More purpose. More innovation. More unforgettable moments. Here’s how Intrepid evolved in 2025 – and what it means for your next adventure.
Intrepid’s latest Integrated Annual Report just dropped. Because keeping things real and transparent is one of the ways we hold ourselves to account. There’s a lot to digest, so we’ve dug through the details to bring you five key ways we – and you – are giving back, making a positive impact and, ultimately, changing the way we all see the world.
1. Evolving our approach to climate action
Intrepid has never been afraid to point out the elephant in the room. Like when we took an industry-leading stance against elephant riding back in 2014. And while we have a long history of taking action on the climate crisis, through carbon offsetting and participation in the Science Based Targets Initiative, it’s time to look another elephant – let’s call him Jumbo – directly in the eye.
We know it; you know it. The uncomfortable truth is that we create demand for air travel, which our travellers book to and from our trips. We’ve never been required to report on the impact of these flights, but we believe they should be considered when we’re measuring the footprint of our adventures.
So, in 2025, we reset our climate action plan. We’ve stepped away from carbon offsetting and the Science Based Targets initiative. Instead, we’ve adopted a new lifecycle emissions reduction target, which includes Intrepid traveller flights to and from their trips, and will invest in a new AUD 2 million Climate Impact Fund. This will allow us to focus on investing in projects that actively cut emissions from our supply chain – turning ambition into real-world action. You’ll see this show up on our trips, too – whether you’re zipping around Nepal in an electric minivan or spending the night at solar-powered Daintree Ecolodge as it transitions to 100% renewable energy.
2. Giving more than ever before
Intrepid travellers are changemakers. More than 9700 of you chose to give back to the destinations you visited in 2025 through donations to The Intrepid Foundation. The foundation had a record year, smashing its fundraising goal of AUD 3 million by AUD 600,000, welcoming six new partners and disbursing AUD 3.4 million across 45 countries to 58 worthy causes.
From enhancing lifesaving healthcare in rural Colombia and empowering kids in Thailand to take action on climate change to protecting native birds in New Zealand and much more – together, we’re making real progress towards protecting nature, addressing inequality and empowering communities across the globe.
Read the full Intrepid Foundation Impact Report
3. Reaching more Intrepid people
Once you’ve experienced a small-group adventure with Intrepid, it can feel like you’ve found the key to unlocking trips that are simultaneously stress-free, soul-nourishing and infused with cross-cultural connections. For decades we’ve been taking those in-the-know all around the world, on a mission to create positive change through the joy of travel.
But if we really want to move the dial on that mission, we need to reach even more Intrepid people – the ones who have yet to discover our style of adventure. To help us do that, we painted the town Intrepid red (again) with our latest Only Intrepid campaign, lighting up billboards across London, Melbourne, Auckland and beyond, and hit screens worldwide with our first global TV ad – all in the name of getting more likeminded people to try our small-group trips.
4. Strengthening ties with local communities
Our trips are as much about who you meet as where you go. Intrepid travellers want authentic interactions with the communities and cultures they’re experiencing – and we’re constantly looking for new ways to make that happen in a way that’s beneficial for everyone.
In 2025 we introduced 50 new community-led experiences to our trips, many of which are led by women and Indigenous peoples – think meeting a host mother at a family homestay in Phiring Village, South Africa, or hearing tales of the land from a Wiwa elder on a trek to the lost city of Colombia.
Sometimes, where we choose not to operate can be just as important as where we do. In parts of northern Tanzania, the displacement of Indigenous Maasai communities from their ancestral lands in the name of tourism and conservation has raised serious human rights and cultural heritage concerns. We consulted community-led organisations to better understand the potential impact of tourism there – and under their guidance, chose not to run trips in the affected district. Instead, we’re enabling Intrepid travellers to engage respectfully with Maasai culture, through locally owned and community-run experiences in areas where participation delivers direct benefit to communities.
5. Expanding experiences in nature
Sometimes, you just need to touch grass. In 2025, we connected travellers with nature in new ways, launching almost 100 new wildlife and nature-based experiences. Think hiking to glaciers in Greenland, croc-spotting on a pirogue (canoe) in Benin and planting grass for pygmy elephants in Borneo – fresh-air-filled, perspective-shifting stuff.
And when the US National Park Service faced more than USD 1 billion in cuts, placing 75% of America’s protected lands and more than 1500 jobs at risk, we took a stand. We launched Active-ism – a limited-edition series of trips in US national parks hosted by leading US environmentalists such as Leah Thomas and Pattie Gonia, with a focus on equipping travellers with the know-how they need to act when it comes to climate justice, civic engagement and practical ways to protect public lands. It was such a hit, we’re doing it again in 2026.
Read the full Intregrated Annual Report to learn more about Intrepid’s financial, environmental and social performance in 2025.
