Intrepid Travel completes acquisition of France’s Altaï Group

Intrepid Travel has fully acquired French adventure travel company Altaï Group from the investment company of Julien Leclercq – a key shareholder of Intrepid and chairman of Decathlon, the global sporting goods retailer.

A statement from Intrepid said the move expands the operator’s “strategic footprint” into France, one of the largest adventure travel markets in Europe.

It is Intrepid’s latest expansion into non-English speaking markets and represents the business’ second major investment in Europe, after it acquired leading Dutch tour operator Sawadee Reizen in early 2025.

Headquartered in Lyon, the Altaï Group operates nature-based, active, small group and tailor-made travel experiences through several brands, including Atalante, Altaï Travel, Copines de Voyage, and Les Aventureurs.

Like Intrepid, Altaï Group is a vertically integrated business operating most of its trips across the globe through its own network of destination management companies (DMCs).

The acquisition, which completed this month, will add £53 million in revenue and an additional 35,000 customers a year to Intrepid.

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It will unlock further potential in Europe and allow for growth in French-speaking markets beyond France, including Switzerland, Belgium and Canada. 

Altaï Group will continue to be led by managing director Yann Wulser, who will report to Intrepid’s EMEA managing director, Zina Bencheikh.

The group will remain based in France and will continue to operate with the existing names and brands for the short-term.

James Thornton, Intrepid chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Altaï Group to Intrepid. We see the French-speaking market as a massive opportunity to further propel our growth and look forward to sharing our strategic vision of the world needs more Intrepid people with new, French-speaking customers.”

Leclercq, Intrepid non-executive board member, added: “This is the ideal match for the Altaï Group, which will allow the business to expand further under Intrepid’s global footprint and expertise.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Intrepid team, since first becoming a key shareholder in 2021 and I’m looking forward to deepening my commitment in the years ahead.”

Intrepid and Altaï Group are both B Corp certified, which means they operate with the highest levels of environmental and social standards.