Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Explore vs Intrepid
Explore vs Intrepid
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Explore and Intrepid.The Low Down
Explore Worldwide is a UK adventure travel company that has been around since 1981. They run over 500 small group tours in more than 100 countries around the world with an average of 12 guests. Accommodation is often family run lodgings and guides are passionate locals. Itineraries are a mix of must-sees and who-knews, and guests can choose from different trip styles to suit their interests.Explore recognises that adventure is different for everyone, and their trips range from classic discovery group tours to active adventures such as hiking and cycling. They also have dedicated family trips, themed journeys such as those that focus on wildlife or their limited edition Explore Beyond collection which showcases rare one-off events. Explore have an impressive track record with 96% of past travellers saying they would travel with them again.
Intrepid specialise in small group adventure tours, and feature trips around the globe. With over 700 tours and 50,000 departures, Intrepid's itineraries are designed for the budget conscious adventurer, families and even adventures for those that prefer a bit of comfort at the end of each day. Like G Adventures, Intrepid also have a myriad of trips through South and Central America & Asia and operate dynamic pricing so prices can change daily - upwards if the trip is filling up, and down if they need to fill some spaces.Recommending the best Operator for small group adventures is a tough one. It's very subjective and we think a lot depends on the region, the itinerary and the trip leader you get. This will have a huge sway on whether your trip is good, great or average. Our advice is to choose the Operator which has the itinerary and departures dates that suit you best. Look at things like inclusions, group size and other details to help make your decision.
Stats
No. of Trips
540
No. of Departures
5,700
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$381
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
1,147
No. of Departures
29,366
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$400
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Explore has been taking small groups on adventure holidays all over the world for almost 40 years. The expert team, at home and overseas, works together to create itineraries that leave you feeling that you’ve really explored a destination rather than just visited. You’ll see the highlights, the must-sees, of course. But you’ll also get away from the beaten track, and get a different perspective on your destination. You’ll get closer to a place, its people and cultures.
Our small groups are typically 12 people – small enough to get right into the heart of your destination, but big enough to find like-minded people to share your experiences with. And the glue that holds these groups together is our local tour leaders, who are uniquely placed to add individual and spontaneous moments to each trips – moments that stay with you long after you return home. All sorts of people travel with Explore – our groups are usually a mix of solos, couples and friends. What unites them is their adventurous spirit and thirst for real travel experiences.
We provide authentic small-group travel, designed by experts and led by experts, with sustainability at its heart and a common desire for unforgettable experiences. Whether you’re on a cultural tour of Lebanon, cycling in Vietnam, walking in Italy or exploring Costa Rica with your family, when you’re travelling with Explore you know that you’re in good hands.
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers off the beaten track to discover the world's most amazing places for 30 years. Every trip is designed to truly experience local culture - to meet local people, try local food, take local transport and stay in local accommodation. Led by a local leader, our small group tours offer a sustainable way to travel off the beaten track, while giving back to the places and people that travellers visit.
Recent Reviews
4.7
Great itinerary, stunning scenery and spectacular sites. The planning of the tour was excellent, with a good mix of guided touring and independent time. I loved every moment. The timing of visits to ancient archaeological sites allowed us to visit without hordes of people. Our tour leader was very friendly and helpful, and our driver skilful. Hotels ...read more were comfortable and well located.
The trip lasted 7 days. For the first 4 days which included 3 days on Gozo and the 1st day in Malta was an absolute shambles. We were not met from the ferry in Gozo, the guide was too busy talking in the bus with the driver and didn’t notice this very big ferry had docked. One of our group decided to do a car park search after waiting for 3/4 an hour ...read more and found them ! The guide was not interested and did it because she had to. A very unpleasant experience. Arriving Malta and checked in to our hotel. A guide took us out to dinner but never saw her again. The next day was a public holiday which saw the group waiting in the lobby with no idea who, what or when we were being met. Phone call made to the local office to enquire what were the plans and that person was spoken to in such a condescending manner and the attitude was unbelievable which prompted another of the group to phone and email the head office in UK and made a complaint.
A guide was produced at 10 am who also did not want to be there, our entire ‘tour’ of Valletta took 2 hours only and then we were told to take the local bus home as the tour bus was leaving at 1pm!! After the complaint was made to the UK office, the next 3 days we had marvellous guides and the best driver ever who virtually saved the trip from total disaster. The accommodation was 3 star at best, however, was clean and breakfast provided. The group was made up of people from USA, UK and AUS. We all rubbed along quite well. From this experience, I have also emailed the UK head office with a more detailed description of the total lack of communication and attitude from the local Maltese office. Would I go on another Explore trip…. I would really have to think about it but at the moment, no.
A guide was produced at 10 am who also did not want to be there, our entire ‘tour’ of Valletta took 2 hours only and then we were told to take the local bus home as the tour bus was leaving at 1pm!! After the complaint was made to the UK office, the next 3 days we had marvellous guides and the best driver ever who virtually saved the trip from total disaster. The accommodation was 3 star at best, however, was clean and breakfast provided. The group was made up of people from USA, UK and AUS. We all rubbed along quite well. From this experience, I have also emailed the UK head office with a more detailed description of the total lack of communication and attitude from the local Maltese office. Would I go on another Explore trip…. I would really have to think about it but at the moment, no.
An excellent tour. Witt our tour guide was absolutely fabulous. He was very knowledgeable, extremely informed on history, architecture, religion, culture and customs. Nothing was too much trouble. He kept us well informed of activities and time schedules on a daily basis. The transport was spacious and comfortable with an esky full of cold water and ...read more refreshments towels. The accommodation was as stated in the itinerary and actually surpassed my expectations. Truly a very memorable holiday. I can recommend Witt as the best tour guide I have ever had. Thank you Witt for an unforgettable experience.
Houn (Tour Guide) and his team were very professional, friendly and attentive to all our needs. All went to plan. Would swap the boat trip experience for an additional 2 days cycling. Most of the group stated that would also be their preference.
This was a busy tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. We had many different experiences. My favorite was the Ben Tre home stay in the Mekong Delta, a long day to get there: 5.30am departure from Hoi An hotel, bus to Danang airport, flight to HCMC, bus to Ben Tre then finally a boat to the home stay with a great seafood lunch onboard. Our overnight train ...read more from Hanoi to Hue was impacted by floodwaters and we ended up travelling the last 3 hours by bus - we arrived safely.
Weather wasn't great, we had a lot of rain and barely saw the sun but it didn't impact on the planned itinerary. Most hotels were equipped with large golf umbrellas which was very handy. Accommodation was very nice. The tour was full: 16 people, all British except 2 of us from Australia and 1 American. 5 couples, 3 solo females and 3 solo men. I enjoyed the tour and I'm looking at travelling with Explore again. Some fellow travellers had done numerous tours with Explore. Booking with Georgie at Global Journeys is always straightforward.
Weather wasn't great, we had a lot of rain and barely saw the sun but it didn't impact on the planned itinerary. Most hotels were equipped with large golf umbrellas which was very handy. Accommodation was very nice. The tour was full: 16 people, all British except 2 of us from Australia and 1 American. 5 couples, 3 solo females and 3 solo men. I enjoyed the tour and I'm looking at travelling with Explore again. Some fellow travellers had done numerous tours with Explore. Booking with Georgie at Global Journeys is always straightforward.
The trip was exactly what was presented in the marketing. The guide was excellent, 25 yrs living in Turkey and therefore knowledge of culture and landscape was a lived, full of real experience. The accommodation was good as was the backup van service. Would recommend.
4.3
Thanks Intrepid. Booking with a company we had never used before we were slightly concerned at the lack of (tiny) details (prior to the trip), but true to our agent at Global Journeys, Hannah and Intrepid made it all look easy. I know what it's like wrangling parties of 10 or more (like herding fleas), but our group was always on time for meet ups, ...read more and our guide, Valentina Lorrasu was absolutely brilliant. It was her first tour with Intrepid, but she had researched our trip in great detail and was not only great at 'mothering us' along, but she handled some out-of-left-field issues with great aplomb. This was also our first overseas trip since 2019 (COVID), and we came home feeling we had received outstanding value for money, great hotels, terrific food and the sights around Sicily were a treat. Thanks Global Journeys, Intrepid and Valentina - terrific combination of professionals.
Our trip to the Galapagos Islands was one that was long planned and eagerly awaited, and proved to be everything we had hoped. We had decided that, since we were only going to be there once in our lives, we should spend as much time as we could. I wondered whether the 10 nights on the Grand Queen Beatrix might prove too much, but it was fantastic, ...read more and every day brought a new experience. The wildlife was spectacular and much of it incredibly tame. The opportunity to snorkel every day had us swimming with sea lions, penguins, white-tipped sharks and a huge variety of colourful fish. The unique land and marine iguanas were impressive and birdlife was prolific. Every island was somewhat different and beautiful in its own way.
Intrepid’s Grand Queen Beatrix was a lovely small ship and we were pleased that we had booked one of the balcony rooms. It allowed more air into the cabin and a place to dry wet clothes. The rooms did not have a lot of storage and we ended up with one of us living out of a suitcase, but that worked fine and was not a problem. The crew were wonderful and the guides excellent, food was delicious, healthy and plentiful, which we needed because the high level of activity every day meant increased appetites. We were only filled to capacity (16 pax) for a few days of the trip and our fellow passengers were great company.
The tour included one additional night both before and after the Islands in Quito at Le Parc Hotel. We also booked 2 further nights before and 3 after at Le Parc and made good use of them doing the hop-on/hop-off bus and day trips with to the Mindo Cloud Forest to see hummingbirds and tucans, and Mitad Del Mundo where the equator passes through the outskirts of Quito. We did all these tours with the Quito Tour Bus (quitotourbus.com) which proved good value for money. We also went up the Telerifico Cable Car with expansive views down over Quito and spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Botanic Gardens just one block from the hotel.
I had originally thought I might book a different hotel in the “old town”, but was very glad I had not. Although Le Parc was some distance from the old centre of Quito, it was a comparatively safe area and very cheap to get anywhere by taxi.
For anyone contemplating going to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, my advice is to do an Intrepid cruise for as many nights as you can afford, and add a couple of extra nights in Quito, where there is much to see and do.
Intrepid’s Grand Queen Beatrix was a lovely small ship and we were pleased that we had booked one of the balcony rooms. It allowed more air into the cabin and a place to dry wet clothes. The rooms did not have a lot of storage and we ended up with one of us living out of a suitcase, but that worked fine and was not a problem. The crew were wonderful and the guides excellent, food was delicious, healthy and plentiful, which we needed because the high level of activity every day meant increased appetites. We were only filled to capacity (16 pax) for a few days of the trip and our fellow passengers were great company.
The tour included one additional night both before and after the Islands in Quito at Le Parc Hotel. We also booked 2 further nights before and 3 after at Le Parc and made good use of them doing the hop-on/hop-off bus and day trips with to the Mindo Cloud Forest to see hummingbirds and tucans, and Mitad Del Mundo where the equator passes through the outskirts of Quito. We did all these tours with the Quito Tour Bus (quitotourbus.com) which proved good value for money. We also went up the Telerifico Cable Car with expansive views down over Quito and spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Botanic Gardens just one block from the hotel.
I had originally thought I might book a different hotel in the “old town”, but was very glad I had not. Although Le Parc was some distance from the old centre of Quito, it was a comparatively safe area and very cheap to get anywhere by taxi.
For anyone contemplating going to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, my advice is to do an Intrepid cruise for as many nights as you can afford, and add a couple of extra nights in Quito, where there is much to see and do.
Booking through Global Journeys was a smooth process. This tour gave me new experiences and adventure. My room in Nick's Pension Hotel, Ubud, had ants and cockroaches! The remaining hotels are of average standard. Our tour guide was helpful and approachable.
In India anything is possible. If you go with an open mind and just enjoy the differences from your home country, you will love this glimpse into India. Accommodation was clean and comfortable more so than premium but locations usually close to sights. Plenty of food available and options for those who didn’t want the local delicacies all the time. ...read more India is organised chaos at times but throughly enjoyable. If you are unsure, just book this trip and go. Embrace it.
This turned out to be a fantastic trip. Although I had some initial doubts after we landed in Mumbai. Mumbai is a very busy place and as such quite dirty but well worth seeing. The trip got better the more we explored. The red forts, the Taj Mahal and the many lakes were amazing. The food took a little bit of getting used to but over all was good. Nice ...read more to have some authentic Indian curries.
We enjoyed a wonderful holiday on our Intrepid premium tour of India arranged by Global Journeys. The indian people are so friendly, happy and content. Our guide Yaddu was amazing, his wealth of knowledge on the history of the towns we visited and the architecture was unlimited. Thoughly recommend this wonderful country.
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