Adventure spots for children

Boats with Port Arthur Historic Site in the Background, Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Considering taking the family overseas one summer holidays? Lonely Planet has some suggestions for kid-friendly destinations.

PORT ARTHUR

AUSTRALIA

Sunrise at Port Arthur Tasmania.

Why now? Experience the light-and-shade of Tasmania: convicts, ghosts and horrible history, under the Aussie summer sun.

Dangling off the bottom of Australia, the Apple Isle feels idyllic, but Tasmania has such a troubled past that it had to change its name in 1856 and nowhere is the haunting history of Van Diemens Land better explained than in Port Arthur’s eye-opening penal settlement, where long-dead convicts bring the past to life. It’s hard to imagine when you first cross the Eaglehawk Neck isthmus to reach the ocean-stroked Tasman Peninsula east of Hobart, but true horror happened here. While older kids will be fascinated by the prison buildings, ingeniously engaging exhibits and the boat excursion to the Isle of the Dead burial ground, it’s during an after-dusk lantern-lit ghost tour that their minds and spines will really start tingling. Regardless of whether you believe in spirits, simply seeing the site at night instead of bathed in the midsummer sun brings home how chilling the events that played out here 200 years ago really were — and if the mortuary doesn’t make your hair stand up ...

Old chapel in Port Arthur.

Trip plan: Take the ferry from Port Melbourne to Devonport, then rent a car and spend at least a week touring Tassie: swim in Wineglass Bay on the fantastic Freycinet Peninsula, explore Hobart’s historic streets and look for Tasmanian devils around Cradle Mountain.

Need to know: Ghost tours aren’t suitable for young children (or anyone susceptible to nightmares).

Other months: Mar-May & Sep-Nov fewer people, less reliable weather; Jun-Jul surprisingly cold.

PUERTO RICO

USA

El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico.

Why now? Combine outdoor adventure with festival fun and cultural immersion on a colourful Caribbean island.

Swap screens for screams (of excitement) by taking teenagers on canyoning, tubing and hiking adventures along Rio Tanam to Mukaro Cave, exploring caverns, underground rivers and (optional) plunge spots en route. Winter also offers perfect paddling and swimming in Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent bays (permit required, go with a licensed tour operator), where each oar stroke or movement provokes the ignition of an otherworldly underwater light show, produced by glowing dinoflagellate plankton. Book the family on a night-kayaking tour on Laguna Grande, near San Juan; or head towards Puerto Rico’s southwestern tip where uniquely you can swim amid the blue bioluminescence in the La Parguera bio bay.

Calle San Justo (San Justo St), Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Trip plan: Puerto Rico is just 160km (100 miles) long and 56km (35 miles) wide, but with a wild Atlantic-facing shore and a calmer Caribbean coast (not to mention a magnificent mountainous hinterland), there’s a lot to explore; renting a 4WD is the best way to get around.

Need to know: Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the USA, with the same visa requirements. January is holiday and festival season, from Three Kings Day on the 6th to Las Octavitas (January 14-17 ) and the multiday Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastin (from the third Thursday in January) in Old San Juan; it’s busy but fun.

Other months: March-May good beach weather, breezy with some showers; June-August swelteringly hot; August-November hurricane season.

NAGANO PREFECTURE

JAPAN

Snow monkeys, Nagano, Japan.

Why now? Explore Nagano after the New Year holidays, when crowds thin and the snow is deep.

With abundant snowsports, steaming hot springs, cultural wonders, traditional villages and even snow monkeys, this slice of central Honshu is a winter playground for families. Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, and skiers and snowboarders will be in heaven amid the deep snow at resorts such as Hakuba, Shiga Kgen and Nozawa Onsen; apres-ski options include onsen hot springs and lots of tasty Japanese cuisine. If your family isn’t already completely satiated, take time out to visit the famous snow monkeys, who soak in an onsen surrounded by snow at Yudanaka.

Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior.

On the cultural side, prefectural capital Nagano City is home to Zenkji, one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples, a surreal and atmospheric experience. Nicknamed Crow Castle, Matsumoto-jo in Matsumoto City is the country’s oldest original wooden castle; youngsters might enjoy its museum of weapons, firearms, swords and armour —some items are more than 400 years old.

Trip plan: Allow plenty of time in Nagano, at least a week if you’re on a winter-sports holiday; Nagano City is best reached by Shinkansen train from Tokyo in 1hr 30min.

Old traditional road in Japan near Nagano.

Need to know: All the resorts offer excellent accommodation, from inexpensive budget options (some with dorm-style rooms) right through to big hotels. For a traditional experience, book a Japanese-style place and sleep on a futon on the floor.