International Ultimate Adventures

From the Arctic to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Gibraltar and so many places in between, Girlguiding UK offered Senior Section members fabulous opportunities to celebrate the Centenary in style abroad.

Centenary Stampede

35 teams took up this challenge, planning and organising their own two-week trip within a specified budget. They chose which countries to visit (from a given list) and took part in challenges at each. Many of the groups managed to visit 5 different countries before returning for a huge finale celebration in the Midlands.

Ultimate Costa Rica

16 Senior Section members went on this adventure, which included white water rafting, canoeing and abseiling down waterfalls. The girls also visited a local community to help with a reforestation project, visited a banana plantation and a pineapple plantation and learnt some traditional Costa Rican crafts. They went on several nature trips including one near a volcano. This trip was extended due to the Icelandic Volcano eruption and the girls spent a further week in Houston where the Girl Scouts of America gave them hospitality.

Ultimate Lapland Breaking the Ice

The Adventure started with a tour of the snow castle. The girls visited a husky farm, met the dogs and were taught how to dog sleigh. They also had a reindeer sleigh ride, a journey on a snowmobile, took a dip in an ice hole and spent the night in a giant igloo. On the way back to the airport the girls stopped off to meet Santa and his elves.

Ultimate Lapland Winter Wonderland

The girls took part in snowy activities including cross-country skiing, ice fishing and snow games. They also learnt to drive reindeer and even gained a license! The participants all enjoyed on an overnight husky safari where they stayed in a wilderness cabin, looked after their own team of dogs, visited a real Finnish sauna and had lunch in a kota. They also got the opportunity to visit a snow castle.

Ultimate Big Apple Adventure

This New York Adventure for 26 Senior Section members included trips to Girl Scout HQ, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. They saw Manhattan Island thanks to a tour guide and her reindeer and went on an evening holiday lights tour. Their adventure also included a Broadway Musical workshop, a trip to Ground Zero and a tour of the United Nations HQ.

Eurolife 03

Open to girls aged 14-18, Senior Section members joined Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from across Europe to celebrate the Centenary over the 2010 New Year at venues in Sweden and Germany. The girls took part in workshops which explored the idea of advocacy by creating a project based on one of three Millennium Development Goal topics - HIV/AIDS, Education for All and Environment. They also took part in adventurous and international activities.

Ultimate Falkland Islands

The girls visited many of the islands and saw a lot of the local wildlife. They met local Brownies, visited the Falklands Guide HQ and attended Rainbow, Brownie and Guide Sleepover! They took in some of the local culture by visiting a secondary school, trying their hand at spinning Falkland’s wool and watched some de-minors at work blowing up mines. The girls also carried out some community work at the military base. Due to the earthquake in Chile, the adventure was extended and girls eventually flew home escorted out by two Tornadoes.

Rock on 100 Gibraltar

50 Guides and younger Senior Section members visited Gibraltar to share this Centenary Adventure with Guides from the Branch Association based there. The group found out about life on the Rock – its food, its culture and its history. The trip included a boat trip searching for dolphins and meeting Barbary Apes a swell as crossing over the border to Spain for a day at the Bahia Water Park.

Ultimate British Columbia

The group began in the beautiful city of Vancouver and travelled by float planes to Ptarmigan Lake in South Tweedsmuir where they spent three nights wild-camping with an open-air ‘throne’ toilet and a bear cache. They trekked to a nearby lake, Turner Lake, to view the spectacular Hunlen Falls. The group met a guide from the Nuxalk First Nation who gave them a fascinating insight into the traditions of the Nuxalk people, their culture and their history. They also completed a community project visiting several orchards to pick apples.

Ultimate Morocco

A real cultural experience. Sightseeing in Marrakech visiting traditional markets and souks. Then, in the mountains, taking part in a community project in Imil and working with young local students. After a farewell to their new found friends, a trip through the Atlas Mountains to the desert for a camel ride and a night under the stars before returning to Marrakech, visiting villages on the way.

Ultimate South East Asia

Participants were given the opportunity to visit South East Asia and immerse themselves in its culture. Spending time in Bangkok, Thailand before taking an overnight train (an adventure in itself) to Chiang Mai, the Rose of the North. Visiting temples and Buddhas during the day and trying out their bargaining skills at Chiang Mai’s famous Night Bazaar. The group also visited hill tribes and rode elephants before crossing the mighty Mekong River to enter Laos and take a two-day slow-boat trip along the Mekong, visiting villages along the way.

Ultimate Uzbekistan

With its medieval cities, stunning architecture and colourful history, this central Asian gem was just waiting to be discovered by our team of Senior Section members. The group uncovered all facets on their journey – from modern, cosmopolitan Tashkent to 2,000-year-old fortress cities lost in the sands of time. They visited the land of Alexander the Great and stood awestruck – as Genghis Khan once did – in front of Bukhara’s Kalyan Minaret. The group also took advantage of camping at a desert oasis in a yurt as Silk Road travellers have done for centuries.

Ultimate Sangam

26 members spent 12 days at a Discover Your Potential session at the Sangam World Centre and a weekend in Mumbai. The session included exploring the colours, customs and excitement of Indian life, learning traditional art and dance, organising and running a community action project, discovering leadership, experiencing international Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, participating in a WAGGGS advocacy campaign, celebrating the centenary of WAGGGS and learning about Sangam and WAGGGS. The weekend in Mumbai provided an opportunity to explore key highlights of the city and explore life in the slums.

Ultimate Arctic Adventure

Senior Section members walked in the Swedish Arctic tundra before the snow arrived and experienced the remoteness of the glacial Arctic mountains. The group observed the deer and elks in their own habitats whilst walking between traditional wooden huts, where they stayed. The trip included flying out of the mountains by helicopter to Nikkaluokta then taking an overnight train to Stockholm for two days of sightseeing. An unforgettable experience.

Ultimate Botswana

The combination of the fantastic wildlife of Chobe National Park with the stunning scenery of Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls made this one of the best trips offered. Travelling from Pretoria to Khama Rhino Sanctuary, members experienced their first taste of the African wildlife. Moving on to Botswana the group visited the Okavango Delta, the most spectacular floodplain in the world. The birdlife was prolific and the sunsets simply spectacular. Continuing on to Chobe National Park, the girls spent a day viewing game from open four-wheel-drive vehicles and boats – large herds of elephants, hippo relaxing at the water's edge, antelopes and even lions. The trip ended in Livingstone, the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.

Girlguiding UK - girls in the lead