Pioneer - Adventures you never knew existed

PIONEER

ADVENTURES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED keadventure.com/pioneer

Pioneer adventures are exclusive one-off expedition style holidays, for adventurers who seek the extraordinary and are ready to do anything to find it. Nothing is too rough and rugged or extreme for Pioneer trips, or 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.

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All prices are correct at time of press. All prices are land-only.

Pioneering trekking through the jungle

THE PIONEER COLLECTION. IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE.

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 6th October. 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

Mt. Giluwe and surrounding hills in Papua New Guinea during sunrise

A journey of discovery combined with remote trekking through this emerging destination. Explore this fascinating land of breathtaking mountains, idyllic islands and wild chimpanzees.

EXPLORE THE UNEXPLORED

Sierra Leone has everything that the adventure traveller needs. Empty palm-fringed beaches, rainforest jungles abundant with unique wildlife, warm welcoming people and a fascinating heritage. Its troubled history means that few visitors have made it there but it is a country ripe for exploration and has been peaceful for over 20 years.

GROUP SIZE: 4-16

GRADE: 4

THE DATE: 29 NOV 2024

DAYS: 14

PRICE: £3,695

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This is a unique opportunity to visit and explore this once unsettled destination. Sierra Leone is a country that is fast re-establishing itself as a tourist destination and this one-off mixed discovery and walking adventure, combines all the best bits. The trekking is remote, taking you to the heights of Mount Bintumani, the highest point in West Africa (1,945m) where you’ll camp overnight in a remote and little trekked area. You’ll also climb Sugar Loaf mountain which overlooks the capital city of Freetown, as well as Albitaya, a peak in the Wara Wara mountains. This trip immerses you into the local culture. You’ll meet the villagers and chiefs at Rogbonko village, visit the chimpanzees at Tacagama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and uncover Sierra Leone’s fascinating history with visits to the once fortified British slave islands of Bunce and Tasso. No-one else offers a trip like this to Sierra Leone, it’s exclusive and a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Ultimate Sierra Leone

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Agra, Varanasi and the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj

There are plenty of cultural aspects to adventures in India, so step it up a notch and include the Kumbh Mela, one of the greatest shows on Earth, celebrating with millions of Hindu pilgrims.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated every twelve years in the north Indian city of Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad). Timed according to the relative astrological positions of Jupiter, the sun and the moon, the festival is marked for many by a ritual dip in the waters at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati rivers. The devout believe that bathing in this place and at this time cleanses them of their sins. This sensational holiday includes 3 nights and 2 full days at the Kumbh Mela where there are sideshows, fairs, street vendors, storytellers, sadhus and holy men. You will also visit Agra and the Taj Mahal, spend time in Delhi, take the express train to Varanasi and enjoy a day of sightseeing in Lucknow. An unimaginable, fascinating tour that only KE can offer!

GROUP SIZE: 4-12

GRADE: 1

THE DATE: 07 JAN 2025

DAYS: 13

PRICE: £2,795 keadventure.com/pioneer

Kyrgyzstan Ski Nomad

SKI IN UNTOUCHED

TERRITORY

Experience

the true wilderness travelling from yurt to yurt through Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan Mountains on this 15 day ski tour expedition.

GROUP SIZE: 4-8

GRADE: 8

THE DATE: 03 MARCH 2024

DAYS: 15

PRICE: £3,995

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Until now, Krygyzstan’s fledging winter sports industry has been confined to fairly extreme backcountry downhill skiing – aided by helicopters and snow cats taking skiers to the tops of peaks for hair-raising descents. To date a multi-day ski tour linking up these ski and yurt camps has never been attempted as a continuous journey. We have worked closely with local guides and communities to design a route that will be suitable for a wide range of intrepid travellers with basic ski touring experience. Using Karakol ski base for the first few days to acclimatise to the conditions and undergo some basic ski tour training, this trip heads off into the remote and snowy foothills of the Terskey Alatau. Skiing from yurt to yurt, the next 6 days will be spent choosing the most suitable routes over snowy passes and through untouched forest. Conditions and food at the camps will be homely but basic and staying in these traditional nomadic yurts will be an incredible way to experience this wilderness and the old ways of the nomadic people who call these mountains home. During the ski tour, you will have the option of trying out one of the traditional Kyrgyz saunas to warm up after a day in the snow.

A sense of adventure will be needed to discover this lesser developed nation. Remote and wild, it’s the perfect ski tour for a pioneering expedition.

10 p/

Take a journey back in time, climbing the two highest peaks in Papua New Guinea. A remote and wild adventure like no other.

Carefully selected to showcase an exceptional variety of landscapes and environments, this extraordinary pioneering expedition will allow you to conquer the two highest peaks of Papua New Guinea; Mount Wilhelm (4,509m) and Mount Giluwe (4,363m) The latter is one of the Volcanic Seven Summits and the highest volcano on the Australasian continent. Our exclusive trekking route will make you feel as though you are almost cut off from civilisation, although you will of course be in the safe hands of our expert leader. There will be a day spent with the local Melpa people the main tribe residing around the volcano. Here you will be able to experience their fascinating culture and witness their daily way of life, forging a deeper connection with the local community. The Melpa women will present their Sing Sing performance in traditional bilas. This is not just any unique multi-summit trekking expedition, it’s a one-off opportunity to discover the remote side of Papua New Guinea and gain an insight into the local way of life.

GROUP SIZE: 6-12

GRADE: 7

THE DATE: 12 OCT 2024

DAYS: 16

PRICE: £6,995

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TWIN PEAKS AND TRIBAL ENCOUNTERS

Remove yourself from civilisation on this remote and unique expedition, trekking high peaks and volcanoes and immersing yourself into the traditional side of Papua New Guinea.

Mountains and Volcanoes of Papua New Guinea

An exceptional nature photography and wildlife trip to the remote islands of the Falklands, led by an award-winning photographer and wildlife guide, Andrew Pollard.

ADVENTURE THROUGH A LENS

So far off the beaten track you practically have it all to yourself, the Falkland Islands offer a silence only broken by the sounds of the wildlife. It’s nature in the raw and a photographer’s dream.

GROUP SIZE: 4-6

GRADE: 1

THE DATE: 01 FEB 2025

DAYS: 8

PRICE: £3,995

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The Falkland Islands, an archipelago known for its rugged isolation and breathtaking landscapes, beckons the pioneering traveller seeking a truly extraordinary escape. This one-off eight day pioneering adventure to this remote outpost means, that from the moment you set foot on these windswept isles, you’ll be immersed in a world of pristine wilderness and have the chance to witness some of the planet’s most captivating creatures in their natural habitat. An expedition led by award-winning photographer and wildlife guide, Andrew Pollard starts on the island of ‘Stanley’. From here the journey takes you to explore the islands by plane, catamaran and 4x4 jeep, visiting various penguin colonies including the Rockhopper, Magellanic, King and Gentoo penguin. Imagine elephant seals basking in the sunlight and sea lions amongst the tussac grass staring straight into the lens of your camera. This pioneering adventure offers you this and much more.

Falklands Wildlife and Wilderness Adventure

SKATING ON THICK ICE

An exceptional winter journey across the blue ice of Lake Khuvsgul in northern Mongolia, driving your own

husky dog-sled.

Lake Khuvsgul Dog Sled Adventure

By March the vast waters of Lake Khuvsgul, the largest and deepest lake in Mongolia, will freeze, forming miles of thick ice perfect for a husky sledding expedition.

GROUP SIZE: 4

GRADE: 8

THE DATE: 24 FEB & 18 MAR 2024

DAYS: 15

PRICE: £3,995 keadventure.com/pioneer

We’re offering you another chance to join this outstanding unique expedition, driving your own sled across the frozen Lake Khuvsgul in Mongolia. This pioneering adventure was so popular when it was launched, that we have decided to re-run this expedition with two dates in 2024. On this 15-day journey, you’ll enter a bitterly cold wilderness and can expect long freezing days on the ice – but will return with memories of the warmth of Mongolian hospitality. Taking care of your own team of 5-6 Alaskan huskies and Greenland Dogs, this trip makes a complete circuit of the lake known as ‘the blue pearl of Mongolia’. The ice at Khuvsgul is incredibly pure, almost transparent, appearing blue in colour at the lake’s edge, green where the sandy bottom is visible and jet black at its deepest. Camping on the lake-shore, catching fish for dinner and staying in traditional gers (yurts), just adds to the highlights of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

KE Traveller Al Donatio with his dog sled.