Manawa

A worldwide platform for booking local adventures

Manawa is a booking platform for outdoor activities run by independent local operators; it does not run the activities itself. The about page calls Manawa "the expert link between travelers and the world's best local professionals" and gives its catalog as 10897 activities from 3506 partners in 61 countries and 1007 destinations, "from canyoning in the Pyrenees to dog sledding in Lapland." Each activity page names the business that runs it: the Trollfjord Cruise from Svolvær in Lofoten, for example, is "Organized by Brim Explorer." The most popular destinations in the menu are the Verdon Gorge, Lake Garda, Moorea, Zakynthos, Bovec in Slovenia, Potes in Spain and Annecy, and the wider menu runs through France and Corsica, French Polynesia, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Norway, Reunion Island, Slovenia, Italy, Guadeloupe, Mauritius, Portugal, Switzerland, the Canary Islands and Madeira. Prices on the site appear in euros, with a currency switcher.

Who runs the platform

The about page says Manawa was launched in 2016 by a team of outdoor enthusiasts, divers, hikers and surfers, who were frustrated by phone calls and language barriers when booking activities, and set out to make these "offline" activities bookable online. It describes "a curated network of over 3,000 professional partners" and says Manawa handles "the behind-the-scenes logistics." The site's reassurance panel claims "10 years of experience" and "Half a million experiences lived by our clients."

What the catalog holds

The homepage lists activity counts by type: Boat Tours 1,212 activities, Canyoning 612, Scuba Diving 500, Sea Kayaking 446, Rafting 323, Paragliding 291, Snorkelling 284, Surfing 252, Via Ferrata 205, Horseback Riding 128, Helicopter Tours 96 and Hot Air Ballooning 72, alongside bungee jumping and whale watching. The homepage also carries destination features on Moorea, Fort William in Scotland and the Lofoten Islands, and editorial guides such as the 10 best canyoning spots in Corsica.

The boat tours page shows how listings look. A Boat Tour on the Lagoon of Taha'a and Raiatea is a full day from €105, organized by Are Tours Raiatea Tahaa. A catamaran excursion from Saint-Florent in Corsica runs 6 hrs from €95, a boat trip to the Calanques de Piana from Porto starts from €35, a Calanques National Park tour from Bandol from €34, the Teahupoo Wave Watching Boat Tour in Tahiti runs 1 hr 15 min from €20, and a catamaran trip to Marie-Galante in Guadeloupe starts from €110. The helicopter page lists flights over Reunion Island from Saint-Pierre (1 hr 45 min, from €365) and over Piton de la Fournaise (from €215), a Bora Bora flight of 10 to 30 minutes from €352, Santorini helicopter tours from €750 / group, Cape Town flights from €181 and €252, a Victoria Falls flight from €157 and a private flight over Mallorca from €575. The homepage features a tandem paragliding flight over Lake Bohinj from €190, a canyoning initiation in Bavella, Corsica, at 3.5 hrs from €55, and rafting on the Soča in Bovec from €68.

A sample listing: the Trollfjord Cruise

The Trollfjord Cruise page shows the level of detail a listing carries. It is priced from €138, rated 4.6/5 from 5 reviews, and open to everyone "From 2 years-old and up." The page describes a purpose-built hybrid-electric ship, about an hour's sailing from Svolvær to the Trollfjord, and an underwater drone launched "if conditions allow." It names the meeting point ("The pier on the main square, next to Paleo Arctic Restaurant, Thon Hotel Lofoten Torget, 8300 Svolvær, Norway"), lists the spoken languages as Norwegian and English, includes a guide, WiFi and water, excludes food and drinks (there is a cafe on board), and gives a packing list of warm, windproof clothing, a hat, gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen and a camera. It warns that "wildlife is unpredictable" and says dogs and cats are welcome on board. A minimum of 8 participants is required; if it is not reached, the page says, guests are offered a full refund or the chance to reschedule. The cancellation terms are marked "Flexible," with details behind a More info link. Below the listing, the page shows similar trips nearby from other operators, such as a Coastal Boat Tour to Trollfjord organized by Trollcruise from €64 and a Boat Cruise to Trollfjord organized by Go2Lofoten from €106 / group, so the same fjord can be compared across companies on one page.

Booking, payment and support

Booking is online, and some listings, such as the Taha'a lagoon tour, are marked "Instant confirmation." Payment is "By credit card or Paypal." The homepage says "We don't charge any fee when booking with Manawa," offers "Free rescheduling or refund where applicable," and states a weather guarantee: "Free rescheduling or refund if the activity must be cancelled due to bad weather." The site says its in-house customer service works 7/7 via chat, email or phone. Manawa gift cards are valid for 1 year, usable across the catalog in one or more instalments and sent by email. The site shows a rating of 4.7/5 based on 36,576 ratings and says 94% of its clients would recommend it. The site is in English, French, Spanish and German, with prices switchable into currencies from AUD to ZAR.

What the platform does not settle

Because each activity is run by a different operator, the practical details (what is included, languages, age limits, meeting point, cancellation window) live on each activity page and differ from one listing to the next. "Flexible" cancellation is shown as a label, and the notice period sits behind a link, so it has to be checked per booking. The about page says Manawa ensures "every experience is safe, authentic, and truly memorable," but it does not describe how it selects or checks its partners beyond calling the network "curated."

Who it suits

Manawa suits travelers who want to book an outdoor activity in a place they do not know well, such as canyoning in Corsica, a boat trip in French Polynesia or a helicopter flight over Reunion, and prefer one site, one payment and one support team to calling a local operator directly. Travelers who want to deal with the guide in person before paying can use the operator name on each listing to look further.