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+44 (0)1479 420120

About Us

Extraordinary Travel in the UK & Ireland

​​Wilderness Private Travel is the UK & Ireland’s leading DMC in luxury, experiential travel

With teams in Scotland, England and Ireland, our strength lies in our unmatched destination expertise. Deep local insight, combined with an extensive network of trusted partners, allows us to create meticulously crafted itineraries perfectly tailored to your clients’ interests. Every one of our journeys brings together beautiful accommodation, rare and often ‘un-googleable’ experiences, and professional guides with a natural gift for hosting and storytelling. The result? An unforgettable trip that celebrates the history, culture, vibrancy and natural beauty of the extraordinary places we visit. 

With our incredible local connections, talented trip designers and expert destination hosts, we specialise in seamless itineraries – one memorable moment at a time.

“In 2001, our very first clients touched down on the remote Knoydart Peninsula. I still remember the electric anticipation of that moment—and the profound responsibility we felt.

Twenty-five years later, Wilderness has grown into an award-winning team of 100+ specialists across four UK and Ireland offices, earning acclaim from the world’s most discerning travellers. Our scale has evolved, but our core philosophy remains unchanged: an uncompromising passion for these islands, and a commitment to flawless, personal care that feels exactly as it did on day one.”

Founder and CEO
| Paul Easto

Our Roots

Wilderness Private Travel traces its roots to 2001, when our founder, Paul Easto, launched Wilderness Scotland with a desire to share the beauty, culture and character of Scotland’s most remarkable places. What began as a focus on Scotland has since evolved into a deeper exploration of the UK and Ireland, shaped by a commitment to thoughtful, expertly crafted travel that reveals each destination at its most compelling. As our reputation and expertise grew, this approach led to the creation of Wilderness Ireland in 2014 and Wilderness England in 2020. Over time, we have refined our craft as master trip-smiths, built long-standing relationships and earned recognition and reputation for the quality of our journeys.

Today, Wilderness Private Travel draws on more than 25 years of experience within the travel trade, creating itineraries that combine deep destination knowledge, trusted local partnerships and a highly considered approach to design — consistently delivering travel experiences that go beyond expectation.

Our Brands

Wilderness Private Travel is the luxury and experiential division of the Wilderness Group. While our sister brands listed below specialise in active, small-group and fixed-date departures, Wilderness Private Travel is dedicated exclusively to bespoke, high-end journeys, ensuring that for custom luxury travel, you are already in the right place.

Established in 2001, Wilderness Scotland delivers the highest-rated and widest range of active and experiential tours in the wild places of Scotland. Operating over 600 trips per year on fixed date departures, private groups and customised travel, Wilderness Scotland provides scale and expertise.

Wilderness Scotland

Wilderness Ireland has been running inspiring small group guided tours in the wild places and hidden corners of Ireland since 2014. The dedicated team, based in County Sligo in northwest Ireland, craft authentic travel experiences using in-house expertise and our extensive network of boutique suppliers.

Wilderness Ireland

Wilderness England features a carefully created range of active and nature-based tours which show off the landscapes, history and heritage of England. Delivered with the style and quality you would expect from the Wilderness Group, it offers a range of guided group tours, private travel itineraries and a complete custom travel design service.

Wilderness England

The Trophy Cabinet

  • Winner of two Scottish Thistle Awards in 2023: Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience and the Climate Action Award
  • Multiple tours featured in National Geographic Traveller Magazine’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime.
  • Holds a Green Tourism Gold Award by the GTBS for 15+ years, among the world’s most credible Sustainable Tourism Programmes
  • Winner of the Sligo Local Enterprise Award and finalist at Ireland’s National Enterprise Awards
  • Becoming the first Scottish company to gain AITO’s 5-star award for Responsible Tourism
  • Excellence in Wellbeing Award from the Great Place to Work awards scheme in 2020-21.
  • The only tour operator to receive a Great Places to Work “Best Workplaces of 2018” and “Best Workplaces of 2020” in the small business category.
  • Winner of the “Best Workplace for Women 2018” category.
  • Listed 16th globally (1st in Europe) in National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”
  • Winner of the World’s Leading Green Tour Operator in the World Travel Awards in both 2007 and 2014
  • Recognised by the World Responsible Tourism Awards
  • Named in the Guardian Ethical Travel Awards: Best UK Tour Operator
  • Winner of the Scottish Tourism Business of the Year after 3 years of operation

Your Financial Protection

Wilderness Private Travel, as a trading name of The Wilderness Group, is a fully bonded tour operator with ABTOT and fully compliant with the EU package travel directives. 

We are also a member of AITO, the Association of Independent Tour Operators. AITO vet their members on the basis of Quality, Expertise and Customer Protection. AITO also hosts independent reviews of our tours. View Wilderness Scotland’s profile on the AITO website.

Contact Us

Tel: +44 (0)1479 420120

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