Killarney Castle, Ireland. Women Traveling the World is featuring an Ireland Emerald Island Tour, August 30-September 7, 2019.
Women Traveling the World is offering an Ireland Emerald Island Tour that includes seven days (Aug 30 – Sept 7, 2019) experiencing first-hand this beautiful country known as the Emerald Isle. (Emerald Isle is the poetic name for Ireland due to its green countryside, first referred to in print by William Drennan in his poem “When Erin first rose”).
The tour starts in Dublin, a city offering many pubs, live music, historic cathedrals, Trinity College, The Guinness Storehouse, St Stephens Green and so much more. Then, head off to the Wicklow country side and explore the breathtaking mountains and Powerscourt Estate. Traveling to Killarney you will pass through some quaint Irish villages.
You will get to stay in two different Castle Hotels and truly experience Ireland and all its heritage, Celtic history, and natural beauty.
The trip
features beautiful landscapes and lush green colors set against the Atlantic
Ocean – the cliff sides are worth the visit alone. The shorelines are trimmed
by golden sands and rocky cliffs. Inland lakes and rural idylls are varied and
tranquil. The Irish are some of friendliest people and enjoy sharing in myths
and tales of this magical place. Home, too, of many great music artists such as
U2, this is truly a gem worth exploring and taking in local Irish fare and
music.
Tour Dates: Aug 30 – Sept 7, 2019 Cost: $1841 based on double occupancy (roommates can be provided);
single supplement $750
Included:
7 nights’ hotel in 4* hotel with taxes
Daily breakfast
5 Dinners Including 1 Irish show
1 lunch
Entrance fees to all sites visited as per itinerary
Tour Leader with 6 or more clients
Private transfers to all included sites and cities visited
Shannon car ferry
Local Tour Guide/Private driver
Arrival transfers in Dublin if traveling on tour dates and at the same times as
other travelers. TBA
Departure transfers in Shannon if traveling with the group.
Wild Women Expeditions is hosting multiple departures of two new, distinct itineraries that embrace the blue waters and high-altitude wilderness of Croatia.
CORNER BROOK, NL, Canada– Across the Adriatic Sea from Italy is a sun-splashed shoreline that marks Croatia, sometimes known as Dalmatia. Here in 2019, Wild Women Expeditions will host multiple departures of two new, distinct itineraries that embrace the blue waters and high-altitude wilderness of this secret Riviera.
Kaleidoscopic Croatian Multisport is a 13-day active immersion in nature and culture that promises up to six hours of hiking or four hours each of paddling and cycling most days. Departures in 2019 are May 23, Sept. 1, Sept 22 and Oct.13. The per person (double occupancy) rate of $4,695 includes:
12 nights shared accommodations in locally owned hotels and guesthouses
All breakfasts and lunches and some dinners
Ground transportation from Zagreb to Dubrovnik
Airport transfers on Day 13
All equipment required for activities outlined in the itinerary
All national park or entrance fees required to deliver the activities
English-speaking female lead guide plus support staff
This itinerary begins in Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb, before departing for Kopački Rit Nature Park on the Croatian-Serbian border. During a homestay, guests will prepare dinner and perhaps hear stories about the history of what life was like in Tito’s Yugoslavia before the Balkan states erupted into being in the early 1990s.
Croatia’s pride and joy are its national and nature parks. Kopački Rit Nature Park on the Danube floodplain is dubbed the European Amazon for its rich biodiversity and abundance of bird and wildlife. After exploring this wildest side of Croatia, the itinerary weaves through the mountains, tracing vestiges of Celtic and Roman civilizations en route to Dubrovnik. After hiking in Papuk Nature Park, guests will finish the day by arriving in Samobor to enjoy dinner and kremsnite, a puff pastry with custard cream unique to these high altitudes. Guests will further explore the Sambor Highlands before embarking on a hiking tour the following day through Plitvice Lakes National Park, home to over 16 lakes that cascade from one to the next.
Leaving mountains behind, guests arrive in Split, a 1700-year-old city with the palace of a Roman emperor, Diocletian, dating from 4th century AD. Guests roll up their sleeves to play with clay, making souvenirs with natural elements and tools. Swimming, snorkeling and kayaking follow an overnight on Hvar, one of the countless islands in this region. Guests will then sail to Vis, an island that until 25 years ago housed the largest military base in the former Yugoslavia alongside traditional Dalmatian stone villages, many abandoned.
Before touring Dubrovnik comes a day on bicycles past vineyards, farms and dwellings scarred by war from 1991-1995. A local family hosts a dinner with homemade bread and cheeses, local wines and prosek. They’ll probably embroider stories of the war for independence in the conversation, embroidery that replaces the colorful hand-stitched garments once worn here and that underscores the fragile cultures and customs. Dubrovnik residents in the early 1990s survived for six months on just bread and water as houses and shops were shelled inside 14th-century walls. Today’s Dubrovnik is a high-energy destination. For more details on this itinerary please see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/kaleidoscopic-croatian-multisport/
Kornati Islands Kayak Adventure is a 10-night itinerary offered in 2019 on June 12 and Sept.12 departures. The per person rate is $4,495 USD for:
10-night accommodations in small hotels, fisherman guest houses, self-catering apartment and on sailboats
All meals
Single or double sea kayaks, the use of skirts, paddles PFD’s, paddling jackets, dry bags and all safety gear
The adventure begins in Zadar on the Dalmatian coast between Split (north) and Dubrovnik (south). This ancient center combines 8th-century religious art with Roman artifacts and Sea Organ, an installation that captures the music of the waves.
One of the least accessible places in Croatia is Kornati National Park that exposes a jagged coastline with a rich submarine eco-system, natural beauty and interesting geomorphology. Guests paddle by bottlenose dolphins and slow-but-lovable loggerhead sea turtles through a labyrinth of small islands, reefs and islets that make up 12 percent of all the islands in the Croatian Adriatic. Cliffs drop steeply to the sea that supports families of fisherfolk who offer hospitality over home-made meals. Written documents from the 10th century confirm one island’s fishing tradition of 1000 years.
In the Šibenik archipelago, a sailboat lends support for an open-sea crossing to a community of 249 islands, of which only six are inhabited. An undiscovered jewel on this archipelago is Zlarin, where, since the 14th century, islanders have been diving for colorful sea corals. A sea paddle to Krka National Park reveals a karst phenomenon with seven travertine waterfalls, numerous endemic endangered species, and over 1000 plant and 225 bird species. Speleology lovers are drawn to some 40 grottoes and pits; others to medieval fortresses, harbingers of the bustle of civilization that lies ahead in the farewell city of Split. For details please see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/kornati-islands-kayak-adventure/.
Founded in 1991, Wild Women Expeditions is the world’s largest women-only travel company. Its initial focus was on canoeing on remote Ontario waters. Through an unwavering focus on Canada, one of the wildest, most pristine countries in the world, Wild Women Expeditions became experts in a pioneering niche that introduced small groups of women into wilderness settings. The company now hosts guests all over the world, offering more trips and more women-only, backcountry camping, hiking, paddling and horseback adventures than any other women’s travel company in the world.
Wild Women Expeditions offers a 7-day Women & Girls Gold Circle Riding Adventure in Iceland.
CORNER BROOK, NL, CANADA – With Mother’s Day in mind, horses and canoes can help strengthen bonds between mothers and daughters, believes the pioneer of women-only travel.
Wild Women Expeditions’ (https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/) globe-spanning roster of women-only itineraries also beckons adventurous mothers to join their daughters on journeys into the wilderness that can re-cement relationships. One adventure just for moms and girls ages 10 to 16 is on horseback in Iceland. The other for moms and daughters ages 8 to 13 is closer to home in canoes on a lake in Canada.
In Iceland the 7-day Women & Girls Gold Circle Riding Adventure is offered July 19-25, 2018, at $2,295 per person inclusive of five days of horseback riding (horses and appropriate gear included), services of female professional horse guides, six nights mountain hut and guest house accommodation, homemade meals, park and other entry fees and transfer from Reykjavik, the gateway city. Guests should bring some experience riding English-saddle style before mounting their small Icelandic horses for riding lessons and before jaunts of up to six miles a day past the volcanos, geysers, waterfalls, mountains and lakes of southern Iceland. The riding strategy is to trot or tölt whenever the terrain allows since this pace is the perfect balance of speed and rider comfort. (The tölt is an extremely smooth, four beat gait, much like a running walk or rack, and it offers a virtually bounce-free ride at speeds of up to 32 kph.) For trip details see: https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/women-girls-golden-circle-riding-adventure/
A four- day Women and Girls Canoe Trip in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park departs Aug. 2-5, 2018. The per person rate of $795 includes group camping and paddling equipment and gear, all meals, shuttle from lodge to canoe put-in, professional female guides, a night at Northern Edge Algonquin Nature Retreat, sauna and shower at trip’s end. The park, synonymous with backcountry canoe tripping, offers over 2,000km of canoe trails through a 7,630 square kilometer area of wilderness. In addition to 2.5 hours daily of paddling, guests learn such tripping skills as how to pack and set up camp, read maps, tie knots, start a fire, and spot signs of wildlife. This adventure also includes one night at Northern Edge Algonquin, an off-grid ecolodge offering exceptional cuisine and comfy accommodations. For trip details see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/women-and-girls-algonquin-canoe/
When it comes to older mothers and their grown-up daughters, the benefits of traveling together in the wilderness are often transformational, said Jennifer Haddow, company visionary and owner of the company that pioneered women-only travel.
“At a certain point we daughters may feel we have nothing in common with our parents anymore. Adventure travel is a great way for us to redefine our relationship with our mother,” she said. Wild Women Expeditions empowers daughters to help older mothers get a new and healthier lease on life. To accomplish this Haddow suggested a six-day Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit Retreat in British Columbia’s West Kootenays.
“This retreat is all about savoring the beauty of the land that surrounds us, each other’s company and our own inner wilderness,” Haddow explained. “We offer a space to do that creatively, allowing you to indulge in what it is that you need: restoration, physical activity or stillness, self-expression or exploration, connecting with other spirited women, learning new skills, pursuing an old or new passion.”
Local organic cuisine, kayaking and hiking outings, plus restorative yoga and creative movement sessions are the planned elements of this guided journey to awaken the inner wild woman through sacred ceremony, meditation and nature awareness activities.
Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon: Wild Women Expeditions, a pioneer in women-only travel adventures, is introducing Spirit of Bhutan on three 2018 hiking departures.
CORNER BROOK, NL, CANADA – Imagine a country that places happiness above all else, where every policy must pass a Gross National Happiness filter to be enacted. Imagine trekking through lush green mountainous valleys of a remote Himalayan kingdom where yak herders greet you with smiles as the chanting of monks echoes from ancient cliff-side monasteries and colorful prayer flags ripple before snow-capped peaks.
Welcome to Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon.
A company devoted to active travel adventures designed for women only presents for 2018 its brand-new itinerary in this distant land that time – almost – forgot.
Wild Women Expeditions, the pioneer in women-only travel adventures, introduces Spirit of Bhutan on three brand-new 2018 hiking departures: Sept. 20-Oct. 2, Oct. 11-23 and Nov. 12-24.
Only over the past 50 years have visitors been allowed to visit Bhutan, land locked in the Himalayas between Tibet and China to the north and India to the south. It is still also time locked, only early in the 21st century opening to Western influences. Bhutan, despite the encroachment of the internet and hand-held devices, remains steeped in ancient traditions with overlays of powerful Buddhist mythologies. How spirituality and myth translate into 21st century life in this 750,000 population is a focus of Wild Women Expeditions’ quest.
“Bhutan is a shining example of how spirited adventure tourism can be truly sustainable,” underscored Jennifer Haddow, visionary Owner/Director of Wild Women Expeditions. “Bhutan’s commitment to being a carbon neutral country comes to life in its approach to tourism, where travelers take great care to minimize their footprint on this wilderness Shangri-la.” She personally researched and helped craft this tour of west and central Bhutan — with the highest standards of ecotourism at heart.
The per person rate is $4,495 inclusive of ground transportation, including airport transfers; 12 nights accommodation (lodges, inns, a luxury resort and one night camping); meals throughout the trip; services of an experienced Bhutanese English-speaking female guide and of porters; camping equipment for a hiking expedition to Tiger’s Nest; entry fees and permits; and domestic air fare from the gateway, Paro, one way to Bumthang, the spiritual heartland of Bhutan.
Visits to monasteries or dzong perched on cliffs overlooking traditional rural life reveal that these fortress-like cloisters historically served as lighthouses, sending warning signals against potential marauders. An afternoon of river rafting coincides with a visit to the imposing Punakha Dzong (Palace of Great Happiness). Built in 1637, it is strategically placed at the confluence of two rafting rivers (Po Chu and Mo Chu). Guests also visit Taktshang (Tiger’s Nest) whose lore and location epitomize Bhutan’s spirituality and beauty. One day guests walk for several hours through a forest of rhododendron and hemlock to meet some 30 nuns in contemplation and seclusion at one of the oldest (early 9th century) of seven nunneries in Bhutan.
Guests can anticipate walking up to16km on mountain pathways through blue pine and juniper forests. One trek leads to Bumdra Monastery and a meadow laced with chortens (stupas) and prayer flags. Here women camp under the stars with a nearby 4,000m peak beckoning the hearty.
Each glimpse of a dzong brings high-altitude vistas of mountains gouged by deep river valleys and rice fields, together comprising the country’s 60 percent of land designated national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Forests covering over 70 percent of the landscape are themselves resources. For example, guests visit a family-owned incense factory that utilizes juniper, rhododendron and cypress to make incense. They are served tea during another family visit; they experience the restorative properties of a hot stone bath followed by a lesson in Bhutan’s national sport, archery.
A day trip to Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, features the weekly market and revered Memorial Chorten that underscores the importance of the country’s two-party constitutional monarchy. The Changangkha temple, since the 12th century overlooking Thimphu, is a study of devotees flocking here to circumambulate and turn the prayer wheels. The temple contains beautiful wall paintings and hundreds of religious scriptures written in gold. A huge golden statue of Buddha Dordenma commands a view of the valley. His three-story throne holds several chapels; the body itself is filled with 125,000 smaller statues of Buddha. On an earthly note is a visit to a nearby weaving center where local women create intricate fabric for the traditional Bhutanese garment of gho (for men) and kira (for women).
“Wild Women Expeditions gives women the opportunity to empower themselves amongst other women, connect with the natural world and make a positive impact in the communities we explore,” says Haddow. “When women adventure together in the wild, it is transformational.”
During Wild Women Expeditions’ Elephants, Treks and Temples tour of Northern Thailand participants get to help bathe, feed and walk elephants at both an elephant rescue center and in a Karen tribal village in the jungle.
CORNER BROOK, NL, CANADA– Elephants are the stars in a new-for-2018 multi-sport Thailand adventure for women-only hosted by Wild Women Expeditions.
Fall 2018 departures of Elephants, Treks and Temples tour of Northern Thailand (http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/thailand-elephants/) will immerse guests for 11 days in the culture and landscape of northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai region on bicycles, and while trekking and coursing down rivers on bamboo rafts. Stops enroute include helping to bathe, feed and walk elephants at both and an elephant rescue center and in a Karen tribal village in the jungle.
“Ethical, sustainable tourism is the Asian elephant’s best hope to survive. In the spirit of the #BeKindToElephants movement, we want to respect and protect these majestic animals and so won’t be riding elephants on any Wild Women tours,” says Jennifer Haddow, Owner/Director of Wild Women Expeditions. “This practice often relies on wild elephants being brutally tamed before they can be ridden and we are creating tourism opportunities with elephants that do not cause harm.”
The focus on elephants is part of a Wild Women Expeditions’ commitment to change the perception of elephants as beasts of burden for tourists. The company is supporting Chai Lai Sisters, a community-based tourism project to convert an abusive elephant riding camp into a sanctuary or rescue center for elephants that is run by the Karen tribal community near Chiang Mai. This company also benefits a second organization, Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, supporting the work of the work of the first elephant hospital in Thailand to rehabilitate elephants injured by overwork and neglect in tourist camps.
Wild Women Expeditions’ Elephants, Treks and Temples Tour of Chiang Mai, Thailand, provides opportunity to help care for elephants.
Wild Women Expeditions has also thrown its financial support behind Chai Lai Orchid and a Go Fund Me Campaign to empower local women and rescue elephants. Donations are needed to save 13 Asian elephants from abusive conditions and to support a human-trafficking prevention program. For more details and to contribute see: https://www.gofundme.com/ChaiLai.
Elephants in this region are big business. The animals are enslaved to the tourist trade 365 days a year as cheap transportation carrying the weight of a heavy metal chair plus the weight of humans. Elephants are also in chains to logging interests, day after day dragging felled trees from the jungle. In the rescue center caretakers from a Karen hill tribe assure that the animals are well treated and have access to water for bathing. See: https://www.chailaiorchid.com/elephant-sanctuary/.
In Chiang Mai is the world’s first elephant hospital that is supported by a non-profit organization called Friends of the Asian Elephant. Here treatments cover the spectrum of what distressed elephants may require, from illnesses requiring antibiotics to injuries mandating surgeries and future prosthesis, to maternal and infant care. See: http://www.friendsoftheasianelephant.org/en/.
Thailand’s Chiang Mai is the gateway to access the country’s north. The Wild Women Adventure Tour will visit several tribal communities to get a view of the rural landscape through activities including cycling, rafting and trekking.
Rice paddies, orchards, bamboo and fern groves surround women on bicycles in Sri Lanna National Park. To cross a reservoir they board a longtail boat bound for lunch at a floating bamboo raft house. Atop Thailand’s second highest mountain they gaze across a landscape to neighboring Myanmar; they hike along a jungle trail and immerse themselves in the culture of a hill tribe whose business is maintaining tea plantations. The group will stay for two nights at Phu Chaisai, at an award-winning eco-resort crafted by bamboo in the jungle near Chiang Rai. One 3.5-hour trek leads to a Karen village hill tribe where elephants await new hands to feed and bathe them. Another day is spent at an elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai. Omnipresent throughout this journey are temples – or wats – and the role that rivers continue to play in shaping Thailand’s trade and agriculture.
The per person double rate is $2,295 USD inclusive of 10 nights accommodation (including a home stay), most meals, services of an English-speaking certified female guide and assistant guides, drinking water and snacks, activity-related equipment, travel, including airport transfers, in private air-conditioned vans, sightseeing tickets and zone entrance fees, flight confirmations and luggage transfers.
A quarter century ago Wild Women Expeditions pioneered today’s steam-charged movement encouraging women to travel in small women-only groups. “Wild Women Expeditions gives women the opportunity to empower themselves amongst other women, connect with the natural world and make a positive impact in the communities we explore,” says Haddow.
The coastlines and national parks of Canada are components of three summer wilderness vacations with Wild Women Expeditions.
The coastlines and national parks of Canada, celebrating its 150th heritage anniversary in 2017, are components of three summer wilderness vacations with Wild Women Expeditions, the tour company offering more active travel departures for women only than any other operator in the world.
“Canada is a country designed for adventurers. For women who want it all, Canada delivers the goods,” said Jennifer Haddow, Owner of Wild Women Expeditions “We’ve been trailblazing outdoor adventures in Canada for over a quarter of a century. Increasingly women want to feel the freedom of connecting with wild space in its finest form. In Canada are some of the wildest and grandest natural treasures on the planet.”
Wild Women Expeditions’ Canadian programs are prototypes for the baptism-by-wilderness experiences that Haddow’s team arranges in 26 countries. These journeys reflect that…
Women need opportunities to just be themselves, together;
The wilderness helps women connect with elements of their psyche that may be lost in the daily hustle and bustle;
Pairing women and wilderness often encourages women beyond their comfort zones, leading to increased confidence;
These ingredients can be transformational, perhaps leading to answers to the question that Poet Mary Oliver poses: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Backcountry camping is one of Wild Women’s signatures, a staple of 70 percent of its trips (a higher percentage of wilderness immersion than any other women-only company offers). Women carry their accommodations (tents) on their backs, as well as food and personal belongings, into remote wilderness where come nightfall, a campfire and the stars overhead provide the only light. Geology, wildlife and First Nation spiritual heritage found in Canada’s national parks figure into adventures in Newfoundland, British Columbia and Vancouver Island. Professional wilderness guides, all female, lead the trips. Following are capsule descriptions of three of the company’s Canadian adventures…
Newfoundland Gros Morne (National Park) Multi-Sport Adventure is a seven-day hiking and kayaking expedition that utilizes ocean-side cabins. The $2,295 CAD per person rate includes professional, local female guide(s), all meals, fully outfitted sea kayak day trip on Bonne Bay (think Minke whales, eagles, terns, and kingfishers), guided hikes (think Woodland caribou, Rock ptarmigan and Arctic hare) and walks throughout the park, a Western Brook Pond fjord boat tour, roundtrip transfers from Deer Lake Regional Airport (servicing Toronto) and a park pass.
Daily challenges reflect the philosophy that women can discover and build on their own inner strengths by mastering hurdles in the safe company of other women. The first hike in this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 5km with a 500m elevation gain/loss on rugged trails; the second is roundtrip 9km with a 300m elevation gain/loss; an estimated five-hour kayak excursion precedes the third hike, a 16 km, 800m elevation gain/loss trek experienced in over eight hours while climbing Gros Morne Mountain, the highest point in the park at 806m. Easy walks follow in tandem with a catch-your-breath boat tour of a landlocked fjord.
This park is as important to Plate Tectonics Theory as Ecuador’s Galapagos Archipelago is to the Theory of Evolution. The challenges of this environment become metaphors for those the women face, hiking first through a barren, nutrient-challenged landscape; then discovering where the peridotite ends and the ancient oceanic crust begins, down through boreal forest to rugged coastline where pillow lava and sea stacks dominate the shoreline; then moving on to the rich marine wonderland of Bonne Bay and a landlocked lake before accomplishing a summit (http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/newfoundland-multisport/).
Haida Gwaii Kayak Adventure in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site is a fully outfitted eight-day camping (on beaches) and kayaking expedition at $2,795 CAD per person that includes camping gear, all meals, Zodiac transportation, park pass and the expertise of two certified kayak guides.
This National Marine Conservation Area of Canada is north of Vancouver, BC. Here paddlers drift through Haida First Nation waterways, passing ancient totem poles. Black bears mosey among towering trees; sea lions and seals flop at the water’s edge. “You are one with the water. The silence is heavy and heavenly,” said Haddow, adding that water, wildlife and the spirit of the First Nation combine to create a spiritual quest.
Routes south and north begin in Sandspit on Moresby Island (serviced by air from Vancouver). Southern route departure is set for Aug. 20-27, 2018. Northern Route departures are Aug. 21-28, 2017, and Aug. 27- Sept. 3, 2018 (http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/haida-gwaii-british-columbia/).
Vancouver Island Multi-Sport Adventure in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a fully outfitted, eight-day camping, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, surfing and hiking adventure. The $2,895 CAD per person rate includes services of two female guides, three nights camping, four nights inn accommodation, all meals, ground transportation, scheduled activities (and all gear), half-day surfing and paddling lessons, four-day sea kayak expedition to Vargas Island in Clayoquot Sound and guided coastal hikes.
Guests meet at Tofino Ecolodge on Vancouver Island, accessed by ferry or air shuttle from Victoria or Nanaimo, BC. From here the Wild Pacific Trail and the Pacific Ocean become both playgrounds and challenges, as does a three-night camping/four-day backcountry kayaking trip to experience the old growth forests and First Nation spirits of Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve off the west coast of Vancouver Island (http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/vancouver-island/).
Founded in 1991, Wild Women Expeditions is one of the world’s largest women-only travel companies. Its initial focus was on canoeing on remote Ontario waters. Through an unwavering focus on Canada, one of the wildest, most pristine countries in the world, Wild Women Expeditions became Canadian experts in a pioneering niche that introduced small groups of women into wilderness settings. Even though the company now hosts guests all over the world, it retains a national focus with more trips and more women-only, backcountry camping adventures in Canada than any other women’s travel company.
“Wild Women Expeditions is all about women and wilderness and wild. Our horseback riding program in Mongolia, encapsulates our vision that women can move from their own comfort zones, take risks and begin to direct themselves in new and liberated ways.”
CORNER BROOK, NL, CANADA – Wild Women Expeditions, already offering more active travel departures for women only, including the most women-only adventures on horseback, than any other tour company in the world, is featuring five departures for a horseback adventure into Mongolia in 2018.
The Orkhon Valley Horseback Adventure, a 14-day itinerary into Mongolia is priced at $2,295 per person; however, because the program is so popular, only June 3-16 and Aug. 12-25 departures still have space available.
“Wild Women Expeditions is all about women and wilderness and wild. Our horseback riding program in Mongolia, where we ride 12km to 40km daily for up to six hours, encapsulates our vision that women can move from their own comfort zones, take risks and begin to direct themselves in new and liberated ways – in just a few days,” said Jennifer Haddow, Owner of Wild Women Expeditions. “Our Mongolia programs, in addition to making this country accessible, are affordable in an expensive country that many women only dream of visiting – until now.”
In the 12th and 13th centuries, Genghis Kahn reigned supreme here, gathering horses and men sufficient to create the Mongol empire that extended far beyond the borders of present-day Mongolia. A violent world was punctuated by the silence and peace of Tibetan temples, a dichotomy still to be sensed while visiting national parks and settling into yurts in the Orkhon Valley, the summer camp of nomads and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A homestay family shares the life of nomadic breeders: milking the animals, preparing dairy products, cutting wood, playing with children and living in yurts. As most honored guests, visitors assist in preparing a Mongolian barbecue that features a goat or sheep slaughtered for the occasion.
As landscapes shift from forests to grassy plains to desert and sand dunes, riders explore assorted ecologies of the lush Orkhon Valley, mountains, steppes and waterfalls, as well as the mini Gobi Desert.
“Here where wild meets wild, you feel the contradictions of this place taking root within you. It brings to life the quiet, contemplative space in your heart – the glorious scenery, and sacred temples inviting you to seek inward. But what you find inside isn’t still, but rather vibrant and loud. As you cross large swaths of black lava, you feel your own inner rumblings, as alive as the volcanic earth upon which you ride. Someone has come upon their trusty steed to save you. And it is you,” added Haddow.
In advance of venturing on horseback into the wilderness, guests spend arrival day and evening in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, visiting the country’s most important museum and listening to khoomi (also known as Tuvan throat singing), a vocal technique that elevates the human voice to an other-worldly instrument unique to this region.
For horse lovers, Mongolia is a dream, noted Haddow. “We visit Khustai National Park, where conservation efforts include the reintegration of the Przewalski’s horse, Takhi (spirit or spiritual in Mongolian), a symbol of Mongolian national heritage and considered the world’s only genuine wild horse. These beasts also protect the forest steppe ecosystem. In 1945 there were only 12 breeding takhi in the world.“
Wild Women Expeditions tours also offers a window into “some inspiring community development initiatives, such as visiting the Mongolian Quilting Centre. This is a non-profit association, whose purpose is to give unemployed and poor women, originally taken away from prostitution, and instead learn sewing skills to generate income for their families,” she said.
Another Wild Women Expeditions trip in Mongolia, Marvels of Mongolia, offers 14 days at $2,895 per person, mixing trekking with camel and horseback riding across grasslands and villages that may well owe their existence to the comings and goings of the fearless Genghis Kahn as he carved out what we know today as the Silk Road.
Iceland — Golden Circle Riding Adventure, nine days at $3,295 per person; Women & Girls Golden Circle Riding Adventure, seven days at $1,995 per person; Hekla Volcano Riding Adventure, nine days at $3,295 per person
British Columbia — Chilcotin Cowgirl Riding Adventure, eight days at $3,495CAD per person
Argentina – Patagonia Pack Horse Adventure, 11 days at $3,395 per person
Chile – Torres del Paine Multisport Adventure, 10 days at $4,795 per person
Ireland – Connemara Riding Adventure, seven days at $3,295 per person.
Founded in 1991, Wild Women Expeditions is one of the world’s largest women-only travel companies. Its initial focus was on canoeing on remote Ontario waters. Through an unwavering focus on Canada, one of the wildest, most pristine countries in the world, Wild Women Expeditions became Canadian experts in a pioneering niche that introduced small groups of women into wilderness settings. Even though the company now hosts guests all over the world, it retains a national focus with more trips and more women-only, backcountry camping adventures in Canada than any other women’s travel company.
Women from around the world are participating in the 27th annual Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc, very possibly the only women-only off-road rallye in the world.
Women from 18 to 71 and 30 different countries distinguished by their sense of adventure are headed to the French city of Nice for the 27th annual Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc taking takes place between March 17 and April 1, 2017, for a woman-only off-road rallye through the Moroccan desert. Here are 5 reasons why you should add the rallye to your 2017 bucket list:
AN UNMATCHED ADVENTURE
The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is a one-of-a-kind adventure, very possibly, the only international off-road Rallye race for women only. Since 1990, it has been bringing together women between the ages of 18 and 71, from more than 30 different countries, who embark on an adventure of a lifetime from the French city of Nice on March 18, 2017 and onward to the start of the Rallye in the Moroccan desert. The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is developing a new vision of automobile competition: no speed and no GPS, just old-fashioned navigation, completely off-road.
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF AFRICA
Unmatched adventure awaits the women who take part in the 27th annual Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is set amid the Moroccan desert.
Morocco is the host country of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles since its inception. Gazelles in search of nature and the great outdoors will be seduced by the magnificent and varied landscapes of Morocco, with its sand dunes, Rocky Mountains, green valleys, fertile plains, arid plateaus and lush oases. The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc takes place under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has authorized the use of the Royal Coat of Arms on the Gazelles’ vests. This is the only event that has ever been granted this honor. Many Moroccans come out to welcome and assist the competition at every step of the way, from the dunes of Merzouga to Essaouira.
RACE FOR CHARITY
The Rallye respects its scenic host country and its people through the actions of the Rallye’s non-profit, Cœur de Gazelles. Attending the rallye supports the charity’s volunteers who work daily to provide the Moroccan people with sustainable aid through concrete actions. A registered non-profit organization since 2001, Coeur de Gazelles works on projects that meet the needs of Morocco’s remote populations: medical care, education, the environment and sustainable development, job training for women, improving living conditions.
AN EMPOWERING EXPERIENCE
All Rallye participants, known as “Gazelles”, leave this adventure marked forever by the experience: they push their limits, have to face themselves, far from their sometimes difficult daily lives as women; there is also a strong element of sharing and mutual aid with their teammate as well as with the other “Gazelles”. Free to choose their own route, they face a challenge every day: to study the map and the day’s geographical coordinates, analyze the risks and difficulties of the terrain and choose the shortest path. They have the choice of driving around a mountain or crossing over it, driving through the dunes or avoiding them.
CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY
The 27th annual Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is set amid the Moroccan desert.
While the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is a return to the roots of adventure, it is also, with its satellite system for tracking the teams, on the cutting edge of technology when it comes to safety. This duality is the strength of this unusual competition. With its unique concept, the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is changing the way people view automobile use. The Rallye is also launching a new electric vehicle category in 2017, which will call its participants “E-Gazelles”. This trailblazing Rallye already boasts an ISO 14001 Environment Management System (EMS) standard. During the recent Climate Conference, COP22 in Marrakech, it was announced that Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is the Rallye which will set the standard for future rallies around the world, based on its high environmental principles.
TO WIN THE COMPETITION
Every morning the Gazelles receive a Road Book. This document contains only the geographic coordinates or headings and distances of the day’s checkpoints and finish line. Forget about GPS, phones and other modern communication tools: using a compass, a navigational plotter and maps, they plot their route and plan their itinerary.
The rankings are determined by calculating the extra kilometers driven (distance driven between check points minus crow flies distance) and penalty kilometers for any check points not reached. The winning team is the one that finds the greatest number of checkpoints while driving the least number of kilometers.
The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc may well be the only women-only off-road Rallye in the world. Created in 1990, the event brings women between the ages of 18 and 71 from more than 30 different countries together in the Moroccan desert. Since its inception, the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles has been creating a new vision of automobile competition: no speed and no GPS, just old fashioned navigation, completely off-road: a return to the roots of Adventure. The only requirement is determination. The women who take part in this Rallye—known as Gazelles—are of all ages, social backgrounds, nationalities and levels of off-road experience. Whether in a 4×4, Crossover, Quad, truck or motorbike, they all come to take part in a unique competition: whose competitors share the values of tolerance, solidarity and determination, that respects the host country and its people through the actions of the Rallye’s non-profit, Cœur de Gazelles, and that cares about the environment: the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is the only motor Rallye in the world with ISO 14001 certification.
While the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles marks a return to the roots of adventure, it is also on the cutting edge of technology, with a satellite tracking system for optimal safety. A new vision of motor sport the pleasure lies in driving without excessive speed, and where the goal of driving the shortest possible distance is in line with our environmental commitment.
Coeur de Gazelles, registered non-profit organization since 2001, is a group of volunteers working to provide sustainable aid to people in need through concrete actions. Coeur de Gazelles works on projects that meet the needs of Morocco’s remote populations: medical care, education, the environment and sustainable development, job training for women, improving living conditions and a desire to spread joy by distributing donations. Actions are set upon a “human scale”, working in partnership with the local population to address the source of the problem, enabling people to become agents of their own development. All donations are used for the direct benefit of the population, in collaboration with local authorities.
Chasing Epic, a trailblazing mountain bike company, is inviting intermediate and experienced female riders on three remaining dedicated, all-inclusive, all-women weekends.
BOULDER, CO– One of many things that sets trailblazing mountain bike company Chasing Epic apart are trip leaders chosen from the best racers, riders and overall outdoor athletes in the United States to show mountain bike guests the best trails in the West. Now Chasing Epic is welcoming Jen Hudak, a former two-time World Champion and five-time X-Games medalist skier as a new trip leader for a Sept. 16-19, 2016, Women Only 4-day trip in Park City, UT.
Jen Hudak, a former two-time World Champion and five-time X-Games medalist skier, will be the trip leader for Chasing epic’s Sept. 16-19, 2016, Women Only 4-day mountain biking trip in Park City, UT.
Now retired from skiing, Jen has transitioned into competitive mountain biking, already placing on the podium in such prestigious events like the Downieville Classic, Scott Enduro Cup, and the Sundance Utah Downhill Series. She is also racing competitively on the 2016 North American Enduro Tour.
When not sharing her passion for the mountains with others through coaching, organizing group rides and writing on her blog, http://jenhudak.com/, she works in marketing in Park City and mentors young girls’ mountain biking through the Little Bellas program. She has also coached multiple women-only camps over the last several years.
Chasing Epic, the company that is changing how vacationing mountain bikers experience the best trails in the Western US, thinks it’s high time for women to have their own dedicated weekend mountain bike adventures.
Chasing Epic invites intermediate and experienced female riders on three remaining dedicated, all-inclusive, all-women weekends. In addition to the September program in Utah which Jen will be leading, the others include an outing in Fruita Oct. 21-23 and Crested Butte, CO on Aug. 12-15. Female participants just need to be reasonably experienced and pack a helmet, shoes and appetite for epic single track adventure. See: http://chasingepicmtb.com/women-only/
“Chasing Epic is excited to offer multiple Women-Only trips throughout the year that are led by women, for women. We work with an elite roster of accomplished, fun-loving and inspiring female guides to bring you a long weekend of instruction and classic mountain biking,” said Steve Mokan, the company’s founder and owner. He is a long-time Colorado mountain biker and a veteran of the adventure sports world. “We’ll be riding some of the most incredible trails, both known and off the radar in these two iconic destinations.”
He suggests that three-and four-day mountain bike outings over long weekends that mix up riding, hiking and team building surrounded by beautiful scenery are the new way to ride and vacation at the same time.
Strategically, Chasing Epic’s trips don’t force out the inner cave girl around a tented campsite. Instead comfortable lodging accommodations are selected to represent the character of the location being explored and also for the comfort, privacy and intimacy they provide.
Chasing Epic trips are all-inclusive and rates include accommodations, hearty meals, high-end demo bikes (an all-carbon demo bike fleet includes Ibis Mojo HD3s, Ibis Ripley LS 29ers, and Niner Jet 9 29ers), local guides conversant with the terrain, customized eight-week pre-trip training programs, best-in-class ride nutrition, shuttles and lift tickets, gratuities and a dedicated on-site trip leader to help control gear mashers.
Women’s only trips begin at $1,250 per person double for a four-day outing and $950 per person double for a three day trip.
On the premise that “the less you suffer on the climbs, the more you’ll enjoy the descents,” Mokan has engaged coaching platform companies Training Peaks and Through the Wall Training to customize individualized training programs (valued at up to $400) for eight weeks prior to departure.
He emphasizes that custom trips can be designed to a specific group’s abilities and desires. “At Chasing Epic, we pride ourselves on putting together itineraries of only the best trail systems in each location. You’ll be on uncrowded singletrack from start to finish.”
Chasing Epic is a new adventure travel company (founded in 2016) that aims to raise the bar and set new standards in the mountain bike community. The focus is on offering experienced intermediate to advanced-level mountain bikers fully all-inclusive, locally guided mountain bike trips where everybody wants to ride — the Western US – and when everybody has time – over long weekends. Guests just need to be fit and pack a helmet, shoes and appetite for epic single track action. Each tour includes lodging, meals, high-end bikes, local guides, customized eight-week training programs, best-in-class ride nutrition, shuttles, lift tickets, gratuities and a dedicated on-site trip leader.
