Blue Spirit surf and adventure retreats

Margaret River, Western Australia

From £850 for 5 nights

(+ 61 (8) 9757 9284; www.bluespiritretreats.com.au)

Uplifting surfing adventure holidays with yoga at their heart, Blue Spirit retreats are set in the stunning Margaret River area on the south-west coast of Western Australia. Well known for its wines – lesser known as an adventure playground for anyone willing to give things a go. Husband and wife team Blair and Merome, along with co-founder Joey, are passionate about this wild, sparsely populated region and have organised a range of inspirational activities you’re encouraged, but not pressured, to try.

Each day starts with yoga, held underneath the house to a chorus of squawking birds. After a plentiful breakfast everyone piles into the bus for three hours of surfing on breathtakingly beautiful beaches. Learners use long foam boards and are in the water after a brief lesson on land. Other adventure activities on offer include abseiling, sea kayaking, meandering through giant Boranup Forest and swimming in rock-pools at South Beach. Not forgetting tours to a great range of wineries and other local producers. There are a few hours of downtime late each afternoon, when each guest receives a half hour rejuvenating massage from a local therapist. Evening activities include meditation, belly-dancing - and the fine art of pizza twirling.

Skyros in Cambodia

From £1,000 per person for 10 days
(+44 (0) 20 7267 4424; www.skyros.co.uk)

For a more soulful experience of Asia, holistic holiday company Skyros offers a 10 day overland tour to Cambodia. Starting in Bangkok, you’ll spend two nights at a jungle lodge in Northern Thailand and four nights at Siem Reap in Cambodia, where you’ll explore the ancient Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an architectural delight.

To ensure a community feel and enable you to get more out of the trip, creative and personal development workshops are woven into the programme. Michael Eales, manager of Skyros and a writer and psychologist, leads sessions on meditation and working with dreams, or try sketching, painting and photography with fellow tour leader and artist Kel Portman. As well as visits to markets and a Fine Art school, you’ll see temples in Phimai Historical Park, which pre-date Angkor Wat, and have a chance to visit ‘the killing fields’ of the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam war. The price includes half board, a shared room, ground transfers, entrance fees and guides, but not flights.

Kusun Study Tour

Nungua, Ghana