Celebrating 40 years of Adventure Travel
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THE PIONEER COLLECTION. IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Pioneer adventures are limited one-off expedition style holidays, for adventurers who seek the extraordinary and are ready to do anything to find it. Nothing is too rough, rugged or extreme for Pioneer trips, nor too bold and ambitious. We can promise you that they’ll be worth every minute.
These unique trips combine the thrill of exploration with the spirit of adventure, promising unforgettable memories. They allow travellers to immerse themselves in extraordinary experiences and new frontiers. Each unique trip is crafted by our highly experienced team here at KE, along with our local guides.
Don’t miss out on your chance to claim a place on Pioneer trips – adventures so unique, you probably didn’t know they existed.
Some photos within this brochure are examples of the spirit of Pioneering adventures due to the fact that these are brand new, unchartered adventures.
keadventure.com/pioneer
All prices are correct at time of press. All prices are land-only.
KE Founders Tim and Glenn, in Pakistan in the late 80’s.
YOUR EXCLUSIVE INVITATION TO JOIN PIONEER
As a valued KE Adventure traveller, we’re offering you a sneak peak into our new range of Pioneer adventures before they are released to the public on Friday 20th September. Simply visit our website and head to keadventure.com/pioneer and select the trip you are interested in. You will need to enter the password and then you will be able to view the full details of your chosen adventure.
Password: PIONEER
Chortens (Buddhist shrines) and prayer flags at the Khardung La, Ladakh, India.
A journey into Tasmania’s pristine heart, combining the thrill of white water with the serenity of remote, awe-inspiring landscapes .
Tasmania: Wilderness & Franklin River Rafting
EXPLORE UNTAMED RIVERS
River rafting in Tasmania offers an exhilarating adventure through some of the island’s most pristine and wild landscapes. The Franklin River, with its challenging rapids and stunning gorges, is a untamed destination.
GROUP SIZE: 6-12
GRADE: 6
THE DATES: 11 MARCH 2025 & 18 NOV 2025
DAYS: 16
PRICE: £5,695
keadventure.com/pioneer
This unique holiday offers an unforgettable journey through Tasmania’s pristine South West Wilderness, featuring a 9-day river rafting expedition on the remote and wild Franklin River. Regarded by many as one of the world’s greatest rafting experiences, this adventure allows you to navigate one of the last great wild rivers, flowing through gorges, rainforest and mountains. Guided by the experts who first pioneered this adventure back in 1978, you will observe the river’s ever-changing mood as it shifts from exhilarating white water rapids to stretches of tranquillity. Wild camping in remote locations along the river, you can reconnect with nature far from civilisation. This adventure also hikes to the summit of Cradle Mountain which is rich in biodiversity and home to species like the Tasmanian devil, wombat and echidna, as well as unique plant life such as the ancient King Billy Pine. This exclusive trip promises thrilling rapids, breathtaking landscapes and a true wilderness experience.
DRIVE BEYOND BOUNDARIES
Join this unique, epic four week overland journey across five countries, from the magnificent sand forms of the Namib Desert in the west, to the bright azure blue waters of the Indian Ocean in the east.
Ultimate Overland: Coast to Coast Southern Africa
Overlanding is about embracing the freedom of exploration. Its focus is the experience of the journey itself and not just the destination.
GROUP SIZE: 8-12
GRADE: 1 - OVERLANDING
THE DATE: 06 NOV 2025
DAYS: 27
PRICE: £4,995 keadventure.com/pioneer
Take in diverse landscapes and wildlife experiences that make this corner of Africa the wildest and most magnificent. From ocean to ocean the journey follows in the footsteps of the San people, caretakers of this land for thousands of years. The trip travels through the key national parks and nature reserves of this wild belt, home to some of the rarest and most elusive creatures left on the planet; including painted dogs, black, and white rhinos, as well as the more common but equally magnificent lions, leopards, giraffes and elephants that call this wilderness home. Fall asleep at night to the sounds of lions roaring and take a moment to reflect on the cave paintings of the San people in the Matopos. Their drawings, which are thousands of years old, depict animals that still inhabit the primordial landscape. This pioneering trip is the only itinerary of its kind to offer so many wildlife, landscape and cultural highlights in one epic, four-week long package.
Nepal: Panch Pokhari and Jugal Himal Base Camp Trek
PATHS LESS TRAVELLED
Hiding in plain sight (its peaks visible from Kathmandu), the Jugal Himal has somehow remained off the radar of the world’s trekkers. Rugged terrain and little-used trails guard the special ‘mountain sanctuary’ at the heart of the range.
A mouth-watering prospect for Himalayan afficianados!
views
Distant
of the Jugal Himal Mountain range
Accessible by road, the Jugal Himal is one of the least well -known mountain regions in Nepal. The Guru Rinpoche is reputed to have spent time here in the 8th Century and in 1955 three members of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club made one of the first forays onto the Jugal Glacier beneath what they described as ‘a magnificent horseshoe of peaks.’
North east of Kathmandu, between Langtang and the Tibetan Border, the Jugal Himal is an accessible yet surprisingly overlooked group of mountains. Reached by road through Melamchi Bazaar, most trekkers and Hindu pilgrims get no further than the group of five picturesque holy lakes at Panch Pokhari (4,055m) from where the principal Jugal peaks; Dorje Lakpa (6,966m), Madiya (6,257m), Jugal Yangri (6,535m) and Phurbi Chhyachu (6,637m), can be glimpsed from afar. Leaving the lakes behind, rarely travelled trails take you through the ‘Shangri-La’ valley of Ne-Pemachhal and onwards to the base camp at Yang Kharkha (4,700m) alongside the Jugal Glacier. Spending a day in this spectacular location gives you the chance to explore and hike up to a high viewpoint for the best possible perspective on the encircling snow-clad giant peaks of Jugal. With very few visitors, cascading streams, mature forest, sacred caves, hidden shrines and soaring peaks, this region has many of the elements that we look for in our Pioneer trips.
GROUP SIZE: : 4-14
GRADE: 8
THE DATE: 02 NOV 2025
DAYS: 16
PRICE: £2,995
keadventure.com/pioneer
A snow-covered Jugal Base Camp in spring
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Kayaking in the Arctic is not just a journey through ice and water - it’s a journey into one of the planet’s most extraordinary and remote regions.
This hands-on expedition explores the Isfjorden area of Svalbard by sea kayak and on foot. Most of your time will be spent on the water with a few gentle paced walks, exploring the bays of Ymerbukta and Tryghamna; arguably the most beautiful sites of the Isfjord. Bearded seals rest on the ice, as well as thousands of birds including terns, gulls, puffins and guillemots, offering plenty of opportunity for wildlife photography and observation. The impressive Esmark glacier with a 30m ice wall provides a blanketed backdrop like no other as you paddle along between the floating ice in silence. From time to time, part of the glacier collapses into the sea in an impressive crash; witnessing this from a safe distance in our kayaks is a perspective that few have the privilege to experience. A truly unique kayaking and walking adventure in this remote archipelago.
GROUP SIZE: 5-12
GRADE: 5
THE DATE: 13 JULY 2025
DAYS: 10
PRICE: £2,425
keadventure.com/pioneer
PADDLE THROUGH A WORLD OF ICE AND WONDER
The Arctic is one of the last remaining untouched wildernesses on the planet. Kayaking through its waters offers a sense of solitude and connection with nature that’s hard to find elsewhere.
Svalbard Sea Kayak and Hike Expedition
The latest in a 40-year-long series of exciting KE trek and climb adventures in this stark, rugged and beautiful corner of the Indian Himalaya.
India: Tsomothang – a 6,000m Peak in Ladakh
STEP INTO THE CLOUDS
Often referred to as ‘Little Tibet’, Ladakh is high and wild territory, dotted with 6,000m peaks and crossed by ancient trading and shepherding trails that link together the network of valleys across 5,000m passes. Tsomothang (6,050m) is a new mountaineering objective and the perfect Pioneer adventure.
GROUP SIZE: : 4-14
GRADE: 9
THE DATE: 03 AUG 2025
DAYS: 16
PRICE: £2,345 keadventure.com/pioneer
Eighty kilometres west of the Ladakhi capital of Leh, and close to the northern end of the Trans-Zanskar Trek, the snow -capped 6,050m high peak of Tsomothang rises above the glacier of the same name. This rarely climbed and technically undemanding mountain provides an excellent challenge for any keen trekker or aspiring mountaineer to tick off a 6,000m Himalayan peak. Views from the summit extend westwards to the twin 7,000m peaks of Nun and Kun and northwards to the mighty peaks of the Karakoram, including K2. The itinerary incorporates several days of acclimatising amongst the colourful Buddhist monasteries of the upper valley of the Indus River, followed by a week of trekking on scant trails, where the only living things you are likely to meet are nomadic shepherds and their livestock, marmots, ibex, blue-sheep and the ever-impressive lammergeier.
Tsomothang – the dome on the right peeking through cloud
Agra, Varanasi and the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
Join in the celebrations of the Kumbh Mela in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj. This remarkable event only takes place every 12 years and is the biggest and most colourful religious gathering on Earth.
Seek a complete sensory immersion into the fascinating cultural and religious melting pot that is northern India and visit some of the most sacred sites of Hindu and Muslim faith.
GROUP SIZE: 4-12
GRADE: 1
THE DATE: 08 JAN 2025
DAYS: 13
PRICE: £2,795
keadventure.com/pioneer
The Maha Kumbh Mela, celebrated every twelve years in the north Indian city of Prayagraj is the biggest and most colourful religious gathering on Earth with millions of Hindu pilgrims expected to attend the event in January 2025. Arguably the ‘greatest show on Earth’, this one -off pioneer adventure spends 3 nights and 2 full days amongst the sideshows, fairs, street vendors, storytellers, pilgrims and posturing holy men - followers of a bewildering array of Hindu deities. For the brave, there’s also the option to take a ritual dip in the Ganges, which devout Hindus believe erases the sins of a lifetime. As well as visiting the amazing Kumbh Mela, this special two week discovery tour also includes visits to some of the most sacred sites of India. Experience the temples and bazaars of Delhi, Varanasi’s atmospheric evening aarti ceremony, Lucknow, with its Muslim gardens and monuments and Agra and the incomparable and magical Taj Mahal.
