Adventure: Oman

Trekking through the desert under a full moon with leaders from the Al Wahibi tribe and their camels, to wild camp beneath the stars, is a unique experience. You'll travel as the Omani tribe has for centuries, walking at dawn then riding camels during the day until it's too hot, when shades are set up until dusk. You then walk for a while longer under moonlight, before sleeping out on the sand after an fireside meal. Starting from Muscat, the eight-night trek crosses the Sharqiyah Sands, where you may spot desert foxes, scorpions, goats and birds of prey, and learn about camel maintenance. When you hit the coast between Al Ashkarah and Ras al Haddon it's time for swimming, turtle watching and one last camp on a beach before returning for a couple of nights in hotels.
• 0845 0047 801, pioneerexpeditions.com. Departs 1 October for nine days, £995pp excluding flights.

Hidden beaches: Sardinia

Imagine this; sweating and exhausted, you finally crest the top of a rocky crag to see the path winding down to a deserted white beach, licked by turquoise swell, where you'll ease your blisters into the soft waves. Lying in seclusion on the east coast of Sardinia, Cala Gonone makes a great base for forays onto 40km of coastline, where limestone cliffs and bizarre rock formations separate quiet coves and beaches, many of which are only accessible to those with sturdy boots or a boat. The organisation Cala 'e Luna links 10 small hotels in the little town, as well as various activities operators. From there, a 2.5 hour trek leads to Cala di Luna, 500m of pure sands with pools and grottos at either end, or there's a day's trek inland to Gorroppu Gorge. Guides are available but not necessary - picnics are both.
• Hotels from €64 per room per night, calaeluna.com. Guide €45pp per day inc lunch. Fly to Olbia with easyjet.com.

Wine: Piedmont

The hills of Italy's Piedmont region are thankfully on the gentle, rolling side - conquerable for even the wooziest of ramblers, who have over-indulged on the area's delicious barolo and barbera wines. As if these fruity vintages, and lesser known dolcettos and nebbiolos, weren't enough incentive to tackle the hazlenut tree-lined paths that link 11 medieval wine-making villages on Inntravel's week of independent walking, there are the meals of local white truffles and cheeses, along with stays in four characterful hotels. At the Hotel San Carlo guests can poke their snouts into the cellar holding 1,000 wines while dinner in Cravanzana is a seven-course gastronomic affair.
• 01653 617 000, inntravel.co.uk. From £685pp in September, £675 in October including B&B, three dinners and three picnics, luggage transfer, walking maps and notes. Fly to Turin or Genova with ryanair.com.

Wellness: Mallorca

If you don't fancy K2 this year and would prefer your walking as a complementary therapy alongside relaxation and massages at a Spanish spa, then a five-day "fit and relax" break from north Majorca's Monnaber Nou Hotel could be your pampered thing. The island's varied terrain offers different daily yomps, from coastal walks and rolling plains, to the Tramuntana mountains and - as the hotel occupies a 13th-century manor near Alcudia and Pollensa - lovely beaches. After the leg work (maps and picnics are provided for three day-long walks), guests swap hiking boots for towelling slippers and hit the saunas, steam baths, Jacuzzis and spa with four therapies included. Tennis and watersports, bikes and horses are available too.
• €882pp until 30 September, €850pp throughout October. 0034 689 073 451, spa-in-spain.com.

History: Libya

The rock carvings and paintings of Jebel Acacus are some of the world's best, dating back 12,000 years and revealing clues to the area's traditions and climate through scenes of hunting, festivities, domesticated animals and er, people having it off. You'll see Tuaregs visiting nearby waterholes and also trek through shady wadis, past palm-fringed lakes and huge sand dunes on a 12-day small group tour with Walks Worldwide, which also takes in the cities of Tripoli, Sabratha and of course, Leptis Magna.
• From £1,395pp including flights, transport, 11 nights' accommodation, most meals and the services of a tour leader. 01524 242 000, walksworldwide.com. Departs 14 October.

Island-hopping: The Azores

Stomp across the three islands of Sao Miguel, Sao Jorge and Faial in the Portugeuse archipelago, and you'll find a huge variety of walks and, with luck, sunshine and 25C heat until November. On Sao Jorge, you'll explore the fajas - 46 dramatic plains formed by lava flows into the sea, some of which can be explored by ancient drovers' tracks - and the Serra do Topo mountain ridges. Sao Miguel is famous for its sleepy harbours, steep volcanic cliffs packed with roosting birds, churches and cheese, while Faial has craters, volcanos and hydrangea-lined paths. Details of daily walks are provided.
• A 14-night self-led package with Archipelago Azores (01768 775 672, azoreschoice.com) includes B&B at four hotels, international and inter-island flights, transfers, four days' car-hire on Sao Miguel and a whale-watching excursion for £1,398pp.

Foodies: France

Stroll through fields of sunflowers in herb-scented air, stretch your legs on quiet towpaths and take your time ambling through vineyards before rounding off your day of moderate walking with a Michelin star meal at a gorgeous hotel. Then repeat. This seven-night walking route through Provençal hills takes you to a foodie hotel each night, including two with a Michelin star, some with pools and all with bags of elegant French style - think wisteria, old stone balconies and roaring fires. From Avignon you'll walk to Collias, Tarascon, Beaucaire, ending in St Remy, stopping off en route for gourmet lunches, dinners and even a cookery class.
• Start any day; £1249pp B&B including gourmet evening meals, but excluding international travel. 01580 214 010, bellefrance.co.uk.

Family: Italy

Get away for October half-term and teach the kids about a wide range of non-syllabus subjects including pizza, the mafia, Amalfi coast beaches and Capri pants. And don't forget the odd bit of Roman history, volcanoes and Italian lingo. A hiking guide will lead child-friendly group walks to see Vesuvius, Pompeii, Capri and the Neapolitan Riviera; with optional activities including pizza making; or you can chill out at the hotel base in Vico Equense near Naples and explore on your own.
• Departs Gatwick 25 October, from £759pp for eight nights including flights. 01707 386 766, ramblersfamilyadventures.co.uk.

Culture: Spain

Why travel to the ends of the earth when you can get an insight into a different, ancient culture much closer to home. Pagan mythology, witches, smugglers, wild fiestas - the mysterious history of the Basque people dates back to pre-Indo-European times, and their culture can be explored on a week-long Pyrenean Experience trip to Ituren, a mountain hamlet of just 19 people in Navarra. Local guides lead relaxed walks to meet farmers, see megalithic monuments in the Baztan valley, watch a preview of the Basque carnival and get a cookery lesson from a couple of local TV chefs.
• Departures 13 September, and in October, from £850pp including all meals, walks, transfers and accommodation (no single supplements). 0121 711 3428, pyreneanexperience.com. Fly Ryanair or easyJet to Biarritz.

Camping: Egypt

Now until the end of November is a great time for trekking in Egypt with warm sunny days and nights that aren't too chilly for camping beneath the stars. Three, five or 10-day group walks through the Galt region of the Sinai mountains are available with Responsible Travel, passing through labyrinthine dry river beds, narrow canyons, orchards and weird rock formations, with stop-offs for much-needed swims in natural pools. You'll visit Byzantine ruins, Greek Orthodox monasteries and Bedouin rock houses, where you might camp if it's very cold, otherwise it's campsites and eco-lodges.
• From €325 for three days to €650 for 10, including accommodation, guide and food, but not flights, responsibletravel.com/walking.

Off the beaten track: Armenia

How many of Armenia's highlights can you name? Not many we bet, but there are dozens of intriguing attractions to discover on this cultural group hiking tour - the Erebuni and Kayan fortresses, Tsakhats Kar monastery, Dilijan national park, an observatory and several paleolithic sites. From a trek up the extinct volcano of Mount Aragats (4,090m), visits to taste local cheese and yoghurt at the traditional camps of the Yezidi mountain people, and hikes up to the Jafar hill station, Garni canyon and Lake Arpi, you can expect stimulating, varied walking and temperatures hovering around 20C throughout October.
• Next departure is 1 October, for €850pp for 10 days including most meals, guide accommodation, activities and transfers. 0845 299 7456, puretravel.com.

Art history: France and Spain

Be sure to pack a few broken clocks that you can fling about the scenery to add an authentic Daliesque touch to this walking tour of the French Pyrenees. The moustachioed one loved the area, travelling from the foothills, along the Vermillion coast into Spain, and capturing the area in weird and wobbly form in his paintings. You can follow his route on this seven-day self-guided walk, staying in coastal fishing villages and country towns, exploring vineyards, stopping for swims at beaches along the way and visiting the Dali museum in Figueras.
• From £630pp including half-board, luggage transfer, maps but excluding flights. Daily departures available. 0845 241 7599, utracks.com.

Yoga: Turkey

Stretching your legs takes on a new meaning on this walking and yoga break. After a morning's contortions with the iyengar/hatha instructor on the covered roof terrace with mountain views, you'll use your new found energy on the paths of the Datca peninsula, stopping off for meditation on beaches and deserted hillsides. Four guided nature walks are included, plus a boat trip to local bays and a half-board stay in a former olive press.
• Eight days from £470pp with golearnto (08445 020445, golearnto.com). Fly to Dalaman with thomsonfly.com or firstchoice.co.uk.