Travel That Changes Lives — Proven By The World
ITB Berlin. The Guardian. Tourism Watch. Booking Holdings. These are some of the organizations that have amplified our work. Simply because our impact spoke for itself.
200+
survivors empowered
4,900+
Travelers Hosted
6+
Global Awards
21
Communities rebuild
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Trains local women to become tour guides for rural mountain villages of Nepal — survivors of domestic violence, child marriage and human trafficking
How Survivor-Led Tourism Changes Nepal
In 2016, SASANE Sisterhood Treks & Travel was founded in Kathmandu by trafficking survivors, tourism experts, and legal advisors with one goal: prove that the women that society discarded could lead an entire industry. Within three years, Booking.com selected us from startups across 8 countries for their Booster program. By 2023, ITB Berlin recognized us at the world's largest travel trade fair by inviting us to be a panel on sustainable travel business. To Do Awards named our organization to be the first of its kind from Nepal to win its prestigious international award.
What started as one woman's determination in Kathmandu has grown into a movement recognized across four continents. We train survivors to become certified tour guides and trek leaders — and through tourism, open doors to opportunities in hospitality and culinary experiences. By training trafficking survivors as certified trekking guides, SASANE does not merely empowers women — it transforms them into leaders who earn dignified incomes, rebuild their families, and become the most powerful anti-trafficking voices in their own communities.
Sitashma's story shows what this model means in one life. Trafficked from her village to a brothel in India, she escaped by hiding in sewage pipes until a stranger took her to a police station. Her own family rejected her when she returned. Then SASANE trained her — English, computer skills, trekking certification, and a government-issued guide license. Today she leads tours across Kathmandu and Pokhara, earns enough to rent her own flat and support her family, and is accepted by the community that once turned her away. "Sasane gave me a new life," she says. She is one of over 200 women who can say that now.
Watch — A story of resilience
Survivors Leading The Way
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance recognized our work by awarding the prestigious "World's Leading Sustainable Female Empowerment Initiative" prize.
MEET THE TEAMJourney
2016
The Beginning
SASANE Sisterhood Treks & Travel was founded in Kathmandu by a team of women trafficking survivors, tourism experts, and legal advisors.
2017
First Tourism Route
Launched our first community-based tourism route in Nuwakot village, creating income for communities hit hardest by poverty and trafficking.
2018
Certified Guide Training
Began our certified trekking and tour guide training program, empowering survivors with professional skills recognized by the Government of Nepal.
2019
Expanding Our Reach
Expanded tourism activities beyond trekking to include cultural immersion, culinary experiences, and community-based tourism across multiple regions.
2020
Resilience Through Crisis
Sustained our community and team through the global pandemic, reinforcing our commitment to survivor welfare beyond just tourism seasons.
2016 and beyond
International Recognition
Recognized by the UN World Tourism Organization, Equality in Tourism, To Do Awards, bringing global attention to our survivor-led tourism model.
2023
200+ Jobs and Counting
Empowered 200+ survivors, and welcomed over 4,900 travelers — proving that tourism can break the cycle of trafficking.
2024
The Journey Continues
Continuing to grow our impact with new routes, deeper community partnerships, and an ever-expanding sisterhood of empowered women.
How Your Trip Creates Change Across Nepal
Our Community Tourism Expansion project is bringing sustainable tourism routes to five new rural communities across Nepal. By training female trafficking survivors as certified guides, hospitality guides and culinary experts, we create lasting economic opportunities that directly reduce vulnerability to trafficking.
The Survivor Leadership Program equips trafficking survivors with advanced business, legal advocacy, and public speaking skills, enabling them to take on leadership roles within SASANE and in their communities. Over 30 women are currently enrolled in the latest cohort.
Our newest initiative, the Culinary Heritage Project , connects travelers with traditional Nepali home cooking through experiences hosted in local communities. Survivors guide these experiences, sharing family recipes and food traditions that outsiders rarely encounter.
A new chapter: Wellness with Purpose, SASANE Sisterhood is expanding beyond traditional tourism into wellness experiences rooting in healing, connection and community. Inspired by the belief that travel can be both transformative and restorative, our newest initiatives explore how nature, culture, movement, and meaningful human connection can create spaces for wellbeing and personal growth. For the women behind SASANE Sisterhood, wellness is deeply connected to empowerment; building confidence, belonging, leadership, and the freedom to imagine new possibilities for the future. For you, it offers a more intentional way to experience Nepal: slower, deeper, and grounded in authentic human connection rather than surface-level tourism. This next chapter reflects what SASANE Sisterhood has always believed: that travel has the power not only to change perspectives, but also to support healing, dignity, and transformation.
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Amazing and important work supporting women across Nepal. Great food, great cause — definitely recommend for your trip!
— bhopson192
London, UK
Travel With Purpose
Your booking directly shape the future of survivors. Explore our packages and become part of it.