A Limbu village afternoon near Taplejung

Taplejung is the heart of Limbuwan, the traditional homeland of the Limbu, who call themselves Yakthung. We visit a village with a guide from the community, walk the terraces of maize, millet and cardamom, and sit with a family who have agreed to host us. Houses here are often built of stone and timber, with a kitchen fire at the centre and a shelf for the household's ritual objects.

Conversation turns to what you want to know: the Limbu language and its own script, named Sirijanga after the 18th-century scholar who revived it; the Mundhum, the oral scripture recited by Limbu priests; and festivals such as Chasok Tangnam, the offering of the first harvest. If there is a dhaka loom in the house, you may see the patterned cloth being woven, and hear how designs are passed down within families.

We ask that you treat this as a visit to someone's home, not a performance. We pay the family directly for their time and any food, and keep groups small. Tea, and perhaps a snack of roasted soybeans or corn, is usually offered; accept with your right hand. The visit lasts as long as the conversation flows, often two or three hours, and leaves you with a far better sense of the hills than any museum.