“Partnering with the right tour company, the world becomes much more accessible and open.”

Traveling with a tour company comes with many benefits: structure, guidance, assistance with planning and logistics. But essentially, tour companies bring a curated, expert eye to travel plans. Using an on-the-ground network of connections, they can open doors locked to solo travelers, offer overlooked experiences, or package complex expeditions to remote or challenging locales. Think swapping hotels for homestays, as Lokal Travel does, or discovering the next big “it place” to travel to with Wild Frontiers. 

Partnering with the right tour company, the world becomes that much more accessible. These top tour companies do just that.

Much Better Adventures

Best for: Lower-carbon small-group adventure travel

Much Better Adventures runs outdoor trips in far-flung places, with more than 250 adventures listed across its site. Travelers can book routes such as the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu or island hopping in the Galápagos. Other itineraries include the Ultimate Costa Rica Adventure in a Week, hiking in the Canadian Rockies, and canoeing in the Yukon Wilderness. Much Better Adventures also publishes carbon estimates for its trips, with notes on what each figure includes.

Far & Wild Travel

Best for: Low-impact journeys to remote regions

Far & Wild designs tailor-made holidays with a focus on safari, wildlife, and remote landscapes. Travelers can book Alaska bear-viewing trips or a Colombia trek that leads to the Lost City of the Tayrona people. It also offers a Victoria Falls marathon trip connected to Play It Forward, a charity working with children in Zambia. Far & Wild uses its CarbonScored system to estimate the footprint of its experiences during the quote process.

Lokal Travel

Best for: Community-owned travel led by local guides

Lokal Travel creates community-based trips with local guides, homestays, and independently owned lodges. In Costa Rica, travelers can book a Bribri culture experience in Yorkin or a longer route through rural communities, volcanoes, and rainforest. Beyond Costa Rica, Lokal offers Guatemala trips that pair Mayan cultural experiences with places such as El Mirador and Lake Atitlán. The model keeps more travel spending with local hosts, guides, and community tourism providers.

Few & Far

Best for: Nature-based travel funding ecosystem restoration

Few & Far creates luxury wilderness trips and eco-hospitality experiences with a focus on wild landscapes. Travelers can book a Rwanda and Kenya trip that pairs gorilla trekking with a Masai Mara safari. In South Africa, its Luvhondo lodge offers safari experiences in the Soutpansberg mountains, with conservation and community work built into the property. The company links its ethical travel model to the restoration, rewilding, and protection of natural places. 

Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel

Best for: Pioneering travel in lesser-visited destinations

Wild Frontiers has long worked in emerging and lesser-visited destinations, partnering closely with local guides and operators to bring economic benefits to communities often overlooked by mainstream tourism. For example, a visit to Georgia includes Tbilisi, Tusheti, and visits to social enterprise projects such as Nukriani Workshops. In Peru, one route pairs the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu with community visits near Cusco and Lake Titicaca. In Sri Lanka, travelers stay in a mix of eco-resorts, hotels, and family homes.