After the first ‘Uncharted Expedition’ mystery trip sold out in a record 16 hours with 1,000 ballot applicants seven years ago, Intrepid Travel has now unveiled a second secret adventure.
Dubbed ‘The Uncharted Expedition‘, the 14-day trip will begin in Harare, Zimbabwe and end in Ilha de Mozambique with everything in between a total mystery for travellers.
The nitty gritty
Running from 12–25 August 2026 and capped at just 21 travellers, Intrepid’s latest mystery trip in Africa will be hosted by an experienced leader for an immersive adventure where the journey is just as memorable as the destination.
Travelling primarily by overland truck and staying in everything from tents to locally owned hotels, mystery trippers will swim in waterfalls, hike mountains and connect with locals as they discover the region’s diverse culture, history and cuisine on the secret itinerary.
Intrepid travellers seek spontaneity
This mystery expedition follows new Intrepid research that highlights increasing demand for this type of travel.
The majority of people (83%) plan flights and accommodation, followed by transport (56%) and tourist attractions (49%).
Fewer prioritise food spots (28%) or a daily itinerary (35%) and 26 per cent use a travel agent, while two per cent don’t plan at all.
Online reviews play a significant role in decision-making (40%), while Google Maps (55%) and TripAdvisor or reviews (44%) are the most relied upon tools while travelling, followed by social media (36%), local word-of-mouth (40%) and travel blogs (23%).
Despite this tendency to plan, Intrepid’s research found that many travellers value spontaneity. While only around one-third (30%) identify as spontaneous travellers, 45 per cent say they’ve discovered something amazing on holiday by accident.
While all the information is at our fingertips, Intrepid’s General Manager of Experiences Erica Kritikides said travellers want to venture into the unknown in search of new and surprising experiences.
“We run trips in over 120 countries and know our travellers always look to us to uncover new and exciting places to travel. This itinerary is intrepid in every sense of the word, and I am confident that this will be our best mystery trip yet,” she said.
The Uncharted concept is inspired by Intrepid Travel’s origins more than 35 years ago, when its Co-Founders placed classified ads inviting intrepid people to join them on research trips to less-visited destinations.
Intrepid Travel launched its first Uncharted Expedition in 2019, taking 34 travellers on two mystery trip departures from Kazakhstan to Mongolia through Russia’s Altai region.
For more info and to enter the ballot, head to intrepidtravel.com
