Adventure company Secret Compass is gearing up for summer 2015 with three brand new expedition destinations: Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Sinai. 

Former team member Kellie Sommerville (Afghanistan 2014) said, “There is definitely a reason Secret Compass runs expeditions not tours. You couldn't feel further from being a tourist, they offer such a genuine experience.”

Adventure 1: Armenia - Fables, Myths and Legends (Aug - Sep 2015)

This is a brand new, high-altitude trek across the southern highlands of Armenia exploring the fables, myths and legends of this formerly troubled region.

Tom Bodkin, Secret Compass founder, said, “The expedition aim is to summit two southern Armenian peaks, Mount Khustup (3,206m) and Mount Aramazd (3,392m) to reach the historic city and monastery of Tatev.  

“Politically, Armenia is poised between some rocks and hard places with many of its borders currently closed to its neighbours. Historically, the region is a cradle of Christianity and was the first to adopt Christianity as its state religion in the 4th Century. Geographically, southern Armenia is perfect for this challenging Secret Compass trek. Its rolling, fertile valleys and striking, high-altitude ridgelines offering awesome trekking and photography opportunities.”

Adventure 2: Kyrgyzstan - Traverse the Talas Mountains on MTB (Sep 2015)

Next up is a mountain bike (MTB) exploration of Kyrgyzstan. Secret Compass will take a team of keen amateur MTB riders to traverse the Talas Mountains. This has never been done commercially before so this will be a world-first and a true, recce-styled adventure. There is a robust plan in place but anything could happen - which is what attracts many people to Secret Compass and its adventures. 

Adventure 3: Sinai - minimalistic desert crossing (Sep - Oct 2015)

Later in September, Secret Compass will take a team of intrepid individuals into the Sinai desert carrying nothing but a goat-skin water bladder and a Bedouin blanket for warmth at night. Their aim is to cross the rarely-visited southern Sinai peninsula on foot, on this Bedouin and camel-supported classic desert trek. 

The Secret Compass ethos

Kerry O'Neill, marketing director of Secret Compass, said, “Our team expeditions achieve the extraordinary in the world's wildest places, from the mountains of Afghanistan and Armenia to te jungles of Madagascar and the deserts of the Sudan and southern Sinai.

“Our self-supported summer expeditions offer an antidote to the world's crowded, well-trodden adventure hubs. They appeal to adventure travellers seeking remoteness, challenge and isolation in unusual or extreme environments. 

A second team member (Sierra Leone 2014) said, “The potential for discovery and adventure on Secret Compass expeditions is hard to fathom, as if from some epic in literature. If I hadn't experienced it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it.”

With its military background, expedition company Secret Compass is renowned for offering adventurous, exploratory and often world-first travel experiences to countries eschewed by most operators due to their remoteness, post-conflict reputations or inaccessibility.

Its upcoming adventure travel destinations for 2014- 2015 include Afghanistan, Armenia, Panama, Kurdistan, Madagascar, Kamchatka, Sinai, Arunachal Pradesh, Kyrgyzstan and Ethiopia. 

For further press information, contact Kerry O'Neill. 

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NOTES TO EDITORS
Secret Compass is a pioneering expedition company creating world-first experiences for teams of like-minded adventurers. Through group and bespoke adventures, Secret Compass helps each team member achieve the extraordinary in the world's wildest places. Founded by ex-British Army Parachute Regiment officers, its expeditions reach the planet's most remote regions in the spirit of exploration's earliest pioneers. Its highly trained professionals deliver well-planned and safe experiences, while encouraging daring leaps out of comfort zones. Secret Compass is passionate about returning tourism to post-conflict zones and emerging economies to stimulate local development and challenge preconceptions.

Specialist Film and TV services
Secret Compass also takes film crews, journalists and photographers to remote and previously inaccessible areas thanks to its unrivalled location management expertise. Clients to date include the BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet and Channel 4, in countries from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan.

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