Ghandruk's stone lanes and Gurung museum

Start from the upper village, where newer lodges face the mountains, and walk down the stone steps into the older part of Ghandruk. Houses here are built of stone with slate roofs and small carved windows. In autumn, millet and maize dry on rooftops and in courtyards, and buffaloes and goats are kept in sheds below the living rooms.

The Gurung cultural museum is set in a traditional house. It displays farm tools, bamboo baskets, weaving looms, brass pots, clothing and musical instruments, with village volunteers to explain them. The Gurung people speak their own Tibeto-Burman language, Tamu Kyi, and celebrate Tamu Lhosar, their new year, around late December.

Many Ghandruk families have relatives in the Gurkha regiments of the British and Indian armies, and some houses show photos of soldiers in uniform. Walk respectfully, ask before photographing people, and buy tea or snacks in village shops to support local families.