Nepal: Women's Expedition

Namaste! Welcome to Kathmandu. Your Nepal Women’s Expedition will begin with a welcome meeting at the hotel at 2 pm. After the welcome meeting, join your local leader and other group members for an included dinner at a local restaurant. You’ll have the opportunity to dig into local delicacies like MoMos and Dal Bhat and enjoy a traditional dance performance.

This morning, we head to Kapan Nunnery – Khachoe Ghakyil Ling, a Buddhist nunnery located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The nunnery's mission is to provide women who want to dedicate their lives to the Buddha's teachings with a safe haven for their study and practice. This unique and exclusive experience will teach you about their daily lives and how they challenge patriarchal Buddhist traditions.

After visiting the nunnery, you’ll take on a cooking class at Seven Women – an organisation supported by The Intrepid Foundation that socially and economically empowers marginalised women in Nepal through various education programs, skills training, and income generation. While the initiative started with just seven participants, to date over 5,000 women have now been educated, trained, and employed here. In the cooking class, you’ll learn how to make delicious Nepali dishes and have the chance to swap stories with these women who have overcome discrimination to turn their lives around. After the class you’ll have the opportunity tuck into your freshly made creations for lunch before spending the afternoon at your leisure.

Rise bright and early today to catch a short flight to Pokhara in central Nepal. Grab a window seat to catch spectacular views of the main Himalayan chain to the north. On landing, we’ll be transferred by our private vehicle to Birethanti where you’ll get the chance to meet your all-female hiking crew – made up of assistant guides and porters. In the afternoon, they’ll lead you into a world of friendly villagers, terraced fields, alpine meadows and rhododendron forest set before a back-drop of snow-clad peaks. You can expect the first part of this trek to be relatively flat and easy-going. However, after you reach Tikhedhunga, be prepared to get your blood pumping with a climb up hundreds of stone steps to Ulleri. Don’t worry, you’ll have beautiful views of the villages, forests and mountains to keep you distracted while you on the journey.

Ghorepani sits at a cool 2,860 meters 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 tea-houses along a path that winds up and down hills before rewarding you with views of Annapurna South half-way along today’s trek. As your climb continues, you’ll meander through thicker wooded areas, filled with towering bamboo plants and trees in bloom. Then, venture beyond Banthanti (2,300m) through a moss-coated jungle before reaching Nangathanti (2,520m) where you’ll continue your journey to Ghorepani and enjoy some well-deserved rest in the evening.

Sunrise enthusiasts rejoice – today, we’ll rise early for a pre-dawn hike up Poon Hill to enjoy sunrise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna Range. You'll then head back and tuck into breakfast at our tea-house accommodation before lacing up your boots for today’s trek to Tadapani. Expect more magnificent views to frame your walking trail today as we continue north along the ridgeline with Annapurnas ranges stretching along the east and west. You’ll follow a forested ridge which serves up views of the ranges in both directions. We’ll descend along a muddy slope before reaching a small settlement and beautiful forested gorge. From here, we head toward the mountain village of Tadapani where you’ll get a chance to relax, wander the local township and 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 village today. The route from Tadapani to Ghandruk is tranquil and bursting with colourful wildflowers in spring. After reaching Ghandruk, you’ll explore this fascinating mountain village, take in the mesmerizing views and get acquainted with the ethnic Gurung culture here.

After a leisurely breakfast, you’ll embark on a short trek down to Shyauli bazaar, where you’ll be transferred to Pokhara by a private vehicle. After reaching Pokhara, your leader will take you for an orientation walk around the lakeside area to discover an elaborate Hindu temple. We'll walk along the lake (Phewa Tal), the second largest in Nepal, and take in the spectacular views of the Annapurnas and the famous fishtail peak, Machhapuchhare. If you have time in the afternoon, you might like to visit ‘Yes Helping Hands Handicrafts’ manufacturing site where people with disabilities are given skills training in traditional handloom weaving, dyeing and knitting. This evening, you’ll stay 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 other women to become self-supportive and independent.

After breakfast today, you’ll take a boat ride across Phew Lake to visit Tal Barahi temple in the lake's centre. After exploring the temple, you’ll head to a Tibetan Refugee Camp for a special MoMo cooking class. Your class will be hosted by a woman who was born and raised in this very refugee camp. Her parents fled Tibet during the China invasion and raised her, alongside her four siblings, here. Now, she makes a living running her MoMo cooking class and making jewellery in the low season. You’ll get a chance to swap stories with her and be inspired by how she overcame her adversities. After your cooking class and lunch, you’ll visit International Mountain Museum and World Peace Pagoda to enjoy the sweeping views across the lake and the city. Then, this evening is all yours to relax and admire the lakeside scenery.

After breakfast this morning, we’ll hit the road for Madi Valley. On arrival at your homestay, the local women, dressed in their traditional Magar attire, will be ready to greet and welcome you into their homes. Tonight, we’ll be staying at Intrepid’s community-based tourism project, the Madi Valley Homestay program. This project provides sustainable income and encourages the communities living on the fringes of Chitwan National Park to conserve the wilderness and wildlife around them. This evening, the women will teach you to cook local dishes which you’ll enjoy for dinner as a group. This is a great opportunity to get to know the women better and chat with them about their lives and work. After dinner, you’ll be treated to a cultural performance by the women, where they’ll demonstrate one of the oldest ethnic dance forms of the Magar community; the Maruni Naach.

After breakfast, we’ll head to Chitwan National Park – considered one of Asia's best national parks – for a half-day safari. Upon arrival, you’ll be introduced to the camp staff and resident naturalists, who’ll take you on a safari through the forests to spot rhinos, crocodiles, monkeys and deer today - to name just a few. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Green Mansion Jungle Resort, your home for the evening. You’ll have time to relax or the option of a swim or spa treatment before visiting Tharu Village, where you’ll learn about the lifestyles of the Tharu women and observe a traditional cooking demonstration, before sharing dinner together.

If you’re an avid wildlife lover, an optional early-morning birdwatching safari is available today – a worthwhile addition to your trip. After breakfast, you’ll fly back to the bustling capital of Kathmandu. In the afternoon, you’ll visit a local NGO called Days for Girls Nepal. You’ll learn from a team of local women about their work to provide menstrual care and education and their mission to eliminate the Chhaupadi practice in Nepal. To shatter the stigma associated with women’s health, they campaign against Chhaupadi, a tradition in western Nepal, which prohibits Hindu women and girls from participating in normal family activities while menstruating, as they are considered impure. After some time learning from the women here, you’ll explore Kathmandu Durbar Square at the heart of the city where we’ll stop at a brick building known as Kumari Ghar. Visitors and worshippers congregate daily in the courtyard beneath Kumari Ghar's balcony to catch a glimpse of Nepal’s most prominent living Hindu goddess – Kumari. Each day she occasionally appears from her balcony where crowds below wait to see her. A fascinating Hindu ritual - there are several Kumari in Nepal who are chosen early in childhood and remain goddess’s until they begin menstruating, or lose blood from an injury, at which time they revert back to mortal status and re-enter society.

After a leisurely breakfast this morning, we’ll drive to Kirtipur. Located in the southwestern suburbs of Kathmandu, Kirtipur is visited by only a handful of tourists, but is a gem in terms of history and culture. You’ll get a chance to visit the popular temples and Buddhist shrines – Chilancho Temple, Bagh Bhairav Temple and Uma Maheshwar Temple. Walk down the olden alleys and observe the local way of life as the locals leisurely chat, spin wool or knit. As this is the penultimate day of your adventure, you might like to treat yourself to a traditional Nau manicure or pedicure performed by local Newari women – ‘Napits’. The role these women play, to clean and purify the body, is a respected part of the local culture and to receive a treatment from them is an opportunity not just to gain an insight into this tradition but also connect with them. This evening, we head to Village Café for our final group dinner. The Village Café allows women who would otherwise be based at home to earn a living cooking traditional Newari cuisine, using ingredients they’ve grown in their own fields. It’s the ideal place to say goodbye to your fellow female adventurers and celebrate the connections you’ve made with other women from around the world.

Today your women’s expedition in Nepal comes to an end. No included activities are planned, so you’re welcome to check out of the hotel any time before midday. If you’re not quite ready for your adventure to finish, you can speak to our team to arrange extra nights' accommodation, subject to availability. If you decide to stay on, there are plenty of activities in and around the city to enjoy, as well as many Urban Adventures on offer.