Tour Difficulty Assesment
When searching for tours on our site, you’ll see a difficulty rating. These are meant to help you find the right tour for you. Tours on 10Adventures cover a vast range of difficulties and include various difficulty factors such as duration, activity level, and even altitude.
Whether you are looking for something casual and family friendly or the adventure of your lifetime, be sure to reference our difficulty ratings to find out what tour will fulfill your adventure dreams the best!
No rating scale is perfect, and one of the best ways to assess a tour for your own personal fitness is to look at the most difficult day of a tour and ensure you are comfortable with that day, and ideally have done a day of that difficulty in the past.
Level 1 tours are casual trips that don’t involve much physical activity and are typically perfect for families, those with mobility challenges, and folks looking for some rest and relaxation. Think about walking tours, sightseeing, and stops at lookout points. These are perfect for entry level adventurers and people looking for a reset. Tours rated level 1 are also ones where the tour can be customized and made easier for guests.
Level 2 tours include easy to moderate difficulty throughout. These tours typically have the activity take up 3-5 hours each day, and are often over easier terrain. These could be considered family friendly for older children who are keen adventurers.
Tours rated level 3 are considered moderate trips. These types of tours will involve a full range of activities with guests who are intermediate adventurers. We recommend previous experience in the focus sport or activity of the tour and some familiarity with the equipment used for the tour. For example, a level 3 backpacking trip will cover longer distances and require a moderate level of experience and fitness in the backcountry. Not recommended for young children or folks with low fitness levels.
Level 4 tours are considered moderate to difficult and are best done by people who are regularly active doing adventures. Folks booking level 4 tours should be in good physical shape and have familiarity with the activities involved. Activities on these tours will be longer and more challenging, often 5-8 hours of activity on most days. In some cases, tours can be level 4 due to them being at a high altitude.
Level 5 tours are challenging. This is the top of our rating scale, and there are many specific factors that will determine a level 5. It could be a high altitude trip in the Himalayas or Andes, a bike touring adventure with multiple 100+km days or a challenging backpacking tour such as the John Muir Trail. Choosing a level 5 tour requires experience and familiarity with the type of activities involved. You will need to be in the strong physical condition and be comfortable travelling and pushing yourself in challenging circumstances.