How memorising an Atlas led to a career as an Expedition Leader
Interview with an Paramedic and Expedition Leader with almost two decades of experience Luca Alfatti is qualified as an Advanced Paramedic, he is also an expedition leader here with us… read more
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2021
As we step into a new year, we like to showcase and celebrate the commercial projects we’ve been able to safely work on in 2021, which has made a remarkable year… read more
HOW TO THINK LIKE AN EXTREME TV SAFETY ADVISOR
Insights from Will Smith’s Welcome to Earth Series 2 with SC safety advisor Dave Lucas The new Welcome to Earth series launched last week and it’s a pretty big deal.… read more
THE BREATHING SHIELD
There’s perhaps no item of clothing more universally useful in the outdoors than the humble waterproof jacket. Today, a performance shell that works in the harshest conditions won’t come cheap,… read more
THE GEOGRAPHY PEOPLE AND MYTHOLOGY OF AFRICA’S HIGHEST PEAK
Broadly considered the most accessible of the seven summits, Mt. Kilimanjaro is common place on adventure bucket lists around the world. But how much do you really know about Africa’s… read more
FIRE ICE AND BEARS IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST
Dividing the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west, Kamchatka is a 1,250 kilometre long peninsula of absolute isolation. It’s the home of Eurasia’s… read more
THE EDGE OF THE EARTH
In Siberia’s far north, a remote peninsula known as the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region sits within the Arctic Circle. It’s isolated. Roughly 2000km north-east of Moscow and separated by the mighty… read more
A PATH LESS TRODDEN
As the most accessible peak of the Seven Summits, the path to the roof of Africa is pretty well-trodden. It’s a trekking peak and a bucket-list item within the grasps… read more
THE PRIVILEGE OF NAMING MOUNTAINS
For many it’s the ultimate goal in mountaineering. At the very least, claiming a first ascent provides a minimum of a lifetime worth of bragging and – if you can bear… read more
WIN TICKETS TO ATFF!
To celebrate The Adventure Travel Film Festival’s 7th birthday, the kind folk behind the action have given Secret Compass two tickets to give away to the London Festival. Two passes… read more
The Adventure Travel Film Festival is Coming
The 2017 Adventure Film Festival is almost upon us and as always the guys have curated a belting list of films that’ll without doubt have you packing your bags.
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO JUNGLE FOOT CARE
from choosing the right boots to techniques for avoiding trench footImmense isolation, off-the-scale humidity, searing heat and an overload of exotic hazards. In no environment is foot care more paramount… read more
6 ADVENTURES TO UP YOUR ALPINE GAME
Whether your eye is on that first 5000m+ summit, using crampons and ice axes for the first time or gaining the knowledge to plan your own expedition, here are six expeditions to… read more
MOMENTS LIKE THESE MAKE ALPINISM ADDICTIVE
Upon the unzipping of tents, the serene mix of sublime weather conditions and stillness that comes with a 4am start high above the snow line, hinted at a successful day… read more
INTERVIEW: ALPINE EXPERT PHIL DE-BEGER
After leading two Secret Compass expeditions in Iraqi Kurdistan he’s briefly back in the UK before he heads out to Georgia for our Alpine Skills Expedition in May, so we caught up with… read more
BOOTS AND CRAMPONS
Packing the right kit is an essential part of any expedition and using the wrong kit in extreme locations can have sever consequences, putting your safety at risk and jeopardising… read more
THE DARIEN GAP
“ There is definitely a reason Secret Compass runs expeditions not tours. You couldn’t feel further from being a tourist, their expeditions are such genuine experiences. The guides were absolutely 110%… read more
THE TRANSPANAMA THRU-HIKE
Panamanian Rick Morales has done what very few trekkers would even dare to attempt, let alone imagine: mapped out a new hiking trail across the length of his country. As… read more
DESERT FOOTWEAR GUIDE
Blisters are a fact of life on desert expeditions. Even those who ‘had never had one before’ or say ‘I never get blisters’ get them. The rough ground, hot temperatures… read more
OPERATION TROGON
In 2016 Secret Compass expedition leader Paul Taylor joined Team Rubicon on Operation Trogon in Haiti, working to assist those affected by the most powerful Caribbean hurricane in several years. A disaster… read more
EXPEDITION CLOTHING
In this quick video, Secret Compass’s director Tom Bodkin shows you what you need to take with you on an expedition into the jungle across desert or through savannah-styled terrain.
MADE IN MADAGASCAR
The best thing about the expedition for me was seeing parts of the world you would never see unless you hiked there. Only a few people will see the sights… read more
EXPEDITION RUCKSACKS
Want to buy a new rucksack for your next expedition? In the latest of our expedition kit advice videos, Tom guides you through the different sizes and back systems of… read more
Down in the Darien
expedition snapshot
TREK TRAINING TIPS
to get you expedition ready
SECRETS OF THE SINAI
expedition snapshot
MY FIRST EXPEDITION
new to Secret Compass? Read on…
Madagascar in May
exploring the eighth continent
Chad’s Heated Heartland
to Tibesti and Emi Koussi
MURCHISON FALLS
rafting challenge: accepted
DESCENT OF THE MOA
packrafting in Sierra Leone
The hottest place on earth…
and other facts about Iran’s Lut desert
Inspired by Iceland?
trek the iconic Laugavegur Trail
FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH
leading treks in Afghanistan
SLEEPING ON EXPEDITIONS
Not sure what to buy on the sleeping bag front for your pending adventures? Expedition expert Tom Bodkin, director of Secret Compass, talks you through the different types of sleeping… read more
EXPEDITION FOOTWEAR
Buying new boots for an expedition? From jungle boots to desert boots and from trekking boots to mountaineering boots, expedition and adventure expert Tom Bodkin (director of Secret Compass) shares… read more
GO FOR IT IN GABON
an amphibious adventure
IN IMAGES: NORTH KOREA
Inside the Secret State
RAFT PNG’S EPIC WATUT
whitewater course on an epic river
A Weekend in Wales
expedition snapshot
Books on Burma
5 to read before you go
Who holidays in Iraq?
you could: climb Kurdistan’s highest peak
What does Secret Compass do?
watch the Secret Compass showreel
ADVENTURER HOTLIST
who’s hot (and sometimes cold) right now in adventure
Meet our new website
welcome to mobile-friendly SC2.0!
THE JUNGLE BOOKS
read up on Panama’s Darien gap
DRC DOCUMENTARY
the rangers’ gripping true story
CROSSING BHUTAN
a human-powered journey through the land of Gross National Happiness
TO FILM OR NOT TO FILM?
reflections on expedition filming