Solo travel – we have your back

We are proud to have many solo travellers on our team at The Natural Adventure, all of whom fly the flag for autonomous adventurers. We also have a wide array of holidays that are suitable for our solo travellers and, like all of our holidays, we provide 24/7 support on the ground, a carefully crafted itinerary that guides you safely throughout your journey, and welcoming hosts to greet you at the end of the day. 

Whether you’re an epic-seeking empty nester or a solo parent travelling with a baby on your front and a pack on your back, here are some of our most popular solo sojourns. 

Santé to solo cycling in the Loire Valley

Cycle the Loire Valley Trail between Nevers in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region all the way to the Atlantic coast at Saint-Brévin-les-Pins near Nantes, with an array of cathedrals and châteaux en route. Stay in locally-owned guest houses and hotels and pack a pannier at a panoply of local markets. Cycle the whole route in 15 days, or choose a week-long section between Nevers and Orleans, Orleans and Saumur or Saumur to the Atlantic, all accessible by train so that you can even avoid the chaos of crowded airports, by travelling the peaceful and mindful way. 

Go in peace along the Camino Portugues

The majority of our camino tours are geared up towards solo travellers, but the Camino Portugues is proving to be a firm favourite at the moment, perhaps because it is less crowded than some of the traditional caminos during peak season. The Camino Portugues or Portuguese Way’s pilgrims have carved out two separate caminos en route to Santiago over the years, one inland and the other clinging to the coast. You can start in Lisbon, and head through the ancient university town of Coimbra, historic Porto and the coastal resort of Vila Praia de Âncora, with options to dip in and out of river valleys, hilltop villages and eucalyptus glades, before hitting Spain’s Galician coast. And if you are contemplating this camino, here are some words of Grace: 

“You have made my bookings and arrangements seem so easy. I’m 77 years old, travelling alone, and you have resolved any worries or queries I’ve had. I’m very grateful and my daughter also, as I shall be far from home. A gold star!” – Grace Helen-Benson, Camino Portugues: Central Way tour

Travelling the camino solo is nothing short of special. We will support you all the way.

Go boldly on the Naxos Strada trek

Solo travel can make you feel like an island sometimes, arising out of a need to disconnect from it all and pull up the drawbridge from everyday distractions. One of our most recent island holidays is the Naxos Strada trek where you can blank out the rest of the world while blissing out on the 52km coast-to-coast hiking trail, otherwise known as Naxos Strada. Over ten days, explore the largest island of the Cyclades, including a trek to the summit of Mount Zas (1,004m), the highest in the archipelago. For other Greek island idylls for one, go hiking in Karpathos or Crete, Aegina or Kea. You could also do some solo cycling on Eubia (Evia) or Kefalonia. 

Sola in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain

For those of us who are new to solo travel, the Canary Islands feel almost home from home, as the tourism infrastructure is well established, but there are also plenty of remote spots rather than resorts to explore. La Gomera is one of these, a lesser-known Canary Island where you can explore the tropical valleys of Garajonay National Park over eight days. A landscape of elevated, misty sub-tropical rainforest, made up of beech trees and ancient laurel covered in lichen, this is one of southern Europe’s most luscious and stupendous hiking terrains. 

“As a solo female traveller, I was quite apprehensive to embark on this walk but I had THE most incredible time! The navigation is so simple and helpful, the company was incredibly helpful whenever I had questions and the entire trip went without a hitch. The island is beautiful and perfect for anyone who loves being surrounded by nature all day. Overall, I would highly recommend this trip. The island is such a hidden gem and full of natural beauty waiting to be appreciated.” – Martha on our walking holiday in La Gomera. 

Garajonay National Park in La Gomera is simply an exquisite break from the world. In what feels like another world.

In solitary refinement in the Rhodopes, Bulgaria

We endeavour to add a traditional thermal spa into our walking holidays in the Rhodope Mountains when possible because, with over 700 natural hot springs here, it’s rude not to really. On this walking and spa adventure, for example, you can swap the Rhodopes for robes, mountains for minerals at the end of the day in places like Devin, which is known as the spa capital of Bulgaria. And during the day, you get to ramble freely to the likes of Smolyan Lakes, the cultural reserve at Shiroka Laka or the Canyon of Waterfalls eco-trail. We also have plenty of other solo walking holidays in Bulgaria, with fewer spas but plenty of oohs and aahs.

Travelling light in Llogara National Park, Albanian 

Saunter and swim on our Coastal Albania walking holiday in Llogara National Park, spending a week in the shadow of the Ceuranian Mountains, clinging to the coast and strolling through traditional villages along ancient shepherds’ trails. This trip stays clear of the peak summer season when temperatures soar, but in May, for example, the aroma of wild mountain herbs and citrus groves is perfectly piquant, and temperatures of around 23C are divine for taking on hikes to Llogara Pass (1,043m) or Dhjopuri Saddle (1,600m) just beneath Mount Qorre (2,018m). Staying in traditional local guesthouses, with your luggage transferred for you, why not self-prescribe a peaceful, coastal cure-all? 

Big solo travel love from us at Llogara National Park, Albania.

If you would like to travel solo, but within a group of other travellers, then we also have some guided small group tours. With these tours you still have your independence, but the security of a guide if you are travelling solo for the first time. Some of our solo travellers also love to bring a canine companion, and we have plenty of tours where you can pamper your pooch the natural way. For any more information on solo travel, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. You may be travelling alone, but we will always have your back.

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