Shake off the winter lazies with out-of-the-box adventures. Go balls-out and the adrenaline high may just last till 2006.

Gorillas in the Mist
Trekking with gorillas in Uganda will certainly spark cocktail party chatter. You’ll commune with the fierce cuties in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bonuses: game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and boat trips along the Kasinga Channel. The finale is a night at the (relatively) luxe Mweya Lodge. Explore will arrange a smooth simian safari.

Hard-Core Spins
Hang up the skis; dust off the mountain bike. The Kokopelli Trail is 140 miles of ghost towns, river rafting, and Anasazi red rocks. Start in Grand Junction, Colorado, and finish in the mountain-biking Mecca of Moab, Utah, where you’ll have a well-earned cerveza (rare in Mormon country) at Eddie McStiff’s MicroBrewey & Family Restaurant.

Giddy-Up, Yo
Wyoming’s Bitterroot Dude Ranch appeals to newbies and equestrians alike. No boring nose-to-butt riding here; you roam sagebrush, grassy fields, and rocky knolls. Since this is a working ranch, cattle drives are de rigueur. And the food is sublime: ranch-raised beef, stream-caught trout, organic greens. Hey, all that wrangling requires serious fuel.

The Reel Deal
If you’re going to fish, really fish. Mongolia has the world’s purest rivers (communist neglect was good for something) — and the catch of the day can weigh in at 200 pounds. Sweetwater Travel will put you up in ger (traditional Mongolian huts) and arrange visits with area herdsmen. Local color includes wrestling matches, throat singing, and Genghis Khan ruins.

Seas the Day
Turquoise waters, azure skies, sunken ruins, and sleeping under stars. You’re sailing along the Turkish coast on the Blue Voyage, visiting quaint fishing towns, swimming on Cleopatra’s private beach, and feasting on fish caught by your crew.

Rather go bareboat in paradise? The Moorings sets off from Tahiti and sails the South Pacific. A sarong, sunscreen, and the right company. Ever notice how minimalist heaven can be?