From Junko Tabei to today: Himalayan treks for women and walkers over 50
Fifty years after Junko Tabei became the first woman atop Everest, Nepal's gentler trails are ideal for older and women trekkers. Here's how to walk the Himalaya at your own pace.
In 1975 a Japanese mother named Junko Tabei became the first woman to stand on the summit of Everest. Half a century later, her legacy is a quiet revolution: the Himalaya is no longer the preserve of young, hardened climbers. Nepal's gentler trails are perfectly suited to women trekkers and to walkers over fifty — and the experience is all the richer for being taken at a thoughtful pace.
Key facts
- Junko Tabei summited Everest on 16 May 1975 — the first woman to do so
- Many of Nepal's finest treks top out below 4,000m
- Gentle itineraries with acclimatisation days suit all ages
- Smaller groups and a steady pace make the difference
You set the pace
The secret that experienced trekkers know is that the Himalaya rewards slowness. The most enjoyable treks are not the highest or the fastest — they are the ones walked at a pace that lets you breathe, acclimatise and actually see the country. For women trekkers and those over fifty, a gentle itinerary with shorter days, comfortable teahouses and a guide attuned to the group is the formula for a wonderful, safe trip.
| Trek | Highest point | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Poon Hill | 3,210m | ~4–5 days |
| Everest View Trek | ~3,880m | ~7 days |
| Annapurna Base Camp | 4,130m | ~9 days |
Gentle, not lesser
None of these are consolation prizes. The Everest View trek delivers the Sherpa heartland and a sunrise over the world's highest mountain without the long, high push to Base Camp. Poon Hill serves up a sunrise panorama of the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri for a few days' gentle walking. Annapurna Base Camp ends beneath an 8,000-metre wall of peaks. Each is achievable for a reasonably fit walker who takes it steadily.
What this means for you
Do not let age or a "non-climber" self-image keep you from the Himalaya. With a gentle itinerary, a small group and an experienced guide watching the pace and the altitude, these trails are open to you. We design relaxed, well-supported trips for women's groups and older trekkers — tell us your fitness and timeframe, and we will build the right one.
Source: CNN; reporting on Junko Tabei's 1975 Everest ascent.
Cover photo: Ashok J Kshetri via Pexels (Pexels License).
Source: CNN
Planning a trek?
We handle the permits, logistics & guides
NMA-certified local guides, transparent pricing, 5,000+ treks since 1998. Tell us your dates and we'll sort the rest.
More in Records & People
Records & People
7 facts about Mount Everest that surprise almost everyone
Its summit was once an ocean floor. It grows every year. And it's still rising. Here are the facts about the world's highest mountain that most people get wrong — and why they make the trek even more astonishing.
Records & People
Who are the Sherpas, really? The truth behind the most famous name in mountaineering
"Sherpa" is not a job — it's a people. Behind the world's most famous mountain name is a Himalayan culture with Tibetan roots, deep Buddhist faith, and a homeland in the shadow of Everest. Here's who they truly are.
Records & People
The other side of Everest's record season: five deaths and a high-altitude cleanup
Everest's record-breaking spring 2026 — 1,008 summits — came with a sober reckoning: five lives lost and an army-led campaign to clear bodies and tonnes of waste from the mountain.