About us
Genuinely next-level travel & events
We deliver truly next-level travel experiences, from discovering unknown Roman shipwrecks and a new species of orca as part of family yacht trips to organising epic celebrations in bespoke luxury camps and thought leadership events focused on transformative wellness.
Founded by polar explorer Henry Cookson, we apply the same standards of expedition excellence and innovation that saw him break Antarctic world records to every trip we deliver. Everything is hyper-personalised to you, built from the ground up by our team of in-house experts and their network of global experts, from regional authorities and leading scientists to international DJs.
We only work on a small volume of projects each year, which means we can dedicate unrivalled attention and resources to every trip.
We create stories that are talked about
In an industry in which everyone seems to be selling bespoke experiences with varying degrees of legitimacy, Cookson is the real deal, producing one-of-a-kind adventures — exploring Antarctica via private submarine, saving giant tortoises in the Galápagos and scaling volcanoes in Nicaragua.
May 2019
Cookson Adventures has become known for placing conservation at the heart of its extraordinary journeys. Now, the experiential travel brand has made a ground-breaking marine research project possible, helping shine a light on a type of killer whale previously unknown to science.
April 2019
Famed for years spent researching and building an exclusive network of connections in a territory, the Cookson team have access to places, people, secluded routes and untouched places that others simply do not
May 2019
Cookson Adventures always ensures that no two trips are the same, with every single expedition designed to a truly ultra-personalised level.
September 2020
Henry Cookson, founder of elite operator Cookson Adventures, is a 2.0 version of the traditional fearless British explorer. In 2012, he was the first in the industry to arrange for two private subs to be deployed to the Antarctic for a client’s family adventure.
October 2021
The 63.69 metre explorer superyacht SuRi is to undertake a two-year expedition as part of a worldwide project to help map the seabed. The exploration mission, which has been organised by Cookson Adventures, will facilitate the first public seven-seater submersible expedition.
December 2019
Henry Cookson has also set up a company that specialises in bespoke journeys — but to the ends of the earth where few, if any, humans have been before.
January 2018
Whatever the client fancies, it’ll be “Cookson style”, which translates as: outside the box, full of surprises, maintaining a deep respect for nature, and liberally sprinkled with magic dust.
November 2017
Cookson in numbers
RAISED FOR
CONSERVATION
AVG. YACHT
CHARTER LENGTH
POLAR EXPEDITIONS
AVG. TONS OF CO2
OFFSET PER YEAR
HOURS OF
SEABED MAPPING
WORLD FIRSTS
SUB PROJECTS, FROM
ANTARCTICA TO FIJI
COUNTRIES VISITED
AVG. YEARLY PRIVATE
AIRCRAFT CHARTERS
CONSERVATION
PROJECTS SUPPORTED
Henry Cookson
Founder & Chairman
After a past life guiding horseback safaris in Kenya, Henry’s start in polar exploration began in 2005, winning the Polar Challenge race to the Magnetic North Pole.
Since then, he’s set a world record as part of the very first team to reach the South Pole of Inaccessibility without mechanical means and gone on to guide the Walking With The Wounded charity expedition to the North Pole with HRH Prince Harry.
It’s these expeditions that served as inspiration in founding Cookson Adventures, bringing the same standards of ground-breaking excellence to the world of private travel. That’s whether working with remote tribes in Africa or organising Alaska’s most complex charter operations.
Together with his hand-picked team, not only does he guide and host many of our adventures, but he is consistently sought to speak with authority on the cutting edge of global travel and expeditions.
And, through his work, several million in donations has been raised for charitable causes.
A few of the team
Our in-house experts build all of our adventures from the ground up, drawing on a global network of contacts – from biologists and conservationists to archaeologists.
Nick Davies
Managing Director
Harry R.P.
Head of private clients
Archie M.M.
Head of Projects
Kevin O'Conor
Head of Yachts
Farnham Rankin
Business Development
Natasha Piedrahita
Private Client manager
Louis Waite
Head of Videography & Photography
Anna Kan
Senior Project manager
Rita H.J.
Senior Project manager
Carlo Muies
Senior Project manager
Max Balbernie
Project manager
Lara Bates-Prior
Project manager
Jack Ogden
Senior Project associate
Sam Dyson
Project Associate
Tim Burton
Polar specialist
Rob Wallbank
Global product manager
Tamsin Graham
Head of Communications
Sam Bradley
Finance & Operations Director
Simon Langley
Head of Marketing
How it works
1. Enquiry
From global event planners to submersible specialists, our in-house team of experts make authoritative recommendations and facilitate your interests from the first conversation
2. Planning stage
After identifying a project together, an initial deposit lets us mobilise the resources for a dedicated project manager and the consultation of world-leading authorities to conceptualise your perfect trip with you
3. Recce and detailing
Dance floors in the African bush, desert-island access and world-first wildlife encounters – on-the-ground reccees and the engagement of global or local bodies let us fine-tune truly unique experiences, all tailored to you
4. On-trip
Backed by our full support team in London, on-the-ground Cookson experts and specialist guides will guarantee the seamless delivery of your project, able to adapt on the fly to your preferences, often with gear and even literature custom-made for you
5. Post-trip
Whether enjoying the video put together by our on-trip media team, a personalised report that informs global conservational bodies or simply receiving updates on the whale shark you tagged, we ensure that you form memories that last a lifetime
Footage shot entirely on our adventures
Contact our expert team today and see where it takes you.
Our journeys
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Cookson on film
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