Travel in 2013: Holidays for the intrepid

One of the world's great explorers, David Livingstone, was born 200 years ago in March.

Expert Africa (020-8232 9777; expertafrica.com) is offering five trips to Africa following in his footsteps – to Malawi, Victoria Falls, Zambia, Zanzibar and along the Zambezi River. The Malawi trip visits Blantyre, the town named after his Scottish birthplace, then shadows his journey along the Shire River and the area now within the Liwonde National Park to Lake Malawi, which Livingstone discovered. The 11-night tour in March costs £3,576pp, based on two sharing, including South African Airways flights from Heathrow via Johannesburg into Blantyre and out of Lilongwe, transfers, full board at Robin Pope Safari camps, most activities and park fees.

It's anniversary time, too, for Everest because 2013 marks 60 years since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first climbed the world's highest mountain. To mark the occasion, World Expeditions (020-8545 9030; worldexpeditions.com) is offering five treks on the mountain during May, which culminate at the Thyangboche Monastery, 3,800m up, on the anniversary itself, 29 May. A 12-day trek, departing 22 May, costs from £1,690pp, including transfers, accommodation in a mix of camps and lodges, and guided treks. Return flights can be arranged from £650.

North Korea may not be everybody's idea of a holiday destination, yet Regent Holidays (020-7666 1244; regentholidays.co.uk) has been running trips to the pariah state here since 1985. This year, it's striking out for the Rason region in the north-east on a 12-day group trip. It crosses the China border at Yanji into Rason, travelling through the region's wildlife-rich wetlands, forests and lakelands, visiting Chongjin, Kyongsong and Mount Chilbo. The trip, which runs 10-21 June, costs from £1,850pp, including accommodation, most meals, transport and entrance fees. Flights from the UK can be arranged from £950.