If you’re looking to travel solo, but not alone, our small-group tours give you the best of both worlds – the freedom to explore but with the safety of an expert travel guide and a friendly group of like-minded travellers to share the experience with. You’ll also have that added peace of mind that everything on your trip is already planned for you, including your accommodation, luggage transfers and transport along the way – so you can just kick back and enjoy the adventure. With the help of our expert guides’ unrivalled local knowledge, they’ll also share key insight into the region’s history and culture – which you simply wouldn’t get when you travel alone. So, read on as we highlight four small-group adventures that are perfect for solo travellers.
Discover America’s finest National Parks
The United States is arguably home to some of the world’s most stunning national parks, each with its unique geological features and diverse walking trails. And on our action-packed Trek America: Canyons & National Parks, you get to visit five renowned parks, including Yosemite National Park, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon National Park. This incredible 11-day trip is also bookended with time in San Francisco and Sin City, (Las Vegas). Starting the adventure off right, you and your group will get to see San Fran’s iconic landmarks on a driving tour that takes you to Golden Gate Park and the Painted Ladies. The trip comes to a close by travelling down sections of the original Route 66 straight to the iconic Las Vegas Strip, where neon lights and mega casinos await.
One of the reasons why this trip is great for solo travellers is that all the details are sorted for you. You don’t have to worry about organising transfers from park to park, booking accommodation at peak hiking season, and what’s more – our itinerary is designed to maximise time spent in each of the parks, so you get to see the best bits with a group of like-minded travellers and an expert guide who is only too happy to share insights into the parks and its trails.
Starting your walk in Yosemite National Park, you’ll get to see giant sequoia trees and the park’s iconic granite formations including El Capitan, Half Dome and Cathedral Rocks. The following day takes you to Death Valley – known for being one of the hottest places on Earth, its ethereal salt flats and colourful canyons look almost otherworldly. Next up, you’ll spend two days exploring Zion National Park on days five and six. Here, you and your group will get the opportunity to hike through the Narrows – a slot canyon that was formed by the Virgin River cutting through Zion’s soft sandstone cliffs over millions of years. After this, it’s onto photogenic Bryce Canyon. This park is known for its spectacular geological formations called “hoodoos”, a collection of amphitheatres filled with orange, red and white sandstone spires.
In Monument Valley, you and your group will head out on an exhilarating 4×4 backroads Navajo tour, where you’ll learn all about the history, deep-rooted traditions and the significance of Navajo mythology – this part of the trip is a highlight for many. Your tour of America’s southwestern parks concludes in the iconic Grand Canyon, where you can choose to walk along the South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge or take on the more challenging trail to Plateau Point. To end this journey on a high, you can even take an optional helicopter flight to see one of the world’s most incredible canyons from a bird’s eye view.
Explore the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco
Taking you through terraced fields, traditional Amazigh villages, and past snow-capped summits, our Atlas Panorama trip through Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains offers an incredible trekking journey for solo travellers, who are keen to explore in a small guided-group dynamic. Your eight-day adventure begins with a guided tour of Marrakech’s labyrinth of bustling souks and Jemma el-Fna square, where you and your group can get to know each other better while exploring the city’s fascinating bazaars, palaces and mosques.
The following day, you’ll take a drive into the High Atlas Mountains and cross the Tizi’n’Tichka 7,415ft (2,260m), the highest road pass in the country, before trekking towards Telouet Kasbah – that was once a stronghold of the Glaoui clan. Over the next couple of days, you and your group will enjoy breathtaking walks through deep valleys and across picturesque plateaus. Some key highlights include the six-hour circuit through the spectacular Tizi’n’Ourghsan and the rewarding hike you take around Mount n’Oughlagal (8,530ft/2,600m) on day five. En route, make sure to keep an eye out for wildlife such as Barbary macaques, sand cats, mountain goats, and a variety of bird species.
Another memorable moment for solo travellers on this trip is staying in the charming Riad Bouchahoud located in Tighza Telouet, from days three to six. From their terrace, the riad boasts stunning views overlooking the High Atlas Mountains and Ounila Valley, which you can enjoy each morning and evening. While you’re here, you can also tuck into traditional Moroccan breakfasts and freshly made tajine dinners, all prepared with locally sourced ingredients. On day five, we’ve also carved out some time for you to indulge in a traditional hammam experience. This bathing house was recently rebuilt with generous donations raised by our Exodus clients, as part of our ongoing responsible tourism project in Tijhza. After this, your trek comes to a close with an optional hike towards Lake Tamada which is wedged between the towering peaks of Jebel Anghomar and Jebel Tamda, before returning to vibrant markets in Marrakech, where you can pick up some mementos.
Soak up Greek hospitality on the island of Evia
If you’ve ticked off the towering Acropolis in Athens and the white-washed houses of Santorini, and you’re looking for something more off-the-beaten-track, our Mountains and villages of Evia trip could be an ideal trip for you to continue your love affair with Greece. Many may not know, but Evia is the second largest island in Greece after Crete, yet it remains largely untouched by time and tourism. Peppered with fascinating archaeological relics, white sand beaches and rippling vineyards, you’ll find that Evia is a place that has stayed true to its roots, offering solo travellers a more authentic Greek experience. Some key highlights of this eight-day trip include visits to Castello Rosso, the ancient Acropolis of Styra and the Imperial Roman quarries on Mount Ohi, but one thing solo travellers love about this trip in particular, is soaking up the Greek hospitality.
On a majority of our departures, you’ll be guided by our long-standing expert, Thanos Mamas, who has been sharing his unique insight, passion and local knowledge with our travellers, taking groups around the mountains and villages of Evia for 25 years. Like our other expert guides in Evia, Thanos has a knack for bringing the best parts of Greek culture and their warm hospitality to the forefront. This is perfect for solo travellers, as it means you’ll always be in the centre of the action, whether you’re trying a shot of homemade ouzo at one of his favourite family-run restaurants, joining the locals dancing to bouzouki-led music in the streets, or gathering around to hear about little-known local legends about centuries-old Roman quarries.
Ride modified fat bikes through Namibia’s deserts
For solo travellers who are keen cyclists, our Cycle Namibia trip is an ideal choice for your next adventure. Why? Because Namibia is an incredibly diverse country to explore – from the otherworldly red dunes of Sossusvlei that stand starkly against cobalt blue skies to the wildlife-rich waterholes of Etosha National Park. But many may not know that Namibia is also the second least densely populated country in the world, after Mongolia, so it may help to navigate Namibia’s vast plains with an expert local guide who knows the region like the back of their hand.
For a half day during this action-packed itinerary you’ll get the opportunity to explore stunning dunes in the Namib Naukluft Desert on a modified fat bike – so if you’re looking for a different kind of cycling experience with a group of like-minded travellers then this is the trip for you. With their wider tyres, lower pressure and sturdy frames, travelling on these types of bikes enhances your traction on sandy surfaces, allowing you to cover more ground, faster. But this is just one part of your 12-day trip, and there are so many incredible moments you can have, that are simply better when they’re shared with a group. This includes; the sunrise climb up Dune 45, one of the tallest dunes in the world; spotting flocks of pink flamingos in Walvis Bay; the fleeting moments watching rhinos and elephants graze on a safari in Etosha National Park and celebrating the end of your epic adventure with a delicious braai under star-studded skies.
If this has inspired you to travel solo and book one of our adventures, browse our full collection of trips that are perfect for solos here.
