Explorer Chicks of Saint Louis

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.

Summits And Sips

Imagine finally treating yourself to a girls’ weekend. Only instead of sitting on someone’s living room floor fielding texts from your partner (“WHERE IS MY PRESCRIPTION NASAL SPRAY”) you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail. Eating picnics you didn’t have to pack. And tossing back Virginia wine with women who make you laugh until a you pee a little. Trade the daily hustle for mountain magic with the ultimate long weekend hiking in Shenandoah National Park.

This is a more laid-back hiking adventure––active without being hardcore. We’ll explore sections of the Appalachian Trail by day, including Mary’s Rock, Whiteoak Canyon, and Hawksbill Mountain. And we’ll savor golden sunset hikes to Bearfence and Stony Man before our evening PJ parties.

Our SHE-nanigan Shuttle will be conveniently parked to save us from sweary uphill climbs, whisking us away to our trailheads, an afternoon wine tasting, and our picturesque lodges with local, chef-made meals. This much beauty and sisterhood in one long weekend will feel illegal. But we promise the park rangers won’t kick us out.

Join us on a Banff Canada Hiking + Hut-to-Hut Backpacking Adventure for women only! During your 6-day trip, backpack hut-to-hut in the remote backcountry of Banff National Park. Enjoy day hikes through the towering mountains and glacier fed lakes of the Canadian Rockies. This is not the maple syrup harvest your aunt went to that one time. This is Wild Canada, sister!

GUIDED HIKING IN BANFF, CANADA NATIONAL PARKS

First, spend three days hiking in and exploring nearby national and provincial parks. The town of Banff is surrounded on all sides by them, boasting some of the most beautiful landscapes that Canada offers. Experience the iconic hiking trails in the surrounding parks, the atmosphere of the quaint mountain town, and the quiet backcountry bliss amongst flanneled femmes.

Day-hike to turquoise glacier fed lakes, past waterfalls, along pointed mountain ridge lines, and through luscious green valleys. Snap an iconic photo by Moraine Lake to add to your Instagram feed. You’ll feel as if you’re in a fairy tale admiring the chateau from Lake Louise.

Also enjoy exploring lesser known trails as our local guides share their favorites hikes. You could be hiking to glacier fed lakes in Banff National Park, past stunning waterfalls in Yoho National Park, up and over a mountain pass in Kananaskis Country and more.

EXPLORING DOWNTOWN BANFF

Each evening, we’ll return to our downtown Banff hotel, roll on some deodorant, and head out on the town to dine as a group. In your free time, soak your beautiful bones in one of the outdoor hot tubs or curl up cat-like beside the outdoor fireplace. Buzzed storytelling is encouraged.

CANADIAN ROCKIES HUT-TO-HUT GUIDED BACKPACKING AND GLACIER CROSSING

On the final three days of your adventure, we leave behind the hustle and noise of Banff and its tourists. Load up a 70L backpack with glacier crossing gear and all of the essentials for a hut-to-hut trek across the Wapta Icefields of the Canadian Rockies.

The Icefields are rolling, gentle glaciers that you will trek up and over during the course of three days. Experience first hand a rapidly disappearing mountain landscape while immersing yourself in a truly remote and unique, backcountry environment. Your destination each evening is rustic, remote alpine huts high up in mountains. There aren’t many backcountry treks that you can get the alpine trifecta—glaciers, mountains, and cozy alpine huts!

ALL MAJOR BACKPACKING AND GLACIER CROSSING GEAR PROVIDED

• 70L backpack
• sleeping bag
• mountaineering boots
• climbing harness
• climbing helmet
• crampons
• ice axe
• ropes

Hit your bucket list with all the feels on this women’s guided hiking and backpacking weekend! During your Yosemite Half Dome Hike adventure, tour Yosemite National Park as you climb the famous cables of Half Dome with ladies who do their own stunts. Live out every last one of those John Muir nature quotes in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. Mountains calling? Check. Between two pines? Check. Walk with nature? Double-check.

GUIDED BACKPACKING IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK BACKCOUNTRY
Romp through the backcountry on a demanding, yet epic backpacking trip. Meet your new woman crushes in the Yosemite Valley as the landscape gives way to mountains, waterfalls, and a piney perfume that’ll make Yankee Candle totally jelly. Mother Nature swiped ALL THE WAY right. Leave the phone on airplane mode to immerse yourself in stunning national park backcountry over the course of four epic days. Climb steep, challenging trails to look down upon the Valley with a panoramic view that includes Mt. Starr King, Half Dome, Nevada Falls, Illilouette Falls, and plenty of ant-sized tourists with tiny selfie sticks.

HALF DOME: HIKING TO THE TOP
Fuel up for the real MVP—the famous cables of Half Dome! Blast that hiker booty (and bring plenty of water) while ascending 500 feet up a .5 mile of steps carved into the rock. Then, the real fun begins. It’s a 400-foot gain up the top of Half Dome with some points at 70%+ grades. Pace your footwork on wooden slabs spaced out on the climb as you get the upper body workout of a lifetime. Worth it? HELL YES!

BACKPACKING EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
Don’t have backpacking equipment, but can Beastmaster the stairs? Perfect. Explorer Chick has you covered with:

• a backpack
• sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• shared tent

All you need to do is show up for this Yosemite Half Dome Hike to backpack like a boss and get that National Parks bucket list checked.