If you’re the type of traveller who yearns for adventure, exploring some of the world’s least-travelled and often furthest-flung regions of the world, Native Eye has it covered. From Albania to Yemen’s island of Socotra, our small group tours take you on an adventure to discover some of the planet’s most untouched and breathtaking landscapes, visiting remote tribal peoples to learn about their customs and culture, and taking in historic and architectural wonders en route.
Travelling in small groups and enjoying a range of transport and accommodation, our cherry-picked small group tours – from our portfolio of more than 80 destinations – are our most popular adventures and showcase what makes a trip truly ‘Native Eye’. If you’re looking for something unique and unusual for your next adventure, look no further.
Here are our most popular small group tours
1. Albania, Kosova & Macedonia
Combining Europe’s least-developed country, Albania, its newest country, Kosovo, and the county of North Macedonia, this small group tour is one for those who want to dive deep into some of the Continent’s last secrets. Little visited, each of these places has much to fascinate the curious traveller – one who doesn’t mind that things sometimes have to be a little ad hoc in these parts.
On the borders of Christian Europe and the ancient Ottoman Empire, the region’s highlights included in our small group tour include the Albanian citadel of Kruja, Mirdita with its feudal traditions and unique villages, the spectacular Thethi National Park in the Albanian Alps, the Roman sites of Apollonia Butrinth, and the Kosovan cities of Prizren and Pristina. Then Macedonia beckons with its intriguing capital Skopje and picture-postcard lakeside Ohrid.
You can read more about what to expect in our 17-day Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia small group tour.
2. Syria Highlights
War and destruction blighted lives in this fantastically hospitable country for far too long, but by bagging your spot on our Syria Highlights tour, you’ll be one of the few visitors exploring it as tourism reopens. And you’ll take in its historic and cultural delights in the knowledge that your spend will help its people to continue to reopen and rebuild – a feeling like no other. Crossing into Syria from neighbouring Lebanon, you’ll visit the ancient city of Damascus with its atmospheric souqs, mosques and palaces, Palmyra, one of the Middle East’s must-see archaeological sites, and Aleppo with its magnificent citadel and bazaar.
In all of these and in many other spots, as related in our Syria blog by our recent tour leader Helen Youngman, you’ll get to know local people who are starting to pick up their lives following the conflict, including hoteliers, artisans and students, and feel the optimism in the air.
Find out more about what you will see and do on our small group Syria tour.
3. Socotra Discoverer
Unique, iconic dragon’s blood trees and other endemic plant and birdlife, plus out-of-this-world landscapes of white sand dunes, a rugged coastline and lush lagoons. The remote island of Socotra is one of Yemen’s best-kept secrets, although it’s grown in popularity in recent years. Our week-long small group tour will immerse you in this Arabian gem’s scenery, wildlife and culture, with a highlight for many a boat trip to the remote beach of Shuaab, often with spinner dolphins leaping alongside.
Want to join us? Take a look at our 8-day Socotra Discoverer tour and our blog post on why you should visit Socotra.
4. Mauritania small group tours
As with Socotra, Mauritania has also seen its popularity rise over the past couple of years, thanks to its remote location (the country straddles the borders of the Sahara and West Africa) and its utterly phenomenal scenery.
We run two distinctly different trips here. Our shorter 10-day group tour From the Atlantic to Chinguetti will give you a fascinating insight into the country, visiting the capital Nouakchott and exploring Banc d’Arguin National Park, famed for its birdlife and the gorgeous beaches of Cap Blanc. You’ll also visit Ben Amera, which, like Australia’s Uluru rises from the desert like a lost island. And you’ll meet the nomads of the Adrar region before visiting the historic towns of Ouadane and Chinguetti, once centres of scholarship with an important role in the historic trans-Saharan caravans. The final evening ends in the palm groves and hot spring oasis of Tegrit.
Our other itinerary, Mauritania Desert Adventure is as its name suggests best for more ‘hardcore’ travellers. This 22-day desert odyssey will see you exploring the same places as our 10-day small-group tour but also journeying to some of the most remote areas of the planet. You’ll be wild camping, sleeping under the stars and travelling across some challenging terrain, such as Erg Ouarane, the ‘sea of sand’ that stretches for hundreds of kilometres and across which few Westerners have travelled. This is remote on another scale.
5. Algerian Odyssey & Jewel of the Sahara
For us, Algeria is one of the most exciting destinations in North Africa. It’s far less visited than say, Morocco or Egypt, but as Africa’s largest country (stretching from the Mediterranean coast in the north to the Sahara in the south), it’s packed with a wealth of cultural and historical influences and is a fascinating place to explore.
Given its size, we offer two very different trips here. Our 15-day Algerian Odyssey is a fully accommodated (no camping), small-group travel tour with highlights spanning more than two thousand years of history. Designed to give a broad overview of the country, it takes in the main cities and archaeological sites of the north, as well as journeying into the desert.
If desert landscapes and more intrepid exploration are your thing, our 13-day Jewel of the Sahara adventure focuses almost exclusively on the Tassili n’Ajjer region of the Algerian Sahara. You’ll meet the Tuareg people, discover ancient rock art and traverse the vast sand dunes of the Erg Admer and Tin Merzouga to the canyons and gueltas of Essendilene. Camping amidst sand dunes and rocks each night, watching the sun set over this golden landscape, will be an experience you won’t ever forget. Check out our Seven Reasons to Visit Algeria for more.
6. Pamir Highway
Calling all mountain lovers! If you love the idea of being flanked by soaring peaks in an area almost unchanged by time, then a journey along the Pamir Highway is a road trip you’ll never forget. On this second-highest altitude international highway in the world, you’ll not be surprised that transport is by 4WD, quite the contrast to the donkeys and shepherds herding flocks you’ll be travelling alongside.
The start of this small group tour begins in Tajikistan, and from there we head into the Pamirs, stopping at hot springs, abandoned Silk Road fortresses and ancient pilgrimage sites. Crossing into Kyrgyzstan, we drive to the city of Osh, among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. From here we head east, crossing mountain passes and exploring old Silk Road sites, on our way to the alpine lake of Son Kul, a great place to meet local nomadic families who have come here for summer grazing. We then traverse the shores of Issyk Kul, meeting an eagle hunter, seeing age-old rock art, and exploring its glorious landscapes, before ending up in Bishkek.
Take a look at our 18-day The Pamir Highway tour to see why this is a bucket-list adventure.
7. Small group tour to Bolivia and Chile
The neighbouring countries of Bolivia and Chile share some astonishing landscapes and offer travellers a rare opportunity to experience stark contrasts too. It’s only by journeying on a small group tour through both, as on our 18-day Altiplano Adventure, that you get to appreciate that there’s as much to unite them as to divide.
In Bolivia, a country with the largest percentage of indigenous people in Latin America, you’ll experience one of the most bio-diverse areas on the planet, Madidi National Park, spanning Andean and Amazonian ecosystems as well as tribal cultures. What a contrast just days later, after being surrounded by the jungle and lulled to sleep by the sounds of nocturnal creatures in a lush setting, to then experience the stark beauty of the Atacama Desert in Chile – the driest region on Earth outside the polar regions.
Join us on this epic journey, through jungles, mountains, shimmering salt flats and otherworldly deserts.
8. Northern Pakistan
We have an enormous soft spot for Pakistan, and it never fails to exceed our guests’ expectations either. For us, it’s all about the north of the country, where the mountainous landscapes of the Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Karakorum ranges compete with one another as to which is the most stunning.
But Pakistan is not just about jaw-dropping landscapes, from the mountains to lush valleys such as Swat and Hunza. Combined with the overwhelming hospitality shown by its people, these make it one of the best small-group tour destinations we offer.
Come with us as we take you on a 16-day adventure, our North Pakistan Explorer, visiting the far reaches of Pakistan from Chitral. You’ll meet Kalash people in the Hindu Kush, cross the Shandur Pass, follow the Karakorum Highway, where rope bridges traverse thundering waters below, and cross the Deosai Plateau.
9. Gerewol Festival
Is this the most colourful festival on the planet? According to the travellers, including award-winning travel writers and photographers, who have had the opportunity to accompany us on our small-group tour, the answer is a resounding yes.
This is one of our most pioneering trips. Every year, the semi-nomadic Wodaabe people gather for a week of celebrations, congregating for an explosive mix of dancing, singing and – for the main reason they’re here – finding lovers. You’ll stay several days to share the privilege of this archaic and exuberant beauty contest.
For those interested in photography or anthropology, this small group tour is an absolute must-do. For more information, take a look at our 8-day small group tour itinerary, The Gerewol Festival. If you want to extend your Chad holiday, here are some other trips we offer.
10. Central Asia Encompassed
It’s hard not to overstate the enduring appeal of Central Asia, best known for the historic Silk Road but also for its landscapes, blue-domed mosques and a confluence of tribal cultures stretching across five different ‘Stan’ states: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
Yes, you’ll visit the Silk Road cities of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand, but you’ll also spend a night at the flaming Darwaza gas crater, or ‘the door to hell’, explore canyons and national parks, and behold the majesty of the mountains, as well as experiencing the best of traditional culture. If you want a one stop shop itinerary that takes in the very best of the region’s history, culture and landscapes, this is the most comprehensive, most immersive small group tour we offer.
For more information check out our Central Asia Encompassed tour, delving into five countries in less than a month.
11. Expedition to Angola
It may not be the first country you think of when it comes to small group tours, but Angola packs a big punch when it comes to providing unique experiences and untouched cultures. The best place in Southern Africa to see tribal groups, Angola is unusual in that tourism is so very nascent, the country having been off the travel map due to years of civil war and unrest.
Now, the doors are opening to the few travellers willing to explore a destination far, far from the beaten track. Travelling sensitively through remote areas in the south of the country, you’ll encounter the hunter-gatherer Mutua tribe, the colourful Mucuwana and the Himba, among others, learning about their culture and customs with the help of an expert guide.
Find out more about small group tours to Angola by looking at our 11-day Expedition to Angola itinerary.
12. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia – The Edge of Europe
Possibly the most popular small group tour we offer, this journey around the ‘edge of Europe’ does what it says, travelling through the fringes of modern Europe, in countries that have been influenced historically by Persia and the Ottoman empire as much as the European and former Soviet Union.
Why this sudden rise in popularity? We think that as well as word-of-mouth and some fabulous recent newspaper and magazine articles, the two TV series exploring the region, Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure and Levison Wood’s 2,600-mile odyssey and resulting Channel 4 documentary, From Russia to Iran: Crossing Wild Frontiers, have catapulted these formerly little-visited destinations into the forefront of our consciousness and consideration.
Despite this newfound fame, the countries have not yet been overwhelmed by tourists. In any case, we explore areas much further from the beaten track than charming Tbilisi and futuristic Baku. We enjoy their fabulous cheese and wine, too!
Want to know more? Take a look at our 20-day small group adventure across the Caucasus, The Edge of Europe.
13. Djibouti, the Danakil Depression and Somaliland
Are these the most otherworldly landscapes on our planet? Here, at the very edge of the African continent, a stone’s throw from Arabia on the shores of the Red Sea, are countries as beautiful as they are, well, weird (take a look at this BBC photo gallery to see more). From towering, limestone chimneys belching gas into the air and the vast salt lake of Lac Abbe to the ‘hottest place on the planet,’ the Danakil Depression in the Afar region of Ethiopia, and from hiking up a live volcano to visiting the hot springs at Dallol, this is a trip that wows.
About as out there as you can get when it comes to extreme landscapes, this 13-day small group tour isn’t just popular because of the many geological sites and sights it encounters. There’s also the unrecognised country of Somaliland, where tourism is almost non-existent and where you’ll get the genuine feeling you’re a traveller, not a tourist.
Thankfully, the fiercely independent Afar people, who we visit in Ethiopia are more welcoming than they once were – the practice of wearing their enemies’ testicles around their necks being (hopefully!) long gone.
Want to know more about this truly wild (in every sense) small-group adventure? Take a look at our Djibouti, Danakil Depression and Somaliland itinerary.
14. Gold and Magic – Ghana, Togo & Benin
Is this the best introduction to the landscapes and cultures of West Africa? We think so!
They may be neighbouring countries but within each is an incredible amount of difference and diversity in terms of culture and landscape, which we showcase on this ever-popular trip visiting Ghana, the largest country, Togo (the smallest, sandwiched between Ghana and Benin) and Benin.
Perhaps most intriguing, you’ll learn more about often misunderstood voodoo, the state religion of Benin, and witness an actual ceremony. In Togo, you’ll visit a fetish market in the colourful capital, Lome, the only African city to have been colonised by the French, British and Germans. In Ghana, you’ll learn more about the Ashanti kingdom, at one time one of the most powerful nations in Africa, and visit reminders of the country’s less salubrious past, with trips to the 500-year-old slave castle in Elmina and the one-time centre of the African slave trade, Ouidah.
Take a look at our aptly named Gold and Magic 12-day itinerary for more information. You might also want to read our West Africa for first-timers blog.
15. Marrakech to Cotonou
A small group tour like no other, this ground-breaking small group adventure from Morocco to Guinea Bissau via Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, will see the landscapes shift from the vast sands and Berber cultures of the Maghreb deserts to the dense forests and tropical landscapes of Guinea Bissau, taking you deep into the heart of ‘traditional’ Africa.
As well as the slowly shifting backdrop, you’ll encounter semi-nomadic people still living amongst the dunes, witness camel trains, cross into the desert Republic of Mauritania, and witness the Sahara disappearing into the Sahel, before coming to the Africa of old – places Islam and Christianity never managed to dominate, where old customs and animist tribal cultures still thrive.
The trip ends with a couple of days spent sailing between the islands in the spellbinding Bijagos Archipelago, about as far removed from the sprawling sands of the Sahara as you can get.
Find out more about our West Africa Odyssey, Marrakech to Cotonou, a month’s adventure of epic proportions.
Worldwide small group tours – next step
Native Eye offers more than 80 small group tours throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. If you’d like to know more about any of our unusual, off-the-beaten-track itineraries, call us on 01473 328546 or e-mail us using our contact form. We’d love to hear from you and take you on a life-changing adventure.
Other blog posts you might enjoy:
Guide to Kyrgyzstan
Visit Socotra – the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean
West Africa Holidays for First-Timers
Central Africa tours and travel
Best UNESCO World Heritage Site
Best Middle East Tours
Best Places to Visit in Saudi Arabia
Five of the Best Epic Journeys
Alternative Europe holidays
Remote Travel Destinations – Top Trips
Best cultural festivals in Africa for intrepid travellers
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