It’s award season, and we don’t just mean the Oscars or the Golden Globes. Travel publications the world over have announced their annual “bests” and “favorites,” but we at Gadling are particularly excited to see a new award ranking that focuses on a subject close to our hearts: adventure and active travel.
Outside magazine has just announced their annual 2013 Active Travel Award winners. To select this year’s awards, Outside’s correspondents spent months on the road traveling from the Philippines to Switzerland to Namibia and then some, to report a definitive roundup of the best new adventures, secret paradises, mountain epics, stunning beaches, airline deals, gorgeous islands and more.
“In addition to truly award-worthy destinations and travel providers, this year we unearthed a handful of amazing new frontiers in active travel. Our annual edit franchise honors the year’s best trips, hotels, lodges, luggage, islands and new destinations that will be an invaluable travel resource for years to come,” said Outside editor Christopher Keyes in a release.
Check out a few winners we think adventure travel lovers will be excited to learn more about, after the jump:
Winner: South Africa
Runner-up: The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Gorman Chairback Lodge (Maine) and Highland Center at Crawford Notch (New Hampshire
Best Islands:
Best Adventure Hub:
Best New Frontiers:
Don’t miss their new Facebook contest to celebrate the awards either. Five grand prize winners will get the chance to go on their dream adventure: Rafting Idaho’s Main Salmon River with OARS; backcountry glacier skiing/boarding in Alaska with Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School, Inc.; a Galápagos islands expedition with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic; an Amazon rainforest adventure in Ecuador with ROW Adventures; and cycling and wine tasting in the Santa Barbara countryside with Duvine Cycling + Adventure Co.
What do you think of the winners? Have you visited any of the destinations or tried any of the outfitters?