My Journey with a Woman Guide
I don’t know if any of you remember the feature I wrote back in July 2024 for WOW about women trek and tour guides in Nepal – their contributions, aspirations and life journeys. That piece was inspired by an encounter I had on my way to Rasuwa for a weekend getaway. I met a woman guide who was leading more than ten foreign trekkers into the national park. She was preparing to guide them through Langtang for several days. Until then, I had never seen a woman guide in action, and the experience left a lasting impression on me.
Moments like that remind me how rarely we see women in action across any field. It is deeply disappointing to witness how little space women’s achievements are given in our mainstream media, conversations and culture. This neglect was made painfully clear when none of Nepal’s daily newspapers covered the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, an event of historic significance. In a country where every men’s tournaments receive coverage, the silence around the women’s world cup was glaring. For the first time since the tournament began, it wasn’t Australia or England lifting the trophy but women from our neighboring country, India. Yet this groundbreaking victory went unnoticed, reinforcing how women in action continue to be sidelined, their triumphs diminished, and their stories left untold.
Growing up in a society where women are automatically considered secondary and men the default primary citizens of the country, I have found it far from easy to navigate my life. Patriarchal beliefs, constant scrutiny of my choices, and the subtle – sometimes not so subtle – misogynistic remarks people deliver with a grin have all been part of the landscape. Each step forward has meant pushing against these ingrained attitudes and refusing to let those biases define who I am or what I pursue.
So, when I discovered that many women in Nepal are working as trek guides, often guiding solo female travelers from abroad who choose them for their journeys, I felt inspired. If women from other countries can travel all these miles to Nepal and embark on treks here, I felt a responsibility as a Nepali woman to do the same – to hire a woman guide and experience the journey on my own terms. I am at a stage in life where I can make such decisions for myself, both economically and emotionally, and I wanted to embrace that freedom. Perhaps it was also my feminist instinct: the joy I take in celebrating other women’s victories and the determination to do something society insists is “not for a woman” like choosing to travel alone even when you have a family; that ultimately pushed me to make this decision.
So, despite being far from athletic or adventurous myself, I decided to take a step in that direction. Even if it was just a small trek, I wanted to experience it with another Nepali woman guide, to share in her work and her world.
Once I made the decision, the rest of the logistics fell into place quite easily. Pratima, with whom I had previously done the interview, was busy guiding another trek during the Tihar vacation but she promised to connect me with the right person, and she did. That person was Puja, a guide from Pokhara. We agreed to meet there: I traveled from Kathmandu while she was still finishing a trek with two foreigners.
The next morning, we met at the Pokhara bus stop and set off on our journey. Our plan was to trek to Panchase Dada via Pumdikot. For most trekkers, the route to the Happy Heart Hotel Lodge in Panchase Bhanjyang takes about five to six hours but for us it stretched to nearly seven. Puja, who has walked with countless people of varying needs and abilities, was endlessly patient with me. While I wanted to trek well and complete the trail, my deeper purpose was to talk with Puja, to hear her story and learn from her experiences. And talk we did – perhaps that was one reason our journey took longer than usual. By the time we reached the lodge, where we spent two nights, I felt enriched not just by the trek but by the conversations we shared along the way. The mountains and Puja’s company made the trek truly worthwhile, even if the leeches tried their best to steal some of my attention.
Puja shared how she has guided elderly foreign women, young women and adolescents while accompanying their families from abroad. She told me I was only the second Nepali woman she had ever trekked with. Over the years, some of her clients have become lifelong friends. One woman from one of her very first treks even invited her to Kathmandu for a week, and together they explored the city. Puja still recalls with deep gratitude her closest friend, the one who secretly enlisted her for guide training without her knowledge. That single act changed her life as the treks and the mountains have since helped her discover her true purpose.
Today, places like the Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill feel like her second home. Of all her journeys, the Tilicho trek remains the most adventurous to date. Life has not been easy for Puja, both personally and professionally, yet it is the inspiration she draws from walking these trails that continues to keep her motivated.
The next morning, we walked to Panchase Hill, where it felt as though the mountains were not just gazing back at us, but encircling us completely – placing us at their very heart. It was a perfect day for walking. Later, we returned and spent a lazy afternoon and evening at the same hotel where we spent the first night run by Gurung sisters, whose warmth was as welcoming as the mountains themselves. On the third day, we trekked back to Ghantichinna via Sidhane village for almost five hours and from there took local transport to Pokhara Lakeside.
As we said goodbye, Puja thanked me for choosing her to accompany me on such a small trek, one that most Nepalis usually do on their own. I, in turn, thanked her for indulging my limited trekking abilities, for patiently answering my endless questions, and most importantly, for agreeing to walk with me during the festival season. With her, I was able to tick off one of my biggest wishes for 2025: to trek with a woman guide!
You can contact Puja at Pujapuja2891 (Instagram)
