Brad Shaw
If you’re hunting for calorie-burning holidays that actually live up to the name, look no further. New research has mapped out the destinations where simply turning up guarantees you’ll torch serious energy. And yes—these trips do far more for your waistline than loafing by a resort pool pretending to read a book. When it comes to calorie burning holidays, these adventures don’t mess about.
WeRoad, the world’s leading solo travel company, dug into the data and found that a walking trip through the Scottish Highlands clocks around 1,500 active calories a day. Peru goes one better—2,000 calories daily if you’re brave enough to tackle its high-altitude giants, including the eye-watering Rainbow Mountain.
The World’s Top Five Calorie-Burning Trips
- Peru – Rainbow Mountain: 25,000 steps, 2,000 calories
- Scotland – Scottish Highlands: 30,000 steps, 1,500 calories
- Patagonia – Laguna de la Torres: 20,000 steps, 1,400 calories
- Iceland – Vatnajokull: 16,000 steps, 1,300 calories
- Italy – Dolomites: 15,000 steps, 1,200 calories
Researchers ranked these trips by analysing the activity needed to reach iconic landmarks—distance covered, altitude, terrain, climate conditions and overall energy burn for the average Brit.
So, if you’re done queuing for the buffet and wrestling strangers for a sun lounger at dawn, it might be time to dust off the boots and try a holiday that actually earns you a pint at the end of the day.
1. Peru: The High-Altitude Heavyweight
Activity level: Intense
Daily steps: 25,000
Daily burn: 2,000 active calories
Peru isn’t for the faint-hearted. Everything from Rainbow Mountain to Colca Canyon sits at lung-busting heights—between 9,000 and 17,000 feet—making even seasoned gym-goers gasp for mercy.
The country’s crown jewel is Rainbow Mountain, a technicoloured ridge near Cuzco that only revealed itself after years of snowmelt. The hike is spectacular, littered with alpacas, llamas and views that look ripped straight from a desktop wallpaper. But the final push is brutal—a three-hour climb followed by a steep dirt ascent to reach its 17,060-foot summit, almost matching Everest Base Camp’s altitude. Expect to burn around 3,500 active calories on this hike alone.
Peru’s “warm-up” hikes aren’t exactly gentle either. The high-altitude trek of Colca Canyon climbs to 16,400 feet above the Cruz del Condor in just 40 minutes. Then there’s Lake Titicaca, the largest freshwater basin in South America. It takes five hours to reach on foot before you even begin the kayaking section.
2. Scotland: Highlands, Coastlines and Calf Burners
Activity level: Moderate to intense
Daily steps: 30,000
Daily burn: 1,500 active calories
Scotland proves you don’t need a passport stamp to suffer for your holiday snaps. A coast-to-coast walk from Perth to Fort William stretches 118.5 miles and takes about 10 days, weaving through forests, moors, riverside tracks and mountain paths. It’s rugged, relentless and beautiful.
Cyclists get their own test of willpower: a 262-mile ride from Aberdeen to Applecross, topping out on the UK’s highest road climb at a leg-screaming 17,000 feet. The scenery pays you back in spades—lochs, mountains, wild coastline and enough fresh air to sandblast your soul clean.
Prefer water? Loch Shieldaig offers kayaking so clear you’ll swear someone forgot to add the water. Starfish, urchins, crabs, schools of fish—you name it, they’re paddling beneath you.
3. Patagonia: A Playground for the Tough and the Brave
Activity level: Moderate
Daily steps: 20,000
Daily burn: 1,400 active calories
Patagonia is where hikers go to prove they’re not soft. Towering peaks like Mount Fitz Roy (11,171 ft) and Cerro Torre (10,262 ft) dominate the skyline, with trails that swing between icy wind, wide-open vistas and slopes that call your bluff.
The trek to Laguna de la Torres alone racks up over 16,000 steps. Meanwhile, El Calafate, the glacier capital, offers kayaking tours that thread between ice caves and crevasses—a surreal, physically demanding trip you won’t forget.
For a change of pace, Puerto Natales offers a 12.4-mile cycling route through forests, fjords and mountain views, shifting landscape colours like a mood ring.
4. Iceland: Frost, Fire and a Daily Step Count That Means Business
Activity level: Moderate
Daily steps: 16,000
Daily burn: 1,300 active calories
Iceland’s landscapes feel like they belong on another planet. Start with Vatnajokull, Europe’s biggest glacier, a shimmering giant best explored at sunset or under the Northern Lights.
Night treks to Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Dyrholaey or the haunting Plane Wreck site give you steps and spectacle in equal measure. A snowy hike leads to a natural thermal pool—because after miles in the cold, your muscles deserve something other than a protein shake.
Over in Eastern Iceland, geothermal marvel Leirhnjúkur bubbles away with smoking lava fields and mud pools, offering both recovery and awe after a long trek.
5. Italy: The Dolomites’ Scenic Workouts
Activity level: Light to moderate
Daily steps: 15,000
Daily burn: 1,200 active calories
Italy’s Dolomites specialise in beauty with a side order of quad burn. Cortina d’Ampezzo, the celebrity haunt, is heaven for hikers who want views worth framing.
The panoramic loop of Tre Cime di Lavaredo clocks 11,800 steps across mostly gentle terrain—easy enough for all fitness levels but still satisfying. A ridge walk along the Italian/Austrian border takes you past old WW1 bunkers before the climb to Mt Elmo at 7,985 feet—plus the obligatory “one foot in each country” photo.
Time to Trade the Buffet for the Boots
These destinations make holidays genuinely meaningful. Instead of returning home bloated and sunburnt, you come back fitter, sharper and with stories that don’t involve sun loungers.
For more information about the world’s best high-activity adventures, visit weroad.co.uk.
