Women-only safaris: A shift from empowerment to something more meaningful

“Forget empowerment and focus on possibility. Women don’t need companies to tell them they’re strong – they already know that. What they need are experiences that meet them where they are.”

These words from Nadine Smith, co-creator of the Kalahari Desert Women’s Safari & Expedition at Natural Selection, reflect a sentiment long overdue in the safari industry.

For years, female-focused travel has been marketed through a predictable lens: self-discovery, empowerment, and independence. But the reasons women are increasingly seeking women-only safaris go far beyond these overused narratives.

Women-only safaris are rapidly gaining traction across Africa, not because women need reassurance, but because they want freedom. They want experiences tailored to the way they wish to connect – with nature, with people, and with themselves.

What’s driving the demand for women-only safaris?

Women-only trips are a fast-growing segment of global tourism with travel companies dedicated exclusively to serving female travellers increasing by 230% in recent years.

In an industry that often treats niche demographics as marketing exercises, the risk is clear: if women-only safaris are designed just to fit an empowerment narrative, they will fail to meet the depth of experience that female travellers are looking for.

“When people hear about women-only safaris, they assume it’s about avoiding men – but that’s not it at all. It’s about space. A different type of space,” explains Gaby Grieveson, one of the minds behind the Natural Selection Kalahari expedition.

Women-only safaris provide space that offers:

• A type of freedom that has nothing to do with empowerment and everything to do with moving through the wilderness on your own terms.
• The chance for depth over breadth, focusing less on checklists and more on immersive moments.
• A more adaptive pace, offering flexibility beyond the traditional adventure-versus-luxury dichotomy often assumed in female-targeted trips.

“It’s really about being yourself as a woman – free from any pressures, free from routine,” explains Smith and Grieveson. “You get those endorphins flowing with adventure, but you also slow down. We have moments where we say, ‘Just walk. Walk for 100 metres and take five minutes on your own.’ And it’s amazing – you can pray, meditate, sing to yourself, or just lie down and stare at the sky. It’s a space where we, as women, can connect, relate, and just have fun.”

Beyond the checklist: How women safari differently

The safari industry has long been built around a high-expectation, high-intensity experience model – jumping from lodge to lodge, spotting bucket list species, and embarking on adrenaline-fueled adventure. But in female-specific safaris, a different dynamic emerges.

“It’s not about ticking off the Big Five and moving on,” Smith says. “Some women crave the physical thrill – quad biking across the salt pans, pushing their limits with sleeping under open skies – but for others, it’s about space and stillness. Not everyone wants a safari that runs on a schedule.”

This approach challenges operators to rethink how safari experiences are traditionally structured for female travellers. Instead of boxing women into soft-focus luxury safaris filled with spa treatments and yoga (assuming that’s all they want), operators must recognise the need for something layered, flexible, and emotionally resonant.

“We definitely led the way in terms of introducing women guides in the safari space. What we did was not hire one or two, but an entire team of women-only guides. And to this day, we’re still the only lodge that I know of in Africa that has that. Yes, it’s a great marketing story, but we found that the women in the team were outperforming the men significantly. We had real stats—guest questionnaires, vehicle maintenance data—and we saw that the women were driving the vehicles much more responsibly,” says James Wilson of Desert & Delta Safaris.

How the safari industry can avoid the ‘empowerment’ trap

As the demand for women-focused travel rises, more safari operators will look to introduce their own women-only itineraries. But will they get it right?

Many brands fall into one of two tired marketing approaches when it comes to selling safaris to women:

• The ‘Girl Power’ Narrative: “Look at women proving they can do this alone! Look how strong they are!”
• The ‘Emotional Awakening’ Pitch: “Come find yourself in the wilderness...”

Both are outdated. And both miss the point.

"You don’t have to throw the word ‘empowerment’ into it,” says Smith. "The experience itself will do the work if it’s designed well.

This means that, for safari operators thinking of creating female-focused expeditions, the key is to start by listening to what women truly seek from these trips.

“The solo female traveller—it’s not an obvious choice to come to Africa, let’s be honest. But when you arrive in our camps and lodges, it makes all the difference if there are women in senior positions running the camp. Immediately, you're in an environment where you feel comfortable as a solo traveller, as a woman solo traveller,” says Wilson.

Practical ways to get it right

Most importantly, step away from assumptions.

• Women want adventure. But they also want reflection. Create a balance without deciding for them.
• Offer open itineraries that allow travellers to choose their own pace and activities.
• Some women come as solo travellers, some bring their daughters, some are multi-generational. The experience must accommodate all without assuming one central “story.”

Women want real experiences. Some want to test themselves physically. Some want to reclaim space for themselves after being caught in the routine of life. Others just want to have fun with like-minded women. Build a trip that offers those possibilities rather than prescribing a story to them.

And that, more than anything, is what women-only safaris (when done right) are about: possibility.

Moving forward, the safari industry has a choice to make:

• Stick to easy narratives – or dig deeper?
• Market to female travellers – or design for them?
• Talk about empowerment – or simply create experiences that allow it to happen naturally?

What women want is the space, the freedom, and the flexibility to shape the adventure on their own terms. The question is: Will the industry meet them there?

A practical guide to designing women-only safaris that resonate.pdf