Guides · 8 min read
Walking the High Atlas: a first-timer’s guide
When to go, how hard it really is and what to pack for Toubkal.
Small-group journeys since 2011
Wander further, together.
Twelve travellers or fewer, a guide who grew up there, and days built around the moments you’ll still talk about in ten years. Trips across six regions, from the Sahara to the Arctic.
4.9from 1,460 verified travellers
Lofoten, 2 a.m.
Northern lights!
Trips our travellers love
Pack light. We’ve planned the rest.
Why travel with us
Fewer people. More moments.
We started Saltwind because the big coach tours felt like watching the world through glass. Fifteen years on, the rules haven’t changed.
“Travel like a guest, not a tourist.”
12
Travellers, at most
Small enough for family kitchens, mountain huts and the boats big groups can’t book.
38
Guides from the region
Paid properly, all year round, and leading trips through the places they call home.
68%
Stays in the destination
Locally owned riads, ryokan and guesthouses, local crews and local food.
100%
Carbon removed
For every trip, flights included, through verified removal projects. It’s in the price.
Destinations
Six regions we know by heart
Postcards from travellers
Rated 4.9 out of 5
1,460 reviews after the trip, never before
Atlas to the Sahara
“We slept in a desert camp, cooked tagine with a family in the Dades and laughed for ten days straight. Hassan made all twelve of us feel like his cousins.”
Ruth & Tom OkaforLeedsMerzouga, Morocco Sacred Valley & the Inca Trail
“I travelled solo and never once felt it. The Inca Trail was the hardest and best thing I’ve done, and the porters were treated properly. That mattered to me.”
Mei Lin HartEdinburghCusco, Peru Arctic Lights of Tromsø
“The aurora came out on our second night and Ingrid woke everyone up. Small group, tiny boat, orca right next to us. Worth every penny.”
Daniel PriceCardiffTromsø, Norway
From the journal
Field notes
Practical · 6 min read
How to actually see the northern lights
Forecasts, cameras and why you should never book just one night.
Food · 5 min read
Eleven things to eat in Kyoto before you leave
From yuba at dawn to a bowl of nishin soba at midnight.
The Saltwind letter
Postcards from the road, once a month.
New departures before anyone else, a guide’s recipe, and the quiet weeks worth knowing about. No spam, ever.