Kathmandu, June 28 -- On November 19, 2018, Pooja Rijal embarked on a journey to Everest Base Camp from her home at Pepsicola, Kathmandu-on foot. The general itinerary to get to the base of the world's highest peak starts with taking a flight to Lukla or a jeep to Jiri or Phaplu, but the 23-year-old walked approximately 600 kilometres, reaching her destination via Gokyo Lake and Cho Pass-completing the trek in a total of 33 days.

Rijal was one of 13 winners of Swo-Yatra, a solo women travel challenge in 2018. Swo-Yatra has facilitated and funded solo trips for 42 women to different parts of Nepal since 2016. The organisers, Nepali Travellers, apart from discussing the travellers' itinerary, provides five-day intensive risk management tra...