If ever there was tour to bring you out of lockdown and travel restrictions, it is the Intrepid 5-Day Daintree Retreat. It is remote and gets you out in freshest of air, it operates with small numbers and it is designed to give back, so you know your money goes to a good place.
Earlier this month, Intrepid Travel returned to delivering their tours in Australia since global travel restrictions hit in March, taking guests into the Daintree Rainforest. The inaugural 5-day Daintree Retreat tour departed from Cairns on 4 September 2020 with nine travellers from Queensland and South Australia.
The new Intrepid Tours celebrate ‘slow travel’, allowing adventurers to engage with the surrounding communities away from the crowds and in a more controlled setting. This is the perfect way to slowly emerge from the COVID-19 restrictions and get back travelling and the destination of the Daintree is the perfect remote place to do so.
The Intrepid 5-day Daintree Retreat tour takes travellers deep into the Daintree Rainforest on an experience that you can only truly get when with a knowledgeable guide. It visits the world’s oldest rainforest and includes a meeting with a local family who hosted David Attenborough’s documentary crew when they were filming.
The trip also includes a hike in Mossman Gorge, as well as learning how to throw a spear, identify edible plants and see how Kuku Yalanji people live in harmony with their changeable landscape. Reconciliation is a big focus for Intrepid and on this trip, travellers enjoyed First Nations experiences where they will learn from the local Kuku Yalanji family.
Apart from being quite remote, even on the tour you can rest assure that the proper precautions are being adhered to. The tours operate under Intrepid’s new Safe Travels health protocols, developed in partnership with the WTTC. All travellers will complete a health screening at the start of the trip and the group will be accompanied by a local leader who has received specific COVID-19 training, which covers hygiene, sanitation, physical distancing, PPE as well as supplier monitoring.
The guests on the inaugural Daintree tour all thoroughly enjoyed their experience. Regular Intrepid traveller, Leonie Elphinstone from Queensland said “it’s been a highlight to visit parts of the Daintree in depth with an expert local guide.”
Leonie is a regular overseas traveller with various trips booked this year, but she has shifted her energy to supporting the local travel industry.
“I am an Intrepid legend having travelled with Intrepid more than 10 times. I am a repeat traveller because the company is ethical in its social and environmental approaches. So, when I saw Intrepid had local tours, I was keen to support the company knowing the quality of the brand.”
Leonie noted that staying in one location, one unpack makes the getaway more relaxing.
“In Queensland, for single travellers who want to travel in an organised group you have few options currently and Intrepid provides one of the few options,” Leonie added.
Leonie also pointed out that what stands out during COVID-19 times are those that communicate with clients and provide credits and options. This is because Intrepid has recently introduced a new Flexible Bookings policy to make travellers feel at ease when booking their holidays, which permits changes to travel plans 21 days before a scheduled departure, allowing for new travel dates or an entirely different trip with no change fees.
To find out more about what Intrepid Tours are on offer, visit intrepidtravel.com/au/australia
