Pioneers in Women-Only Travel Help Guests See the World

A leading travel company that specializes in women-only expeditions lays out a roster of active adventures for women who love the mountains and who love to hike.

"Our adventures are about inspiring women to lift each other up and reach new heights. What is more inspiring than watching the sun rise over Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro, surrounded by a supportive circle of sister adventurers?" asks Jennifer Haddow, Owner/Director of Wild Women Expeditions that offers more active travel departures for women only than any other tour company in the world. The answer comes, she says, after reaching peak destinations like Everest Base Camp in Nepal and on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, just two of many places on Planet Earth where women can achieve new challenges and witness a transformation within themselves.

Following are examples of Wild Women Expeditions' high-altitude, international hiking and trekking adventures for 2018.

Nepal - Trek to Everest Base Camp. Assisted by Sherpas, women hike up to eight hours a day over 18 days after Kathmandu's introduction to a culture that embraces both the Hindu faith and Buddhism. The latter is a recurring theme expressed by colorful prayer flags. Guests visit monasteries and share the daily lifestyle of the Sherpa people along the route on this Base Camp-focused trek. Guests lodge in hotels in larger communities. The per person rate is $2,995. Departure dates in 2018 are May 13-30 (sold out), Oct. 1-19, Oct. 21-Nov. 8, Nov. 18-Dec. 5, and in 2019 April 1-18 and May 12-29. For details see http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/trek-to-everest-base-camp/.

Tanzania - Savannah to Summit Kilimanjaro Expedition. This is a tented expedition leading to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano and Africa's highest peak that for decades has captured the imaginations of restless souls. Guests hike up to eight hours a day over eight days moving from rainforest to alpine desert to arctic snowcap that rises majestically from the golden grasslands of Tanzania. The gateway is Kilimanjaro International Airport. The per person rate is $3,795. Departures in 2018 are Sept. 19-26 and in 2019 June 11-18. For details see http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/kilimanjaro-trek/.

Patagonia/Chili - Torres del Paine Multisport Adventure. The playground for this 10-day high-altitude journey is the other-worldly landscape of peaks, glaciers, pampas and lakes is Torres del Paine National Park. Challenges include hiking up to eight hours, kayaking, mountain biking and a six-hour horseback ride. Guess reside in tented Eco Camp Patagonia Domes and at a scenic lodge in shared huts. Punta Arenas is the gateway. The rate is $5,295. Departures in 2018 are Feb. 3-12 (waitlist being taken) and March 12-21, 2018, and in 2019 Feb. 3-12, March 2-11 and March 17-26. For details see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/torres-del-paine-multisport-adventure/.

Iceland - Ultimate Iceland Adventure. For 10 days women hike up to 10 miles a day for five days over volcanic rock and black basalt sand, hearing ancient ice crack across the glacier tongue. This is the geothermal landscape along the Laugavegur Trail that National Geographic calls one of the greatest hikes on earth. They kayak into a thousand-island fjord harboring orcas and sea birds and they ride horses. Accommodation is in volcano huts and hotels. Reykjavik is the gateway city. The rate is $4,995. Departures in 2018 are July 17-26 and Aug. 20-29. For details see http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/ultimate-iceland-adventure/.

Alaska (Denali) - Best of Wild Alaska Multisport. For nine days women explore Prince William Sound by sea kayak, climb glacier ice in the Matanuska Valley and trek in the shadow of Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Some hikes are up to 10 miles. Accommodations are in mountain lodges and backcountry campsites. The gateway is Anchorage. The rate is $4,295. Departure dates in 2018 are July 14-22 and Aug. 18-26. For details see http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/best-of-wild-alaska-multisport/.

New Zealand - South Island Alpine Adventure. The famous Kepler Track brings hikers through a mountain beech forest to the edge of Lake Manapouri and into caves inhabited by thousands of glowworms, one of Nature's iconic displays. Over 10 days women hike for up to five hours, kayak on Milford Sound and marvel at the foot of New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki (Maori for "cloud piercer") Mount Cook and trek the main ridge above Mueller Glacier opposite the mountain. The gateway is Queenstown. Accommodations include lodges, a backcountry hut and farm cottages. The rate is $4,895. Departure dates in 2018 are April 8-17 and Nov. 4-13. For details see http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/south-island-hiking-adventure/.

Says Haddow: "Wild Women has been running amazing hiking trips for over two decades. Our 2018 Wild Women hiking adventures are heading to some of the most compelling destinations on the planet, including the Camino pilgrimage route in Spain, the Inca Trail in Peru, the Scottish Highlands, Italy's Cinque Terre and in northern Vietnam." Under development are new hiking trips to the Grand Canyon, Bhutan and the Rockies. Click here to check out Wild Women hiking adventures in 2018.

A quarter century ago Wild Women Expeditions pioneered today's steam-charged movement encouraging women to travel in small women-only groups. "What Wild Women Expeditions does is give women the opportunity to achieve amongst other women, test boundaries, take risks and become leaders," she adds.