Women's Expeditions

Cultural and religious factors mean that interaction with women in some countries can be challenging and complex for mixed-gender groups. For example, at the male-operated desert camps we stay at in Jordan, it’s not socially acceptable for men to be alone with our female travelers, so the opportunities for connection are limited.

By the same token, most opportunities for our mixed groups to spend time with local women are usually in the presence of men in a controlled environment.

We see these trips as an exciting opportunity for female travelers to go behind closed doors and learn about the customs, challenges and everyday lives of women across the globe.

Like our Expeditions, these are certainly offbeat adventures! But what sets them apart is cultural, not geographical. In traditionally male-dominated countries, or places where women are not viewed as equal, certain traditions and customs can make genuine cultural interaction difficult.

While these trips are a great way to enjoy the sense of sisterhood while traveling in a women-only group, they're very much about opening up experiences that aren’t always possible with men present.

We also aim to support women in more ways than simply working with female-owned businesses – like visiting NGOs tackling period poverty and hiring women porters and trekking guides to help more women build their careers in historically male dominated industries.

We chose these destinations because there are a lot of cultural and religious factors that make these countries more complex and therefore the benefit of connecting with local women is greater. It’s also impacted by the laws in these places and what is and isn’t socially acceptable. We’re hoping we can expand this range of trips to more destinations in the future.

We'd love to open up these trips to all our travelers, but in order to operate in a socially responsible and culturally sensitive way, it’s just not possible – at least not yet.

These trips visit many private, women-only spaces like hammams and homestays, meaning they’re only accessible for female travelers.

Private departures are definitely possible. Get in touch with our Tailor-Made team and we’ll do our best to create a trip that meets your group’s specific needs. 

If you’re interested in traveling on one of our Women's Expeditions or have any questions or concerns about any of the activities, please get in touch with our adventure consultants.

Everyone should feel comfortable when they travel and we know that many of our travelers are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s important for our travelers to be aware of the local laws and customs in the destinations we visit as some countries have laws that discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people. We recommend visiting Equaldex for up-to-date advice and information about LGBTQIA+ related laws.

Unless you pay for an individual room, solo travelers will be paired with another traveler of the same gender as per your passport information. If you have concerns about this, please let us know when booking.