Discover Nat Hab’s Women in the Wild Adventures

Did you know the average U.S. traveler is a 47-year-old woman? Women have an outsize influence in the travel industry: They represent 57.1% of all travelers in the United States, make nearly 85% of all travel decisions and make up the lion’s share of the global tourism workforce at 54%.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the gender wage gap is lower in tourism, and the proportion of women in leadership roles is higher than in other industries. UNWTO and UN Women assert that keeping women’s empowerment at the ‘Center Stage’ of sustainable tourism development will help them achieve their ambitious goal for global gender equality by 2030.

The 2024 Women’s History Month theme established by The National Women’s History Alliance is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions.

At Nat Hab, we know that empowered women are powerful agents of change for people and the planet. Toward that end, we launched Women in the Wild, an adventure series exclusively for female travelers.

Women in the Wild

Are you a woman who wants to explore nature in the company of other women? Nat Hab’s Women in the Wild global adventures allow you to relax and be yourself, explore at your own pace and learn about nature through the lens of our expert women guides. Enjoy camaraderie and comfort while trying new experiences in Earth’s wildest reaches and discover the vital roles women play in protecting endangered habitats.

From the Arctic to Africa and beyond, experience the wonders of the world with a group of women who share your love for this planet, who seek life-affirming experiences and who consider nature home—where you feel the most connected, inspired and alive. Go further afield to find yourself and leave as an empowered ambassador for conservation!

Self-Discovery in Nature 

Discover the tenderness of belugas, the intuition of elephants and the fierceness of wolves. Let the matriarchs of the animal kingdom nurture your creativity, compassion and sense of wonder. Find strength in vulnerability and let nature empower you to be your most radiant and resilient self. 

Camaraderie, Comfort, Community 

Averaging just nine guests, our groups are the smallest in the industry, facilitating up-close interactions with animals and meaningful connections with each other. Through our partnership with WWF and our various philanthropic initiatives, guests experience first-hand how our collective presence supports livelihoods, safeguards wildlife and preserves cultural heritage. 

Travel solo, with a partner, or with friends and family members. Visit local communities and witness how women-led grassroots movements secure sustainable futures. Meet with Indigenous representatives and hear tales of heroines throughout history. Find kinship and camaraderie among other female adventurers and foster friendships that endure long after your adventure ends.

Empowering Expedition Leaders 

Follow in the footsteps of Nat Hab’s trailblazing women Expedition Leaders! The keen eye and intimate knowledge of our naturalist guides are invaluable as we explore remote realms rich in wildlife and wonder. These women are passionate about the places they share with their guests, with an irrepressible enthusiasm that inspires all who travel with them. 

Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp 

Follow in the footsteps of Alaskan frontierswomen and conservationists to experience an unparalleled immersion in pristine brown bear habitat from our private fly-in camp in Lake Clark National Park. Built on the site of a historic homestead, Alaska Bear Camp occupies a private inholding surrounded by 4 million acres of protected wilderness. These are the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, preserving an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world.  

Guests are welcomed by our Alaska Bear Camp manager, Caprice Stoner, a youthful grandmother of five who has passionately guided operations here for nearly two decades. With the support of other strong women naturalists—our Nat Hab Expedition Leaders—Caprice will prepare you for the adventure of a lifetime. 

Each of our deluxe tent cabins is named after a person of significance to Alaska, conservation, or Nat Hab’s history. We proudly honor women like Margaret Murie, endearingly referred to as the “Grandmother of the Conservation Movement.” In testimony to Congress in support of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, “Mardy” famously said, “I am testifying as an emotional woman, and I would like to ask you, gentlemen, what’s wrong with emotion? Beauty is a resource in and of itself. Alaska must be allowed to be Alaska. That is her greatest economy.” 

Read about the other women who inspired our Expedition Camps, including Ada Delutuk Blackjack, an Inupiat seamstress turned survivalist for the ill-fated Arctic expedition led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson to settle Wrangel Island in 1921.

East Greenland Arctic Adventure 

Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Base Camp Greenland overlooks a protected bay off Sermilik Fjord where icebergs, spawned by massive glaciers, glitter in the late sunset light. Summer here is magical! Whales and seals frequent the fjord, and miniature wildflowers and cotton grass dot the tundra.

Nothing compares to East Greenland for an epic Arctic expedition, with an opportunity to witness dramatic shifts on the front lines of a rapidly changing climate—and there’s no more inspiring way to experience it than with an all-women team from the comfort of our wilderness Base Camp! 

Each deluxe tent cabin is named after a person of historical significance. We proudly honor women like Louise Arnar Boyd, who was the first woman to fly over the North Pole. Learn about Greenland’s Navarana Fjord, honoring Inuit Greenlandic explorer Navarana Mequpaluk, who died at 23, just before joining the Fifth Thule Expedition with her husband, Peter Freuchen. 

During our time in Tasiilaq, we’ll also visit Neriusaaq, a bookshop founded by LGBTQ+ activist Gerda Vilholm, who passionately contributed to the growth of her town through political campaigns, fundraising initiatives and community events. 

Iceland: Circling the Land of Fire & Ice 

Consistently cited as one of the best places in the world to be a woman, the nation of Iceland beckons female-empowered exploration. Take it from Viking Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir—better known as “The Far Traveler.” As her nickname suggests, Gudrid ventured to Norway and Greenland and even made a pilgrimage to Rome. Her greatest exploit, however, was sailing across the Atlantic to the Americas some 500 years before Christopher Columbus stepped foot in The New World.

Inspired by Gudrid’s spirit for adventure, our travelers make a complete circle around Iceland by private mini bus, chartered plane, boat and 4×4 Super Jeep. Led by our seasoned Expedition Leader and a local guide, our all-women fleet will witness whales in the far-flung Westfjords, see soaring Atlantic puffins and hike from volcanic fields to glacial precipices.

Here, where the North American and Eurasian plates collide, geothermal forces create a dynamic and dramatic landscape—an experience of pure nature at its most powerful, matched only by the grit of the women who walk the country’s black sands.

Kingdom of the Monarchs 

Journey to the highlands of Central Mexico and walk the trail blazed by Cathy Aguado, discoverer of the monarch butterflies’ overwintering site in 1975. Ride horseback through the oyamel fir forest, learn about monarch conservation efforts and experience how ecotourism supports the rural mountain town of Angangueo.

Your Expedition Leader is eager to share her passion for this region’s natural and cultural heritage. Listen to the sound of millions of butterfly wings as you discover how the female monarchs—each of which lays between 300-500 eggs—help maintain an insect population that undertakes an incredible 3,000-mile annual migration from the northern U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

You’ll return home not just awed by the monarch migration but also inspired by the many women whose heroic efforts have preserved Mexico’s butterfly sanctuaries and protected North America’s monarch populations.

Natural Jewels of Costa Rica 

Costa Rica has emerged as a global trailblazer in recognizing the vital role of women in conservation. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, the Costa Rican government has taken significant strides to address gender disparities and ensure the full integration of female perspectives and participation in environmental policies, governance and sustainable development.

Led by one of our finest female Expedition Leaders, you’ll encounter the wild wonders of Costa Rica among the collegiality and comfort of fellow female travelers and witness how traveling with Natural Habitat Adventures & WWF supports economic development and encourages environmental stewardship.

Venture through the jungle canals of Tortuguero, spot birds and monkeys amid the misty cloud forests of Monteverde, and see sea turtles on Corcovado’s wild beaches. Along the way, we’ll observe how women-led initiatives protect Costa Rica’s cultural and biological treasures.

Secluded South Africa 

In many wildlife-rich African nations, there are gender-based cultural practices that discourage women from owning and managing property, going to school and taking up leadership roles. Research shows that providing women with equal opportunities for education, family planning and decision-making is one of the most effective solutions in combating global climate change.

As the African proverb goes: “You educate a boy, and you’re educating an individual. You educate a girl, and you’re educating a village.”

Together with our conservation travel partner, WWF, Nat Hab empowers women by creating employment opportunities in the safari industry, including working as naturalist guides, security officers, head chefs and camp managers. And, through generous donations from our travelers, we help provide drinking water, sanitation, food security, and family planning and reproductive health to people in many remote communities.

Scout for the Big Five and Secret Seven on this intimate safari across South Africa’s savannas. Guided by a top woman Expedition Leader, learn about diverse ecosystems and the intrepid women who protect them through conservation and anti-poaching efforts. Return to our luxury bush camps and enjoy the sunset over fine wine with your fellow travelers.

U.S. National Parks

Hidden Yellowstone & Grand Teton Safari

Join two of our finest female Expedition Leaders on this empowering expedition under the big sky of the Northern Rockies. Our guides are consummate naturalists and outdoor explorers eager to share their intimate knowledge of the world’s first national park.

Be mesmerized by wolves, grizzlies and elk that roam among geothermal wonders. Stop to imagine the awe that pioneer women must have felt when they stumbled upon this landscape. Consider the legacy of Marguerite Lindsley, the first full-time permanent female park ranger not only in Yellowstone but in America’s national park system. Meet women from Grand Teton to the Gallatin Range who are forging their own paths as biologists, explorers and entrepreneurs. 

Glacier & Waterton: An International Treasure 

Walk among wildflowers and wildlife on this women-only adventure in the Northern Rockies. Explore adjacent national parks in Montana and Canada, and learn about the natural and cultural history of this dramatic terrain, including women who have helped to shape and protect it. 

Our passionate Expedition Leaders will share stories about everything from the flora and fauna to Indigenous traditions and women-specific concerns in the backcountry. Traveling with two guides allows us to divide our small group even further for varied hikes and intimate wildlife encounters.  

The Cotswolds: Exploring English Nature

Join us on a rural sojourn in the Cotswold Hills, a special departure solely for women travelers. Accompanied by one of our finest female Expedition Leaders, we’ll wander scenic footpaths through Britain’s largest National Landscape, explore picture-postcard villages and stay at luxury manor houses surrounded by lavish gardens, rivers and wildflower meadows. 

Hear untold stories about women’s roles in English society, from medieval queens to 19th-century artists and WWI nurses to landscape architects, and learn about the modern-day women protecting England’s ancient habitats, native wildlife, globally significant wetlands and rewilded farmlands. 

Enjoy exclusive access to the countryside with a private tour of Wytham Woods, the natural ecology laboratory of Oxford University, a private canal cruise and a private falconry experience. We’ll also connect with local experts, including organic farmers, gardeners, bat conservationists and cheesemakers, to augment your appreciation for the region, its nature and its people.

Paddling Portugal’s River of Wine

Savor Portuguese nature, culture and cuisine on our Dionysian paddling odyssey through romantic wine country – a unique adventure solely for women! Kayak calm waters through wild mountains, granite canyons and centuries-old grape terraces as raptors circle overhead.

Tranquil mornings on the river give way to afternoon hikes in hillside orchards and festive evenings at family-run quintas. Within these hospitable inns, share warm revelry with our hosts and enjoy an inside view of contemporary rural life in Portugal. As our hosts say, A sua saude—To your health! 

 
Enjoy a glass (or two) of Douro Valley’s finest port and learn how Antónia Adelaide Ferreira (1811-1896) changed the face of Portugal’s wine industry as the first woman to head a port company. With vision, courage and an enterprising spirit, Ferreirinha became the most prominent landowner in the Douro Valley and boasted one of the largest fortunes in Portugal at that time.  

Wild Nature of Croatia & Slovenia

Discover little-known corners of Europe on an intimate nature journey through two diverse Balkan countries amid the comfort and camaraderie of an all-women group. Explore Croatia’s rugged limestone landscapes and Slovenia’s wildflowers and waterfalls with visits to Plitvice Lakes, Triglav National Park and glacial Lake Bohinj. Cruise turquoise Adriatic waters among less-visited isles off Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast to visit a reserve protecting endangered griffon vultures on the island of Cres.

Learn about Balkan culture, including the tradition of giving flowers, gifts and praise to women and girls of all ages on International Women’s Day. Enjoy personal connections with rural residents who integrate sustainability into ancient practices to grow grapes, raise bees, make cheese and press olive oil. Return home empowered by women-led conservation movements protecting Mediterranean birdlife and keeping Balkan rivers wild!  

Australia South: Tasmania, Kangaroo Island & Beyond

Follow in the footsteps of Nat Hab’s fearless female Expedition Leaders on this women-only adventure in southern Australia. From the remote edge of Kangaroo Island to the rugged mountains of Tasmania, we’ll explore six spectacular national parks, World Heritage Sites, wildlife sanctuaries, internationally protected wetlands and more.  

We use private chartered flights exclusively, giving you more time in nature to seek out Australia’s intriguing native species, including kangaroo, koala, cockatoo, wallaby, platypus, echidna, pademelon, wombat and the elusive Tasmanian devil.

We’ll also observe how women-led conservation initiatives have helped Australia’s landscapes thrive in the wake of the 2019 bushfires. They are doing vital work, such as reintroducing threatened species like Western Quolls and monitoring sea lion populations at Seal Bay Conservation Park. 

© Holly Glessner

“When women are involved in conservation, we know that it’s not just the environment that benefits,” says Rosie Goslett-King, a proud Saltwater and Freshwater Budawang woman of the Yuin Nation. As a Women Rangers Network Coordinator at WWF-Australia, Rosie has observed, “There are healthier people, healthier families, healthier communities, and that flows onto a healthier economy and a healthier social landscape.” 

Want to learn more? Explore all of our empowering Women in the Wild trips!