hilltop town in southern Spain that sits in the path of a total solar eclipse, with Dr Matthew Bothwell, the University of Cambridge Public Astronomer, as the expert for the week. Around the eclipse there is a day in Jerez for sherry and flamenco and a visit to Cádiz on the Atlantic. You stay in a restored former Franciscan monastery in the heart of the town.

It runs for 7 nights, hosted by Rob Thompson. Dates: 31 Jul 2027 – 7 Aug 2027. From £2,899. Places: 18 places left.

If your idea of adventure has snow on it

For anyone who wants a winter challenge, Ski Baqueira, the Spanish Pyrenees is a good first hosted ski week. Five mornings of guided skiing are included, in groups of ten at most, across 166km of slopes that stay uncrowded. The Hotel Tuc Blanc is about 80 metres from the gondola, so you walk out in your boots. It is 7 nights with Rob Thompson. Dates: 14 Mar 2027 – 21 Mar 2027. From £1,449. Our guide to solo ski holidays explains how the week works.

Paying for a room of your own

Every holiday carries a cost for a room to yourself, and we would rather say so plainly than surprise you later. How much depends on the trip and the room. Our single supplement page explains how it works, and we will tell you the exact figure for the departure you are looking at before you commit to anything.

Questions people ask

Am I too old for an adventure holiday at 55?

No, and you choose how hard each day is. On most of these trips the active parts are optional, so you can do the long walk or the extra snorkel, or sit one out with a coffee. Tell us what your knees and your fitness are like and we will point you to the right trip.

Will I be the only one travelling on my own?

Very unlikely. Most people book a Spice Escapes holiday on their own, so the group is full of people in the same position. The host makes sure everyone is introduced on the first day.

How fit do I need to be?

It varies by trip. The Cantabrian walks run from under three miles to nearly nine, while the Maldives trip needs you to be comfortable in the water and the South Africa trip is mostly touring with short walks. Ask us and we will be honest about what each day involves.

What is the group usually like on these trips?

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, and most people booked on their own. The host brings everyone together on the first evening and keeps the days and dinners sociable. Ask us about a particular departure and we will tell you how it runs.

Are flights included?

It depends on the holiday, so ask us about the one you have in mind. Our flight-inclusive holidays are protected under ATOL licence 9046.

Tell us what sort of adventure you are after

The easiest next step is a conversation. Tell us whether it is wildlife, walking, the sea or the snow that appeals, how active you want to be and when you can get away, and ask the question most people start with: what is the group usually like on this trip? Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts the eclipse week and the Baqueira ski week himself, and the rest of the team will give you a straight answer, tell you who is hosting. Send us an enquiry and we will come back to you with dates, places and prices.