The travel industry’s approach to global expeditions has evolved since World Expeditions began nearly 50 years ago. To stick around that long, the company has stayed at the forefront of travel organizers with its curation of epic adventures for mountaineers and explorers.
Look around for expedition travel packages and you’ll notice many of the same destinations pop up. Conversely, Word Expeditions prides itself on its lesser-known treks in more remote locales and its ability to conduct them sustainably.
The company offers a variety of trips that include cycling, polar cruises, and even wildlife safaris. However, here we’ll focus on the company’s bigger treks and mountaineering expeditions.
These more physically demanding journeys require mountaineering experience and can take 30 days to complete – or 150 days if you’re up for its grandest adventure.
A World Expeditions client celebrates at the summit of Mera Peak in the Himalayas. Photo: World Expeditions
Treks and Expeditions
Since its first expedition-style trip to the Himalayas nearly 50 years ago, World Expeditions has kept mountain adventures at its core. It now offers a months-long trip across the Great Himalaya Trail, which we cover in more detail below.
The adventure company’s biggest treks include iconic ascents like Aconcagua and Mont Blanc, while others take you to less-traveled peaks like the Mountains of the Moon in Uganda. Want to spend 16 days tackling climbing trips in Bolivia? There’s a package for that, too.
Some trips are mostly trekking with limited mountaineering, which makes them a great opportunity to gain more experience and confidence with those skills. If you need to brush up on or learn new mountain skills, they have weeklong courses with certified instructors and small class sizes.
Of course, premier destinations are only part of the equation when booking a holiday adventure. It’s important to know the philosophy of your expedition guides.
The peaks of the Karakoram loom large over a World Expeditions group. Photo: World Expeditions
Holistic Adventure Philosophy
World Expeditions operates with the philosophy that ‘active outdoor’ travel, regardless of grading level, is a more authentic way to experience a destination.
The company wants guests to feel challenged, regardless of their age and experience, and “experience the joy of personal transformation through travel” as its core values state.
Through outdoor treks, guests can connect with themselves and others achieving physical goals while also taking in the beauty and the diverse cultures around the world.
World Expeditions also believes that local guides can offer the best experiences. Thus, they invest in training and developing local leaders. These leaders may work with Western guides to provide both well-run explorations and authentic cultural exchange.
Trip itineraries also emphasize small groups for a more personalized experience as well as to reduce the impact on the environments and communities you travel through.
An Ethical Approach
Over the years, World Expeditions has adapted its business practices to reduce the impact of its guests and work harmoniously with surrounding communities.
Part of its sustainable approach means protecting the environment alongside its travel routes. These treks and expeditions aim to reduce waste and eliminate single-use plastics, appreciate wildlife from a distance, and even offer carbon offsetting for guests.
And yet the impact on local communities is another factor in the company’s take on sustainability. Sometimes it means assisting with fundraising for local campaigns and raising awareness of its cultures.
One such example is the regenerative project underway in Purros, a village in northwestern Namibia that’s been stricken by drought. There, food scarcity is a very real challenge, especially among school children who often eat just one meal a day – a bowl of maize.
The village’s remote location makes transportation to acquire other foods cost-prohibitive, so the foundation seeks to build a closed tunnel garden overseen by a manager but attended to by the children as well. The variety of vegetables could improve nutrition as well as bring in income by selling excess vegetables to tourism venues.
A group slowly climbs into the Himalayan highlands. Photo: World Expeditions
Standout Trips
We’ve told you that World Expeditions prides itself on unique, remote explorations and treks. Now let’s dive into prime examples of its immersive, adventure travel packages.
The Holy Grail of Trekking
Imagine: You’ve just arrived at base camp and are slowly acclimating to the altitude. You’ve never felt more alive. These are the moments that the guides (and clients) at World Expeditions live for.
That’s but a taste of what you can expect on World Expeditions’ crown jewel itinerary: the exclusive Nepal traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail. The trail spans 1,000 miles (1,700km) and takes 150 days to finish.
The company first offered this trip in 2011, but the list of those who have completed it in one trip is small. It’s a big time commitment, yet offers so much more than checking off another mountain peak.
The full traverse starts in the far east, looking up at the world’s third highest peak, and climbs to the high plateaus on the Tibetan borderlands in the far west. The trail includes some of the most remote mountain terrain (and wildlife) on earth. Along the way, trekkers can see all eight of Nepal’s highest peaks (8000 meters+) and pass by centuries-old villages steeped in unique cultures.
The full traverse can be completed as a whole but the company also broke this down into seven different segments available as separate treks. Each segment offers the experience of big Himalayan vistas, big mountain passes, and remote valleys with rarely-visited villages.
In other words, each offers a mix of physical challenges that can develop a deep sense of personal achievement and camaraderie among guests with unique cultural exchanges.
A World Expeditions group treks up the flank of Aconcagua. Photo: World Expeditions
Alpine Uganda
Conversely, picture ascending out of a lush jungle to an exposed, barren alpine in the heart of Africa. That’s the gist of World Expeditions’ trek through the Rwenzori Mountains, or Mountains of the Moon — one of the shorter and more accessible expeditions.
Your trip starts and ends with hotel stays, with 10 days spent trekking through the contrasting landscapes of tropical rainforests, Giant Lobelia forests, and expansive glaciers. Once underway, guests will spend their nights in fully supported, permanent camps with meals provided and accompanied by local guides.
Much of the trek goes through Rwenzori Mountain National Park, home to diverse flora, endangered species, and a source of the River Nile. The park is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The approach through valleys with flora like giant heather and bright ferns may fool you into forgetting the trip’s big ascent on Margherita Peak (5,109 meters), Africa’s third-highest mountain. To summit requires roping up and crampons, but it’s described as more of a hard scramble than a true climb.
Additionally, this equatorial destination is open to adventure nearly year-round. If you’re looking for a challenging and enriching experience outdoors in the winter months, this could make for an unforgettable “winter break” trip.
A sea of stars glitters over a campsite in West Nepal. Photo: World Expeditions
Uniquely Epic
The combination of grand, unique destinations and World Expeditions’ implementation of its core values through “thoughtful travel” set it apart from other adventure tourism companies.
Whether you’re looking for a way to combine outdoor activities with tourism or checking off one of the Seven Summits, World Expeditions has trips that promise to challenge you physically and mentally enrich your life.
