Top Culture Trips for Testing Your Survival Skills
Content and CRM Executive
Lace up your hiking boots, hit the book button and find out what you’re made of on these adventurous small-group Culture Trips.
How well can you hold your own in the wild? Whether it’s camping out in jungles and deserts, mastering the culinary potential of local ingredients or traversing harsh and inhospitable landscapes, these Culture Trip adventures will put your survival skills to the test.
Adventurous Ecuador
Ecuador has just about every kind of landscape imaginable, from towering mountains and snow-capped volcanoes to the thick tropical shrubbery of the Amazon rainforest. You’ll learn to face all of these elements on our eight-day loop trip, starting and ending in Quito. You’ll also learn just about every method of getting across these ever-changing landscapes, from tackling Cotopaxi National Park on horseback and cycling through the stunning Baños Waterfall Route, to crashing down Jatunyacu River on a whitewater raft and trekking through the Amazon rainforest. On our last full day you’ll even get expert guidance on how essential oils are extracted from Amazonian plants to create medicine.
From US$1459
Next available from 9th Dec 2023
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Quito, Ecuador
ENDS AT
Quito, Ecuador
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Immersive Kenya
If you really want to pick up some survival skills, you’re best off learning from the people who’ve been living it for centuries. The Maasai tribes of East Africa have made the savannah home for generations, with many villages still to this day remaining largely separate from modern civilisation. Our eight-day Kenya trip takes you right to the heart of the Maasai Mara, where you’ll get to spend an entire day at a rural Maasai village. Learn about their farming methods, beadwork skills and cooking practices, as well as observing the incredible Maasai warrior dance. It might be worth asking them for a few tips on tracking down lions, too, since we’ll be embarking on a full day safari in the morning.
From US$2811
Next available from 11th Feb 2024
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Nairobi, Kenya
ENDS AT
Nairobi, Kenya
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Discover Jordan
You could argue that the true test for any survivalist is making it out in the desert. Follow in the adventurous footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia and join our eight-day epic traversing the unique landscapes of Jordan’s extraordinary landscape. We’ll start easy with a street food and wine extravaganza in Amman, before picking up some crucial desert cooking skills with an authentic masterclass at a local family’s home. Test your heat-durability as we hike through the stunning remains of the ancient city of Petra, before heading out to Wadi Rum, where much of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was actually filmed. This is the real outback of Jordan, with vast stretches of desert interrupted only by giant red-rock structures. It’s a truly cinematic part of the world, which we’ll explore via 4×4, before settling down for the evening at a desert campsite. Having gotten a glimpse into the Bedouin way of life, we’ll cool off in the Red Sea, before ending the trip in the surreal surrounds of the Dead Sea.
From US$2379
Next available from 6th Jan 2024
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Amman, Jordan
ENDS AT
Amman, Jordan
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Volcanic Iceland
If the deserts of Jordan froze over, it would probably look a little bit like Iceland. This equally cinematic landscape, marked by giant volcanoes, vast icy glaciers and unique rock formations, takes a bit of can-do attitude to tackle. Our five-day trip allows you to experience first-hand how the locals do it, from the way they bake bread using geothermal heat, to the unique local delicacies that give you the energy needed to cross glaciers. That’s exactly what you’ll do, too, crossing one glacier on foot across a three-hour hike, and another using a rather more thrilling method of transport – snowmobiles. You’ll also walk behind thundering waterfalls, hike across the at-times treacherous Reynisfjara beach and get up close to the most spectacular sights of the Golden Circle. In this part of the world your hard work is rewarded with three things; Icelandic beer, natural hot springs soaks and, with a bit of luck, the awe-inspiring sight of the Northern Lights.
From US$2369
Next available from 21st Oct 2023
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Reykjavik, Iceland
ENDS AT
Reykjavik, Iceland
DURATION
5
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Incredible Thailand and Laos by Train
You might have the comfort of train rides to take you from A to B on this two-week epic across Southeast Asia, but we’ll have to get creative to get through some of Thailand and Laos’ trickier terrains. Before the outdoor action really gets going we’ll learn all about regional cuisine with a Thai cooking masterclass. Then it’s out into the jungles of Northern Thailand, where we’ll learn how to bamboo raft down Wang River, before settling for the evening at a jungle campsite, where a barbecue under the stars awaits. Across the border in Laos we’ll journey into the heart of darkness with a river cruise down the Mekong, stopping off at rural villages to learn about their communities and, most importantly, their rice whisky-making techniques. Having trekked through rainforest and kayaked along the Nam Song River, we’ll return to the comfort of train travel for an overnight journey back to Bangkok.
From US$1957
Next available from 2nd Dec 2023
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
ENDS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
DURATION
14
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Additional reporting was contributed by Louis Rabinowitz and Nick Dauk.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!
Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.
KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
Read Next
Guides & Tips
CULTURE TRIP SALE: Wind Down 2023 With a Soul-Soothing Wellness Escape
Guides & Tips
CULTURE TRIP SALE: Treat Yourself to Some Winter Sun Before 2023 is Over
Guides & Tips
The Best Food Tours in East Asia
Guides & Tips
The Best Private Trips to Book in Asia
Guides & Tips
The Best Private Trips to Book in the Middle East
Guides & Tips
The Best Private Trips to Book in Southeast Asia
Guides & Tips
The Best Private Trips to Book in East Asia
Guides & Tips
The Best Rail Trips to Take in Asia
Guides & Tips
Visit the Most Highly-Populated Cities in the World with Culture Trip
Guides & Tips
The Best Trips and Tours in East Asia
Guides & Tips
Where to visit in February 2024
See & Do
The Best Places to Visit in November
