New Frontiers,
New Adventures

You just need to spend five minutes with Rachel Williams and you start getting itchy feet. Her passion for travel, or more accurately adventure, is contagious.
This is a woman who has led a life dedicated to getting off the beaten track – from her backpacking days where she met her partner, Brendan, who was a driver on an overland tour she did through Africa – to setting up Viva Expeditions, a company dedicated to taking people to places they have never been, in comfort and style.

“These are adventures for people who want to explore and truly experience a new part of the world. There’s no looking through the window of an air-conditioned bus so you can say you’ve ‘ticked that one off’,” laughs Rachel. “We are all about immersing ourselves in the culture, meeting locals, being part of daily life, experiencing what makes a country, region, village unique in the world. Our trips are designed for people who are looking for a whole new experience, to do something they’ve never done before, but with the peace of mind that their itinerary is planned and organised by experts. Our team and network of experts on the ground have been selected to work with us because they all have an understanding of how an authentic experience when you are travelling is so much more rewarding. It’s about creating life-changing, mind-expanding, memories that you’ll never forget.”

Rachel and Brendan, after falling in love with each other over their love for travel, spent their first years taking groups through West Africa. “It was pretty wild,” she says. “We covered a lot of ground, from crossing the Sahara Desert to travelling up the Niger River to Timbuktu.”

From here, they led groups through South America. Starting in Ecuador, these four-month long trips explored Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, right to the bottom, and back up the coast into Uruguay, before finishing in Brazil for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The years of travel gave them invaluable experience – building local relationships, fine-tuning logistics, crafting the details required to ensure travellers had unique experiences. It all led to one idea – to set up their own company.

“We noticed Africa and South America were quite under-developed when it came to tourism,” explains Rachel. “We also noticed that there was a generation of travellers – the over 40s – who wanted to experience these types of places. It wasn’t just for intrepid backpackers. There were seasoned travellers who had done Europe and wanted to see more of what the world had to offer.”

So, 16 years ago, from her mother’s garage back in New Zealand they devised a plan based around shorter boutique tours. The couple moved to Ecuador where they lived in the spare parts room of a coach builder, while designing an upmarket, overland vehicle that would take 16 people, had a toilet, kitchen and all the comforts you want when you’re on the road. They’ve never looked back.

Today, Viva Expeditions has a well-earned reputation as a leader in premium adventure travel. More than ever, travellers are seeking hosted journeys into uncharted territory, where they can travel with a small group and be led by truly experienced guides that have true local knowledge or are experts in a particular subject, along with personalities who add another exciting layer to a trip.

Bespoke tailor-made itineraries are also a major part of their business – be it for families, couples or groups.

“There’s nothing worse than eating at a bad cafe or restaurant, for example, when a place with incredible local cuisine is just around the corner,” says Rachel. “Our team makes sure that never happens. We also have a concierge service at each destination. You can be met at the airport and then left to your own devices but, if you need them, they are just a phone call away. We can create itineraries anywhere in the world, however, our focus is Latin America, Africa, parts of the Middle East, Antarctica and the Arctic. We’re not really interested in the mainstream. We love to do what people consider the ‘hard stuff’ and do the research so their experience is the best they can have.”

A prime example of this is Antarctica, an area that has become high on people’s bucket lists post-pandemic, says Rachel, who has organised and been on multiple trips there.

“A lot of ships head into the region, so it’s important to get the right fit for you. There are big cruise ships with over 500 people onboard, but no one is allowed to disembark. These just sail past, see the ice and then leave.

“There are rules around how many people are allowed on shore, so we work with vessels that have less than 200 people onboard. This means you are able to disembark twice a day which makes for a much better experience. Most of our trips leave from the southern tip of South America which is closer to Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, which offers protected bays, channels and inlets which are ideal for disembarking and viewing the amazing wildlife that is abundant in the region. Fortunately, there are very strict rules and guidelines to protect the environment and ensure tourism is low impact.”

One of Viva Expeditions’ most successful trips to Antarctica was hosted by Rt Hon Sir John Key. An example of how Rachel and her team always look for innovative ways to add another layer to the travel experience.

This June, Rachel will lead a tour into the Arctic. In preparation, She spent time there last year, meticulously mapping out the best route, ship and expert-led experiences.

“Seeing how people live in the environment of the Arctic is fascinating. You don’t really know what to expect until you get there and then it’s mind-blowing.”
This 10-day adventure starts in Finland’s Helsinki, before you take a private charter flight to Longyearbyen, where you board the luxurious Ultramarine and head out to sea to explore the beautiful Svalbard archipelago which has one of the highest concentrations of polar bears in the world. There’s the opportunity to go ashore and visit towns, walrus colonies and hike on the tundra. You can get closer to seals and birdlife aboard military-style inflatable Zodiac boats which will skim across the water, through the magical and beautiful icy landscape. And, says Rachel, being on a ship as it breaks through ice is incredible.

There are lectures onboard by experts such as geologists and marine biologists who discuss what you are seeing, what to look out for, and share the history and stories of this remote wilderness. This is not a ship where you’ll find a disco or cabaret show. Instead, the expedition team is there to help you learn about this precious part of the planet and to fully appreciate its wonders.
“There’s a real sense of camaraderie,” says Rachel, “as everyone onboard has a shared interest and sense of wonder at the ever-changing, awe-inspiring landscape. Plus, the food is absolutely incredible, and mealtimes are lively as people share their adventures of the day.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, 2025 also sees Rachel and her team at Viva Expeditions providing the chance to travel by luxury train through Africa. This truly unique adventure in August is, excitingly, led by television personality Hilary Barry.

“Hilary was thrilled to be invited to take part,” says Rachel, “seeing it as an opportunity to explore new territory in comfort, while sharing the experience with other like-minded adventurers.”

And who wouldn’t jump at this opportunity? The train is one of the most luxurious in the world and, over 10 days, will take its 72 passengers from Pretoria through Kruger National Park, to the exclusive Kapama Private Game Reserve and Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, into Zimbabwe, before finishing at Victoria Falls.

Designed with an old-world charm it is a series of elegant carriages made up of plush wood-panelled sleeping cabins (can you imagine rolling through the plains of Africa as you drink your morning cup of tea in bed?), dining rooms where exquisite meals are served along with wine from some of South Africa’s finest wineries, a bar car and dedicated observation decks. Along the way, the train will stop so guests can head off on game park safaris or meet friends of Viva Expeditions who live in local villages. The slow and steady rhythm of travelling by train makes for a truly magical and unique way to connect with this incredible continent.

says Rachel. "You can't put a value on that. It's very easy to look online, compare prices of tours and go for the cheapest. But you will find you miss out on the quality of service, the quality of people you connect with on the ground. The chance is you may not come back, so you want to make sure you have the very best, most authentic experience.

“I just love being able to take people off the beaten track – away from the queues at the Louvre or Sagrada Familia. It’s about connecting with places, people, trying new food, getting amongst different cultures and going that bit deeper than the typical surface level tourism. It’s important, I believe, to see all aspects of a destination. Not just the shiny hotels and typical tourist sites. There’s so much more of this amazing world for us to experience and, ultimately, learn from. Viva Expeditions attracts the mindful traveller who is looking to bring meaning to their journey while also having fun.”

 To find out more about these amazing tours and other ways to make your 2025 more adventurous, visit vivaexpeditions.com/