Country Walkers

What Country Walkers does

Country Walkers is a guided walking-tour operator founded in 1979 and headquartered in Williston, United States. Since 2014, the brand has operated as a division of VBT Vacations, itself part of the Xanterra Travel Collection conglomerate, with all bookings consolidated onto the vbt.com platform. The company's core product is guided walking tour packages sold direct-to-consumer globally, covering international destinations and including accommodations, meals, and on-trip guided experiences. The primary go-to-market is a phone-based tour consultant hotline (1.800.245.3868), supported by the vbt.com website and a 200+ page printed and digital catalog. Discovery Tours, a co-developed product line with VBT Bicycling Vacations, extends the offering into immersive, locally led, low-impact travel to destinations such as the Nile and the Australian outback that are inaccessible by traditional walking or bicycling routes.

The business model is one-time payment per tour package, with pricing quoted through consultants rather than publicly disclosed, and the customer base is a long-tail of individual active travelers seeking low-impact, expert-led international experiences. The stated customer satisfaction rate exceeds 98%, and the brand has received Newsweek Reader's Choice recognition in both 2024 and 2025. Distribution is materially enhanced by membership in the Xanterra Travel Collection ecosystem, which provides cross-promotion with sister brands including Windstar Cruises, Holiday Vacations, multiple national park lodge properties, the Grand Canyon Railway, and the Oasis at Death Valley. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, no app, no API, and no AI/ML capability in the current product surface; the offering is operationally light from a technology standpoint and relies on human tour consultants, destination expertise, and brand-driven lead generation.

Name

Country Walkers

Legal name

VBT Vacations

Website

https://countrywalkers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Country Walkers is a US-based guided walking-tour operator founded in 1979, operating as a division of VBT Vacations within the Xanterra Travel Collection, selling direct-to-consumer international walking tour packages and Discovery Tours to individual active travelers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Guided Walking and Active Adventure Travel

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators (THAAADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL), Walking City Tours (Highlights & Orientation) (THAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Guided walking tours
• Active travel vacations
• Small group tours
• International adventure travel
• Immersive discovery tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Williston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Walking Tour Packages: The company generates revenue through selling guided walking tour packages to customers. Tours cover various international destinations and include accommodations, meals, and guided experiences. The website references tour information catalogs and direct booking capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Country Walkers sells guided international walking tour packages and Discovery Tours to active individual travelers, bundling accommodations, meals, local expert guides, and curated experiences into all-inclusive trips. Since 2014 the company has operated alongside VBT Bicycling Vacations under the Xanterra Travel Collection, with tours sold direct-to-consumer through its website, phone consultants, and a 200+ page catalog.

Product overview

Country Walkers, operating alongside VBT Bicycling Vacations since their 2014 partnership, offers a portfolio of walking and active travel experiences. The core product is guided Walking Tours, complemented by the newly launched Discovery Tours—a hybrid travel style combining elements of bicycling and walking that opens access to unique destinations like the Nile and the Australian outback. Both offerings are part of the Xanterra Travel Collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Discovery Tours: A new style of immersive, hands-on, locally led, and low-impact travel created by VBT Bicycling Vacations and Country Walkers, opening doors to destinations unreachable by biking or walking routes alone.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 98% of guests plan to travel with VBT again

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VBT VacationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Since 2014, Country Walkers has worked hand in hand with VBT Vacations, sharing expert staff, travel knowledge, and resources. The two companies have now come together to create a shared online experience with more destinations and ways to explore the world.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Intrepid Travel: Intrepid Travel operates sustainable, small-group adventure tours worldwide including walking and active itineraries; comparable in product mix, sustainability positioning, and depth of international destinations to Country Walkers.
• G Adventures: G Adventures is a global small-group adventure operator with walking-focused and active itineraries across dozens of countries; it competes for the same cross-border active-traveler customer from a much larger global platform.
• Austin Adventures: Austin Adventures is a US-based active-tour operator offering guided walking, hiking, and biking vacations; its small-group, expert-led, all-inclusive product is closely comparable in structure and customer profile.
• Wilderness Travel: Wilderness Travel is a US-based small-group adventure operator with global itineraries led by expert local guides; it overlaps Country Walkers on guided cultural and walking tours to international destinations.
• Backroads: Backroads is a leading US-based active travel company offering guided walking, hiking, and biking tours worldwide with a similar premium, small-group, expert-led model that directly overlaps Country Walkers' core walking tour product and target customer.
• VBT Bicycling Vacations: VBT is Country Walkers' sister brand inside Xanterra Travel Collection, offering guided bicycling vacations domestically and abroad with the same all-inclusive, phone-and-catalog consultative sales motion; the two brands are now jointly developing Discovery Tours, making VBT the most directly comparable operating peer.
• Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT): OAT, part of Grand Circle Corporation, sells small-group guided trips worldwide aimed at mature travelers; its guided-walking and soft-adventure itineraries to international destinations place it in direct competition with Country Walkers.
• REI Adventures: REI Adventures is the tour arm of REI Co-op, offering guided hiking, walking, and active trips worldwide; it competes for the same active-traveler demographic with a differentiated co-op/retail loyalty ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Tauck: Tauck is a long-established, larger guided-tour brand offering walking components within broader itineraries worldwide; it competes in the same premium guided-travel space but at greater scale and across more travel styles than Country Walkers' walking-only focus.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Abercrombie & Kent is a global luxury travel company with walking and active small-group tours as part of a much broader luxury portfolio; an incumbent overplayer in the premium guided-travel category where Country Walkers competes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CountryWalkers
• Facebookfacebook.com/CountryWalkers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cw-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Country Walkers