The world needs more Intrepid women

This one goes out to the adventurers.

To the women who wander, who get out there even if it means going first or going alone. To the women who focus less on falling and more on flying, who care deeply about making the world – or even just their world – better, who throw off imposed boundaries so they can set their own.

These are the kinds of women you might meet on an Intrepid trip.

Women in travel

‘It feels like the start of something big. The start of this industry opening up to more women, and women proving themselves worthy and able to work in the industry by themselves.’

- Dimpho Lesufi, Intrepid overland chef

BOTSWANA

A trio of Intrepid women is shaking up Botswana’s safari scene

This trailblazing all-women overland crew in southern Africa is challenging stereotypes and redefining adventure one breathtaking vista and heartwarming campfire tale at a time.

NEPAL

Yeah the girls: meet the leader challenging gender norms in Nepal

Sumitra Acharya, 27, leads Intrepid travellers on challenging, high-altitude treks throughout Nepal, proving women can do anything they put their minds to.

‘Lots of other male porters have said to me that you need to get married and relax on your husband’s money. They don't know me.’

- Sumitra Acharya, Intrepid leader

‘This mountain is hard, and I’m not going to give up. I want to show the mountain I can do it.’

- Asifiwe Makere, Intrepid leader

TANZANIA

How one young woman is smashing Africa’s glass rooftop

Meet Asifiwe, the trailblazing Intrepid leader who worked her way up the ranks to go from porter to lead guide taking travellers up Mt Kilimanjaro.

SOUTH AFRICA

Meet Leitah Mkhabela and the world’s first all-women anti-poaching unit

This trailblazing overland crew in southern Africa is challenging stereotypes and redefining adventure one breathtaking vista and heartwarming campfire tale at a time.

‘We are the eyes and ears of the reserve.’

- Leitah Mkhabela, Black Mamba

‘I had to learn a whole new skill set and adapt to a very different way of life, but ultimately, it was worth it to pursue my passion for nature, adventure and conservation.’

- Jenny Waack, Intrepid polar expedition leader

ANTARCTICA

When your day job is leading expeditions to the bottom of the earth

Three of Intrepid’s four Antarctica expedition leaders – Stephi, Jenny and Ida – share what it's like to lead over 200 adventurous spirits to one of the world’s most remote places.

MOROCCO

Women to the front: Morocco’s new generation of trailblazing women

In a country where more than 80 per cent of women in rural areas can’t read and write and aren’t encouraged to pursue education, Intrepid’s women leaders are effecting change.

‘We really wanted to have as many women as possible working with us.’

- Hala Benkhaldoun, Intrepid team member

Women who travel

THE GALAPAGOS

How the animal anomalies of the Galapagos helped validate my life choices

Among creatures that defy nature, Sinead comes to terms with her unconventional life choices that prioritise the pursuit of new places over settling down.

‘The things I have chosen not to do have opened the door to the Amazon, scaling rocky ledges in the Andes, riding motorcycles through the countryside and trekking through the misty wilderness.’

- Sinead Mulhern, Intrepid traveller

‘It was in those mountains in Peru that I could finally step back for the first time and look at my unexpected life event as something I could grow stronger from.’

- Lindsay Tuggle, Intrepid traveller

PERU

From heartache to hiking boots in Peru’s Sacred Valley

After a breakup changed everything, Lindsay took a detour and found the path to healing her heart in Peru’s Sacred Valley.

EGYPT

What it’s like to visit Egypt as a transgender traveller

Visiting conservative countries can be daunting as a transgender traveller – even for globetrotting activist Aria.

‘The thought of travelling as a Black trans woman to a country with numerous anti-LGBTQ+ laws and attitudes presented a quiet fear that I couldn’t shake. And yet, I stubbornly thought to myself – if not now, then when?’

-Aria Sa'id Intrepid traveller

‘You don’t need things to be perfect and you don’t need to feel ready. You just need to take that first step and see what happens.’

- Morag Forbes, Intrepid traveller

TURKEY

Morag was left disabled after a hit and run, but that won’t stop her from seeing the world

After a life-changing accident, Morag worried she'd ever travel again, but was determined to find adventures at her own pace.

SWITZERLAND

Travelling without my kids showed me the pain of leaving and the joy of going

Facing guilt and anxiety, this mum of two and one-time world traveller decides to head abroad for the first time in years… on her own.

‘I’ve rooted myself in this adult life as a parent, bolted to the ground through an unshakeable need to shoot roots deep into the ground. You go. I’ll be here.’

- Heather Kang, Intrepid team member

Intrepid Women's Expeditions

Morocco: Women's Expedition

Nepal: Women's Expedition

Turkey: Women's Expedition

India: Women's Expedition

Pakistan: Women's Expedition

Jordan: Women's Expedition

Discover Women's Expeditions