What we’re about
Looking for a community of adventure loving, boundary pushing, encouraging women to explore the world with?
You found it!
Explorer Chick is a 2022 Travel and Leisure World’s Best Tour Operator changing the lives of thousands with our supportive community formed organically by the women who have traveled all over the world with us on our small-group adventure travel tours.
What we got here is a happy by-product of Real Women embarking on Real Adventures. Women bonded together by challenging themselves in the outdoors. Women who naturally encouraged one another and connected right away. Women who live to LIVE.
🦸♀️ The friendships are REAL.
🦸♀️ The vulnerability on the trails is REAL.
🦸♀️ The empowerment is REAL.
🦸♀️ The personal growth is REAL.
🦸♀️ The cuss words, inside jokes, and SHE-naningans are REAL.
And we’ve been doing it since 2014! That year, Explorer Chick founder, Nicki Bruckmann was a wife, cat mom and home owner who worked full-time in corporate finance. Instead of feeling fulfilled by ticking all the boxes, she found herself feeling stifled. She made the choice to break away from it all and step out of that life. To figure things out, she needed a vacation reset. But not just any vacation. She wanted something that would feed her adventurous soul and push boundaries. But the thing about divorce? You lose that built-in travel buddy. Believing that other women must also be in the same situation; craving adventure and travel and not wanting to do it all alone, she launched Explorer Chick! Check out the whole story here. Launching in 2015, Explorer Chick ran one trip with three bold ladies looking for adventure. From there, this amazing community of women continues to grow, and in 2022 more than 1100 women traveled with us on 133 trips over 5 continents!
Whether you arrive as a solo traveler or with several of your closest gal pals, you’ll be greeted by a group of like-minded women travelers of all ages who love to go hiking, camping, rafting, backpacking, canyoning, surfing, kayaking, climbing and more. Basically, we’re all in on anything that gets us outdoors and active!
We travel the US National Parks and bucket list destinations like Iceland, Jordan, Galapagos, Croatia, Uganda and so many more.
The best part? You are taken care of by Explorer Chick’s professional, certified guides. They handle all the details: from food to accommodations to gear and extra words of encouragement when you need them the most. Leaving you to simply “mindlessly wander”.
“Okay, so how do I join Explorer Chick?”
It’s easy!
We’re not a club. There are no dues. You can simply engage with us on any of our social media (linked below), send us an email, introduce yourself in our Facebook group, learn what we’re really about on our Google reviews, or go big and book your next adventure on our website.
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick
What are women saying? Jump down the rabbit hole with our Google Reviews.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Galapagos Island Hopping and Underwater AdventureSantiago Island, Santa Cruz
Love animals and staying active on vacation? How about both! Channel your inner Darwin and get ready for our guided Galapagos Islands Tour and Multisport Adventure in Ecuador! Meet bold women who love to adventure travel and ugly-cry about nature just as much as you. Tour the islands, enjoy a variety of outdoor sports, and say buenos días to all the animals in the Galapagos.
TORTOISES AND OTHER WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
The meet-and-greet crew on our Galapagos Islands tour are a wild bunch—literally! Experience incredible animal encounters throughout your trip. This is the binge-worthy Planet Earth on Netflix, but in REAL LIFE. Narrate your own nature film starring tortoises, sea lions, iguanas, penguins, boobies, reef sharks.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS TOUR AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Over the course of our 9-day tour, you’ll visit three different islands. Each features a plethora of adventures to keep your intrepid soul curious. This trip is “check off the vacation bucket list” time. Why settle for a ho-hum tour where you have to pick and choose activities? This is Explorer Chick! We’ll do it all, baby! Snorkel, kayak, and hike amidst the wandering beasts and spewing volcanoes.
ALL OUTDOOR SPORTS EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
Yep! Explorer Chick provides everything you need to play outside on the Galapagos Islands!
- kayak and paddles
- snorkeling equipment
ALL-INCLUSIVE TOUR PERKS
Every evening, stay in 4-star boutique hotels. We’re talking roof top terraces with harbor views and beside pools with a cocktail. Plus, enjoy all-inclusive perks including:
- round trip flight from Quito to Baltra
- Galápagos National Park Pass
- Transit Card
Heck, you’ll even squeeze in some white sandy beach time! Relax with a book (and a neighboring sea lion). #MermaidParadise
Adventure Highlights
- Hike to the still active Volcano crater, Sierra Negra
- Snorkel the clear waters at Concha Perla looking for penguins, seals, and colorful fish
- Kayak the volcanic islets of Tintoreras while scanning for white-tip sharks and sting rays
- Explore one of South America’s best white sand beaches, Tortuga Bay Beach
- Visit the crystal clear pools of water surrounded by volcanic cliffs at Las Grietas
- Relax in the cute beach town of Puerta Villamil
- Hike to the highest point of Santa Cruz for a panoramic view of the islands
- Experience three total islands, including creepy-cool Floreana with black sand beaches
- Visit tortoise farms and breeding centers to learn more about conservation efforts
- Take a Chiva (local transport) to the highlands of Floreana, through banana, cocoa, and coffee plantations
- Participate in a cooking class in Quito with a local chef.
- Don’t sweat the often extra cost of the Internal round trip flight from Quito to Baltra (~$600), National Park Pass, ($100), and Transit Card ($20). These are included in your price.
- Kick back in 4 Star boutique hotels throughout your adventure that offer fabulous views that pair well with a cocktail
- Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything in-between easy.
- Geek out with encouraging and supportive Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.
See the website for full details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/galapagosSay Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Croatia Hiking National Parks and Multisport Adventure TourCroatia, Croatia
Get ready to have your mind blown multiple times over turquoise waters, frothing waterfalls, badass mountain summits, and medieval towns. Croatia will turn anyone into an annoying romantic. Book your week-long women’s multi-sport adventure tour featuring hiking, e-biking, mountain-summiting, sea kayaking, snorkeling, and plenty of Adriatic Sea swimming. You’ll explore ancient cities tripping through architectural history from ancient Roman, Venetian Gothic, Romanesque, and Medieval. Cycle through stupid-pretty Istrian Peninsula hilltop towns. Bust your booties through Plitvice Lakes and Paklenica National Parks. Climb a freaking Via Ferrata to summit Bojin Kuk. And float through the 80+ islands that make up Kornati National Park. BRB we need to pick our jaw up from off the ground.
EXPLORE ZAGREB, CROATIA’S CAPITAL CITY
You and your Explorer Chick entourage will geek over all the architecture porn – from medieval stone gates to Gothic cathedrals. We’ll visit all the “musts” and gather for a welcome dinner in the Old Town. Did you just change your Insta handle to Croatia_Cutie? We are obsessed with you!
E-BIKES, WINE, AND TRUFFLES IN THE ISTRIAN COUNTRYSIDE
What could be better than seeing tiny cutie towns? TASTING the wares of those tiny cutie towns! We’ll cruise the Parenzana trail on our E-Bikes, stopping in Grožnjan, Oprtalj, and Motovun for coffee, olive oil tastings, and a spectacular lunch. By evening, we’ll cycle to the top of Motovun for a stunning gargoyle view of the Adriatic cities. You won’t leave Istria without loading your bike down with bottles of wine and a tummy full of truffles.
HIKE PLITVICE LAKES AND PAKLENICA NATIONAL PARKS
You’re gonna see the kind of natural beauty that shows up in the screensavers of Apple products. The Instagram world is stark raving mad over Plitvice Lakes because of its unique system of lakes and waterfalls. A rock climbing and hiking paradise awaits you in Paklenica National Park with views of the Adriatic Sea from your very own mountain summit.
KORNATI NATIONAL PARK SPEED-BOAT AND SPLIT SEA-KAYAKS
The best views of this gorgeous region are often gleaned from the sea. Across two days, we’ll explore the island systems via speedboat and sea-kayak, leaving plenty of time for swimming, snorkeling, and floating otter-style on your back. You are basically a mermaid now and have to deal with mermaid things like schools of fish, coral spottings and island lunches. You poor thing.
Adventure Highlights:
- E-Bike through Croatia’s “Tuscany” tasting Wine, Olive Oil, and Truffles along the way
- Discover charming hilltop medieval towns on the Istria Peninsula
- Truffle Hunt with a local in the forests of Motovun
- Hike the lower and upper falls of the famous Plitvice Lakes National Park
- Soak in sunsets over the Adriatic from beautiful viewpoints
- Climb a Via Ferrata to the summit of Bojin Kuk in Paklenica National Park
- Enjoy the background music of Zadar’s Sea Organ at sunset
- Explore Kornati National Park by speedboat with swimming, snorkeling, and a seafood lunch
- Sea Kayak to a secluded beach off Split with more swimming, snorkeling, and cliff jumping
- Get lost in the narrow streets of Split while enjoying a cone of gelato or a glass of wine
- Kick back in 3-4 Star boutique hotels throughout your adventure with fabulous views that pair well with a cocktail
- Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes everything in-between easy.
- Geek out with encouraging and supportive Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.
See the website for full details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/womens-croatia-hiking-national-parks-and-multisport-adventure-tour/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Alaska Hiking, Kayaking, and Glacier TourAlaska, Alaska, AK
Ready to take on Alaska, she-wolf?! Explorer Chick is howling over this stunner of a week-long women’s Alaska Hiking, kayaking, and Glacier Tour to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Prince William Sound and the Talkeetna Mountains. Bring your Mukluks, a flask and plenty of Lord Huron. Alaska is gonna swallow your heart whole.
Hike through legit caribou tundra in the Talkeetna Mountains. Fly over volcanic mountains before wandering America’s largest National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias, for three days. Stay in a friggen ghost town near the base of yet another glacier and shame every lame tampon sport commercial as you ice climb a glacier.
Water proof your phone for all the iceberg selfies while sea kayaking Prince William Sound. Just when you think it can’t get more beautiful, Columbia Glacier will “calve” millions of pounds of ice into the bay like the badass Mama Nature is.
There will be moonshine, ferry rides, wildlife, abandoned mines, ice fields, lodge-cooked meals, nights out on the “town,” coastal national forest, pure Alaska hiking, and more snowy peaks than you can count from the SEVEN mountain ranges you’ll see.
Caw into the cold air and Alaska will echo back. You’re about to fall hard for this wild world that gives America its midnight sun.
See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/womens-alaska-hiking-kayaking-and-glacier-tour/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Virginia Wilderness Survival 101 & Hiking The Triple CrownVirginia, Virginia, VA
Details
Find your bold on this Wilderness Survival Training & Hiking in Virginia weekend workshop for women only! Slay the most iconic summits on the Appalachian Trail—Dragon’s Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, McAfee Knob (known as Virginia’s Triple Crown)—as you earn your survival skills badge in Catawba, Virginia. Between hikes, learn basic hands-on wilderness survival training skills from emergency bug-hunting to fire-building in the rain.
HIKING IN VIRGINIA
First, kick off your adventure on Thursday with arriving to our lodge in the woods in the late afternoon. Your feet won’t be settled for long! Throughout the weekend, you’ll be completing the follow hikes, which all add up to the Triple Crown!
DRAGON’S TOOTH HIKE
Gear up to tick off the first jewel in the crown: Dragon’s Tooth. It’s the shortest of the three hikes, but the most exciting. Scramble up rocks and via ferrata-type ladders to reach the summit and the huge monolith stretching to the sky on the summit. Feel daring? Climb up the monolith for 360 degree views of the valley below and all the bragging rights.
TINKER CLIFFS HIKE
The next morning, embark on your hike with the most elevation gain: Tinker Cliffs. It’s a beautiful hike, taking you across a field where you’ll be able to stare way up to our goal. Trek through the “Green Tunnel” with a gnarly steep section. Then, connect with the Appalachian Trail to reach the summit. Then you get to kick back, break out that sandwich, and bask in the view of the next day’s summit: McAfee Knob.
MCAFEE KNOB HIKE
Saturday evening, we’ll hit a mall walker’s stride as we jump on the trail to catch one of the best sunsets. The hustle up the mountain is totally worth the burning quads as you rest your hiker booty and kick your legs off the edge of the world on McAfee Knob. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail. (And, one of our favorites!)
WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS TRAINING
On Saturday morning, we’ll take a short hike to our outdoor classroom. Here, we’ll spend the day learning and practicing wilderness survival skills. You’ll want to grab a notebook and a pen to scratch down some notes. Throughout the day, learn a variety of knots, how to construct a few types of wilderness shelters, how to start and feed a fire even in the rain, and which bugs are the tastiest for eating! 🦗 Yes, it is completely hands-on. You will be building fires and shelters all with a supportive group of like-minded, fun women.
BACKCOUNTRY PERSONAL SELF PROTECTION
On your final day in wilderness paradise, learn hands on Backcountry Personal Self Protection. During this hands-on course, gain these necessary survival skills:
- break free from a stranger’s hold
- recognize the signs of threatening behavior
- learn to use objects you carry in your day pack as a weapon
You’ll be able to practice in a supportive environment with a “Red-Man Suit” while learning a proper palm strike, finger fan, knee jab, knee strike, and blocking moves. KA-POW!!! We’ll say goodbye Sunday afternoon, after refueling our bodies during one last delicious lunch at our Mountain Lodge.
BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN LODGE IN CATAWBA, VIRGINIA
Each night, rest your head at a beautiful lodge nestled in Catawba, Virginia. It lies at the base of the mountains surrounded by woods without another trace of humanity in sight. Call it home for a few days, with freedom to stretch your legs on the lawn soaking up the sun after hiking, sharing stories around a campfire, or knocking back a few beers in the communal area. And, food! Your dinners and breakfasts will be home-cooked goodness served up on a plate! (Don’t worry! Bugs are optional and not on the menu!)
It’s a wonderfully wild weekend with a small group of women hiking in Virginia along the Appalachian Trail and learning wilderness survival tactics. Over the course of a long weekend you’ll quickly grow close with your posse of Explorer Chicks as you hike the trails and share memories of summits. Join us to experience this small-group women’s only hiking weekend yourself!
See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/virginia-hiking-survival-101/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick