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Trekking as a Career Opportunities for Females in Nepal
In a country blessed with mountains and a diverse landscape, there are many opportunities in the tourism and trekking industry. In the past, the sector was mainly male-dominated, but with time, females also have been able to earn good income through trekking.
The stereotype around trekking being only for men or primarily men being a trekking guide is slowly vanishing, and the opportunities for female trekking guide is also growing.
Being a female trekking guide helps females earn more money, especially those that belong to remote mountain areas.
With time, female trekking also can grow tremendously in Nepal’s trekking and tourism industry. From platforms like Female Guide Holidays, we also help empower more women to join and make an income from the trekking industry.
History of female trekking guides in Nepal
Trekking Guide was once a male dominant profession here in Nepal, but with time, and since Mountains know no gender, Female trekking guides also have been growing in Nepal.
As a male dominant industry, Nepal does not have much history with Female trekking guides. Women were introduced into the trekking industry only after the ’90s when the first female guide Sharda Nepal was leading foreigners on a forty days journey. Since then, there has been a rise in female trekkers and specially trekking guides in Nepal.
Recently, many agencies have been facilitating and promoting the culture of female guides, and the number of guides has also grown. But compared to male trekking guides, the number of female guides and female trekkers is still minimal.
Female Guide Holidays also has been passionate about empowering women traveling, making their travel secure, and providing a platform for a one-stop solution for all female trekkers and female guides. With the growth in female travelers, let’s hope females can inspire many people to travel around and leave a mark in the trekking industry.
Currently, there are more than 300 Female Trekking Guides in Nepal. With time, female trekking guides are also becoming as competent as men, especially in areas like carrying their heavy loads, and from being trekking guides to even leading a team of trekkers.
With the rise of women in almost every industry, hopefully, we can also experience significant growth in the tourism industry in the next couple of years.
Challenges of Female Trekking Guide in Nepal
So, with an adventure course comes challenges. And there are challenges for everyone while trekking. Here, let’s highlight the problems female trekking guides might face while living their passion.
One of the significant problems female trekkers face during their journey is their menstrual cycle. Due to high altitudes, they might have irregularities in their menstrual cycle. In some places, there might also be a lack of toilets where they can change their sanitary pads or tampons. You will find toilets in your hotel or homestay but changing pads every couple of hours might be quite a challenge, especially when there are no hygienic toilets in the middle of the jungle.
Getting severe cramps in the cold weather of high altitudes also makes trekking much more challenging. In addition, menstrual health can get compromised during your treks, so make sure you are well prepared.
Overall, high altitude is generally challenging for both males and females, but you want to be extra cautious with your menstrual hygiene as a female while trekking.
Tips For Female Trekking Guides
So, understanding the challenges, let’s make your trekking journey much easier with the following tips.
- Make sure to limit your bag to only the essentials.
- Avoid any excessive weight by cutting off unnecessary things. Instead, pack your necessities and essentials in an extra amount as well. You never know what might happen.
- Get a separate for all your toiletries, medical kits, flashlights, etc.
- Carry extra disposable bags for the used toiletries and sanitary pads to dispose of them properly.
- Always check for any medical conditions before your trek.
- Check for you need any special permits during your journey.
- Bonus Tip: Use Betadine to purify water.
There might be various challenges or unforeseen circumstances while trekking, especially while leading a team of trekkers. So, always be thorough with your trek preparation and be extra ready for your trek.
How can you Hire a Female Trekking Guide in Nepal?
Female Trekking guides are ideal travel partners for female travelers as they share common feelings and problems. In addition, a female trekking guide will be much more aware of physical difficulties and challenges for female travelers who can understand better and act accordingly.
To hire Female Trekking Guides, you can always contact Female Guide Holiday. We provide a wide range of trekking packages for corporations, individuals, and groups of all sizes and budgets.
With Female Guide Holiday, you can expect to travel around various destinations around Nepal with the guidance of our Female Trekkers. We aim to change how women travel in Nepal and make their travel more fun, insightful, and secure.
Wrapping it Up
In recent years, trekking has also been popular among women, with most of the women trekking and traveling solo and in groups all around Nepal. There has been a growing number of Female trekking guides that help empower and inspire other females to get into the trekking industry.
Hiring a female guide as a travel companion has been an excellent option for female travelers, which will help travelers share all their problems. In addition, the female guides can also relate much more to their concerns and help them solve them.
So, if you plan to trek around the Himalayas in Nepal, Book Your Trip Now!
