I’m Rujan, a licensed trekking guide living in Kathmandu. In many villages of Nepal you can sleep in a family’s home instead of a lodge or a hotel. Some villages run community homestays together, with a list of houses and a shared welcome; elsewhere it is simply a family with a spare room. It is one of the warmest ways to see the country, and it helps to know what to expect.
Arriving
In community homestays you may be welcomed with a garland of flowers or a tika, and a cup of tea. Your room is usually simple: a bed or two, a blanket, sometimes a window over the fields. The house is the family’s home first, so you share its rhythm.
The food
Dinner is usually dal bhat, the rice, lentils and vegetables that most of Nepal eats twice a day, often with greens from the garden and a pickle. You may eat in the kitchen by the fire, with the family. Second helpings come without asking; a hand over the plate means enough. Tell your host early if you do not eat something.
The evening
Village days start at dawn and end early. After dinner there may be songs or a dance in community homestays, or just talk around the fire. By nine o’clock the village is quiet. In the morning you will hear the animals, the water tap and the first prayers before you are ready to get up.
The honest side
- Toilets are often outside, and usually squat toilets.
- Hot water may come from a solar heater, or a bucket.
- Walls are thin, and roosters start early.
- English may be limited: a few useful Nepali phrases go a long way.
Being a good guest
- Take off your shoes at the door, and do not step over the fire or the stove.
- Ask before entering the kitchen or the prayer room.
- Dress with shoulders and knees covered.
- Ask before photographing people, especially children and elders.
- Pay what the homestay asks; in community homestays the price is often fixed and shared.
- Small gifts are not needed. Time, interest and a thank you are.
See my village stays for walks with nights in villages, and culture and respect on the trail.
Rules change. If something here is out of date, please tell me and I will correct it.Tell me
