Explora Project
Explora Project is a French adventure travel company founded in 2018 that sells all-inclusive, low-carbon expedition packages across 18 European destinations to individual adventurers, families with children aged 3+, and corporate clients via partner Deskape.fr.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAnnecy, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Explora Project does
Explora Project is a privately held French adventure travel company founded in 2018 in Annecy, France, that designs and sells all-inclusive, low-carbon expedition packages across 18 European destinations. The company operates a direct-to-consumer booking platform with a self-serve website reservation system, a proprietary Five-Level Adventure Assessment (Niveau 1-5), and a carbon footprint quantification protocol enforcing the No Plane 2025 commitment to keep round-trip emissions under 200 kg CO2 per participant, aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. Travel offerings span hiking, trekking, mountaineering, cycling, water sports, climbing, yoga, and astronomy, with curated catalogs for adult adventurers and families with children aged 3+ (via the Explora Family sub-brand and registered Family Base Camp trademark), and a separate corporate seminar channel routed through partner Deskape.fr.
The business is organized around 200 contracted mountain guide-explorers coordinated from Annecy, with small group sizes (5-8 participants), transparent all-inclusive pricing (€325-€2,000+ per trip), and a content ecosystem comprising the Homo Exploratus podcast, Journal d'Explora Project blog, newsletter, and an interactive level quiz tool that feeds 300,000 community members. Pricing is fully disclosed: 30% to guides, 35% to accommodation and food, 10% to equipment and logistics, and 25% to operational overhead. The company became the first French mission-driven travel agency under the PACTE law in November 2020, raised approximately €5M+ across 2020-2022 from investors including CapHorn Invest, 50 Partners, Aonia Ventures, Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement, France Angels, and Kima Ventures, and has served 10,000+ lifetime travelers with a 4.8/5 rating across 4,334 reviews.
The company monetizes exclusively through one-time adventure package sales; there are no subscription or licensing revenue streams. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct via website booking, supplemented by phone support and WhatsApp-based participant coordination. Operational technology is light: standard payment processing (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx), HubSpot for family inquiry scheduling, and a custom catalog/pricing engine; no AI/ML capabilities, public API, SDK, or mobile app are referenced in source material. Geographic reach is constrained by the low-carbon thesis (Iceland, Greenland, Madeira, Canary Islands excluded for being plane-dependent), and operations are concentrated in France and broader Europe.
Explora Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Explora Project
- Legal name
- Explora Project
- Website
- https://explora-project.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Explora Project is a French adventure travel company founded in 2018 that sells all-inclusive, low-carbon expedition packages across 18 European destinations to individual adventurers, families with children aged 3+, and corporate clients via partner Deskape.fr.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Explora Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adventure Travel Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL), Technical Outdoor Guiding Services (Hiking, Trekking, Mountaineering) (THAAALAA), Mountain, Glacier & Alpine Nature Tours (THAJAIAF), Guided Backcountry & Off-Piste Services (Ski Touring, Splitboarding, Heli/Cat Skiing) (THAAAJAD)
Keywords
Where Explora Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Annecy
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Explora Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Adventure Package Sales: All-inclusive adventure trip packages sold directly to consumers. Pricing includes guide fees (30%), accommodation and food (35%), equipment and logistics (10%), and operational overhead (25%). Trips range from 2-15 days with group sizes of 5-8 participants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level adventures (2-4 days) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard week-long adventures |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Extended expeditions (10 days to 2 weeks) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium expeditions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Explora Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Explora Project designs and sells all-inclusive, low-carbon adventure travel packages across 18 European destinations, led by a network of 200 certified mountain guide-explorers. Each package bundles professional guiding, accommodation, meals, technical equipment, and logistics, with a 5-level difficulty assessment system and small group sizes of 5-8 participants, sold direct-to-consumer via the company website.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Explora Family: A sub-brand dedicated to family-friendly adventure travel, offering expeditions for families with children as young as 3 years old, including Family Base Camp and itinerant family adventure formats.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000+ travelers served since founding
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Explora Project
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Explora Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature2 records
Explora Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- SatorizminorPartnership for sourcing dried food in bulk for expedition provisions. Satoriz is an outdoor food supplier providing quality provisions for adventure trips.
- Deskape.frcoreReferral partnership for corporate seminars and team-building services. Deskape handles enterprise client bookings while Explora Project provides the adventure expertise.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Explora Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Terres d'Aventure: Terres d'Aventure is a long-established French adventure travel agency offering guided outdoor trips (hiking, trekking, mountaineering) across Europe and worldwide — directly competing with Explora Project on guided multi-day adventure packages for French-speaking customers.
- Atalante: Atalante is a French adventure tour operator specializing in trekking, hiking, and discovery trips worldwide with a sustainability and human-scale positioning — closely comparable to Explora Project's model of small-group, guided, responsible adventure travel.
- Allibert Trekking: Allibert Trekking is a French adventure travel specialist offering guided treks and expeditions worldwide, comparable to Explora Project in its guided small-group adventure model and European customer base.
- La Balaguère: La Balaguère is a French adventure travel agency offering hiking and discovery trips primarily in Europe with a nature-immersed, small-group positioning — directly comparable to Explora Project on European outdoor adventure packages.
- Much Better Adventures: Much Better Adventures is a UK-based direct-to-consumer adventure travel marketplace offering small-group guided trips with a sustainability focus — directly comparable to Explora Project's D2C booking model, sustainability messaging, and small-group European adventures.
Broad incumbents
- Intrepid Travel: Intrepid Travel is a global adventure tour operator offering small-group guided trips worldwide with a strong sustainability positioning — a broader incumbent in the same category as Explora Project, with greater geographic reach and scale.
- G Adventures: G Adventures is a large global adventure travel company offering small-group guided trips worldwide with a community-focused, sustainable tourism positioning — overlapping with Explora Project's audience and values but at significantly larger scale.
- Explore Worldwide: Explore Worldwide is a UK-based adventure tour operator offering small-group guided trips across Europe and worldwide — comparable to Explora Project on guided small-group adventure travel with broader geographic coverage.
Regional players
- Azimut Voyage: Azimut Voyage is a French adventure travel agency specializing in skiing, mountaineering, and freeride trips across Europe — a regional peer with comparable European alpine adventure offerings.
- UCPA: UCPA is a French non-profit association offering accessible outdoor sports vacations (hiking, mountaineering, skiing, sailing) for young people and adults — overlapping with Explora Project on European guided outdoor adventures, particularly for younger and budget-conscious French customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Explora Project social profiles
Digital presenceExplora Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Explora Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Explora Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Explora Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Explora Project
What does Explora Project do?
Explora Project designs and sells all-inclusive, low-carbon adventure travel packages across 18 European destinations, led by a network of 200 certified mountain guide-explorers. Each package bundles professional guiding, accommodation, meals, technical equipment, and logistics, with a 5-level difficulty assessment system and small group sizes of 5-8 participants, sold direct-to-consumer via the company website.
Is Explora Project a public or private company?
Explora Project is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Explora Project founded?
Explora Project was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Explora Project based?
Explora Project is headquartered in Annecy, France, in the Europe region.
How does Explora Project make money?
One revenue line is on record: adventure Package Sales.
Who are Explora Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Terres d'Aventure, Atalante, Allibert Trekking, La Balaguère and Much Better Adventures. Broad incumbents are Intrepid Travel, G Adventures and Explore Worldwide. Regional players are Azimut Voyage and UCPA.
Does Explora Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Explora Project.
What industry is Explora Project in?
Explora Project's product category is Adventure Travel Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAFAB, Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies, with a secondary code of THAJABAL, Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips). Its NAICS code is 56152 and its SIC code is 7900.