Travel style · Sleep in a family home, eat at their table
Villages and homestays in Nepal
Community homestays in Tharu, Gurung, Magar and Tamang villages, from Barauli and Amaltari in the Terai to Ghandruk, Sirubari-style hill villages, Gatlang and Briddim on the Tamang Heritage Trail.
Nepal's community homestay programmes let villages host travellers in family homes, with income shared through a local committee. Rooms are simple and clean; the welcome, the food and the evening dances are the point.
We choose homestays run by community committees, brief you on customs before you arrive, and pay hosts directly for the nights you stay.
Trips
Dashain festival days in the Kathmandu Valley
Six nights timed to the last and biggest days of Dashain, Nepal's fifteen-day autumn festival. See the Fulpati procession reach Hanuman Dhoka, …
Makers of the valley: metal, clay, wood, masks
Four nights in the workshops of the Kathmandu Valley's craft families. Watch bronze cast by the lost-wax method in Patan, carvers at …
Newar food and festivals of the valley
Five nights in the kitchens, markets and festival squares of the Newars, the valley's oldest people. Eat samay baji in Kirtipur, buy …
Valley rim walk: Nagarkot to Panauti
Four nights and three walking days along the eastern rim of the Kathmandu Valley, from the Vishnu temple of Changu Narayan up …
Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Eleven nights from Kathmandu to the Annapurna Sanctuary and back: a flight to Pokhara, a road to the Gurung village of Ghandruk, …
Gorkha, Bandipur and Pokhara Heritage
Six nights on the old road west: the Manakamana cable car, a night at Gorkha below the palace where Prithvi Narayan Shah …
Dhampus and Australian Camp Easy Trek
Three nights from Pokhara on the gentlest trek in the Annapurnas: a short drive to Kande, an easy climb to the meadow …
Gurung Village Homestay Trail
Six nights walking short days between Gurung villages on the south side of the Annapurnas: Dhampus, Landruk and two nights in Ghandruk, …
Khopra Ridge Community Trek
Eight nights from Pokhara that start on the Poon Hill trail and then leave the crowds: through high rhododendron forest to Dobato, …
Panchase Hill Short Trek
Three nights from Pokhara with no permit queues and no jeep ride to start: row across Phewa Lake, climb past the World …
Poon Hill and Ghandruk Trek
Five nights from Pokhara on the most walked short trek in Nepal: up the Ulleri staircase to Ghorepani, a dawn climb to …
The Royal Trek above Begnas
Four nights on the gentle hill route east of Pokhara that took its name from the Prince of Wales's walk here in …
Everest Family Trek to Namche
A gentle Everest trek for families with children from about eight. Eight nights, short days of two to five hours, three nights …
Everest View Trek: Namche and Khumjung
A short Everest trek for people with one week. You fly to Lukla, walk to Namche Bazaar, explore the Sherpa villages of …
Pikey Peak and Junbesi Trek in Solu
A short, quiet trek in Solu, the lower half of Solukhumbu. Drive to Phaplu, walk to the Sherpa village of Junbesi and …
Solu to Khumbu Walk-in: Phaplu to Tengboche
Walk into the Everest region the way expeditions did before the Lukla airstrip. Sixteen nights from Phaplu across the ridges of Solu, …
Thame and Sherpa Heritage Trek
A trek through the Sherpa villages that raised generations of Everest climbers. Ten nights linking Namche Bazaar, Thame in the Bhote Koshi …
Chitwan Jungle Safari from Sauraha
Three nights in Sauraha on the Rapti River, the easiest door into Chitwan National Park. A dugout canoe at dawn, a half-day …
Kathmandu and Chitwan Family Wildlife Trip
Six nights for families with children of about six and up. Two nights in Kathmandu for Swayambhunath's monkeys, Bhaktapur's potters and the …
The Terai East to West Overland
Twelve nights across the whole Nepal Terai by private car: from the wetlands of Koshi Tappu in the far east, through Maithil …
Tharu Homestays in Barauli and Amaltari
Three nights with Tharu families on the western edge of Chitwan National Park: one night in Barauli and two in Amaltari, both …
Kali Gandaki: Ridi, Rani Mahal and Devghat
Five nights following Nepal's holiest western river through the hills of Palpa. Base in Tansen for Rani Mahal, sleep beside the Kali …
Family Heritage: Lumbini and Chitwan
A six-night family trip across the plains of Nepal. Two nights in Lumbini to cycle between monasteries from a dozen countries and …
Tansen and Palpa: Hill Town, Dhaka and Rani Mahal
Three nights in Tansen, the old capital of the Palpa kingdom, on a ridge at about 1,350 m above the Terai. Walk …
Lower Dolpo circuit to Phoksundo Lake
A 13-night circuit of Lower Dolpo from the airstrip at Juphal: up the Tarap gorge to the Bon and Buddhist villages of …
Lower Mustang and Muktinath by road
Six nights by private jeep from Pokhara up the Kali Gandaki, the deep gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, to the apple village …
Marpha apple harvest week
Five slow nights in the apple country of Lower Mustang at harvest time, from late August to mid October. Pick fruit with …
Mustang photography journey by jeep
Ten nights by private jeep, planned around light rather than distance: golden hour in Kagbeni, dawn at Muktinath, three nights in Lo …
Slow Mustang at Shinta Mani Mustang
Six unhurried nights for travellers who want Mustang's landscape and villages with a comfortable base: one night above Pokhara, then five nights …
Thakali trail down the Kali Gandaki
A seven-night downhill walk through the Thakali villages of the Kali Gandaki, from windy Jomsom to the hot springs of Tatopani. Mostly …
Upper Mustang trek to Lo Manthang
A 14-night teahouse trek from Kagbeni to Lo Manthang, the walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo, returning by the red …
Gosaikunda lakes and Helambu trek
Nine nights from Dhunche to the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda, over the Laurebina La at 4,610 m and down through Tharepati into …
Helambu trek from Sundarijal to Tarkeghyang
Five nights that start at the edge of Kathmandu: walk up from Sundarijal through Shivapuri forest to Chisapani, follow the ridge north …
Langtang & Manaslumax 4,300 mLangtang family trek to Kyanjin Gompa
A seven-night Langtang trek planned around children: a guide experienced with families, an extra porter for snacks and spare layers, short afternoons …
Langtang Valley trek to Kyanjin Gompa
Eight nights from Kathmandu up the Langtang Khola to Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 m, the closest big-mountain valley to the capital. You …
Langtang & Manaslumax 5,106 mManaslu Circuit trek over the Larkya La
Fifteen nights around Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest mountain at 8,163 m: up the Budhi Gandaki gorge from Machha Khola, into the Tibetan …
Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley trek
Twenty nights that join the Tsum Valley with the full Manaslu Circuit. You spend a week in Tsum, up to Mu Gompa …
Nuwakot palace and farm stay
Three slow nights in Nuwakot, the hill town where Prithvi Narayan Shah began the unification of Nepal. You stay at The Famous …
Tamang Heritage Trail and village homestays
Seven nights on the Tamang Heritage Trail west of the Langtang valley: stone villages, hot springs, a high meadow with views to …
Tsum Valley trek to Mu Gompa
Fourteen nights into the Tsum Valley, a Tibetan Buddhist valley on the Manaslu side of the border that opened to trekkers only …
Arun Valley and Chainpur Crafts
Seven nights from the Arun valley to the plains. Fly to Tumlingtar on its broad river terrace, spend two days with the …
Eastern Hills Overland: Ilam to the Arun
Nine nights across the eastern hills by private car, from the tea gardens of Kanyam and Ilam to the Arun valley at …
Ilam, Sandakpur and Kanyam
Five nights that climb from the tea gardens of Ilam to the Singalila ridge at Sandakpur, 3,636 m, where four of the …
Ilam Tea Country
Four slow nights in the tea hills of Ilam, Nepal's oldest tea district. A night at Kanyam among clipped green slopes, then …
Eastern Nepalmax 5,140 mKanchenjunga Circuit: North and South Base Camps
Twenty-four nights around the Nepal side of Kanchenjunga: up the Tamor and Ghunsa valleys to Pang Pema at 5,140 m, back to …
Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek
Twenty nights from Kathmandu to Pang Pema, the north base camp of Kanchenjunga at 5,140 m. A jeep up the Tamor valley, …
Kirat Culture Trail: Bhedetar, Dhankuta, Hile
Four nights in the Kirat heartland of the eastern hills, where Rai and Limbu culture is part of daily life. Visit Budha …
Makalu Base Camp Trek
Eighteen nights from Kathmandu to the foot of Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain on earth. Fly to Tumlingtar in the Arun valley, walk …
Pathibhara Devi Pilgrimage
Five nights to Pathibhara Devi, the hilltop shrine above Taplejung at 3,794 m that Limbu people call Mukkumlung. Drive the Mechi Highway …
Bardia and Shuklaphanta Safari
Seven nights across the two national parks of Nepal's far western plain. Four nights at Bardia for tigers, the Karnali and Tharu …
Bardia Tiger Safari
Four nights at Thakurdwara on the edge of Bardia National Park, Nepal's largest lowland park. Full-day jeep safari, a guided walk on …
Humla: the Kailash Trail to Hilsa
Eight nights on the old pilgrim and trade route of upper Humla, the way Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims walked toward Mount Kailash. …
Khasa Kingdom Heritage: Jumla, Sinja, Dullu
Eight nights through the heartland of the Khasa Malla kingdom, which ruled western Nepal and parts of western Tibet from about the …
Limi Valley Trek from Simikot
Sixteen nights in upper Humla, a restricted area on Nepal's border with Tibet. Walk up the Karnali from Simikot to Hilsa, turn …
Ramaroshan Lakes and Dullu
Six nights by jeep and on foot across the hills of the far west. Through Doti to Ramaroshan in Achham, an upland …
Places
Kathmandu Valley1,350 mBungamati
Home village of the red rain god, and of the valley's woodcarvers
Kirtipur
Kipu, the ridge town that held off the Gorkha army three times
Panauti
A Newar river town where three rivers meet, one of them unseen
Bandipur
A car-free Newar trading bazaar on a ridge saddle
Begnas Lake
Pokhara's quiet second lake, with Rupa Tal over the ridge
Dhampus
A Gurung ridge village and the gentle start of Annapurna treks
Ghandruk
Nepal's best-known Gurung village, facing Annapurna South
Panchase
Orchid forest and village homestays west of Phewa Lake
Dingboche
Walled barley fields at 4,410 m and the big acclimatisation stop
Junbesi
Solu's monastery village on the old walking road to Everest
Khumjung
Hillary's first school and a yeti scalp under sacred Khumbila
Lukla
The sloping airstrip where nearly every Everest walk begins
Pangboche
Khumbu's oldest gompa and the story of the stolen yeti hand
Phaplu
Solu's airstrip town below cliff-top Chiwong Gompa
Thame
Tenzing Norgay's village on the old salt road to Tibet
Amaltari
Tharu and Bote village on Chitwan's western edge
Stays
The Old Inn
A heritage inn in two carefully restored Newar townhouses on Bandipur's car-free main street, keeping original wooden doorways and red …
Yeti Mountain Home Lukla
A comfortable lodge a short walk from the Lukla airstrip, run by the Yeti Mountain Home group (now marketed as …
mountain lodge3,790 mHotel Everest View
A Japanese-built hotel on the ridge above Syangboche at about 3,880 m, between Namche and Khumjung, with a terrace that …
Everest Summit Lodge Pangboche
A small lodge just off the main Everest trail at Pangboche, about 3,985 m, with around ten rooms with attached …
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari
A high-end safari lodge run by Taj on the Rapti riverbank at Meghauli, facing Chitwan National Park. Rooms and villas …
Barahi Jungle Lodge
A comfortable riverside lodge at Meghauli on the edge of Chitwan National Park, with its own naturalists, jeep safaris, canoe …
Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge
A lodge on the edge of Amaltari village in Nawalpur, built in the style of Tharu longhouses with mud-plastered walls, …
Green Park Chitwan
A well-run, comfortable hotel in Sauraha, a short walk from the Rapti and the park entrance, with an outdoor pool, …
heritage hotel2,810 mRed House Lodge
A lodge in an old Kagbeni building, restored with care and painted the deep red that gave it its name, …
The Famous Farm
A restored Newar farmhouse on the ridge at Nuwakot, a short walk from the seven-storey palace. Rooms keep the low …
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge
A small safari lodge at Thakurdwara on the edge of Bardia National Park, about two hours by road from Nepalgunj …