About us

Our Story

Our values

Our travelers

Our offers

One day, one jump and two years of passion

After jumping off the side of a cliff with only a cord attached in the Swiss Alps, our founder couldn't go back to his day job. Instead, he set out to create something that he couldn't find in the travel market - A collection of customizable adventure itineraries around the globe that are rewarding to the traveler, host and the environment. Pygmy Elephant is the end result of two years of full time travel in search of the best adventure experiences the world has to offer.

Journeys worth taking

We prefer to work with locally owned and operated lodging and tour operators. This allows more money to stay inside of local communities and in the hands of people who live in the destinations you visit.

We give 10% of income to conservation and charity organizations.

We strive to provide meaningful, rewarding and challenging adventures for our clients with the highest level of consultation services.

We believe in integrity, both to our partners and our clients. We ask for reasonable commissions from our partners and provide transparency in pricing for travelers.

Benefits our traveler's Enjoy

More service: Clients receive support 24/7 with a direct line to your travel expert.

More knowledge: 40 different countries and counting searching for the ultimate adventure experiences.

More Local Connections: We know the guides, eco lodges and unique experiences.

More customization and personalization: With “From Scratch” itineraries, the sky is literally the limit (we don’t book trips to the moon… yet).

More trust: Price transparency, never lose your deposit and best price guarantee.

Our Trips Categories

Self Guided Hikes

Our Self Guided Hikes empower you to hike on your own, with the added support and infrastructure of a tour operator. These trips save you hours of due diligence, inquiries and reservation requests. Each trip comes with 24 hour customer service, a customized handbook, travel App, free membership to Gaia GPS and much more.

Short Extensions

Our Self Guided hikes and Adventure Itineraries are full experiences by themselves, but sometimes you just can't get enough. Our extensions are between two and five days and can be easily added on to an itinerary.

Crafted Journeys

In addition to our self guided hiking tours, we also offer adventure tours that feature a mixture of outdoor activities, culture and relaxation. A great choice for honeymooners, couples or friends that would like a diverse set of experiences. As with all our trips, they are completely customizable.

Eco Lodges

Stay in lodging that puts nature, conservation and environmental protection at the forefront of their offering. Focus on sustainable tourism.

Our Service Categories

Consult & Book

We help you understand product offerings from our carefully selected supplier base. We book lodging and scheduled group tours as well as related transfers and logistics where necessary

Pygmy Itineraries

We create unique itineraries by combining lodging, transportation, equipment and experiences and handling complex logistics. These itineraries can be self guided or privately guided and can be tailored to suit your desires. This service will provide you with a personalized itinerary, guide / guidebooks, maps and all info to get you from A to Z for you to enjoy everything in between.

From Scratch

You bring us an idea and we turn it into reality. We draw your exclusive journey from scratch including complex logistics, experiences, guides and/or guidebooks, lodging, equipment, and itinerary. Tell us your epic idea, and will make it happen.

Our Pricing Guarantees

Best price guarantee

For products with a Best Price Guarantee, we will meet or beat any offer currently advertised on the internet. The offer must be for the same level of service and not connected with any conditional offerings.

Never lose your deposit

For Pygmy and From Scratch itineraries, if you must cancel for any reason not covered under insurance, we will waive the deposit on any future Pygmy or From Scratch Itinerary of equal value.

Pricing Transparency

With private tour production, it is almost unheard of to provide a price breakdown of lodging, guides, transfers, equipment and fees. We don’t think that is fair to the traveler. With our pricing transparency, you will see an itemized breakdown of costs. When we work with local partners who organize the bulk of the trip, we estimate costs to help you understand where your money is going.

Experiences

We are all over the world

Choose an experience category that you would like to explore. Each experience has been hand picked by our team for it's challenge, immersion or sustainability.

Discover all experiences

Let's Talk!

Email us anytime, on average we provide quotes within 6 hours during business hours and the next day during off business hours.