Food · Ghandruk, Nepal
Dinner and a night in a Gurung homestay
Stay with a Gurung family in Ghandruk's homestay programme, eat dal bhat with seasonal vegetables and pickles cooked on a wood or gas stove, and learn how a hill farm works from the people who run it.
Photo: SPakhrin · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsGhandruk has a community-run homestay programme where visitors stay in family houses rather than lodges. Rooms are simple, often with shared bathrooms, but clean. You eat with the family or in their kitchen, which is usually the warmest room in the house. Book through your guide or the village homestay office.
Dinner is usually dal bhat: rice or millet, lentils, a vegetable curry, greens from the garden, and achar, a fresh or fermented pickle. In season you may get buckwheat or millet bread, local honey and buffalo or goat curd. Gurung families also make local alcohol from millet; it is offered, never required.
Ask about farming, the year's festivals and family members working abroad or in the army. Children in the house may practise their English with you. In the morning, join the family for tea on the terrace as the mountains come out. Homestay income stays in the village.
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Trips through Ghandruk
Do this on a trip
Each of these trips stops in Ghandruk. Tell us and we keep a slot for this day.
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Saver
Pokhara, Poon Hill and Ghandruk on a budget
Tourist bus and shared jeep; three days on foot
Questions
Before you book
How do I book a homestay in Ghandruk?
Through your trekking agency or guide, or at the village homestay counter. Pay the family directly or through the programme, as advised.
Is homestay food vegetarian?
Dal bhat is vegetarian, and families are used to vegetarian guests. Tell them in advance if you do not eat eggs or meat.
Do homestays have attached bathrooms?
Some do; many share a bathroom. Hot water is usually solar or gas and may be limited in the evening.