With more than 300 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 7 according to the activity and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 7 the most difficult—see descriptions at right for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level.
The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions.
The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Examples:
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Examples:
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
Examples:
Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as
Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin,
are Trip Level 3.
Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many hikes. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Examples:
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many hikes. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Examples:
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.
Examples:
