About Us
Founded in 2004 Undiscovered Destinations is owned and staffed by people for whom travel is not simply an interesting job, but an all-consuming passion. We believe that travel should not simply be a business, but a way of exploring and understanding the world and the diverse cultures that inhabit our planet.
We take our clients to some of the most interesting and unique regions of the world, areas that as yet have not made their way onto the tourist trail and that still offer something very special to the experienced traveller.
We escape from the crowds into a world where the tourist is not all powerful, where the experiences are truly authentic, and where you have the opportunity to take yourself just that little bit out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in the real nature of a country.
Why Travel With Us?
Guaranteed Group Departures
We know that so many travellers have been let down by travel companies, large and small, who at short notice have cancelled a trip. And we understand just how disappointing this can be. You’ve arranged your time off work, read the guidebook, got your jabs, and you can’t wait to get away. That’s why from 2025 and going forward, we have decided to make each and every one of our small group departures GUARANTEED from the outset. Once you’ve booked and paid, that’s it. Your trip won’t be cancelled by us for any reason (beyond harsh weather or safety issues).
Of course, for many of you, we know the experience of travelling as part of a group of like-minded companions is important. Therefore, we will always be flexible. If you would rather not do a trip because of low numbers do let us know, as we would be happy to move your booking to another date or tour. But do keep in mind that any flights that you have purchased yourself or through Undiscovered Destinations may be restricted or even non-refundable. Please get in touch with the reservations team for more information and advice.
Travelling before 2025? You will still find a great choice of trips, with an increasing number of guaranteed departures. Please contact the reservations team for the latest status for any departures as yet not guaranteed.
UD Explorers - Rewarding Loyalty
UD Explorers is our loyalty scheme for repeat clients. How does it work? We keep it simple. Any client who has done at least one tour with us is entitled to a 5% discount on advertised tour prices, and when applicable, any single supplements.
To ensure you receive your discount please book with us directly by giving our friendly team a call. You can also book online, although please add a note in the ‘Additional Information’ section of the booking process that you wish to take advantage of the discount.
Flights
The prices displayed on our website exclude any international flights except when they form part of the advertised tour itinerary. Being ATOL licenced by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, we can book your air travel as part of a flight inclusive package. Just get in touch for expert advice and a quote from any worldwide airport. Some of our team have worked for leading travel brands, such as Trailfinders, so we have decades of experience in organising complex flight itineraries.
Solo Travellers
We welcome travellers from all over the world. Typically, around 50% of our clients are solo travellers and the majority of them prefer to have their own single room for which a supplement is payable. For those who would rather share with another traveller this will be noted at the time of booking, and we will do our best to find you a roommate. But should this not be possible the applicable single supplement will be payable and for this reason will be routinely added to your invoice at the time of booking.
Our groups are predominantly guided in one language, which is English. Around half of our travellers will be from the UK and the remainder of the group will be from a mix if countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We know that this works well and many of our repeat clients choose to travel with us again because of the international make up of our groups.
Experience
Our office is staffed by experienced travel consultants and every trip we run stems from their first-hand knowledge. When you get in touch you will be dealing with a team of passionate travellers who know the regions we visit and will be able to offer you sound and practical advice.
Customer Service
We pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service from the moment you get in touch, through to the end of your trip. The nature of adventure travel means that on occasions, no matter how much work has gone into the planning of your trip, almost inevitably there could be the odd issue that crops up along the way. Our approach is simple. We will always act promptly to resolve any concerns brought to our attention. This is incredibly important to us and our partners. For this reason, we can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And you can be assured that the matter will be promptly handled by an experienced consultant, with the full authority to get things quickly back on track.
Contacts
We know that the services and experience that we offer on the ground is dependent on our network of local partners. Our overseas colleagues value the close relationship that we have developed over many years, and very importantly they have a thorough understanding of our expectations and those of our travellers.
What We Do?
Our Tours
We offer two types of tours: firstly, our popular small group tours, with select departure dates, a set itinerary, and a maximum group size of twelve people. Secondly, we arrange private tours, often based on the same itineraries as tried and tested for our groups but giving you the flexibility to decide on when you want to travel and the size of your group. Throughout our website we have given some guide prices for private tours based on one or two people travelling and we can arrange tailored trips for larger parties.
Group Sizes
We keep our group sizes small, to lessen any negative impact on local communities, to facilitate better interactions with the people we meet and enable us to stay in the most characterful accommodation. For that reason, our maximum group size is normally twelve. All sorts of people travel on our trips; groups are usually a mix of solos, couples and friends united by an adventurous spirit and a sense of fun. You can call us to learn more about the general make-up of the group already booked on a particular trip (age range, solos vs couples etc.).
Responsible Travel
As many of the destinations and cultures we travel to are largely ‘off the beaten track’ and remain untouched by mainstream tourism, we believe that to travel is a privilege. We want to ensure that future travellers will enjoy the same authentic experience and encounters with the local communities. We know that most of our clients share our ethos and like us, understand the importance of travelling with sensitivity and respect. A successful tour not only delivers a unique and unsurpassable journey for you, but it will also benefit the people whose lands we are privileged to visit.
Transport
For convenience and flexibility, we use mostly private transport for our tours which allows us to make impromptu stops that is difficult or impossible to do when travelling on public transport. Depending on the location and size of the group the default form of road transport tends to be minibuses and with a 16 seat capacity, these offer adequate space for our groups.
Accommodation
Because many of our tours explore less developed regions of the world, accommodation options can be limited and for this reason the majority of our tours are best suited to the adventurous travellers. If the quality of accommodation is of particular importance to you or you are used to staying in higher-end international chain type hotels, please do get in touch with our well-travelled team as we believe it is important that we manage the expectations of our travellers. We will always provide you with a frank and honest assessment, and when appropriate, we may suggest an alternative tour or destination.
Although we are not a luxury travel operator you can look forward to staying in a range of clean and comfortable hotels, which broadly speaking will normally be of a 3 to 4 star standard. With just a few exceptions rooms will have a private en-suite bathroom, and where necessary, because of the climate will be air-conditioned. Often the hotels will have their own restaurant, otherwise, because we use centrally located properties, will be within walking distance of local amenities.
Within our itineraries we have given named hotels, albeit on the proviso that these may be substituted for a property of similar standard. As part of the tour joining information that you will receive from us 2 to 4 weeks before departure, we will provide a finalised itinerary including the names of each hotel. But please keep in mind that on occasions changes can still be made at late notice and potentially after your departure. That is very much the nature of adventure travel.
Tour Guide
Our guides are a key strength, chosen for their knowledge of and passion for the areas in which they work. All of our guides are carefully hand-picked, and are not just passing through these countries, but are usually locally born. Unlike some companies it should be noted we do not send a guide or tour leader from Undiscovered Destinations in the UK as we have every confidence in our local partners who are responsible for operating the tour on our behalf. For some of our multi country tours a different guide will be used in each country.
Booking With Us
How To Book
To book your place, unless advised otherwise, a minimum deposit of £350 per person will be required.
In addition to the tour deposit, if you are booking any flights with us, generally full payment for these will be required at the same time. As the flights will normally be non-changeable and non-refundable, it is essential to have travel insurance in place to cover the risk of cancellation, for example because of illness.
The majority of our small group tours can be booked online, and your payment will be processed via our payment’s processor PayPal. There is no need to hold or to register for a PayPal account and Visa and Mastercard is accepted. Over the phone we accept the same cards, together with American Express.
Once we have received your deposit, we will send you full confirmation of your booking as well as other information which may be appropriate at that time. Upon receipt of the confirmation, we will ask you to review and to accept our booking conditions and to complete our Passenger Information Form. Unless advised otherwise the balance for your tour will then be payable 10 weeks before departure.
Financial Protection
AITO – The Specialist Travel Organisation
Undiscovered Destinations is a proud member of AITO, registered member 5168. AITO (www.aito.com) is the Association for independent and specialist holiday companies. Its member companies, usually owner-managed, strive to create overseas holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality and personal service. Under its Quality Charter the Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating.
Non-Flight Packages
Undiscovered Destinations is a member of the UK’s leading travel trade association, ABTA (www.abta.com) and our membership number is Y6120. All tour packages which do not include international flights from the UK are financially protected through our membership of ABTA. In the event of insolvency ABTA cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled.
Flight Inclusive Packages From The UK
ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s License) bonding gives you peace of mind and full financial protection. ATOL is a scheme for air holidays and flights managed by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that protects you from losing money or being stranded abroad if the tour operator goes out of business. When necessary, the CAA will provide refunds or organise return travel back to the UK.
Flights booked through Undiscovered Destinations are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 7232. For more information, visit the ATOL website (www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection).
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