Intrepid Travel

I have used Intrepid a number of times in the past and found them to be good value, but now I am revising that opinion. Recently I did two trips, North Spain Discovery and Madrid to Marrakech. On both tours there was evidence of major cost-cutting, which explains Intrepids huge profits despite our group numbers being very small. The main problem… Read more

is the use of public transport instead of private vehicles. The trains and buses travel along main transport corridors and there’s nothing to see. Also, in most cases, they didn’t leave until around 11.00am, which meant a whole morning wasted. Then you would arrive around mid afternoon, have a quick orientation walk with the guide, and the whole next day on your own, in a strange town, with no idea how to get around. We saw very little of our guides, as they had every second day off. If there was some special attraction you wanted to see you had to arrange it yourself and pay extra. Some of these things should have been included as we paid enough. It seems what we paid only covered accommodation and transport costs. One thing to consider is they always underestimate the physical rating. Some members of our group clearly could not carry their own luggage or lift it onto buses and trains, and some could not manage all the walking and stairs. When they tell you to pack light they really mean it. My bag weighed 8kilos for four weeks travel and it was plenty. Our guides were mostly ok but Intrepid limits their time with the group and their budget is tight. The accommodation was not bad, some was very good, but the hotel in Marrakech was dreadful, sparrows picked at the breakfast pastries. Basically, I don’t intend to use Intrepid again, I could do it myself better and cheaper.

Booked a trip with intrepid to east Africa and the trip was absolutely fantastic and the tour guide was brilliant as well as the drivers that we had . My only gripe is and I was told about the tipping to the drivers and guide and I think it was more or less compulsory, I forked out just over $400 in tips for 4 drivers and the guide, and being a… Read more

pensioner and saving for a long time to travel to Africa I think it would be more appropriate if intrepid gave the guide and the drivers more money instead of the travelers having to boost there wages, they do a fantastic job and should be rewarded for that , that is my only gripe and it certainly won’t stop me from booking through intrepid again

Never again. Don't believe the fantastic reviews like we did - high pressure from guide to write good reviews, including Intrepid managed social media publishing inaccurate and damaging info after my partner and I gave detailed feedback about an… Read more

expensive premium tour. And don't bother complaining - no response at all to a request to Intrepid to correct what Intrepid agreed was false information about us on the site Intrepid set up and continued to control after the tour finished.

I have been dealing with Intrepid travel on more than one occassion these past 12 months and I cannot fault them. There tours and the fact they keep number small is perfect for my wife and I. They are a go to travel company now.

Went to Cambodia on an 8 day food tour with Intrepid on 27 Nov 2025 and although I like Intrepid, there are a few things to look out for. Our tour guide was exceptional. He went the extra mile getting me an extension for my Australia adapter (not all hotels will accept just the adapter), he also got back one of our tour participants her ATM card… Read more

which had been swallowed up by the machine within one hour, he was funny, caring, knowledgeable, kind, mindful of supporting his local community by taking us to smaller cafes etc and he is the best guide i have experienced so far. Hotels! Just be mindful Intrepid have categories: Basics, original, classic, comfort and premium! This from what i can gather will dictate what Hotels you will stay in. Our tour was "original". All the hotels we stayed in were 2 star! The last one of the tour had no TV and no phone in the room so if your mobile needs charging and there's an emergency or you are sick, then that's a problem. I had an issue with my aircon and had to go down to reception at 8.30pm which was a nuisance. Overall the tour was great but I would not pick a tour below "Comfort". So I can only give them a 4 start but the guide, a 5 star!

We did the Premium Sri Lanka in depth. We kicked off in Nogombo, the Pledge Scape hotel appeared okay apart from getting gastro, the rooftop gym’s aircon didn’t work, our room aircon stopped working, but the pool was good. The bus for the tour was too small, no legroom for anyone over 1.5m. We had a great group of travellers who put up with a lot… Read more

of discomfort, but saw and did a lot. After 10 weeks back in Australia we are recovered from back and leg issues caused by the bus and the inadequate safari jeeps.

I paid A$5400.00 for the Intrepid "India Expedition: Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland" tour in Jan/Feb 2026, with the primary incentive being to enter the restricted area of Nagaland. I wrongly assumed Intrepid were aware of entry permit requirements into Nagaland, with the group prepared with passport photos, as instructed by Intrepid prior to the… Read more

tour's commencement.

We flew from Kolkata to Nagaland, only to immediately get deported to Assam, as Intrepid had failed to arrange entry permits for our group's members.

In subsequent correspondence with Intrepid, I was consistently dismissed by their customer service representative.

Despite paying close to A$10,500.00 for the flights, pre-accom, transfers and tour, Intrepid refunded A$500 for their negligence.

I maintain this compensation was hardly fair considering the time and money I had invested to join this tour. Aside from Nagaland, I could have seen this region on my own for a fraction of the A$10,500.00 price tag.

I have resolved to not put my trust in Intrepid again.

Intrepid are quick to take your money, though the quality and itinerary of this tour was woefully inadequate, adding insult to injury.

We purchased a 17 day New Zealand trip with Intrepid. Not worth the almost $14,000 per person we paid. This was a glorified transportation service. Many of the excusions Intrepid provides are low cost or free to everyone like walks in the parks, Pancake rock, geo thermal park. The good excusions we have to pay for ourselves and the stops listed… Read more

along the way are nothing more than restroom breaks or stops where we buy our own lunch and dinner. Horrible experience. Would never use Intrepid again. Tauck tours provide a better experience for the value.

So I have booked 2 tours through intrepid which in the past I have found to be an awesome company to deal with and I am up to 10th tour now. I rang intrepid last week to find out about the turkish visa I would need. The man on the phone was Indian and impossible to understand and did not seem to want to help and told me just to follow the link on… Read more

the tour itinerary. I did this and filled out the paperwork and found out afterwards that I should have only paid $90 for a visa and instead paid $160, intrepid must get a cut to ensure we pay more. Rang back today to talk about it and got another indian man on the phone and if possible even harder to understand. Hung up, not worth the trouble but puts me off intrepid if this is what their customer service is now.

Just followed the link they supply for a visa to Egypt so I didn't get ripped off by scammer websites trying to charge more, yet I am sent to exactly one of those, changing an extra $19USD on top of the $25USD it costs for the visa. And for what? For intrepid to clearly get a cut. Disgusted. Never again Show details

Just winding up a 15 day tour of Morocco which has been amazing. All kudos go to our guide Ahboud, quite the local celebrity, who has kept us entertained with his music and has taken us to places special to him, such as art galleries and women's cooperatives, specialising in Argen Oil harvesting and rug weaving. My only concern before coming to… Read more

Morocco was the welfare of animals, but the camels, donkeys, mules and horses we've seen appear to be well fed and treated. I love the street cats and dogs and I've spent a lot of time feeding them and giving them some much needed affection. Highly recommended!

A travel company can only be truly reviewed when things don’t go according to plan, and how they react. This is where Intrepid Travel really fail. Read their T&C’s, and you will see that they make every effort not to be accountable for anything. This includes potentially life-threatening decisions made by their group leaders, and any costs… Read more

incurred by these decisions. I was in the Himalayas’s when I encountered this firsthand. I was advised to join two other people who had also become ill and trek to the next town. It would only take 2-2.5 hours… in fact it was 5 hours. 4 of which were in the pitch black, using only head torches, in snowing, subzero temperatures. Ultimately because of this decision I ended up in hospital. The group leader had been informed I had to go to hospital, and when he caught up with me, he couldn’t even look me in the eye. It took more than 10 minutes to come and ask how I, and the other two people, were. He then went on to make numerous excuses for this poor decision.

Do your homework well. I’ve travelled an awful lot, but never encountered this treatment before. There are better options than using a company that accepts no responsibility. They just have a good marketing team to help them look professional.

The travel agency is so bad but the tours and the tour captains and drivers are great . I was booked for the tour and asked for an extra day. Was given the plane booking but no accommodation for the extra day . The same happened to 2 NZ ers from Christchurch. Waiting for it to be resolved but have been told I didn’t pay. Did they expect me to sleep on the street? Show details

Terrible booking experience! I booked 2 tours with Intrepid. They made me pay 100% of the cost upfront then waited almost a week only to come back and say one wasn’t available. I asked if I could move the second one to accommodate an alternate date for the tour which wasn’t available and was told I’d be charged a 60% cancellation fee even though… Read more

it was a move and not a cancellation. Then when it came to the refund it took another 3 days to confirm they would refund me, though that it would take 1 - 2 weeks. Meanwhile I’m travelling in 2 weeks and need the money to book with an alternate tour. They can take my money instantaneously but it takes up to 3 weeks to give it back? On top of this they kept the tour dates advertised as available until I complained about it.

It’s been nearly three months since my trip to Peru, and as I reflect on it, I can’t help but feel disappointed. The disappointment isn’t just about the long journey—nearly two days of travel to get there—but also the fact that the experience itself felt underwhelming, especially considering that I may never visit again. I booked this trip for my… Read more

son and me, and based on my travel agent’s strong recommendation, I chose Intrepid. Their boutique-sized groups were supposed to allow for a more adventurous experience. In fact, our guide, Julio, emphasized on the first day that, with only five of us (three from Australia, one from Canada, and one from the U.S.), we’d receive a VIP experience. We were all excited, expecting a well-organized and engaging itinerary. However, the reality was quite the opposite—we ended up doing very little.

On multiple occasions, we were simply told to “chill” while Julio was nowhere to be found. This happened both when we first arrived in Cusco and again after returning from Machu Picchu, where we had an extra day with no planned activities. Every day, I asked for additional excursions because my son and I were getting bored, but nothing was arranged. On our last day in Cusco, four of us were eager to do the Rainbow Mountain hike, but Julio dismissed the idea, saying the weather wasn’t good enough. Instead of offering alternatives, he left us in Cusco unattended.

Even the dining experiences were disappointing. The restaurants Julio took us to weren’t great, so we stopped attending group dinners and relied on Google for better options. Another issue was the unexpected charge of $180 per person for Machu Picchu, which we didn’t fully understand, as it wasn’t an additional activity. After finishing our visit before lunch, we were told to spend the entire afternoon in Aguas Calientes—a small town with little to do. I must have walked the whole town over 20 times just to kill time when, instead, we could have spent more time exploring Machu Picchu.

Back in Lima, the only extra activity Julio organized for the entire trip was a Pisco-making session on the last day. While he was undoubtedly knowledgeable, he didn’t put in enough effort to maximize our experience. Ironically, it felt like the small group size, which was supposed to be an advantage, made him too relaxed.

I can’t help but wonder—was this how the trip was supposed to be?

Wonderful tour great your guide. Appalling customer service. Cha get hotels 3 times even after confirming hotels. 2 hotels over stated in terms of what they were and 1 desert camp grossly overstated in terms over quality. Further it was unsafe and was dangerous. There answer was to over a paltry sum250 and hope i go away. Which did not recompense for duress hassles and inconvenience suffered. I t Inrepid Tours needs to take a good hard look

I am writing to express my profound disappointment and dissatisfaction with the Intrepid Travel trip I undertook to Morocco earlier this year, specifically "Best of Morroco". What was advertised as an "authentic" Moroccan experience turned out to be a series of appalling accommodations and a generally substandard tour. My primary complaint… Read more

centers around the absolutely unacceptable accommodation. The descriptions provided in the trip itinerary were grossly misleading. We were consistently placed in what I can only describe as 0-star establishments. The rooms were not only basic, but also unclean. I encountered:

- Dirty and stained towels and sheets: This was a recurring issue across multiple locations, demonstrating a complete lack of hygiene. - No heating in freezing temperatures: During the colder nights, particularly in the Atlas Mountains, we were left without any form of heating, making the nights incredibly uncomfortable and, frankly, unbearable. - General state of disrepair: Many of the accommodations were in a state of disrepair, with broken fixtures, inadequate sanitation, and a general lack of maintenance.

In addition to the accommodation, I was deeply unimpressed with our tour guide. Their knowledge of the region was superficial at best, and their communication skills were poor. They were often disorganised, lacked enthusiasm, and provided little to no insightful information about the culture and history of the places we visited. They seemed to view their role as simply moving us from point A to point B, rather than enriching our understanding of Morocco.

This trip was a significant financial investment, and I feel utterly cheated by the experience. The reality of the tour fell far short of the promises made in your marketing materials.

I request a thorough investigation into these issues and a response outlining what steps Intrepid Travel intends to take to rectify this situation. I expect a prompt and satisfactory resolution, as this experience has significantly tarnished my perception of your company.

Intrepid's POOR customer service – REMINDER:- Intrepid Booking ###### On Tue, 11 Feb 2025 at 19:55, I wrote to Intrepid: -Could you pls send me the Intrepid form for traveler's details e.g. Passport #, insurance # etc. Later even sent this TWICE but no one bothers to reply or acknowledge. This is Typical Intrepid's POOR customer service .... only interested in collecting $$$ then after that never bother to respond to customer's query!!!

Awesome tour of Vietnam – Last night drinks in Saigon … cheers everyone I really enjoyed your company, advice and assistance navigating my way around Vietnam love it Dat Nguyen, our tour guide North to South from 22/1, a special thanks to you for your professional approach to guiding the tour and more importantly your efforts to ensure we all enjoyed our time on tour… Read more

and your personal approach to dealing with each of us especially those with “special needs” Andrew, Peter and of course me

Save your money. Avoid like the plague – Tour leader very disappointing. Had no interest in providing information on towns visited. Was more interested in securing tips.

Extremely Overpriced, unauthentic , terrible food options - AVOId – I am a retired travel professional and was Extremely disappointed in my recent Intrepid Explore Taiwan tour. I use multiple tour operators each year and this was the worst experience I can recall. It was extremely overpriced and unauthentic. Most of the time was spent driving on highways, food options were truly terrible -junk food procured from… Read more

truck/ bus stops, convenience stores or cheap street fare . The tour escort was perfunctory - she did not offer insights into culture , social life or history. She “ clocked off” by 5.30 pm each evening and did not resurface until a few minutes before departure the following day. Particpants were left in the hotel with nowhere to go as hotels were normally located in out of the way locations - truly miserable. A whole day was wasted at an ‘ indigenous’ community - dirty and cold . Another while day was spent at a ‘monastery’ a money making establishment of dubious repute . “Hiking” at sun Moon lake was a short stroll on the boardwalk. We made several time wasting trips back to Taipei - one pax apparently ‘forgot something” ( why not use a DHL courier) and another pax had ongoing health issues . “ The driver was efficient though

I did not experience any of the beautiful nature that apparently exists in Taiwan . Too much time was spent in souvenir shops or convenience shops

. I contacted Intrepid Customer Care and their response was indifferent and did not address my concerns.

I have used this company in the past but will Be loathe to recommend them in the future. Avoid this trip unless you are a first time traveller

Disappointing and questionable hotel cancellation – Incredibly disappointed. I booked an extra night at the hotel the tour starts at. This was booked in August for an end of December tour. Payment was made. Two weeks out, Intrepid now tells me there is no room. I paid, they sat on my money and they now advise 2 weeks out from Christmas.

13 day tour Morocco was amazing! – I have just completed a 13 day intrepid comfort tour of Morocco and it was great. I did this tour with my partner and 10 other people. I found the group consisted of like minded people who have traveled a fair bit before. I picked this tour as it included Chefchaouen the ‘blue city’ and it was probably one of my favorite highlights. I’m surprised… Read more

that it isn’t included in most of the other tours as it is so unique and beautiful. On to Fez but unfortunately we were there on a Friday so most of the markets were closed. We did however visit tanneries and shops selling beautiful scarves etc. I loved the philosophy of intrepid using local guides everywhere we went including Fez. The other thing I also liked was the support of women’s co ops which are also supported by the government to give women in their villages to produce rugs etc so they can earn some much needed money. Our guide during our trip was fabulous. Thank you Hassan and our bus driver Emir also . We encountered flash flooding when leaving the Sahara desert but everything went smoothly and we were able to stay on the road with no problems. Unforgettable experiences with a wonderful group of people made better by our great guide and driver. Not a complaint as such but apart from Marrakesh we didn’t have a whole lot of down time to browse the markets much. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Nightmare Tuscany Rome to Venice tour – On September 5th-12th of this year, I had the unfortunate experience of going on intrepid's "premium Tuscany Rome to Venice tour". To begin, it states directly on the website "our best accommodation and the highest level of service" with "premium knowledge " Let me assure you that this is completely untrue. The accommodations at each and every… Read more

place from Rome to Venice was substandard and disappointing to say the least. I would have been better off staying in a hostel as these hotels are about the equivalent to that. They were tacky, far from any tourist attractions, and in bad need of updating. Truth be told, I have stayed in nicer hostels within Europe.

The transportation offered between cities was inadequate and was unable to accommodate all of our luggage safely, with bags and suitcases being piled on seats. I had to do my fair share of arranging my own transportation including my initial ride from the airport (which was supposed to be included) at my own expense. My favorite though, was each of us having to haul our luggage on a 20 minute hike through the streets of Venice from the water taxi to the hotel, while other people seemed to have porters that met them.

The lack of communication and support for arranging extra bookings/attractions that was supposed to make things seamless and stress free was simply not there. It grew exhausting continually trying to find out basic information of simply the time and where to meet daily from the tour leader who failed to provide an on site itinerary.

This is the short version of a long laundry list of complaints and short comings that this trip offered. After writing the tour company ( all 12 of us on the tour did complain), their response was to offer me a 15% discount off the next tour that I book with them (like that will ever happen), as well as 10% of the total cost I paid for the tour. This is poor customer relations at its finest. My airline offered me 50% of my ticket price because of a delayed flight enroute to this farce of a trip.

This tour is not worth the price they are charging. Do yourself a favor and call a travel agent to book yourself so you know exactly what you are getting, and to not be disappointed which is exactly what this tour company is. There is no high quality, no high standards and zero exclusivity that they claim to offer and absolutely zero accountability to make things right after a week of second rate hotels, transports, and service. Disappointing from start to finish. Zero stars, do not recommend.

Disappointing 'India Highlights' Tour with Intrepid: Poor Organisation and Accommodation – My partner and I, both in our 30s, travelled with Intrepid to India on a tour called “India Highlights” at the end of November. This comfort-category trip took us through New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi in a small group of seven people of various ages. Unfortunately, we were greatly disappointed with the organisation and accommodations of… Read more

the trip. In this review, I will only talk about the travel experience, not about the country itself.

We chose this travel package for its promised comfort, as advertised on the website: “an added degree of comfort, more private transport, a more relaxed travel pace, nicer accommodations, more included meals, more leader-led activities, and a greater immersion in local culture.”

Regarding the accommodations, we didn't expect luxury or even a hot shower every day while travelling in India, but a small, clean room to relax in after a day of travelling. The names of the accommodations were provided to us on the first day, and the hotels booked by Intrepid appeared nice and well-maintained in online pictures. However, our experience quickly revealed that the hotel and accommodation situation was the most stressful and frustrating part of our journey. Hygiene and cleanliness were notably lacking in most accommodations. What we initially thought was wear and tear, turned out to be easily cleanable with a wet wipe. We encountered dirty bedsheets, hair in the bed, broken showers, centimetres of dust, thick and sticky dirt on light switches and door handles, wet toilet paper, and exposed wires. In Varanasi, we requested a bedsheet change after finding fresh bloodstains on the duvet cover and pillows. I attached some photos from our Varanasi room.

Our guide tried to make our stay comfortable and dealt with some of the hotel staff and management. However, when we requested basic items like toilet paper, towels, or extra keys for twin rooms, or pointed out dirty bedsheets, the hotel staff often ignored our first request and sometimes showed annoyance. We frequently had to raise our (us or the leader) voice to get any action from the hotel staff.

When we sent laundry for washing, the clothes returned with the same smell and stains, merely folded. We received them five hours late, just before an early morning start, and were too exhausted to complain after the ongoing dramas.

It's worth noting that after the tour, we extended our stay in India for a friend's wedding and found a cleaner, cheaper 2-star hotel with very helpful staff. This proved that one does not need to stay in a palace to receive clean bedding in India and it is possible to truly make this trip comfortable.

Out of curiosity, we compared the prices of the individual hotels and realised we could have booked better-reviewed hotels at similar prices in comparable locations. The only plausible explanation for our subpar accommodations and the staff's rude behaviour seems to be possible kickbacks or corruption involving Intrepid.

Consequently, we decided to leave the tour early as soon as we got back to Delhi and booked our own hotel.

Regarding the timeline and organisation, we understand that traffic in India can complicate planning, leading to delays. However, on a 9-day trip, spending a full day in airports due to an 8-hour journey with a long layover and an early wake-up for a flight from Jaipur to Varanasi via Delhi is unacceptable. Changing the order of cities visited could have reduced this to just a one-hour flight. Additionally, some of the shops and places recommended by Intrepid seemed to be part of a kickback arrangement. While understanding this as part of the local culture and travel organisation, the sales tactics often started with "no obligation to buy" but quickly became pushy, with statements like “it is to feed a family/village” or “you should buy this one.” On one occasion, a salesperson even waited for me outside the restroom.

I have contacted Intrepid twice before posting this comment, adding some photos of the blood and dirtiness of our accommodation, but have received no response. While I initially thought the issues we encountered were linked to the Indian branch of Intrepid, the lack of response makes me think the problem might be occurring at an organisational level.

INTREPID KUMANO KODO TRECK – INTREPID KUMANO KODO TRECK I feel a great weight of responsibility in giving this review. We have been reminded a number of times of the impact any negativity has on the leader. I must say that I'm deeply concerned this is an Intrepid business strategy in the company avoiding any negative reviews. I can't seem to do a Google review and Facebook… Read more

reviews are all about crypto. Odd! The company questionnaire doesn't ask good questions...

The kodo walk is beautiful, challenging and enlightening... a must do for any hiking enthusiast. The area is stooped in so much history you feel a sense of wonder at every stop. We loved it. The experience is enchanting, etherial, fun and hard work; you'll be tired (note: some of the distances listed did not match our calculations). Take good boots, maybe poles, and watch your feet as the path is often uneven with plenty of stairs.

Our monk guide Kento was fun, engaging and had so much energy plus an ability to enjoy every moment. The people in our group were fantastic! We were so very fortunate! The transport was largely public transport which was clean, efficient and always on time (its worth noting you may often need to stand on local transport, this is tougher after a long walk) The accommodation 'situation' was not well communicated, & very mixed; from filthy with stained sheets right through to very clean and tidy. Note - Always single beds (many requested double to no avail), largely on the floor (hard surfaces really challenged some and meant for an exchange of painkillers and sleeping tablets). Food was outstanding (even at the worst accommodation), importantly about half the meals were included; note that many were kneeling tables where you sit on the floor, which I found challenging ( ask for an extra pillow) The onsen was not well explained but was managed well in terms of privacy by the women, who developed a schedule. (All traditional accommodation had a shared onsen bathroom, two locations in particular had a very small space, one facility had only one shower/tap with a bucket & stool, so many of us skipped a wash at Yunomine and Koyasan) Time management was average, we went to Nishi market when it was shut, we arrived late some days and missed the fish market (dissapointing!), had some very late meals (some not adequately booked, others we were unsure who was paying) and the buses had finished by the time some people finished the hike (hence needed a cab home). I suggest scheduling each day should be based around your slowest walker and purchases of water and snacks be done the day before. For the cost of the tour (land component was $1200 per day for a couple plus the need to pay for many meals) I suspect there is much better value available DIY or elsewhere. The hotels were circa $70-$200 if you booked online yourself. I suggest this link might offer much better self guided options and allow you to travel at your pace: Walkjapan.com Seems to be about half the price (maybe stay twice as long )