WHY IT RATES: This incredibly special one-off expedition will allow 12 travelers to go on an 18-day journey from Tehran to Istanbul, a route that has not been traveled before by Intrepid.-Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.
Adventure tour operator Intrepid Travel has officially opened applications for its one-off 'Uncharted Expedition' that will see 12 travelers take on a 2,200 mile trip across three borders and four countries into the unknown.
The 18-day trip travels a route from Tehran to Istanbul that the world's largest adventure company has not traversed before.
"We have seen an appetite from travelers to be completely surprised. They put their faith in Intrepid delivering the best travel experience, as everything is an unknown on these trips, aside from adventure," Intrepid Travel co-founder Darrell Wade said.
This follows on from the success of the inaugural Uncharted Expedition launched last year from Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia which sold out within 36 hours, despite offering no itinerary to travelers until the day of arrival.
Wade said the 'mystery' trip harks back to the early days of Intrepid Travel where classified ads offered no details, just a call to explore a destination.
"This is our way of returning to the roots of travel, and how our company began 30 years ago, by being on the frontier of destinations and experiences. Some of the best travel experiences are unplanned. In this case, all the planning has been done by our expert team," Wade said.
The 2020 Uncharted Expedition doesn't give too much away, but one day you could be exploring a 3,000-year old village, the next day learning an ancient language that doesn't involve speech.
"Travelers have the rare chance to abandon expectations. While we can't tell you where you're going, we can tell you that it will be eye-opening. You'll sleep in factories and rock caves, and eat boiled cow hoof soup," Wade said.
"You will bear witness to spiritual, archaeological, religious and political history. Humanity will come to light in a way you'd never expect," Wade added.
Given the success of the inaugural Uncharted Expedition last year, the application window will be open for four weeks so that every traveler can apply to have this one-off experience.
Travelers can register their contact details from today until July 9, 2019, with travelers randomly selected and notified by email in the second week of July.
The expedition will depart April 2020 and is part of Intrepid's Expeditions range, a style of trips that the adventure travel company still uses to discover new destinations and test new trip ideas.
Travelers on the expedition will be asked to provide feedback, which will determine if the trip is added to Intrepid's 2021 Expeditions offering.
The 18-day trip has been secretly planned with the guidance and expert knowledge of Intrepid's destination managers.
Intrepid's Uncharted Expedition is priced at $3,740 per person, excluding flights. Spaces are strictly limited to one departure only. To register your interest in the trip, visit: https://uncharted.intrepidtravel.com/
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
