To mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023, Intrepid Travel is launching brand-new women’s trips and experiences, including its first-ever Women’s Expeditions in Pakistan and Nepal.
First launched in 2018, Intrepid’s Women’s Expeditions tours are led by female leaders and aim to break down barriers for women travellers, debunk gender misconceptions and celebrate women worldwide.
Intrepid recently added Pakistan to its destination portfolio as part of more than 80 new experiences in 2023.
The new 12-day Pakistan Women’s Expedition will depart on its first trip from Lahore on 17 September 2023.
This itinerary connects travellers with local women in engaging settings that are typically off-limits to mixed-gender groups.
Travellers will experience one of the country’s few female-only salons in the ancient town of Gulmit, which provides women with hijabs and a safe and respectful place for haircuts.
They will also witness Pakistan’s natural beauty, joining a local female leader on a journey through the Hunza Valley and discovering the communities and landscapes of the Hallowed Karakorum and Hindu Kush mountains.
Intrepid Pakistani Tour Leader and Founder of The Mad Hatters, a female-led travel company, Aneeqa Ali helped lead the development of this tour.
She has seen Pakistan’s global misrepresentation and the lack of female inclusion in her home country’s tourism efforts.
“Even the most adventurous travellers who have been all over the world don’t know much about Pakistan. Women, in particular, want a female tour guide because of the news they’ve heard about Pakistan, but if you look at Pakistan’s tourism industry, it’s like a world of men,” Ms Ali said.
“I’ve faced these challenges firsthand and thought, ‘Why not be the change you want to see in the world?’”
Intrepid Women’s Expeditions range will feature six trips in 2023 – Morocco, Nepal, India, Jordan, Pakistan and Iran (scheduled to resume on 19 August).
For more info, head to intrepidtravel.com/womens-expeditions