Women's Trek to Everest Base Camp
The trek at a glance
Most days are spent walking. The rest are for arrival, acclimatisation and departure. The itinerary is paced for safe altitude adaptation, with rest days built in at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche. You leave changed. The villages benefit.
Total days
Days on the trail
Departure
Difficulty
People in the group
Highest point
Why this trek
For the Himalayan Trust, trekking is more than just experiencing the magnificent mountain scenery. It is a way to give back to the villages you travel through as you take on one of the world's most celebrated trekking routes. This women's trek to Everest Base Camp will be a journey of 19 days, 13 of them on the trails of the Himalaya, surrounded by towering peaks, rich culture and the support of other women as you hike to the base camp of the highest mountain on earth.
Kirsten Nicholson
Dozens of EBC expeditions. Professor of Geology specialising in the Khumbu's water systems. Himalayan Trust Board Member. The kind of person who knows the trail well enough to also know which lodge has the best dal bhat. Kirsten first trekked through the Khumbu with her father in 2011 and has returned nearly every year since, often twice, to research water quality and supply in the high-altitude villages your trek will walk through.
- 15+ years guiding in the Khumbu
- Trustee since 2022
- Advises on the Trust's water programme
- Calm, technical, and a quiet sense of humour
Walk in Sir Ed's footsteps, and see the work
You follow the routes Ed Hillary and the early Himalayan Trust expeditions walked, from the days before airports reached the Himalayas, up the Khumbu to the Sherpa villages beneath the world's highest mountain. You pass the schools and hospitals Ed built, visit the school he founded at Khumjung in 1961, and meet the students learning there now. The good your trek pays for isn't a line in a report. It's the room you're standing in.
Mountain monasteries, museums and living culture
We helped establish the mountain museum at Ed's first school in Khumjung, where the visitor centre tells the story of education, environmental care, and the partnership between the Sherpa community and Ed Hillary. You'll step inside monasteries among the oldest and most intricate buildings in the Khumbu to witness prayer and puja, and through our local contacts you'll come to understand the living history of these mountains, not just photograph it.
Support the valley, travel consciously
Trekking with the Trust keeps your money in the valley, funding education, healthcare, water and environmental work in the same region you walk through. You sleep in family-owned lodges, eat Sherpa and Nepali home cooking, and take extra nights at Namche and Dingboche to acclimatise and explore. We go slowly, on purpose: in spring the rhododendron is in bloom, and from villages like Khunde and Tengboche you can climb onto alpine ridgelines for views across to Everest. You leave richer for it, and you leave something behind for the community that welcomed you.
For the Himalayan Trust, trekking is more than just experiencing the magnificent mountain scenery. It is a way to give back to the villages you travel through as you take on one of the world's most celebrated trekking routes.
Be part of something extraordinary
This women's trek to Everest Base Camp will be a journey of 19 days, 13 of them on the trails of the Himalaya, surrounded by towering peaks, rich culture and the support of other women as you hike to the base camp of the highest mountain on earth.
The trek will be led by Kirsten Nicholson, a Himalayan Trust board member who has spent 15 years visiting these valleys, where Sir Edmund Hillary established schools and hospitals for the Nepali villagers. Kirsten is a water expert with a deep understanding of the local environment and communities.
Women have always played a critical role in the Himalayan Trust, from early teachers and doctors to Ed's wife, Louise, who helped establish the Trust.
A trek for those looking for challenge and inspiration
Our itineraries take you beyond just the trekking trail and ticking Everest Base Camp off your bucket list. We are committed to you coming away with an experience that makes you feel richer for having visited this extraordinary region, met its kind and generous people, and had a taste of the work that the Trust has done for decades and that you are supporting through travelling with us.
A teaser of the journey ahead
Visit the first school in the region built by Sir Edmund
You'll be welcomed into the historic and thriving Khumjung School, built in 1961 as part of Sir Ed's vision to support the people of the Himalayas. The Himalayan Trust has supported the school and generations of students ever since, and you will have an opportunity to meet the students and experience first-hand how learning is transforming their lives through expanding opportunities.
Witness a puja ceremony at Tengboche Monastery, 3,860 metres
Walk into Tengboche Monastery and be immersed in the sensory experience of puja, a sacred ceremony performed by monks for centuries with horns, incense and chanting. You will have a profound glimpse into the religious traditions which are the spiritual heart of the Himalayas. An important ritual for those heading higher up into the mountains.
Experience the camaraderie and power of our women's group
Any adventure or expedition requires a great team, and we are excited to welcome you to an incredible group of women from New Zealand and abroad, all motivated by a desire to share an exciting adventure together in the Himalayas. Sherpa women are called Sherpani.
See where your support makes a difference
Proceeds from this trek support the Himalayan Trust's education, healthcare and water programmes in the villages you'll walk through. Your journey directly supports the communities of the Khumbu Valley, creating a positive impact long after the journey ends.
The detail
- Dates: 20 March to 7 April 2027
- Duration: 19 days, 13 of them in the mountains
- Group size: minimum 12, maximum 18
- Difficulty: moderate. Comfortable walking four to seven hours a day with a daypack.
- Highest point: 5,545 metres, at Kala Patthar
- Leader: Kirsten Nicholson, Himalayan Trust board member
- Cost: $5,989 NZD (US guests: $3,593 USD, including a $50 USD handling fee)
- Donation to the Trust: $1,500 per person, paid on top of the trek cost
Your leader
Kirsten Nicholson is a professor of geology and has been a Himalayan Trust board member since 2022. She has spent 15 years visiting these valleys, returning almost every year since 2011 to research water quality and supply in the high-altitude villages.
Kirsten is a water expert with a deep understanding of the local environment and the communities you will walk through.
Register your interest
Numbers are capped at 18. Registering costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We'll send you the full trip notes and what happens next.
Questions before you register? Email trek@himalayantrust.org.
$
7489
NZD
What your money does
Your donation or fundraising goes directly to the Himalayan Trust's work in the same valleys you'll walk through. Here's where it lands.
Clinics and hospitals where none existed
Before Khunde Hospital opened in 1966, nearly half of children died before age 20. In our latest annual report, Khunde Hospital, two outreach clinics and our medical camps cared for 7,254 patients.
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Schools at 3,800 metres
Children who once walked four hours each way now learn in their own villages. We've built 27 schools, and after the 2015 earthquakes, rebuilt 150 classrooms stronger than before.
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Protecting the mountains we love
Sir Ed helped establish Sagarmatha National Park to balance tourism with conservation. We continue supporting sustainable forest management in the region.
On the trail
Photographs from previous Himalayan Trust treks through the same valleys.
From past trekkers
What people who've trekked with the Himalayan Trust say about the experience.
Ready to trek with us?
Registration is by expression of interest. We follow up within two working days with the trip notes PDF, payment timeline, and a short call to make sure the trek's the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Mostly yes lower down, less so high up, where power depends on the weather. Bring a power bank. Part of the appeal is being properly off the grid for a stretch.
You arrange your own international flights to Kathmandu. A Nepal visa is straightforward to arrange online before you travel or on arrival. We handle everything from Kathmandu onward.
Trekking runs in Nepal's main seasons, when the days are usually bright and clear. Whatever the season, expect warm sun by day and cold nights at altitude, well below zero high up. Each trek's exact dates are at the top of its own page.
Pricing is based on twin-share. If you'd prefer a single room where it's available, there's a single supplement.
Tea-house trekking. Lodges with beds (usually twin share) and warm blankets, simple and comfortable rather than luxurious. In Kathmandu you stay in a hotel in Thamel.
Your fundraising contribution goes straight to the Himalayan Trust's education, healthcare and water work in Solukhumbu, the same valleys you walk through. It's the reason the trek exists.
Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and back, all lodge accommodation, all meals on the trail, your trek leader, guides and porters, national park fees, airport transfers, Kathmandu accommodation and sightseeing, and a farewell dinner. International flights, visa, insurance, and personal extras are not included. The full list is on each trek's page.
We go slow on purpose, and your leader watches the group closely. If someone needs to descend, a guide accompanies them down to a safe altitude (usually Namche) to recover while the group continues. Your travel insurance needs to cover trekking up to 5,600 metres and emergency evacuation, by helicopter if that is what's needed. We will ask for your policy wording or a written statement from your insurer.
No. Plenty of our trekkers have never been to altitude. The itinerary is paced for safe acclimatisation, with rest days at Namche and Dingboche and a climb-high, sleep-low day before Base Camp.
Rate it moderate to challenging. The trails are moderate; the altitude is what makes it hard. If you can walk 4 to 7 hours a day with a daypack and you train your cardio and hills in the months beforehand, you'll be ready. No technical climbing is involved.
Still have questions?
Get in touch and our team will be more than happy to help.