Best Adventure Travel Companies {On Earth}

It takes more than trail smarts to be a Ryder-Walker guide—you need to have a way with words too. Most of them can speak three languages (in addition to English), a skill that comes in handy when leading treks between little-known Italian villages, along the tongue of a Swiss glacier, from Chamonix to Zermatt. While the majority of Ryder's trips explore the Alps, the outfitter also ventures into the American Southwest. Wherever the destination, lodging ranges from mountain huts to high-end resorts.

Signature Trip: Engadine Trek; trekking; 8 days; Switzerland

New in 2009

• Name:Jubilaum
• Destination:Switzerland
• Duration:9 days
• Price:$3,600