The 2026 Intrepid Travel Not Hot List is out, showcasing 10 lesser-known destinations where travellers can make an oversized positive impact through travel next year and beyond.
It also comes as the company sharpens its storytelling focus on human connection and the experiences travellers can only have with Intrepid through the latest ‘Only Intrepid‘ global brand campaign.
The Intrepid Travel Not Hot List for 2026 builds on the momentum of last year’s list, which saw areas such as Pakistan’s Gilgit Baltistan and Disko Island in Greenland achieve more mainstream recognition and investment.
The B Corp travel company says 80 per cent of travellers visit just 10 per cent of the world’s tourism destinations, and the annual Intrepid Travel Not Hot List shines a light on areas that currently attract relatively few international visitors.
With new investments, experiences and improved infrastructure being introduced or announced this year, these 10 destinations have been selected for the Intrepid Travel Not Hot List and are ready to welcome more visitors in 2026.
On the 2026 Intrepid Travel Not Hot List:
1. Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone welcomed just 60,890 international overnight visitors in 2024, also launching its first-ever 10-year tourism strategy to promote itself as a sustainable travel leader. Tiwai Island, a rare flora and fauna sanctuary, was recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Intrepid travellers will be among the few visitors to explore it on the new eight-day Sierra Leone Adventure: History, Culture & Nature trip.
2. Tien Shan Mountain Range, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s Kyrgyz Nomad Trail in the Tien Shan Mountains has been expanded by 1,000 km to 2,000km for an undiscovered trekking area. Intrepid’s new 10-day Kyrgyzstan: Trekking the Tien Shan Trails trip will follow nomads’ trails, stay in yurts along the way and share meals and stories with families with cultural connections at the core of the experience.
3. Sierra Norte, Mexico
In Mexico’s Oaxaca, Indigenous Zapotec culture is reshaping sustainable tourism, offering travellers insight into ancient traditions through community-led travel. Intrepid’s new five-day trip Hiking in Mexico: Oaxaca’s Indigenous Highlands offers an off-the-grid adventure, venturing to the remote Benito Juarez, La Neveria and Latuvi self-governing Zapotec villages in the Pueblos Mancomunados community.
4. Vis Island, Croatia
One of Croatia’s least-visited islands, serene Vis is an alternative to the tourist crowds in Dubrovnik and Hvar and features new walking and cycling trails and a new museum opening in 2026. Intrepid Travel saw the allure, adding it to the Intrepid Travel Not Hot List. Intrepid travellers can explore Vis on a two-night stay, now added to 2026 departures on the eight-day Explore Croatia trip.
5. Gaziantep, Türkiye
The Southeastern Anatolia region is poised for a tourism revival, thanks to investment in restoration, cultural tourism and sustainable travel. Gazientep, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, has 65 development projects alone. Intrepid’s new 11-day Eastern Turkey Explorer trip shines a light on this little-explored region, visiting Gaziantep, Mardin, Diyarbakır and Mount Nemrut and including food tours.
6. Arunachal Pradesh, India
India’s easternmost and remote state of Arunachal Pradesh has a new brand identity that aims to showcase tribal cultures and diverse ecosystems with a focus on sustainable tourism. Newexperiences for 2026 include the five-day Sunrise Festival in Dong village and the recently added zipline, bungee jump, glass bridge and giant swing at Fong Fong Ma Adventure Zone for thrill-seekers to get amongst.
7. Via Transilvanica, Romania
With Romania’s recent Schengen inclusion, the country starts a new chapter in responsible tourism with Via Transilvanica leading the way. Dubbed the ‘Camino of the East’, the 1,400km long-distance trail is helping position Romania as Europe’s next great walking destination. Intrepid’s new 10-day Hiking in Romania via Transilvanica Trail trip gives travellers early access to some newly added sections.
8. Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador
El Salvador is one of the fastest-growing travel destinations globally, according to UN Tourism, but as coastal discovery surges, the highlands are the country’s best-kept secret. Intrepid’s new nine-day Discover Guatemala, Honduras & El Salvador trip explores this still untouched region, offering travellers an immersive highland experience built around coffee, culture and connection
9. Oulu, Finland
Newly dubbed the European Capital of Culture, Oulu is attracting visitors with a year-long program spotlighting Arctic nature, climate science, creative expression and Indigenous heritage. A dynamic, forward-thinking Northern Finland coastal city just below the Arctic Circle, Oulu is also now more accessible than ever due to recently launched direct flights from Frankfurt.
10. Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA
Located in eastern Nevada, Great Basin National Park is a rare chance to explore a space that’s vast, quiet and relatively untouched by mass tourism, just 500km from Las Vegas. A haven for stargazers, hikers and travellers seeking solitude, it has expanded the number of year-round campgrounds to welcome more visitors, plus visiting acts as a vote of confidence in the future of US national parks.
Intrepid Travel General Manager of Experiences Erica Kritikides said the company has introduced brand-new trips for six of the featured destinations on the Intrepid Travel Not Hot List .
“The selection criteria for our Intrepid Travel Not Hot List reflects an approach to tourism that we’ve long championed. While some destinations receive millions – even tens of millions – of visitors each year, many lesser-known places go virtually unnoticed by travellers,” she said.
“A key consideration when we’re developing trips is how we can spread the economic benefits of tourism more widely and how our presence in a destination can positively impact the communities we’re visiting.”
Evolution of ‘Only Intrepid’
Intrepid Travel has also launched the next evolution of its ‘Only Intrepid‘ global brand campaign, bringing a more emotive and immersive storytelling lens as the B Corp invests in brand alongside performance.
The campaign leads into Intrepid’s biggest sales moment of the year for Black Friday and is supported by a suite of creative assets designed to engage audiences at every touchpoint.
It builds on Only Intrepid’s launch success last year as the adventure travel company’s most effective brand campaign yet with 10,000 first-time customers booked through Intrepid’s website by January 2025, generating a record $29 million in sales.
Find out more here.
