She’s there when the going gets tough
Thinlas Chorol has broken the myth that women cannot be trekking guides in tough altitudes
Kavita Kanan Chandra

Thinlas Chorol is Ladakh’s first professionally trained woman trekking guide.

It is not easy to break into any male-dominated business. But difficulties rise if it is the field of trekking guides and then create opportunities for other women having same aspirations. Meet Thinlas Chorol (33), Ladakh’s first professionally trained woman trekking guide. She started her own travel agency called Ladakhi Women’s Travel Agency (LWTA) in 2009 and broke the myth that women cannot be trekking guides.

Though Thinlas was professionally trained, had enough experience as a trekking guide and knew the trekking routes very well; she was rejected by several travel agencies in Leh.

"Travel agencies rejected me because I am a woman. Everyone thought that only men can work as guide. It did not discourage me, rather the opposite; I got more determined to show people that women can do the same work as men," says Thinlas. She adds that it was not their fault but it was culturally unacceptable a decade ago. For when she started taking clients she was often mistaken to be a foreigner even by the Ladakhi women for strong stereotypes existed there.

Her resolve got stronger when several Ladakhi women trekkers wanted to become trekking guides and asked Thinlas to take them as assistants. She recalls how a foreigner woman had a bad experience with male guides and casually asked her to accompany her on trekking. There were many foreign women trekkers who preferred women guides. This motivated her to start a company of the women for the women. Things fell into place quite smoothly for Thinlas as her prior experience and training came handy. The LWTC started making profit from first year itself. Most of her clients are foreigners and they do exclusive all-women treks (inclusive of men if they are part of mixed group).

Thinlas’ travel agency organises exclusive all-women treks; (below) it employs only women.

From the very beginning Thinlas knew her company would focus on women empowerment. So apart from the all women-employee base of eight guides, three trainee guides and six porters; she accommodates her clients in homestays on the trekking trail. The senior guides usually make more than Rs 1 lakh in a season. For others, it varies anything between Rs 60,000 – Rs 80,000. The trainee guides and porters make between Rs 20,000 – Rs 50,000.

"In the Markha valley itself there are around 130 homestays where my clients stay," adds Thinlas. With the LWTC getting around 450 clients in a season and each paying ~500-~800 for a night, livelihood opportunity is created for rural women in remote villages.

Thinlas was honoured with Janakidevi Bajaj Puruskar for her contribution in promoting ecotourism and community-based responsible tourism in Ladakh. The visitors are encouraged to carry water bottles and refill than buying plastic bottles.

Growing up in the midst of pristine mountains in Ladakh in Takmachik village, Thinlas had always loved the mountains. As a young girl she used to trek with her father to higher pastures tending to the family’s animals. Being one among seven siblings life was not easy and add to that living in the harsh terrain of Ladakh but all these hardships made Thinlas the woman she is today.

Determined and confident with a steely resolve Thinlas completed her primary schooling from Takmachik, secondary schooling from Domkhar and then went to Phey to study at SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh). It was here she got the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world and go on treks with students and volunteers.

This broadened her horizon and her love for mountains took another dimension as she seriously started thinking of becoming a professional trekking guide just like some of her male classmates. She got a boost when SECMOL started its travel agency, ‘Around Ladakh with students’ where she volunteered as a trekking guide.

She did a course in mountaineering from the Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. On a scholarship from SECMOL she learnt all about first aid, rafting, leadership and backpacking at National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) at Ranikhet.

Equipped with the training, she started LWTC. Being socially and environmentally aware, Thinlas writes on these issues, too, and is also helping women in distress through her Ladakh’s Women Welfare Network (LWWN) society. It makes sure that the victims get justice so the volunteers write to police and administration so the perpetrators of crime could be punished. The LWWN is also doing a survey on ‘State of women in Ladakh’. This guide surely wears many hats.

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