Sumitra Acharya
National Geographic Traveller (UK)|June 2024
THE HIMALAYAN TREKKING LEADER IS PART OF A NEW GENERATION OF NEPALESE WOMEN CLAIMING THEIR SPACE AMID SOME OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAKS
ANGELA LOCATELLI
Sumitra Acharya

When 27-year-old Sumitra Acharya took on a job as a trekking porter in 2019, she had a mountain to climb. With Nepal's outdoor industry a male-dominated field, she defied societal expectations, carrying 15kg loads of clothing, supplies, sleeping bags and more for some 10 miles a day to ease the burden for visiting mountaineers. Five years on, she's leading expeditions to Everest Base Camp and Annapurna and, she hopes, inspiring other Nepalese women to reach for new heights.

Where does your passion for the outdoors come from?

This story is from the June 2024 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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This story is from the June 2024 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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