Chōsen: The Best Adventure Holiday In Iceland
Holidays in Bali, Guatemala, Iceland and New Zealand like no other. Here we show you one of their stunning Icelandic adventures.
“We hiked up Eyjafjallajökull Volcano through grass, rock, moss, ice and snow to get to the summit and donned crampons along with ice picks half way up,” said Lynda Williams, a recent survivor and now convert for Chōsen Experiences’ adventure and wellness holidays. “It took 10 hours of constant hiking and was tough going in places but it was a huge achievement to complete together as a team.”
Williams is just one of the many who have moved from traditional luxury travel to embracing this concept of luxury adventure travel. Adventure travel these days is no longer a term relegated to glamping while on safari — it is a whole lot more. And Chōsen combines the best of luxury adventure and wellness travel, and draws from the know-how of its team of experts, which includes chefs, Olympic athletes, life coaches, yogis and therapies. The result is a range of holidays that aren’t your typical city escape.
A play on the Japanese word sho-zen, which means ‘to challenge’, Chōsen’s seven-day adventures are designed to challenge both mind and body. Part of its appeal is the physicality involved in each trip. Aside from countryside hikes as in its Icelandic experience, a group is recommended to take part in the various exercise programmes built into the itinerary. From CrossFit to Yoga, Chōsen’s schedules are every fitness addict’s dream. Depending on the location of each trip, participants get to surf, jump off cliffs or even take part in parkour. They also include recovery activities such as holistic healing sessions and massages.
Resources for each holiday are generally locally and ethically sourced. Every location features an onsite organic herb and vegetable garden, and every meal is prepared by a private chef to provide the optimum amount of nutrition for the day’s activities. In this particular Icelandic itinerary, holidaymakers were treated to Arctic char, salmon, Atlantic cod and locally farmed lamb.
One of Chōsen’s mantras is to respect the environment. In addition to the preference of using locally sourced produce, Chōsen tries to keep its carbon footprint to a minimum through the use of compostable containers, locally sourced water and toiletries, and natural ventilation and lighting.
The one thing we really like about Chōsen is you can’t just book a trip and be done with it. People who want to be part of the experience go through a selection process. This ensures a good mix of people with similar personal and professional goals that helps keep a group motivated throughout the trip. Another aspect we like is that itineraries are only given to you the day before and no two days are exactly the same.
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