10 best new adventure travel trips

by Josh Roberts, Smarter Travel

Every year, the world's most respected adventure travel outfitters reveal their newest trips to far-flung locales across the globe. And every year around this time, I review the itineraries of those new trips to select the best of the new batch.

My criteria: I'm looking for trips that take you to interesting, often untapped or emerging destinations; trips that offer unique activities and experiences; and trips that represent good value for the money, even when they're upscale luxury excursions.

This year, my top 10 new adventures include volcano trekking in Indonesia, tracking gorillas in the Congo, following a pilgrim trail through the Pyrenees, and seeking enlightenment in Japan's most remote alpine temples.

So lace up your hiking boots, fellow adventurers: Here are the best new trips to try in 2014.

Read more from Smarter Travel:

• 10 Far-Off Destinations at the Edge of the World
• 10 Beaches That Should Be on Your Bucket List
• Seven Notoriously Expensive Destinations (and How to Go for Cheap)