Former Intrepid boss teams up with doco maker to launch new travel company

Former Intrepid boss teams up with doco maker to launch new travel company
By Alexandra Coulton


While most of the industry is still in a COVID-19 standstill, two friends with a passion for exploration have teamed up to create a new way to see the world.

Sydney-based documentary maker and investigative journalist David Adams and his good friend David Mannix – formerly Intrepid’s boss for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa – have launched a new small-group travel business.

Arcadia Expeditions boasts a speciality in expert-led, small-group historical and cultural journeys, and a commitment to reducing its negative environmental impacts while increasing its positive social and economic impacts.

Adams and Mannix said the guiding principle in the itineraries was to have clients feel that when they are travelling with Arcadia, it’s like they are joining the making of a documentary – without the film crew.

“Like any good documentary, this involves the telling of a story (the theme of the expedition), providing a knowledgeable narrator for that story (Arcadia’s expert expedition leader) and gaining privileged access to people and places not normally available to the public,” they said in a joint statement.

Here’s a taste of the itineraries your clients can expect from Arcadia Expeditions:

Sudan: The Three Niles – This adventure explores the story of the three Niles and the extraordinary cultures and history they gave life to. Led by Adams, the trip visits areas and sites few travellers have seen, including the pyramids of the Black Pharaohs and a six-day cruise along the pristine Red Sea coast.

Turkey: Rumi and the world of Mystical Sufism – In the company of Sufi scholar Seemi Ghazi, this trip journeys into the mysterious realm of mysticism and examines the life and legacy of Rumi, one of the world’s best-known poets.

Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan: Conquest of the Silk Road – Taking in the iconic sites and vivid history of Central Asia, this expedition explores the life and times of the Silk Road’s great conquerors and the worlds they destroyed and created. Led by archaeologist Iain Shearer, this trip crosses remote deserts in 4x4s, camp beside ancient ruins and gain exclusive access to archaeological digs.

India & Pakistan: Kipling & The Raj – This one follows the life and times of Rudyard Kipling on an epic adventure that sweeps across Northern India and Lahore. In the company of acclaimed Kipling biographer Harry Ricketts, guests can immerse themselves in Kipling’s world at the height of the Raj, exploring his life, habits and haunts.

Ethiopia & Kenya: The Cradle Of Humanity – This expedition explores the origins of humankind and begins in the rarely visited Omo River basin, home to 15 nomadic tribes. Under the guidance of safari and tribal expert Charlie McConnell, your client can cross by special permit into Kenya and explore the archaeology and wildlife of Turkana in the footsteps of the Leakey Family.

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