Overview
Highlights
- Immerse in the local cuture and walk of life
- Contribute helping hands to a common cause
- Provide volunteer services
- Live like the locals do
- Wander to historical arenas
- Cooking Classes
Panauti Community Homestay is the flagship of the Community Homestay program, a successful model of women-run home stay that has been followed by other communities around Nepal. The women who run the homestays in Panauti are a close-knit community, proud of their accomplishments, and have learned important business skills through their work with the program.
Around 17 host family in Panauti are part of the Community Homestay, and while each home is different, they all provide a good standard of homely accommodation. Guests have their own bedrooms with comfortable beds and fresh linen. All have private bathrooms with hot water available, most have Western-style toilets and Wi-Fi. While some host family have pets, you can request a pet-free home if you prefer. Some homes have beautiful views of the rice fields and hills on the edge of town, while others are located in the center of town beside ancient temples and ornate Newari townhouses. Guests can also enjoy a wide range of cultural and natural activities, from hiking in the nearby hills, cooking with the host family to witnessing the puja worship ceremonies early in the morning at the grand temples beside the river.
Things to do in Panauti, Kavre
Panauti is a small town rather than an entirely rural locale, so you can expect accommodation and food to be in line with this fact. If you happen to be in Panauti Community Homestay during rice-planting season (June-July), you may even be able to participate in the rice-planting festival with the host family.
While staying in Panauti, don’t miss the chance to tour the temples and other Newari architectural features of the town. The complex of temples at Triveni Ghat, beside the confluence of the Roshi and Punyamati Rivers, includes some of the most ancient temples in Nepal, which have the unusual honor of never having been destroyed in an earthquake.
Travelers who want to stretch their legs can enjoy walking through the farmland around the town, or even embark on the Panauti to Sanga Community Hike Trail. This takes a few hours, and passes through ethnic Tamang villages, which contrast with the Newari culture of Panauti. This hike can be done in either direction, beginning or ending in Sanga, which is right on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley. There are also longer trekking trails to nearby Dhulikhel and Namo Buddha.
