Nepal: Women's Expedition

Namaste! Welcome to Nepal. Your Women’s Expedition begins in Kathmandu with a welcome meeting at 2 pm at your hotel. After, join your leader and fellow travellers for an included dinner at a local restaurant, where you can dig into local flavours and try Nepali favourites like momos and dal bhat. The dinner also includes a traditional dance performance to end the evening. If you arrive early, maybe check out the many shops and cafes in the Thamel (the city’s main tourist district) or visit some of Kathmandu’s most sacred sites on the Kathmandu: Spiritual Nepal Experience Urban Adventure.

Wake early and head to Kapan’s Khachoe Ghakyil Ling – a Buddhist nunnery on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The nunnery's mission is to provide a safe place for women who want to dedicate their lives to the Buddha's teachings. This unique experience offers insight into their daily lives and how they’re challenging patriarchal Buddhist traditions. After, take on a cooking class at Sungava Nepal – an organisation that provides socioeconomic support to marginalised women through skills training, income generation and other education programs. While the initiative started with just seven participants, it has since educated, trained and employed over 5000 women. Learn how to make delicious local dishes and hear how the women here have overcome discrimination and turned their lives around. Tuck into your creations before returning to Kathmandu to spend the afternoon at your leisure.

Today you’ll take a 30-minute flight to the city of Pokhara – set in a beautiful valley overlooked by the Annapurna Mountains. The flight offers views of the Himalaya range to the north on a clear day, so keep your camera handy. Join your leader for a quick orientation walk, then head to a Tibetan refugee settlement for a special momo cooking class. The class is hosted by a woman born and raised in the camp – her parents fled Tibet during the China invasion and raised her here along with her siblings. Swap stories and be inspired by how she overcame her adversities. After, you’ll visit Yes Helping Hands Handicrafts, where people with disabilities are trained in traditional handloom weaving, dyeing and knitting. Your accommodation tonight is at 3 Sisters Guesthouse – owned by three sisters who work to promote and empower socially disadvantaged women through adventure tourism. They provide skills-based training programs and employment opportunities to encourage women to become independent.

Transfer by private vehicle to Birethanti, where you’ll meet your all-female crew of assistant guides and porters and begin your five-day trek. Today’s route takes you through rural villages, rice paddies and terraced fields. You can expect the first part of this trek to be relatively flat and easy-going, but after you reach Tikhedhunga, be prepared to get your blood pumping as you climb hundreds of stone steps to Ulleri. Go at a nice steady pace and take plenty of rest stops to take in the amazing views along the way. When you arrive at Ulleri (2070 m), settle into your first teahouse of the trek and maybe get your first peek of the Annapurna Range if the skies are clear.

Ghorepani sits at a cool 2860 m above sea level, so you can expect to get your heart rate pumping on today’s exciting uphill climb. You’ll pass traditional homes and teahouses along a path that winds up and down hills before rewarding you with views of Annapurna South halfway along the trek. Meander through thicker wooded areas filled with towering bamboo plants and blooming trees. Then, venture beyond Banthanti (2300 m) through a moss-coated jungle before reaching Nangathanti (2520 m), where you’ll continue your journey to Ghorepani and enjoy a well-deserved rest this evening.

Sunrise enthusiasts rejoice – today, you’ll rise early for a pre-dawn hike up Poon Hill to enjoy the sunrise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna Range. On a clear day, it offers 180-degree views of giant snow-clad peaks. You'll then head back to your teahouse for breakfast before lacing up your boots for today’s trek to Tadapani (2630 m). Expect more magnificent views to frame your hike as you continue north along the ridgeline with the Annapurna Range stretching along the east and west. You’ll follow a forested ridge that serves up views of the mountains in both directions. Descend along a muddy slope before reaching a small settlement and forested gorge. From here, head toward the mountain village of Tadapani to put your feet up for the evening.

Wake up with relief, knowing that today's trail is shorter and easier than you’ve become accustomed to over the last few days. You’ll take in the sunrise from Tadapani and then hike to Ghandruk (2000 m). The route from Tadapani to Ghandruk is tranquil and blooms with wildflowers in spring. After reaching Ghandruk, enjoy a well-earned lunch and then explore this traditional stone house village on a guided tour to learn about the Gurung culture here. This evening, you’ll be treated to a cultural performance of traditional Gurung folk song and dance by a group of women from the community.

After a leisurely breakfast, embark on a short trek down to Shyauli bazaar, where a private vehicle will be waiting to take you back to Pokhara. Take some time to freshen up, then regroup for a boat ride across Phewa Lake. You’ll also visit Tal Barahi temple in the lake's centre. After lunch, head over to the International Mountain Museum to dive into the history of trekking in Nepal and the people who call the mountains home. This evening is all yours to relax and enjoy the lakeside scenery.

After breakfast, drive to Chitwan National Park. UNESCO declared this park a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and it offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Asia. When you arrive, meet the camp staff and resident naturalists at your jungle lodge for the next two nights. Built in traditional Tharu village style, you’ll be surrounded by nature and the sounds of the jungle. Take some time to relax or swim before visiting Tharu Village, where you’ll learn about the lifestyles of the Tharu women. Later, head to a special location on the riverbanks to watch the sunset with some local Nepali snacks and drinks – keep your eyes peeled for deer and different species of birds on the other side of the river. After, head back to the lodge for dinner and a demonstration of Tharu cultural dance.

Today is all about exploring Chitwan National Park and discovering the wildlife that lies within. After breakfast, hop in a jeep for a 4-hour safari drive through the park – if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one of the Shere Khan-Royal Bengal tigers that call the park home. After your safari, you’ll float down the Rapti River in a dugout canoe, keeping an eye out for the great Indian rhino as well as deer, various bird species and the marsh mugger crocodiles that inhabit the riverbanks. The rest of the afternoon is free to unwind at the lodge.

If you’re a wildlife lover, an optional early-morning birdwatching safari is available today – a worthwhile addition to your trip. After breakfast, you’ll take a private transfer back to Kathmandu. In the afternoon, you’ll visit a women-led NGO called Days for Girls Nepal where you’ll learn about their menstrual health education projects and mission to eliminate the chhaupadi practice in Nepal. Chhaupadi prohibits Hindu women and girls from participating in normal family activities while menstruating, as they're considered impure. Tonight, you’re free to relax and recharge.

Today you’ll explore Kathmandu’s Durbar Square on a guided tour – including a stop at a building known as Kumari Ghar, where visitors and worshippers congregate daily to catch a glimpse of Kumari – Nepal’s most prominent living Hindu goddess. Kumari is chosen early in childhood and remains a goddess until she begins menstruating or loses blood from an injury, and then reverts to mortal status and re-enters society. After, drive to the Newari town of Kirtipur just outside of Kathmandu – an area visited by few travellers – to observe daily life in the old alleys and visit Chilancho Temple, Bagh Bhairav Temple and Uma Maheshwar Temple. You’ll then be treated to a manicure or pedicure by Napits (Newari women). This ritual is traditionally performed to clean and purify the body for special occasions. Tonight, head to The Village Cafe for your final group dinner. This restaurant allows women who would otherwise be based at home to earn a living cooking traditional Newari cuisine.

Your Women’s Expedition comes to an end after breakfast. If you’re not quite ready for your adventure to end and want to extend your stay, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time to organise extra accommodation.