Celebrate National Parks Week with Call of the Wild

National Parks Week is now just a couple of weeks away, and the Park Service has a host of events planned to celebrate, not the least of which is free admission to nearly all of the parks. Adventure travel company Call of the Wild, which specializes in women’s only travel, is celebrating too, offering a 5% discount on all of their trips that take place in one of the national parks this year.

Travelers wishing to take advantage of the discount have plenty of great options to choose from. For example, there are multiple opportunities to go backpacking or hiking in Yosemite National Park, truly one of the crown jewels of the entire system. There is also an excursion to Zion and Bryce National Parks scheduled for October, and another trip to Joshua Tree planned for November as well.

Perhaps the most exciting option on the schedule however, is an August hike along the John Muir Trail, one of the most popular and beautiful treks in the U.S. That adventurous trip will take intrepid travelers on a six day journey through the Sierra Mountains of California, offering up spectacular vistas and crystal clear mountain lakes. While this hike isn’t for the uninitiated, it promises to be a once in a life time experience for those who take part. It also happens to be eligible for the 5% discount mentioned above.

Call of the Wild has been organizing women’s only adventure travel since 1978, which makes it one of the oldest companies to cater to the ladies only crowd. If you’re looking for a fun, adventurous escape with your girlfriends this year, you’ll definitely want to check out all the options they have to offer.

Take a women’s only winter adventure with Call of the Wild

Women’s only adventure travel is one of the fastest growing segments in the entire industry and U.S. based Call of the Wild is a company that specializes in delivering fantastic ladies only options. The company has been in business for more than 30 years, and during that time it has pioneered this style of travel, offering trips to far flung places, both domestically and abroad.

This winter, Call of the Wild is offering some great trips that are sure to appeal to the active traveler looking for a little adventure. For instance, their Snowshoes and Sequoias Weekend is a three day expedition to Sequoia National Park during which time the ladies will have the opportunity to learn how to snowshoe in a breathtaking mountain setting. And at the end of a busy day, they’ll return to their rustic lodge for a fantastic meal and a glass of wine around the fireplace. This trip is scheduled to take place from February 11-13 and costs just $650.

If you’re in the mood for something a little more tropical this winter, than perhaps the Hawaii Explorer will be more to your liking. This seven day vacation sends travelers to Kauai, otherwise known as the Garden Isle, for a little fun in the sun. Visitors will take day hikes to visit some of the islands most breathtaking vistas and stunning beaches, while humpback whales play off shore and the island blooms with life. This trip runs from March 6-12 and can be booked for $2195.

New to Call of the Wild’s 2011 winter catalog is their Discovering Death Valley option. This trip sends a small group of adventurous women to Death Valley National Park, where they’ll soak up the natural beauty of the place while exploring the sand dunes and rocky canyons located there. And when they’ve had enough excitement for one day, they’ll return to a comfortable hotel and enjoy fine meals at local restaurants. The Discovering Death Valley trip is $1315 and will take place February 26 – March 2, when temperatures in the park are comfortable and moderate.

If you haven’t planned your winter escape for 2011 yet, then perhaps its time you gathered up a few girlfriends, picked an adventure, and heeded the call of the wild. After all, we can all use a little more adventure in our lives.

Women adventurers heed the Call of the Wild

With the adventure travel market continuing to grow at an astonishing rate, women only adventures have become an increasingly popular option as well.These trips generally offer all the same wild and challenging options that any other adventure vacation would, with perhaps a few creature comforts added in for good measure.

One of the top travel companies that specializes in women’s only travel is Call of the Wild, based out of Mountain View, California. The company first began organizing adventure vacations back in 1978 when founder Carole Laitmer was unceremoniously fired from her secretarial job. In order to make ends meet, she soon began organizing guided trips for women into the High Sierra Mountains of California, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Now in its 32nd year of business, Call of the Wild continues to organize some of the best adventurous getaways both domestically and abroad. For instance, some of their upcoming trips include hiking around Lake Tahoe to enjoy the Indian Summer, trekking in the the shadow of Mt. Everest in Nepal, and a weekend of snowshoeing in Sequoia National Park. Other trips will take clients to Peru, New Zealand, Guatemala, and beyond.

But just because you’re traveling to remote corners of the globe doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself at the same time. One of the hallmarks of any Call of the Wild trip is the gourmet cuisine and the company puts a great deal of thought, and effort, into planning a wide variety of healthy and delicious meals on all of their trips. Even their backpacking excursions offer fantastic meals on the trail thanks to fresh ingredients that are dehydrated prior to departure, and combined to make surprisingly tasty backwoods offerings. The ladies on these trips all agree, an amazing meal after a long and challenging day of trekking, can make everything feel better.

Many of Call of the Wild’s clients return for multiple trips, and often report making good, life-long friends on their journeys. These vacations allow them to get closer to nature and escape the daily grind, while putting some much needed adventure into their lives. For a complete list of Call of the Wild adventures and to choose one that best fits your style of travel, click here.

[Photo credit: Call of the Wild]

Women’s only adventures becoming a popular option

As we reported recently, the adventure travel market has grown into an $89 billion industry. With that kind of money being tossed around, it is only natural for the travel options to diversify and one of the fastest growing segments of the industry is women’s only tavel. On these adventures, the men are left behind, and the girls get to have all the fun, as they visit remote, far flung corners of the globe on a trip of a lifetime.

There are a number of travel companies that specialize in this growing trend, including Adventure Women based out of Bozeman, Montana. They’ve been offering ladies only trips since 1982, and have some spectacular options for hiking and skiing in the American west as well as great international escapes to such destinations as Mongolia and Morocco. Perhaps the crown jewel of their offerings however is their trekking excursion to Nepal, during which the travelers hike a lower altitude portion of the Annapurna Circuit and visit the Chitwan National Park for whitewater rafting and wildlife viewing. The 15-day adventure offers spectacular scenery, cultural immersion, and adrenaline inducing thrills all in one complete package.

Rogue Wilderness Adventures, a company that specializes in rafting and hiking expeditions in Oregon, has also begun offering options just for women. Next spring, they’ll lead a multi-day hike along the Rogue River National Recreation Trail, covering more than 44 miles through some of the most pristine wilderness in the U.S. The adventurous ladies on the trek will spend their days hiking a spectacular 110-year old trail and their nights staying in historic lodges enjoying fine meals and sipping local wines by the fire. Travel company Journeys Within offers a number of great tours to Asia, including options to visit Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. But they also offer a unique seven day journey entitled Laos for the Ladies which is an interesting mix of shopping, relaxation, and culture, with a dash of adventure mixed in for good measure. Highlights include hiking Mt. Phou Si, learning to cook Laotian food, shopping the famous night markets, and a small boat tour of the Mekong River. The trip is a great escape for those looking to experience a wonderful culture, not to mention a fantastic getaway with just the girls.

Finally, for the past three years Sheridan, Wyoming has played host to an All Girls Getaway put on by Rangeland Hunting Adventures. Over the course of that weekend, the ladies explore the Big Horn Mountains on foot and horseback, while fishing, camping, and taking in the wonderful natural beauty of the area. The girls stay in a pre-constructed campsite that includes comfortable tents with cots, while gathering round the campfire with their favorite beverage, while a tasty dinner is prepared for them. Next year’s ladies weekend is scheduled to take place August 12-14, but registration is already open and reservations are already being filled.

These women’s only escapes prove that adventure travel isn’t just for the guys any more. The next time you’re feeling the need to put a little adventure back into your life, grab your passport, gather up the girls, and hit the road. After all, why should the boys have all of the fun?