Escape's picks of the week - The Expedition

Joanne O'connor, Sunday 6th August 2006

Most travellers want to go off the beaten track, but few get to go somewhere no one has gone before. However, a new travel company has launched a range of adventure holidays that allow budding pioneers to attempt expedition 'firsts' - that is, trips that have never been completed before. You could be among the first to swim across a volcanic crater lake in the Philippines in November, or raft down the Zomandao river in Madagascar next March. Itineraries will never be repeated and there are only eight spaces per trip, but you don't have to be super-fit. Trips start from around £2,400 per person for 18 days with Pioneer Expeditions (0845 004 7801; www.pioneerexpeditions.com).

Escape The Observer