When trekking first started in Nepal six decades ago, social entrepreneurs have tried myriad ways to maximise the benefits of tourism to local communities. The latest addition to that effort is a Korean initiative that promotes culture and agriculture so visitors get a unique experience of rural life in the Himalayas.
The project called ‘Nepal Hike Village’ plans to give tourists more than just mountain views, and augment it with other famous attractions of Nepal: it’s hospitality. Visitors stay with local farmers, learn about organic agriculture and tea cultivation, and take part in traditional festivals in the mountain villages near Pokhara.
Says Jihoon Lee, a Korean teacher, “the biggest benefit of home-stay is to blend with the real life of rural Nepal which I would not have appreciated if I had gone to the usual tourists attractions, I plan to come back to Nepal with my students and share this rich social experience.”
Tags: Nepal
