The Joy of Travel
Intrepid Travel is a global adventure travel company that has been taking travelers off the beaten track to discover the world's most amazing places for over 30 years. The company offers more than 1,000 unique itineraries in 120-plus countries and on every continent. Every trip is designed so travelers can truly experience local culture — meet local people, try local food, take local transport and stay in local accommodations. A world leader in responsible travel, Intrepid’s award-winning tour leaders, small group sizes and included activities mean they offer travelers great value for the money.
Trip Styles
Every Intrepid small group adventure has been carefully designed to make sure you have an unforgettable, grassroots travel experience. Over the years, they’ve developed several trip styles and themes to cater to a diverse range of travelers.
Basix
Basix trips keep things simple to provide amazing experiences for travelers of any age on a budget. Intrepid uses simple, clean and centrally located accommodations, employs local transport where they can and includes plenty of free time so you can do the things that suit your budget and interests.
Original
These are the trips Intrepid built their reputation on! They're the perfect choice for those who are after a great mix of included activities and free time to explore a destination on their own. Original trips use well-located, tourist-class hotels and include some meals.
Comfort
Intrepid has smoothed away some of adventure travel’s rougher edges to craft a style of travel that has an added degree of comfort. Enjoy a more relaxed pace, comfortable accommodations, more included activities and many meals along the way.
Premium
Intrepid Travel’s highest-end product, Premium delivers their hallmark sustainable travel style combined with specially selected, centrally located, 4-star accommodations, exceptional included experiences, additional pre-trip and on-trip services and our most experienced local leaders. The Intrepid Premium range includes 80+ products across 40 countries in Asia, the Americas, Europe, Antarctica, the Middle East and Africa.
Trip Themes
Intrepid can craft your journey around a wide range of themes and activities, including small-ship adventure cruising, cycling, family, food, polar, walking and trekking, 18-29’s, active adventures, small-ship sailing, day tours, expeditions, festivals, short breaks, Lonely Planet experiences, wildlife, women’s expeditions, retreats and tailor-made. Here is some more information on their most popular themes.
Small-Ship Adventure Cruising
With adventure cruising, it’s all about the destination. Explore remote islands and take in Montenegro’s surprising fjordic landscape. Discover hidden jungle waterfalls and wander through little Croatian laneways with your leader. You’ll be traveling with a small group, so when your ship pulls into port or drops anchor at the islands, you’ll get to know the locals rather than outnumber them. Billed as the most sustainable cruise operator, Intrepid is carbon neutral, and you will be traveling with a maximum of 50 passengers on board our small ships.
Antarctica with Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a true seven-continent operator. Expeditions take place on the Ocean Endeavour, one of the few polar expedition ships in Antarctica with a focus on health and wellness. Thanks to a ratio of 1 crew member for every 8 travelers, you will enjoy a more personal, informative and comfortable trip. With a gym, library, wide range of cabin types, modern Zodiacs and 360° views from the unique flydeck, the Ocean Endeavour is quite literally the coolest way to take your trip of a lifetime.
Active Travel with Intrepid Travel
On an active adventure, you can get a new perspective on familiar destinations – cycling through U.S. National Parks, trekking the Himalayas, whitewater rafting the Amazon, and seeing the Amalfi Coast from the seat of kayak. These are pulse-raising, one-of-a-kind experiences for those who like their travel with a dash of the extraordinary.
Real Food Adventure with Intrepid Travel
Uncover a world of authentic, mouthwatering food tours designed to suit any budget, appetite and time frame. By pairing the classic grassroots Intrepid travel style with a special food focus, our itineraries aim to really get you under the skin of the world's most exciting food cultures. It might be spoiling your taste buds with flavor-filled curries in Sri Lanka, bottling your own wine in Spain, making soba noodles in a cooking class in Japan, or tucking into Buddhist fare on an overnight monastery stay in South Korea. These are real-world experiences with a foodie twist: one part culture, one part adventure and three parts delicious. From bite-sized trips to gastronomic odysseys, we’ll get you munching, crunching, sipping and slurping just like the locals.
Family Adventures with Intrepid Travel
Your sense of adventure doesn’t disappear just because you have kids, so why should your family vacations be limited to the usual suspects? Intrepid Travel has developed a better style of family travel, one that favors real-life experiences over the virtual ones. Start with kid-friendly hotels (swimming pool included), and then sprinkle in a tuk-tuk ride through the streets of Bangkok, a football match with Maasai tribesmen or sailing down the Nile in an Egyptian felucca. Who needs a ball pit and a buffet when you’ve got the whole world to play in?
Tailor-Made Travel
Create your own exclusive Intrepid-style trip. Travel with your family, friends, women’s solo travel groups or special interest groups to enjoy photography, hiking or yoga.
Responsible Business Promise
Intrepid believes that with great travel comes great responsibility. Since Intrepid’s very first days as a tour operator, responsible business has been at the heart of what they do. Intrepid is committed not just to treading lightly, but also making a real difference – by investing in local communities, human rights initiatives, wildlife conservation projects and the environment. They’re all about operating in a responsible manner and incorporating principles of sustainable tourism and development into the real-life experiences they provide for travelers. These values are more than just words; they’re ingrained in the culture and daily operations of every Intrepid office and trip.
In 2018, Intrepid made their commitment to balancing profit and purpose official when they became a certified B Corp. This means they are more dedicated and accountable to being better in the ways that matter. Becoming a B Corp is not only their official pledge to be a responsible business, but also to use travel as a force for good in the world.
Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest carbon-neutral travel company since 2010. Intrepid Travel measures their annual GHG inventory in accordance with the global GHG Protocol, offsetting their emissions (operations and trips) by purchasing international carbon credits. As of December 2019, Intrepid Travel offset more than 351,000 tons of carbon emissions and they are now the first tour operator with approved science-based targets, verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Awards & Recognitions
- Intrepid Travel was named one of the 10 most innovative travel companies in 2022 by Fast Company
- Intrepid Travel’s Susanne Etti listed in Adweek’s 12 Sustainability Stars Are Making Meaningful Strides Toward a Livable Planet
- AFAR Vanguard Award – Intrepid Travel was named one of AFAR Media’s 2022 Travel Vanguard’s “10 visionary companies that are changing the way we travel”
- Certified B Corporation since 2018