Everything you need to know
before you leave

We work that out together in a short introductory call. We go through your experience, your physical base, how many days you can free up and what you want from an expedition. Then we suggest one or two expeditions that fit.

So you do not have to pick the right one from the calendar yourself. Many people arrive with one expedition in mind and choose another after the call.

Every expedition has a level that shows how demanding and how rough the conditions are: 1 Experience, 2 Explore, 3 Adventure, 4 Challenge and 5 Xtreme. You find the level at the top of every expedition page.

The level says nothing about how beautiful or valuable an expedition is. A level 3 can move you just as much as a level 5.

Yes. Many of our participants leave on their very first real expedition. We do not ask for experience, we ask for commitment: you train, you follow the preparation and you are honest about where you stand.

On a group tour you are taken from point to point. On an expedition you share the responsibility: navigating, setting up camp, finding water and making decisions when the weather changes.

On top of that, you do not just leave. A preparation programme of three to six months comes first, and during the expedition we work deliberately on leadership and teamwork.

You can, but it depends on your fitness and what you have already done in similar conditions. For a level 4 or 5 we sometimes also look at technical skills, such as walking on crampons or rope work.

If you do not have that background yet, we build a path together: a level 3 first, then the next step.

A short three day expedition in the French Ardennes, meant as a first step. You experience how we work, you sleep outside and afterwards you know whether a real expedition is for you.

There is no preparation programme of several months, but there is an online briefing and a packing list. More on the Untamed Adventure Weekend page.

We do not set a hard upper limit. What counts is your fitness and how well you recover, not the year you were born. Our participants range from their early thirties to well over sixty, and people over sixty who train consistently often do better than someone of thirty.

We do ask that you are an adult. For younger participants, for example a parent with a son or daughter, we look at each case individually.

Yes. You each sign up separately, with your own intake and your own physical test, and you join the same group.

Keep in mind that people who come together sometimes stay together on the way. Part of what an expedition does lies in stepping away from what is familiar.

No. Our groups include entrepreneurs, C level managers, consultants, doctors, lawyers, creatives, investors and sporty high performers. What connects them is their drive, not their job title.

Yes, every participant is screened: in the introductory call, through the intake form and during the physical test at the kick off.

Sometimes we advise a lighter expedition or a later date. We do not like doing that, but we do it consistently: in a small group on a glacier, everyone's safety counts.

Then we look for an alternative together: an expedition one level lower, the same expedition a year later, or a longer preparation so you are ready for it.

What you have already paid is not lost: it moves along to the new plan.

That depends on the level of the expedition. You do not need to be an athlete, but you do need to be motivated. Through the preparation programme we build your level up to what your expedition asks: a physical test at the kick off, tailored training advice and a final check shortly before departure.

If you do not follow the training advice, you will have a hard time on the way. Not dangerous, but less enjoyable, because your energy goes into keeping up instead of into the experience.

Count on three to five hours a week, spread over a few sessions. Your training advice is built around strength, mobility and endurance, and matched to your expedition, your body and the time you have.

Consistency matters more than volume. Training twice a week gets you further than one hard week followed by three weeks of nothing.

That differs per expedition and is listed on the expedition page. With a full pack you carry everything yourself, including your share of the group gear and food. On other expeditions the bulk travels with mules, pack horses, a sled or a vehicle.

During the preparation you learn to pack a backpack smartly. You almost always need less than you think.

That depends on the expedition and the terrain, and kilometres say little: ten kilometres through marshy ground with a full pack is harder than twenty five kilometres on a trail.

Every expedition page describes the daily rhythm, and at the kick off we go through the route day by day.

Then we adjust. The expedition leader lowers the pace, redistributes the weight or chooses a shorter route to the next camp. That happens on almost every expedition at some point.

If continuing is not responsible, we stop, in consultation with our basecamp in Belgium. Those options are worked out in advance: evacuation route, contact point and transport.

Not necessarily. Many participants leave with a history of injuries. Do mention it in the intake form, so we take it into account in your screening and your training advice.

If in doubt, we ask for approval from your doctor or physiotherapist: can you safely carry a heavy backpack over uneven ground?

Yes, as long as your fitness and your joints can handle the load. We measure that in the physical test at the kick off, and we build your training advice on it.

If you want to take a big step, we deliberately plan your expedition further ahead. Six months of preparation often makes more difference than choosing a lower level.

At the kick off you complete a course against the clock. That way we measure your strength, mobility and endurance, and we see what happens when you get tired.

It is not an exam. It is a baseline on which your training advice is built. Shortly before departure, at the final check, we see whether the build up has worked.

Then we have an honest conversation. Sometimes that means an adjusted role in the group, sometimes a lighter programme within the same expedition, sometimes moving to a later date.

The programme has two phases. The individual phase starts as soon as you sign up: you receive a booklet with tips and exercises and a provisional packing list, and you share your medical details.

The group phase starts three to six months before departure, with a minimum of three months. It opens with a full kick off day, followed by group training sessions, a technical training tailored to your destination and a final check shortly before departure. The full outline is on the preparation programme page.

The kick off is a full day and the technical training is a practice day. On top of that there are regular group training sessions and the final check, and you train at home.

For a level 5 the group phase starts earlier, because technical skills come into play that you cannot build in a few weeks. The exact number of sessions is in your planning.

The kick off and the group sessions take place at Kasteel Borgwal in Gavere, Belgium. The technical training happens in the field, at a place that suits what you are learning.

Some parts can be done online. What belongs outside, we do outside.

Yes. The preparation is not an extra service, it is part of the expedition and included in the price. It is also the reason we can head into terrain where help is not twenty minutes away.

If you miss several parts, we look at whether taking part is still responsible.

Let us know as early as possible. For most parts we find a catch up moment, on your own or with the group of another expedition.

Two parts are hard to catch up on: the kick off, because that is where you meet your group, and the technical training, because it is tailored to your terrain.

Yes. Based on the physical test at the kick off, you receive training advice tailored to your body, your level and the time you have.

If you want closer follow up, that is possible with personal guidance during the build up.

On average between €3,200 and €9,500 per person, including the full preparation programme.

All prices are per person and exclude flights. The full calendar with prices is on the overview of all expeditions.

The full programme, not just the days in the field: the preparation with kick off, physical test, training advice, technical training and final check, guidance by our expedition leaders, the group gear, your backpack and sleeping bag, meals and nights during the expedition and local transfers.

What exactly belongs to your expedition is listed on the expedition page.

Your flights, your personal clothing and footwear, your travel and assistance insurance and any cancellation insurance, visas, vaccinations, personal expenses and extra nights before or after the expedition.

No. All prices exclude flights. We do book the flights for you, so the group arrives together and the transfers line up. They are invoiced separately during the preparation programme, as soon as they are booked.

For a European destination, count on a few hundred euros; for Patagonia or Ecuador roughly €1,000 to €1,800 in economy, depending on when you book.

Flight prices fluctuate a lot. If we built them in, you would pay a margin on uncertainty. Besides, not everyone wants the same: one person flies from Brussels, another from Amsterdam, some stay on for an extra week afterwards.

Every participation is invoiced in two parts: 50% when you sign up and 50% two months before departure. Your flights are invoiced separately as soon as they are booked.

If you sign up less than two months before departure, the full amount is due straight away.

Payment is already spread over two invoices by default: 50% when you sign up and 50% two months before departure. If you have a question about the timing, raise it when you sign up.

Yes. We invoice the company you specify, with a clear description of what the invoice covers.

Whether and how much you can deduct for tax depends on your situation. That is a question for your accountant.

Apart from your flight, your personal clothing is the biggest cost. Starting from scratch, people often spend between €500 and €1,500 on footwear, layers, gloves and a good jacket. If you are already active outdoors, you need much less.

Do not buy anything before the kick off. There we go through the packing list and you see what we provide and what you already have.

You book an introductory call. Then you receive a quote, and once you confirm in writing your place is secured and you receive the first invoice.

Right after signing up you receive the booklet with tips and exercises, a provisional packing list, a request for your personal and medical details, and a welcome pack.

A video call of about an hour. We talk about why you want to go, what you are looking for, your experience and your schedule. You are also welcome to visit us at Kasteel Borgwal.

Nothing is sold in that call. It happens that we advise someone not to go this year.

On average participants sign up 9 months before departure, because expeditions are usually fully booked 6 months before departure. The preparation programme starts three to six months before departure, with a minimum of three months.

Signing up later is sometimes still possible, if your physical base is good and the group is not full.

Yes. Let us know when you sign up, we book it that way and invoice the difference. On the expedition itself nothing changes: everyone sleeps in the same place.

Yes. We book your flight on different dates, and you arrange your own stay for the extra days. Do tell us before we issue the tickets, because changes afterwards cost money.

That depends on the destination and your nationality. We tell you what is needed, but applying for visas and travel documents is your responsibility.

Check your passport too: many countries require it to be valid for at least six months after your return, and sometimes two blank pages.

If you cancel at least three months before the start, 50% of the total amount is due; within three months, 100%.

In case of illness or a serious personal reason, we look at what is fair: the costs already committed with local partners, plus our cancellation cost. That is why we recommend taking out cancellation insurance when you sign up.

Often, yes, if your replacement passes the screening and there is still time for the preparation. There may be costs, for example for changing a ticket or a permit. The earlier you tell us, the more is possible.

If an expedition does not go ahead, for example because the group is not full or the situation on the ground becomes unsafe, you choose: another date, another expedition or a refund of what you paid for the cancelled part.

Element X is a member of the Belgian Travel Guarantee Fund (Garantiefonds Reizen). If the organiser becomes insolvent, you can call on it.

Safety is our starting point. Every expedition rests on three pillars: thorough preparation, experienced expedition leaders trained as Wilderness First Responders, and gear you never have to doubt.

For every expedition we do thorough research: weather, terrain, water, wildlife and plants, technical sections, altitude and alternative routes. More on our safety page.

An X Guide: an Element X expedition leader with experience in extreme, off grid conditions, who takes a group safely through unpredictable terrain and guides the leadership work at the same time.

During the preparation you will certainly meet Koen De Leeuw. Behind him is a team of X Guides, each with their own speciality: glacier, jungle, desert, water or altitude. Who leads your expedition depends on the terrain.

Every expedition has a worked out emergency plan: who does what, which evacuation route applies and which contact point is on the ground. The expedition leader contacts our basecamp in Belgium by satellite, where someone is ready 24/7 to help decide.

Our expedition leaders are trained as Wilderness First Responders and carry medical kit suited to the environment.

Yes. The expedition leader carries satellite communication, so our basecamp can follow along and step in quickly when needed.

That channel is for safety and operational decisions, not for daily messages. So the experience stays intact.

Travel and assistance insurance that covers the activities of your expedition, including repatriation and, where relevant, search and rescue. Watch the exclusions: many standard policies exclude high mountains or climbing.

During the preparation we tell you exactly what your expedition requires, so you can have your policy checked.

Yes, and we say so with every booking. From three months before departure 50% is due, within three months 100%. Cancellation insurance that covers illness, accidents and certain professional reasons absorbs that. Take it out when you sign up, not later.

For most expeditions we ask for a medical document that you go through with your doctor. For expeditions at altitude or in extreme cold, this is stricter.

It is not about a stamp, but about knowing whether anything could play a role on the way.

In most cases, yes. Mention it in the intake form and discuss it with the expedition leader.

Bring a generous reserve, split over two places, and take cold and altitude into account. For some medicines we ask for a doctor's certificate for customs.

That depends on the destination. We let you know what is usual, but the vaccinations themselves are your responsibility. Visit a travel clinic or your GP in good time: some schedules need several shots over a few weeks.

On expeditions that go high, such as Chimborazo and Kilimanjaro, acclimatisation is built into the route. The expedition leader monitors symptoms daily and adjusts where needed.

Altitude sickness does not care how fit you are. So the rule is: if you have symptoms, report them straight away. Descending is always an option.

Some areas are home to predators, snakes or insects you take seriously. That is part of our research, and at the kick off you hear what lives in your area and how to behave.

In practice the biggest risks are rarely the animals, but dehydration, sprains and hypothermia.

Yes, and it happens. A storm, a swollen river, a closed pass or a political situation can make us choose an alternative route. Those alternatives are worked out in advance.

The expedition leader decides on the spot, in consultation with our basecamp.

That depends on the expedition: under a tarp, in a snow shelter you build yourself, in a hammock in the jungle, in a tent or a ger where needed, and on some expeditions in a simple hotel on arrival and departure.

Every expedition page says where you sleep. What applies everywhere: you sleep outside and you set up your own camp.

Morning and evening you eat a freeze dried meal, during the day snacks such as nuts, bars and dried fruit. All meals during the expedition are included, and you taste them at the kick off.

You cook in small groups on a jetboil. On some expeditions the local crew travelling with us does the cooking.

Yes. Vegetarian, lactose free, gluten free and most allergies we can handle, as long as we know in time. Mention it when you sign up.

For a severe allergy we discuss in advance what is feasible. In remote areas we cannot always rule out cross contamination, and we will tell you so.

No. We do not drink alcohol during the expedition, unless something else has been agreed for a tailor made expedition. Alcohol is heavy, dehydrates you and disturbs your sleep and recovery.

On arrival or after the expedition there is sometimes a moment to raise a glass together.

From the surroundings: rivers, streams, lakes, meltwater or snow. We filter, treat or boil it, depending on the source. You learn how to filter during the preparation.

Water is part of our research for every route. In dry areas such as Oman, water helps decide where camp goes.

No, and that is deliberate. The expeditions go to areas without a network. Only the expedition leader has a satellite connection, for safety.

Many participants later call this the most valuable part: days without noise.

There is no power on the way. Bring a power bank and remember that batteries drain fast in the cold: keep them close to your body. A small solar panel works in sunny areas, but on a glacier or in the jungle it is often just extra weight.

A camera, always. A drone is another story: in several countries importing or flying one is banned or needs a permit, and in protected areas it often cannot fly. Ask us in advance and we will tell you the rules.

Yes. Your family receives the number of our basecamp in Belgium, which is reachable 24/7. If something urgent happens at home, they contact the expedition leader by satellite. It works the other way round too.

All the specialist expedition gear: your backpack and sleeping bag, tarps, jetboils, navigation, rope gear, packrafts, sleds, snowshoes and whatever else your terrain asks. You receive your backpack and sleeping bag before departure.

We choose every item for safety and reliability in real conditions, not for brand or price.

Your personal clothing and footwear: layers, jacket, gloves, socks and mountain boots. Those need to fit your body.

You receive a packing list with concrete specifications. Do not buy anything before the kick off: there we go through what we provide and what you already have. What we supply, you do not need to rent.

Yes, a packing list for your expedition and the season. You receive it right after signing up, so there is time to search, compare and break things in.

Yes, and it is not a detail. New boots are the most common cause of misery on the way. Count on at least fifty to a hundred kilometres in your boots before departure, with the socks you wear on expedition and with weight on your back.

Then we tell you, and why. A jacket that is not windproof or boots without support are a safety question, not a matter of taste.

Because we check this well before departure, there is time to replace them. We help you find something that fits and is not needlessly expensive.

Deliberately small: 6 to 12 participants. Small enough to follow everyone personally, big enough for real group dynamics. A few expeditions differ; the exact number is on the expedition page.

Most participants sign up on their own. At the kick off you meet your group months before departure, and after that you see each other at the group training sessions, the technical training and the final check.

By departure day the group is no longer a collection of strangers.

We put every group together deliberately, looking at level and mix. That is why, in practice, it almost always works.

Some friction is part of it: an expedition is a team with a shared goal, and those moments are addressed during reflection. Behaviour that undermines safety or the atmosphere is addressed by the expedition leader.

That differs per expedition. Almost every group includes women, and on some expeditions the balance is close to even. If you want to know what your group looks like today, just ask. Sleeping places are arranged in consultation.

At Element X, leadership does not come from theory but from action. You take responsibility in a team with a shared goal, you decide under pressure and you carry consequences for more than yourself.

What participants mention most often afterwards: calmer decisions, a sharper view of their own patterns and less of an urge to carry everything themselves.

The group works as a team in which everyone takes on a role: navigation, camp, water, food. Those roles rotate.

Every day there is a moment of reflection around the fire: what worked, where did teamwork stall, where was leadership needed. If you want to, you lead the expedition for a day yourself.

On both. During the preparation programme, Koen De Leeuw guides the leadership part, built on well known leadership models. During the expedition those models become practice: no slides in the wilderness, but real situations and real responsibility.

The selection starts with the Wilderness Training in the Carpathians: nine days in which we see how you function when it stays hard for a long time and how you deal with a group.

Taking part is a first step, not a guarantee of a role as an X Guide. Read our expedition leader vacancy and let us know.

There is always a moment to talk things through, and the group usually stays in touch. If you want to keep working on it, you can choose personal guidance.

Coming home is often harder than leaving. You can tell us that.

Yes. Besides the open expeditions, we build programmes for companies: a board, a management group or a group of clients and partners. We start from what is going on in the organisation and build the programme around it. More on the teams page.

On an open expedition you are with people you do not know, and that is part of the value. On a team expedition you already know each other, and we work on the existing dynamics: trust, roles and difficult conversations. The conditions stay the same: you sleep outside.

A private group usually starts from six participants. For families or small parties it is sometimes possible from four people, or even individually, depending on destination and budget.

The smaller the group, the higher the price per person, because the fixed costs stay the same. For formats such as the Untamed Adventure Weekend we work with rates from twelve people.

Yes. We match destination, duration, level and the leadership part to your group and your goal, from three days in the Ardennes to an expedition in the Sahara. It starts with a conversation. More on the tailor made page.

That happens regularly. An expedition with clients or partners works differently from a classic event: you share something that cannot be copied. We help choose the level, because a mixed group needs a format everyone can handle.

Yes. Besides the full expeditions there are formats of three to four days, for a team that cannot free up two weeks. There too you sleep outside, cook yourself and carry real responsibility.

Element X organises wilderness expeditions and leadership programmes for entrepreneurs, high performers and teams. Element X BV has its registered office in Gavere, Belgium. More on our about us page.

Koen is founder and expedition leader of Element X and guides the leadership part. He is a paratrooper and Wilderness First Responder, and led the Flemish TV series De Expeditie in Namibia and Patagonia as expedition leader.

You will certainly meet him during the preparation. More about Koen De Leeuw.

Our base is Kasteel Borgwal in Gavere, Belgium, which is also where the kick off and the group sessions of the preparation take place. Our postal address is Leenstraat 33 bus 2001, 9890 Gavere, Belgium.

Yes. The legal rules for package travel apply, and Element X is a member of the Belgian Travel Guarantee Fund (Garantiefonds Reizen). If the organiser becomes insolvent, you can call on it.