Rural homestays in Gulmi and Kaski draw more visitors this autumn

Homestays in rural Gulmi and in the villages around Pokhara are drawing more visitors as the autumn tourist season begins, with guests coming for local food, traditional culture and a few days of village life.

In Gulmi, three homestays in regular operation are seeing notable numbers of visitors, according to a report carried by Gorkhapatra and Nagarik: the Raniban Community Homestay at Bharse in Satyawati Rural Municipality-8, the Dhuwakhola Homestay at Bhurtung in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-7, and the Resunga Homestay at Bhangari in Resunga Municipality-13, near the district headquarters, Tamghas. Their menus lean on what the villages grow: millet sel roti, nettle, lentils, roasted maize, buttermilk and meat from local breeds. Guests are also offered folk performances such as Sorathi, Salaijo and Panche Baja.

Raniban, run for eight years by a group of 14 women and three men, can host up to 50 guests, operator Sujan Galami said; it receives 35 to 45 visitors a day in winter, according to the report. Dhuwakhola can host 20, its manager Ashish Gurung said, and operator Dilmaya Gurung said it stages cultural shows alongside local food. Nar Budhathoki of Raniban said visitors choose homestays for the chance to experience rural life, local food and culture.

In Kaski, homestay operators have reported more arrivals, domestic and foreign, since Dashain ended, Makalu Khabar reported. Hemjakot, in Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality-6, is among the villages seeing more visitors, as tourists in Pokhara add a stay in a nearby village to their sightseeing in the city.

Bhimraj Paudel, secretary of the Village Tourism Promotion Forum (VITOF), said arrivals had been encouraging, with Fridays and Saturdays the busiest days, and that rural tourism could grow further if more of Pokhara's visitors were encouraged into the surrounding villages. Homestay operator Uma Gurung said guest numbers were well up on last year. Santosh Pokharel, a member of the Tourism Board, said training sessions and promotional programmes had been held to make village stays more comfortable for visitors.

In Pokhara itself, Lakeside and Phewa Lake are busy with domestic visitors this autumn, families, couples and groups of friends among them, Makalu Khabar reported. After dark, some younger visitors take kayaks and stand-up paddleboards out onto the lake.