Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative
The Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative (HWTL) is a joint social-impact partnership between Equity Global Treks (EGT) and The Porter Voice Collective (PVC), established to advance gender equity, leadership, and professional opportunities for Nepali women in the trekking industry. Grounded in extensive field research, long-distance trekking, and sustained engagement with mountain communities, HWTL seeks to ensure that women are recognized as skilled leaders within the Himalayan tourism sector.
Origins and Context
The initiative emerged from the Great Himalaya Trail: Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (2024) (GHT Women Leaders on the Trail Phase 1 — Brown Gal Trekker), during which Mingmar Dolma Sherpa and Marinel de Jesus completed more than 100 days of walking across seven commercial sections of the Great Himalaya Trail, from Kanchenjunga to the Annapurna region. This expedition provided an in-depth understanding of the opportunities and systemic challenges experienced by female trekking guides in Nepal. The findings from this campaign became the foundation for developing a broader, long-term strategy to support female leadership within the industry.
All-Female Guide Directory: A New Model for Booking Guides in Nepal
A major component of HWTL is the creation of the first all-female trekking guide directory in Nepal. This directory is designed not only to increase visibility for women guides but also to introduce a new model of guide selection and booking within the country.
The platform will utilize a structured questionnaire to match travelers with women guides based on several factors, including skill level, interests, communication preferences, cultural orientation, and leadership style. This approach responds to a long-standing challenge in Nepal’s trekking industry: guides and clients often meet for the first time on the trail without prior knowledge of one another’s expectations or backgrounds. By facilitating informed matches, HWTL aims to enhance client satisfaction while also honoring the diverse skills, strengths, and identities of Nepali women guides.
The directory concept was strengthened through HWTL’s selection as a finalist and winner in the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism, a recognition that contributed to the refinement of its purpose, structure, and projected impact.
Guide Training and Capacity Building
Another central component of HWTL is the development of specialized training programs for female trekking guides. These programs aim to expand women’s opportunities beyond standard commercial routes by offering field-based training in less frequently traveled and more technically challenging regions of the Great Himalaya Trail, including:
Kanchenjunga
Dolpo
Makalu
Other remote areas of the Himalayas
These trainings will provide hands-on experience in navigation, route knowledge, risk assessment, and leadership development, enabling women to gain the competencies required to guide confidently on a wider range of Himalayan routes.
UPCOMING HWTL EVENT: Women Leadership & Guide Training
DATE: February 22 - 24, 2026
TIME: 9am to 4pm
LOCATION: Royal Mountain Travel Office, Lal Durbarmarg, Kathmandu
The HWTL Women Leadership & Guide Training is a three-day immersive program created to strengthen the skills, confidence, and collective power of female Nepali trekking guides. Rooted in leadership, safety, a balanced guide-client & company relationship, and gender equity, this training is designed not only to build professional capacity on the trail, but to foster trust, community, and long-term engagement with women shaping the future of Himalayan trekking. This training is possible - thanks to the support of Community Homestay Network & Royal Mountain Travel.
This program brings together experienced instructors, women guides from different regions, and the HWTL team to create a supportive learning space—one where women can openly discuss challenges, share knowledge, and step into leadership roles with clarity and confidence.
Core Themes
Leadership • Safety • Client & Company Relationship • Gender Equity • Community Circle • Long-term Engagement
Program Goals
Strengthen the leadership capacity of female Nepali trekking guides
Build safety, first aid, and risk management skills aligned with global standards
Improve communication and customer service practices for international clients
Create space to openly discuss gender-related challenges in guiding
Build trust, community, and long-term relationships within HWTL
Invite guides to join the Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative and help shape future programming
What to Expect: 3-Day Training Overview
Day 1 – Leadership, Identity & Building Trust
Hybrid: in-person and virtual sessions
Day 1 centers on leadership, identity, and connection. The training opens with a community circle, where participants share their stories, relationships to the mountains, and personal goals. Guides are introduced to the Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative—its origins, mission, and long-term vision for women in trekking.
The core leadership workshop explores communication, decision-making under pressure, group dynamics, cultural intelligence, boundary-setting, and managing difficult client situations. Through real-life case studies and scenario-based role plays, participants apply leadership skills directly to guiding contexts, with space for reflection and feedback.
The day closes with a facilitated circle focused on shared learning, trust-building, and collective reflection.
Day 2 – Safety, First Aid & Risk Management
Full-day, hands-on training
Day 2 focuses on technical competence and safety leadership—essential skills for long-distance and high-altitude trekking. Participants receive in-depth instruction on trekking safety principles, including risk assessment, weather awareness, environmental hazards, and emergency decision-making.
The day also covers altitude-related illnesses (AMS, HAPE, HACE), client symptom assessment, and region-specific case studies. In the afternoon, guides participate in practical first aid training, including bandaging, splinting, injury management, evacuation scenarios, and building an effective first-aid kit.
Special emphasis is placed on safety leadership for women, addressing gender-specific risks, self-protection strategies, and the importance of peer support networks in the field.
Day 3 – Safety Continuation, Soft Skills & Gender Equity
Hybrid: in-person and virtual sessions
Day 3 bridges technical training with the broader realities of working as a woman in mountain tourism. The morning allows space to complete advanced safety modules while introducing soft skills such as emotional intelligence, fostering client and company relationship, responding to client and company feedback, communication styles, and balancing personal well-being with professional responsibilities.
A central feature of the day is a Gender & Workforce Equity panel, bringing together relevant female leaders in mountain tourism from different regions to share lived experiences, challenges, and advocacy strategies. This session invites open conversation around inequities in the trekking industry and explores how women can collectively create change—on and off the trail.
The training concludes with an invitation to formally join the Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative. Participants learn about ongoing mentorship, inclusion in the women guide directory, and future long-distance trekking and field training opportunities. The program closes with reflections, a certificate ceremony, and the creation of an ongoing communication network to support long-term connection.
We invite you to support this program and the future of women-led long-distance trekking.
Click on the “Donate to HWTL” button below to stand with women trail leaders shaping the next generation of Himalayan trekking.
APPLY TO JOIN THE HWTL TRAINING PROGRAM: If you are a female trekking guide and wish to join this training program, please see the eligibility requirements and complete the Application Form by clicking on APPLY NOW below. Alternatively, you can download & print the APPLICATION FORM and send it with a photo of your guide license to theportervoice@gmail.com.
Women Guide Interview
Support for Continued Development
To sustain and expand these efforts, HWTL is conducting an ongoing donation campaign. Contributions will support:
Field-based guide training programs
Continued development of the all-female guide directory
Long-distance trekking and leadership expeditions for women
Community-led research and equity-centered tourism initiatives
These funds are essential for building a more inclusive trekking industry and ensuring that women have access to professional opportunities that reflect their skills and aspirations.
For the full origin story and additional details about the Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative, please visit Equity Global Treks.
Support HWTL by donating below.
Do you have ideas for collaboration/partnerships? Email us - theportervoice@gmail.com.
