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Ridhi Agrawal

More than a million tourists visited Nepal in 2023 – a 65 per cent increase from 2022. And rather than travel to tourist hotspots such as Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan, a growing number of tourists seek experiences in less visited areas.
“From my childhood I thought that Nepal was all about the snow mountains and treks, but my visit to [Dhankuta] completely changed my perception,” says Ananya R, a traveller from India who uses a single letter to represent her family name.
“Nepal is not only about treks. It is about the culture, traditions, different communities and religion.”
Dhankuta is a town in the hills of eastern Nepal known for its orange orchards and the Aathpahariya, an indigenous group that has lived in the area for centuries.

Choy Teh, a travel specialist from Singapore, visited Nepal in May 2024. She is another to have discovered a different side of the country.
“The best way to know a destination is by being with the people and learning from the people,” she says. Walking, talking and living with residents “will get you to the heart and soul of a place”.
The Community Homestay Network (CHN) is a social enterprise that emphasises the importance of this approach. It works with more than 30 communities and 350 homestays in Nepal to help preserve traditions and culture.
“Community tourism encourages authentic cultural exchanges, preserves the natural beauty and heritage of destinations and fosters sustainable practices that protect local ecosystems,” CHN’s chief executive, Aayusha Prasain, says.
CHN’s aim is to ensure “a positive and lasting impact on both the visitors and the host communities”, she says. “Community members who are not hosts can participate as service providers, such as guides, artisans and drivers.”
In May, CHN ran a Community Connect campaign to promote Dhankuta and other less visited areas of Nepal – places including Panauti, an ancient town 35km (22 miles) from central Kathmandu; Narchyang, a mountain village in central Nepal; Kirtipur, an old city on the outskirts of Kathmandu; and Thimi, a historic town just outside Kathmandu.
You are really seeing how they live their life. It’s a very organic and real way to discover the destination
Choy Teh, a Singaporean traveller to Nepal
In Kirtipur, tourists could take part in workshops to learn about Ranjana lipi, an endangered Nepali script, and learn how to make momo dumplings and shop at a market for the ingredients needed.
In Thimi, tourists could learn pottery making from artisans.
During her trip to Dhankuta, Ananya R’s encounter with the Aathpahariya people was a highlight. “They are a distinct [people] with their own rich culture, traditions, language and values,” she says.
She recounts having to travel by jeep down “an off-road path” to reach the community, and wearing their traditional dress – a loose shirt tucked into a cloth wrapped around the lower body, and a shawl – and jewellery, on her neck and ears and in her nose.
“I loved it,” she says.
Teh explored Panauti, where she made a personal connection with her host through cooking.

“When you talk and exchange stories about homes and cultures, about raising kids or inflation, you realise that the views are similar but you just live in different countries. You can feel that rapport and connection over food,” she says.
She adds that by staying with families, “You are really seeing how they live their life. It’s a very organic and real way to discover the destination.
“You are paying for an experience where the money is going to benefit the family, the community, for clean water projects.”
Neema Thapa Magar, 52, lives in Lekhnath, 13km from Pokhara, in central Nepal. She runs a homestay called Robin’s Nest and says the experience has taught her a lot.
“Tourists who want to experience the feeling of being at home visit us,” she says.
Her six-bedroom homestay is near two lakes, Rupa and Begnas, that are home to endangered plants, birds and wetland-dwelling mammals.
That’s what pulled me back – the scenery, the nature and the quietness ... It’s a home away from home
Vanessa Bourke, an Australian repeat visitor to Lekhnath
“Many birds and butterflies come around our house, and tourists come here to photograph them,” Magar says. “You can see the two lakes from here. [Tourists] find happiness in that.”
Australian Vanessa Bourke is one of them. The 54-year-old liked Lekhnath so much she returned after her first visit and stayed at Robin’s Nest.
“A friend got me here in October last year. I wanted to take three months off so I chose to base myself [in Lekhnath],” she says.
On a clear day, visitors to Lekhnath can enjoy views of the Himalayan peaks Lamjung Himal, Annapurna, Machapuchare and Mardi Himal.
“I feel I am getting all the elements: the water, the nature, the earth and the mountains,” Bourke says, adding she “loves to practise yoga in silence” while observing the plants and animals.

“That’s what pulled me back – the scenery, the nature and the quietness. I really like it here at Robin’s Nest. It’s a home away from home.”
In contrast to cooking classes on most tourist itineraries, Magar teaches her guests to cook “what they like to eat”.
“I have taught so many tourists how to cook our local daily food like dal [lentils] and tarkari [vegetables],” she says.
Bourke enjoys pitching in. “I love cooking and doing my gardening. The food is straight from the garden. I get to do all that while staying here.”
Teh believes shedding preconceived ideas is key to embracing immersive tourism.
“Just go there and just flow with it. Get down to the roots, that’s when you will really see the beauty of the destination come alive,” she says.


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Visitors experience Nepal’s ‘heart and soul’ off the tourist trail in less visited places

Ananya R (4th from right), with members of the Aathpahariya community. Photo: courtesy Ananya R

Neema Thapa Magar at her homestay Robin’s Nest, in Lekhnath, a rural town in Nepal. She is one of the Nepalese residents offering off-the-beaten-path tourist experiences hard to find in well travelled parts of the country. Photo: Robin’s Nest

Ananya R (4th from right), with members of Dhankuta’s indigenous Aathpahariya community. Photo: courtesy Ananya R

Teh (left) with her host Kumari in Panauti, Nepal. Photo: courtesy Choy Teh

Bourke with Robin’s Nest homestay host Neema Thapa Magar. Photo: Robin’s Nest

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Nepal isn’t all treks and Kathmandu. Travellers who get off the tourist trail find rural guesthouses, cultural experiences and connection


Nepal isn’t just about Himalayan treks and Kathmandu. Travellers who leave the tourist trail are being enriched by cultural experiences and a sense of “connection” with residents.


Nepal