Plan ahead for more fun in the sun this summer

Travel deals of the week: Whether cruising in a junk in Vietnam or swimming with horses in Mozambique, there's plenty to choose from for your summer getaway.

Sail around Halong Bay in a junk - one of the many activities included in Explore's "family adventure" trips to Vietnam this summer. AFP

Mini-break in Jumeirah

Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts is offering winter packages at selected properties, starting at Dh786 per night in a double room with breakfast, free internet, access to Wild Wadi Waterpark, the beach and kids' club, and a discount of up to 50 per cent on Talise spa treatments at Madinat Jumeirah. Stay three consecutive nights at the recently opened Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel in Dubai and enjoy a complimentary upgrade to the next room category, breakfast for two and one signature treatment at the Talise Ottoman Spa per person (adults only).

Double rooms cost from Dh1,800 per night. Prices include taxes. The offer is valid for stays until March 31. Call 00 971 4 364 7500 or visit www.jumeirah.com for more information.

Spanish getaway

Discover Catalonia on a self-guided walking and trekking tour with Catalan Adventures. The holiday has been designed to take in as much of the region as possible but at a leisurely pace, with accommodation in local homes and rural guest houses. The trip starts in L'Escala, following a coastal trail to San Pere Pascador and stopping en route at the walled settlement of Sant Marti d'Empuries and the Bay of Roses. Trek along the banks of River Fluvia and through Aiguamolis National Park, a haven for bird watchers, visit the medieval village of Castello, spend a day in Cadaques, famous for its seafood (and Salvador Dali's house) and explore El Port de la Seva and Cap de Creus National Park.

The three-to-eight day trips cost from £329 (Dh1,937) per person, excluding flights. The price includes transfers, all accommodation, breakfast, selected meals and equipment rental (including maps, GPS and mobile phone). Visit www.catalanadventures.com or call 00 34 972 158 227.

Summer surprises

Pick one of Explore's various "family adventure" packages for a summer of fun, with destinations from Morocco to Vietnam.

The five-day break in Morocco offers leisurely treks in the Atlas Mountains, a visit to Berber villages and a local school, and cultural and shopping tours in Marrakech. The land-only tour costs £250 (Dh1,472) per person, with four breakfasts and one lunch, accommodation in a four-star hotel, local transport, a tour leader and a guide.

Explore's "Vietnam encompassed" 12-day tour has something for all the family - cooking classes in a food market in Hanoi, learning a martial art in Hue Imperial City, a cruise in Halong Bay in a junk, a ride in a dragon boat along the Perfume river to the Tien Mu Pagoda, a chance to visit local farmers and to watch artisans at work in Hoi An, and a traditional Vietnamese dinner in a local family home. The land-only trip costs £942 (Dh5,549) per person, with 10 breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners, all accommodation (hotel, boat, train and homestay), local transport and the services of a guide.

See Thailand on a two-week visit that packs in a canal cruise and tuk-tuk temple tour in Bangkok, a Thai cookery lesson, an overnight stay in a raft house on the Kwai Noi River, a train ride to the south of Thailand for a homestay in Klong Rosai village, fishing in mangroves and riding elephants in the forests of Khao Sok. The itinerary also includes a visit to the island of Koh Samui and a boat ride to Ang Thong Marine National Park. The 14-day, land-only trip costs £999 (Dh5,884) per person, with 12 breakfasts, four dinners and four lunches, all accommodation (hotel, train and jungle lodge and homestay) and local transport.

All departures are set for July and August. For more details, visit www.explore.co.uk

Escape to Mozambique

Wild Frontiers has introduced a new trip to Africa - the "Mozambique tropical beach ride". The 14-day tour of the coastline and islands that make up the Bazaruto archipelago will begin in the town of Vilanculos, located on the south-east coast of Mozambique. Visitors can swim with horses at Blue Water Resort, which has a 250-metre-long private beach, explore the channels of the Two-Mile Reef, a small barrier reef that lies between the islands of Bazaruto and Benguerra, and spend a night at a "safari camp" on one of the islands, reached by dhow.

The land-only trip is scheduled for April 30 to May 7 and costs £1,695 (Dh9,984) per person with accommodation, most meals, entrance fees to sites and all transport outlined in the itinerary, excluding international flights. Visit www.wildfrontiers.co.uk