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It can be so easy to fall into the routine girls’ trip that has you spending more time at the hotel than exploring the area. Sometimes it can be hard to convince your friends to join you on a multi-day hike, or take surf lessons where the jungle meets the beach. Luckily there are guided tours and retreats designed for adventurous women, whether your thrill is chasing the Northern Lights or staying on a luxurious boat in the middle of the ocean.
We’ve compiled a list of guided adventure tours and retreats that take you to dream destinations around the world. These trips offer the perfect combination of vacation and outdoor adventure, as the companies leading them take care of the details so you can fully soak in the experience.
Explore surfing in Indonesia and Costa Rica, hiking in Yellowstone, heli-skiing in Canada and more. Get inspired to book the outdoor adventure of your dreams while meeting new friends — we included all women’s tours, too!
Hike the Pacific Crest Trail in an All-Women’s Group with REI
Explore a scenic section of the iconic Pacific Crest Trail on a three-day backpacking trip with REI. This trip is designed for women of all backpacking skill levels and experience. Led by expert female guides, the trip will take you along alpine lakes to stop and swim with gorgeous mountain views.
Plan and prepare to hike 4-7 miles each day, carrying your pack weighing 35-40 pounds. Meals are provided and guests will camp together, enjoying stargazing at night.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Costa Rica Jungle Retreat with Surf With Amigas
Costa Rica is the ultimate paradise for surfers and yogis looking to unplug and replenish their mind, body, and soul. Surf With Amigas hosts retreats for women at an eco-lodge located at the edge of a jungle right on the beach of an 800-acre biological reserve.
Guests can see wildlife including monkeys, sloths and macaws, with access to waves right out front to get in plenty of hours of surfing. The retreat offers surfing lessons, daily yoga classes, and four fresh and healthy prepared meals per day. Other adventures to explore on the retreat include boat trips, horseback riding, jungle hikes, and a ladies’ night out to enjoy with your new surfer and yogi friends.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Yellowstone Camping and Hiking Tour with Wildland Trekking
If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to explore iconic Yellowstone National Park, this is it. Wildland Trekking offers Yellowstone tours with premium camping accommodations and meals while guiding you on a wide range of hikes with incredible views.
The tours are designed around the most popular geysers and natural features in Yellowstone, so you won’t miss any of the highlights you’ve heard about. Their five-day tour includes cooked meals and camping facilities with showers so you can enjoy rinsing off at night before sleeping under the stars.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Heli-skiing and Snowboarding Tours with CMH
Heli-skiing or heli-snowboarding is arguably the most epic experience a skier or snowboarder could have. CMH Heli-Skiing takes guests on breathtaking and exhilarating helicopter tours. Imagine carving down a mountain face blanketed with dry, deep powder and views of mountain peaks as far as you can see. You drop from the peak into a bowl, carving your unique line on the longest run of your life, leading into widely-spaced trees.
Offering training courses, instructions and a lift to the best rides of your life, CMH takes guests to untouched peaks across hundreds of acres of Canada backcountry. Guests stay in a lodge where they spend time around campfires with other skiers and snowboarders there for the same rush. CMH Heli-Skiing also has all-female crews of ski instructors, helicopter pilots and guests, creating a comfortable environment for women to learn and let loose.
Learn more and book a tour on their website
Maldives Live-Aboard Luxury Boat Trip with Surf With Amigas
Explore crystal blue water and surf-peeling waves in the Maldives with Surf With Amigas’ Live-Aboard Boat Trip. Guests stay aboard a luxury boat while exploring the northern atolls of the Maldives (southwest of India) and surfing some of the best waves of their lives.
Travelers access world-class reef breaks, with both lefts and rights. This luxury boat trip is designed for intermediate to advanced surfers, who will need to bring their own gear. Guests will enjoy yoga on the boat deck, sipping coffee with incredible views, and stargazing from the boat at night with their new friends.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Hike Zion and Bryce Canyon, Utah with Wildland Trekking
The state of Utah has an unbelievable natural beauty that needs to be experienced in real life to get a feeling for its scale. Zion and Bryce Canyon are incredible parks that properly show off the best of Utah’s landscape and geological formations. Join Wildland Trekking’s Zion and Bryce Canyon Utah tour where you’ll be staying in cabins and lodges between hikes (good for those who want the hiking without the camping).
Known as ‘Canyon Country,’ this region of Utah is filled with ancient canyons, sandstone towers, and hoodoos — unique rock structures that can reach the size of a 10-story building. The guides will teach you about the incredible history behind the geological formations, for an experience that will last a lifetime.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Hike Patagonia Lakes, Glaciers and Mountain Peaks with Backroads Women’s Luxury Tour
Explore the lakes, peaks, and glaciers of Patagonia while hiking with other women on this luxury tour. Backroads leads Patagonia walking and hiking tours, offering guests luxurious comfort to elevate the experience.
The 8-day trip is full of epic experiences with food, special events and outdoor gear provided. Navigate icebergs by boat and hike down into Los Glaciares National Park to get an up-close experience with Cerro Fitz Roy’s spires and the Perito Moreno Glacier. Enjoy the epic scenery of Patagonia by foot and bike while guides share the geological history. Relax and take in the national park views at picturesque adventure expedition hotels and lodges along the way.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Women-Only Northern Lights & Arctic Exploration Trip with Natural Habitat
Explore the Arctic and meet other adventurous women while checking off a bucket list item. Chase the Northern Lights on a tour with Natural Habitat, a company that leads outdoor adventures and has an all-women’s tour series called ‘Women in the Wild’ featuring epic tours like this one.
The Northern Lights & Arctic Exploration Tour takes guests on a 7-day adventure to see the beautiful colors of the aurora borealis while immersed in the natural beauty of the Arctic. Natural Habitat makes viewing the Northern Lights a cozy experience in heated glass pods, domes and tepees, alongside a roaring campfire. Tours also include snowshoeing and dog sledding.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Hike the Inca Trail with Wildland Trekking
Hiking the Inca Trail is another one of those bucket list items, combining the fulfillment of hiking with incredible history and something you can experience on a nine-day tour. The world-famous Inca Trail climbs to 14,000 feet elevation with views of snow-capped mountains while hiking through subtropical jungle among Inca ruins.
The hiking tour is hosted by Wildland Trekking, providing a full-package experience. The company will take care of your food, serving local Peruvian cuisine, and will book your campgrounds and accommodations the day before and after your hike.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
Yoga, Surfing and Stand-up Paddleboarding in Luxury in Costa Rica
For those looking for a luxurious retreat experience, Vajra Sol Yoga Retreats in Costa Rica offers the perfect mind, body and spirit escape and renewal. The Vajra Sol resort features opulent villas, many with amazing ocean views and private pools. The interior design of the suites will truly have you relaxing in luxury. A private chef is on hand to prepare energizing and nourishing healthy meals between sessions of yoga classes, surfing lessons and stand-up paddleboard tours.
The retreat also carves out plenty of time for guests to kick back and relax, enjoying the beach and jungle scenery at their own pace. Vajra Sol’s retreats are located in the peaceful and safe setting of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where you may find your bliss in wellness and fun.
Learn more and book your trip on their website
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