Escape to Gulmi: Culture, Cuisine, and Quiet Village Life

Sabika Shrestha/Anil Khatri

Gulmi’s rural homestays are drawing growing numbers of domestic tourists seeking a break from the noise and congestion of city life.

Community homestays are operating in various parts of Gulmi, including Bharse, Thulo Lumpek, Dhuwa Khola of Bhurtung, Timure, Swara, and Resunga. Around 8,000 guests visited the Rani Ban Community Homestay in Satyawati Rural Municipality–8, Bharse, last year alone.

The homestay has a capacity of 50 guests and offers local food and accommodation along with cultural performances such as Thada Bhaka, Chudka, Salaijo, Sorathi, and Panche Baja.

The cool climate, authentic local cuisine, and traditional arts and culture are making the district’s six community homestays increasingly popular, while also creating new opportunities for local income and employment.

At the Dhuwa Khola Community Homestay in Kaligandaki–7, Bhurtung, visitors can enjoy local cuisine and cultural programs, as well as visit tourist destinations such as Kalilek Siddhababa, Hile Satyawati, the tea garden, and Dhuwa Khola. Services are available here in a package costing Rs.1, 200 per person.

Homestays in Thulo Lumpek, Timure, Swara, and Resunga are also connecting the traditional lifestyle of the villages with tourism. Guests are served local dishes such as dal ko batuk, stinging nettle greens, timur chutney, millet dhido, corn flour dishes, local meat, and seasonal vegetables.

Guests arriving at the homestays are welcomed according to local traditions. In the evening, cultural programs are organized, while local dishes are served for breakfast in the morning. Guests are then taken on tours of nearby religious and tourist destinations. Homestays have created new opportunities in villages that had been becoming deserted due to migration.

Along with helping preserve local culture, these homestays have emerged as a means of generating income and employment and are showing signs of giving further momentum to rural tourism in Gulmi. For tourists seeking to experience the originality of village life, local flavors, and nature, Gulmi’s homestays are gradually emerging as new destinations.