When sailing ships smashed through high seas many years ago, often a lady rode with them. Symbolic of the female adventurer, she was the carved wooden figurehead on the prow taking on the full force of the wind, waves and whatever life came her way.
Gone is the girl on the prow, but Patagonia, at the bottom of the world, similarly tugs imaginations. Wild Women Expeditions (http://wildwomenexpeditions.com/) understands that women need to test their mettle against the wind in wild places. This company has designed two new trips to draw small women-only groups to Patagonia in 2018 and 2019. One trip is a multi-sport adventure; the other is an exploration on horseback.
Torres del Paine Multisport Adventure departure dates are Feb. 3-12 (waitlist being taken) and March 12-21, 2018. This program is also scheduled in 2019 for Feb. 3-12, March 2-11 and March 17-26. The per person double rate for 10 days and 9 nights is $5,295 including English-speaking female guide and activity specialist guides, accommodations, all meals, and all equipment for excursions including sleeping bags for hiking overnights, mountain bikes, sea kayaks, horses and tack and corresponding safety equipment. The playground is an other-worldly landscape of peaks, glaciers, wild horses, pampas and lakes that composes Torres del Paine National Park. Challenges come by way of hiking up to eight hours per hike, kayaking, mountain biking up to four hours per outing, and a six-hour horseback ride. In adherence to sustainable practices, participants reside in tented Eco Camp Patagonia Domes, with two women paired in a tent and a scenic lodge in shared huts. Punta Arenas is the gateway. Please see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/torres-del-paine-multisport-adventure/.
Patagonia Cordillera Riding Adventure departure dates are Jan 22-Feb. 1, Feb. 5-15 (waitlist being taken) and March 4-14, 2018. Dates for 2019 will be announced shortly. The per person double rate for 11 days and 10 nights is $3,395 including 11 days of horseback riding into the rugged heart of the Andes, the Cordillera chain of mountain ranges, by way of strong and surefooted Argentine Criollos. The rate includes a seven-day pack trip; horses, pack mules and riding gear; professional female wrangler guides; 10 nights of on and off-grid shared accommodation including the first two nights and the night before departure at an estancia where Ranquilco Lodge showcases its eco-sensitive off-the-grid homestead systems; camping equipment; hand-crafted meals; laundry services; roundtrip transfers from Neuquen Airport to destination in the rugged heart of the Andes. Estancia hospitality serves up locavore along with off-the-grid living before heading to the Cordillera (mountain range) to ride trails deep into the Andes and into the simple lifestyle of the Gauchos. Guests are transferred from and back to Presidente Perón International Airport in Neuquén Province, Argentina. Please see https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/trips/patagonia-horse-adventure/.
Wild Women Expeditions already tops the list with more active travel departures for women only than any other tour company in the world. In this unique niche, this company also outpaces other companies with more women-only horseback riding trips. In addition to Patagonia, equestriennes can travel to
- 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
- Mongolia – Orkhon Valley Horseback Adventure, 14 days at $2,295 per person; and Marvels of Mongolia, 14 days at $2,895 per person, mixing trekking with camel and horseback riding.
- Ireland – Connemara Riding Adventure, seven days at $3,295 per person.
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,” says Jennifer Haddow, Owner/Director.
For details, availability and reservations for these and all Wild Women Expeditions’ programs call 1 (888) 993-1222, email [email protected] or visit online at https://wildwomenexpeditions.com/.
About
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 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 in the world.