Women-only tours surge in 2026–2027, from Alps to Bhutan

women-only tours – A growing wave of women-only guided trips for 2026 and 2027 is pairing destinations from the Austrian Alps to Bhutan with an emphasis on comfort, community, and hands-on local experiences—along with clear price and activity details for travelers comparing opti

For many travelers, the draw isn’t just the destination. It’s who’s there.

Women-only tour groups have been expanding quickly. driven by a promise of camaraderie that’s often described as both safer and more freeing—especially for people traveling solo. In a survey. EF Go Ahead Tours found that nearly 60% of women surveyed prefer traveling with women rather than men. and that all-female groups help travelers “be their authentic selves.” The results show up in the itineraries too: destinations are changing. but the underlying pitch stays consistent—connection first. exploration right after.

Here are several of the most distinctive women-only tour options looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, each with a specific theme, travel style, and level of effort.

Backroads is debuting a new adventure in 2027: the “Austrian Alps Women’s Lodge-to-Lodge Hiking Tour.” It’s a six-day. five-night hike built around mountain paths. trails through wildflower-filled meadows. and crossings over dramatic mountain passes. Days include time to rest at mountain huts and family-run lodges. and the schedule mixes activity with downtime: cable car rides. riverside strolls. and wildlife sightings are part of the plan. alongside hearty Alpine meals and spa treatments.

The tour starts in Innsbruck and then heads to Stuben to begin the hike. Backroads also says there are options for different activity levels across the itinerary. but the baseline expectation is several miles a day at elevations between 4. 300 and 9. 700 feet. Even on well-maintained Alpine paths, most route options include steep sections involving climbing or descending through mixed terrain.

Starting price is $4,499, with an activity level described as “Active to challenging.” Backroads also offers a similar women’s hiking tour in Switzerland.

EF Go Ahead Tours launched its first collection of women-only tours in 2025. and for 2026 and beyond it’s pointing travelers toward stories that center women’s roles and influence. The “Japan for Women: Tokyo. Ise-Shima Peninsula & Kyoto Tour” blends cultural immersion with guided learning that’s designed around women’s history and impact.

Tokyo is explored through fashion, art, and female empowerment, while in Ise Shima travelers visit with female pearl divers. The itinerary includes a tea ceremony, instruction on indigo dyeing, and a guided Zen meditation at a local Buddhist temple. Throughout the trip. the female tour director and local guides share stories about the women of Japan’s Imperial family. the women who traveled the historic Nakasendo route between Edo and Kyoto during the Edo Period. and geisha culture in Kyoto’s famous Gion district.

The tour includes nine nights in handpicked hotels and breakfast each day, with plenty of free time for independent exploration. Walking expectations are about two to three miles a day on varying terrain, and travelers manage their own luggage.

The starting price is $4,499. The length is 11 days, with an option to add three extra days through a Hiroshima and Kobe extension. Activity level is “Moderately active.”

For travelers chasing something wilder—and timed to a natural spectacle—Natural Habitat Adventures offers the “Kingdom of the Monarchs Women’s Journey Tour.” The trip is built around the annual monarch butterfly migration. Each year, the female monarch butterfly lays 300 to 500 eggs and migrates 3,000 miles from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

This is also positioned as a route through the discovery of Cathy Aguado, who discovered the monarchs’ overwintering site in 1975. The tour includes a horseback ride through the oyamel fir forest, with female Expedition Leaders sharing the region’s natural and cultural heritage.

Beyond the migration itself, participants spend time in mountain villages and local markets, learning about the impact of ecotourism in the area. Some days include hikes ranging from three to five miles on rocky, uneven terrain with steep inclines. Altitudes could reach up to 11,500 feet.

Starting price is $5,695 for a six-day, five-night itinerary. Activity level is listed as “Moderate to challenging.”

Across these very different trips, the common thread isn’t just the all-female lineup. The schedules are shaped for bonding—walking. riding. and exploring in a group where mothers and daughters can strengthen bonds. or longtime besties can deepen them further. And while the activities differ sharply—from lodge-to-lodge hiking in the Alps to butterfly migration horseback rides in Mexico—the tour designs keep returning to the same promise: women traveling together are more likely to feel supported. and more likely to try what they might not take on alone.

If you’re looking for women-only travel that leans educational and community-centered. Road Scholar’s “Thailand for Women: Culture. Community & Conservation Tour” aims to go deeper than surface-level sightseeing. The 15-day. 14-night educational journey includes hands-on cooking classes and shared meals with villagers. yoga and meditation sessions. and visits to a local textile studio. an elephant sanctuary. and a sustainable farm.

The sites on the itinerary include the Grand Palace, Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, Mae Fa Luang Botanical Garden, and Wat Phra Kaew, described as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. Another highlight is exploring the caves of Phang Nga Bay by kayak.

The schedule is built around full days with a good amount of walking. Most meals are included, but there’s also time to explore on your own in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket.

Starting price is $3,799, with an activity level of “Moderately active.”

For women who prefer horseback adventures with distance and altitude. WomenInspired by Adventure’s “Patagonia: A Horseback Adventure into the Wild Tour” takes travelers to Patagonia’s Torres del Paine. Participants travel by horseback to landscapes that few people ever reach. spanning vast valleys and sweeping pampas. ancient lenga forests. and high plateaus populated with condors.

The tour involves riding around 90 miles, with several hours a day. Picnic lunches are enjoyed trailside amid the scenery. Accommodations along the way include geodesic domes, and evenings are designed for stargazing. The adventure ends with a boat trip to Grey Glacier to marvel at the ice formations in the Southern Patagonia Ice Field.

WomenInspired by Adventure also frames this as a companion experience to its all-female horseback riding adventure in Iceland, describing the connection as both to the land and to fellow riders.

Starting price is $9,995 for seven days. Activity level is “Challenging.”

Intrepid Travel’s women-only collection includes “Bhutan: Women’s Expedition,” built around the Himalayan kingdom and a tour experience that centers the country’s female inhabitants. The cooking class is led by local women, and meals are taken at women-owned restaurants.

The trip includes visits to the female-owned Tshering Farmhouse and opportunities to make a traditional Bhutanese spirit. Travelers also enjoy tea and snacks with Bhutanese nuns at the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery. and meet female weavers at Yathra Factory creating textiles made from sheep and yak wool. Day hikes include stops such as the Taktsang Monastery.

The tour begins in Thimphu with a stay at a female-owned and -operated hotel that provides job opportunities for local girls and single mothers.

Road conditions and practical limits are part of the trip’s framing: long travel days are expected because most roads in Bhutan are single-lane, and hot water can be limited in some places. All meals are included, but there may be limited choices on some days, with many options vegetarian.

Starting price is $4,436 for 11 days and 10 nights, with an activity level of “Moderate to active.”

Even closer to home, Canyon Calling Adventures for Women offers “Minnesota Explorer: Fall Foliage Tour,” a four-day escape designed to capture autumn without requiring long time away. Think fall foliage paired with hikes in state parks leading to photo-worthy waterfalls and prominent leaves.

The trip also includes a paddle in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to view it all from the water. There’s time in Grand Marais on the north shore of Lake Superior and a visit to Split Rock Lighthouse. noted as one of the most photographed spots in the state. Loon calls are described as part of the soundtrack, and moose and black bear sightings are a possibility.

Because the tour is only four days, it’s positioned as a quick getaway that doesn’t demand extensive time off from work or being away from family—and it doesn’t require a passport either.

Starting price is $2,739 for four nights, with activity level listed as “Moderate.”

For a women-only itinerary that keeps the pace light while still delivering variety. Wild Terrains offers an eight-day Menorca group trip built around the island’s secluded coves and cobblestone streets. The schedule includes a sail along the coastline on a private catamaran and a beach picnic. along with time in Menorca’s former capital. Ciutadella.

Travelers also meet local women, including silk textile artist Natalia Lumbreras, who shares stories behind her work. A hands-on paella cooking class is on the plan, and there’s plenty of space for relaxing poolside and browsing boutiques built into the daily rhythm.

Accommodation is described as a woman-owned, restored former estate, and everyone gets a private room. Happy hour cocktails each evening are included as a casual connection point.

Starting price is $7,690 for eight days and seven nights, with activity level labeled “Easy-going.”

The women-only tour market for 2026 and 2027 is broad in geography and tone. but it’s narrowing the focus where it matters: who travelers are with. what they get to do. and how the trip is structured so the experience doesn’t just entertain—it keeps people together long enough to feel like it changed something.

women-only tours EF Go Ahead Tours Backroads Natural Habitat Adventures Road Scholar Intrepid Travel Bhutan women’s expedition monarch butterfly migration Patagonia horseback Minnesota fall foliage Menorca women-only trip