Intrepid Travel is to relaunch its range of Women’s Expeditions with new and redesigned tours in time for International Women’s Day.
The new Women’s Expeditions are designed to support and empower communities in Peru, India, Iran, Morocco, and Jordan that have been affected by the pandemic.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), women in the global travel sector have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 as they tend to work in low-skilled or informal jobs, have less access to government support and a reduced capacity to absorb the economic impact.
Intrepid’s Women’s Expeditions are guided by local female tour leaders and aim to offer travellers an insight into the daily lives and challenges of women in other countries.
They offer experiences that wouldn’t be possible with men in the group, such as visiting a beauty salon in Iran or travelling in a women-only train carriage. The tours aim to challenge traditional gender boundaries in tourism and encourage female empowerment around the world.
After initially launching as a limited-edition range in 2018 with tours in Morocco, Jordan and Iran, the trips became some of the most popular in the company’s 30+ year history, prompting Intrepid to add tours in Turkey, Kenya, India and Nepal in 2019.
Having been on pause due to the pandemic since early 2020, Intrepid will now reintroduce them in countries that have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.
A new eight-day Peru Women’s Expedition, from £1,110 per person, leads travellers in the footsteps of the Incas on a four-day trek to Machu Picchu accompanied by female porters. Visitors can learn about traditional techniques and the importance of weaving to the women of the Umasbamba community in the Sacred Valley, and dine at Mama Seledonia’s in Cusco, a restaurant that employs and trains single mothers from underprivileged backgrounds.
Intrepid has reinvented its 12-day India Women’s Expedition, which costs from £845 per person. Visitors will travel by public transport in the female-only carriage of the Delhi Metro and explore the bazaars and architectural delights of Old Delhi. They will spend a night under the stars with traditional food and dance performances by the local women in the Thar Desert and have a city tour through the non-profit female-operated Pink City Rickshaw Co.
The Iran Women’s Expedition, over 12 days, takes guests to an Iranian beauty salon, a women-only park, the women-only carriage of the metro, local buses and an overnight train. They can experience rural nomadic life with Qashqai people, meet female entrepreneurs and learn secret recipes. It costs from £1,695 per person.
The reimagined eight-day Morocco Women’s Expedition, from £830 per person, takes guests through the ancient medina of Marrakech, for a home-cooked family meal with Zineb, who before Covid was using her hospitality to achieve financial independence. Travellers can break bread with Berber families in private homes in remote areas, see how an artist co-op is empowering female rug-weavers, visit the M’goun Valley, and watch Moroccan women sing and dance in cultural ceremonies.
Intrepid’s Jordan Women’s Expedition will see guests spend a night in Wadi Rum and learn henna with Bedouin women, discover the uses of kohl, spend an afternoon at a female-only beach, and visit Petra. Visitors will also learn Arabic cooking with a local host and join a local female shepherd for a mezze breakfast. The eight-day trip costs from £1,465 per person.
Erica Kritikides, general manager of global product at Intrepid Travel, said: “Relaunching Women’s Expeditions is a significant and exciting step forward for Intrepid Travel, enabling us to continue our support for some truly inspirational women who rely on tourism to support themselves, their families and their communities – many of whom suffered greatly because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are eager to welcome tourists back.”
Picture credit: Intrepid Travel