Shirubari Village Resort

While the concept of Village Tourism in Nepal has been mooted for some time by tourism academics it has only been in commercial operation for around two years.

The project at Sirubari, a partnership between local villagers and a marketing and promotion agency in Kathmandu , was first started in early 1997. Since no other such ventures had been started there was a lengthy initial period when the concept was optimised and agreements and operating procedures developed.

What has evolved has proved to be a success with the twin aims of being both commercially viable and sustainable. The village people have readily taken to becoming tourism entrepreneurs, many improvements have been made to the village infrastructure which would otherwise have been impossible and the visiting tourists have been overwhelmingly positive about the experience they have been given.

From an organisational point of view it was decided at an early stage that the villagers would form a properly constituted Tourism Management Committee and that this committee would oversee all activities in and around the village. The committee entered into a formal agreement with the managing agents with operating procedures and rates spelled out clearly. There has been no need to alter these conditions so far. This agreement will form the basis for any further agreements with villages that may choose to adopt village tourism in the future.

The concept is basically one of “home stay” where guests live with individual families in groups of between two and five per household. They are accommodated in specially reserved guest rooms that are clean, comfortable and secure. All meals, with the exception of afternoon snacks, are eaten with the family. Food is local in style but varied enough to keep the guests happy. Rooms all have hygienic toilets and bathrooms adjacent. Only cold water is on tap at present but hot water showers are planned for later this year.

The guests are given a full package, usually from Pokhara to Pokhara, with no hidden extras. This avoids the need to pay bills in the village, which would detract from the feeling of belonging to a family. There is strong financial benefit to the villagers with 50% of the selling price being retained in the village and 70% of the selling price remaining in the district.

Since the village is not on any well known routes and because prior notice is required for the villagers to arrange guides, porters cultural and welcoming ceremonies, all groups are pre-booked through the Kathmandu office of the managing agents. It is not possible for independent tourists to make their own way to the village and be accommodated or entertained. In order to help preserve the environment of the village and to enable the villagers to retain control there is no camping permitted within the area in and around the village.

Access is gained, during the dry season from early October to June, by driving from Pokhara to a road-head bazaar, taking about two hours. This is followed by a walk of around three hours for most groups. The walking trail is very well made but some, less fit, guests find the last two hours a challenge, as it is uphill to the village. So far, however, only three guests have failed to make it to the village and they were very unfit. During the rainy season access is possible but an additional walk of about two hours is required.

What does village tourism offer the guests?
The form of tourism offered in Sirubari offers an insight into the traditional culture of the Gurung people. The guests become linked with individual families and experience, at first hand, their daily life styles. The village being totally unaffected by other forms of tourism remains typical of a traditional village but with modern conveniences discretely provided. In the vicinity of the village many rural activities can be observed and above the village is a large tract of unspoiled jungle capped by an unrivalled view of the Himalayan range.

What does village tourism offer the villagers?
Apart from the obvious financial gains that the villagers enjoy a number of infrastructure developments have taken place, which would otherwise have been unlikely to have occurred so quickly. Toilet and bathroom construction has led to an improvement in the overall hygiene of the villagers, a telephone service has been provided avoiding the need for a three hour walk to the nearest communications, a community hall has been constructed and trail improvements have taken place. These developments have been partly funded by the local people and partly by government agencies.

Several disadvantaged local people are now being sponsored by previous guests and group support for educational facilities is being regularly received. A Kathmandu based NGO, The Centre for Rural Technology, has, in conjunction with the managing agents, agreed to conduct a programme of energy and hygiene improvements in and around the local villages.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, the introduction of tourism has led to a reinforcing of the local culture, customs and religions.  

What of the future?
Ongoing research and development is being carried out, in several locations around the country, by the managing agents.

A group of five villages in Lamjung district have been selected as suitable for village tourism and a proposal is being prepared for funding of the necessary infrastructure developments. When complete these villages will be linked to form a “village trek” where guests will travel from village to village over a period of between ten and twelve days.

Two villages have been studied in Kaski district and, when the necessary developments can be started will make one day village visits possible using Pokhara as a base.

Plans are advanced to introduce village tourism to Solu Khumbu district particularly in the southern part of Solu. While the concept will necessarily be changed from that used at Sirubari, the area already sees conventional trekking tourists, it is, with proper planning and motivation, likely that this form of tourism will be very successful.

Future research is planned for areas of the far east of Nepal, particularly Dhankuta and Tehrathum. This research will probably not be started until late 1999 due to heavy commitments elsewhere.

Sirubari – “A cultural experience in the heart of Nepal”

Nestled in the hills south of Pokhara lies an undiscovered jewel in Nepal's tourism crown. The village of Sirubari is being promoted as the country's first model tourist village where paying guests are treated to a cultural experience long since impossible to find elsewhere.

The need to offer a richer form of tourism to our visitors has been realized by our more enlightened entrepreneurs and academics for some time but only recently has an organization set about actively researching and promoting village based tourism in Nepal. The result of these endeavors is the development of Sirubari.

Set at an altitude of 1700 meters, the Gurung settlement presents an attractive and easily accessible opportunity for tourists to experience the true nature of rural Nepalese life without having to face too many discomforts. The villager's houses provide ideal accommodation and the home cooked food, while simple and traditional, is both delicious and hygienically prepared. The rich culture of the Gurung people is freely displayed by these warm and friendly people whenever guests arrive at their homes. The tradition of the rodi, the songs, dances and social interaction between the local boys and girls, is still an important facet of their lives. To the villagers, their religion is no less important. The Gurung people of Sirubari are devout Buddhists and the village Gompa is the center of all cultural activity. Their fascinating practices are open to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist visitors alike.

Scenically, the area has a lot to offer. The village is a compact settlement of only about sixty solidly built houses connected by a system of stone flagged trails that make moving around a simple operation. The cleanliness of the place is immediately apparent to the visitor but this cleanliness does not result in a sterile feel to the village. Especially during winter and spring the houses are garlanded by arrays of colorful flowers, which match the bright hues of the traditional dress worn by most of the local women. A walk above the village, through the fields and the forest brings you to a viewpoint from where, on a clear day, you can see a Himalayan panorama that is unrivalled by many of the views from the more famous trekking trails.

As a visitor to Sirubari you will be guided to the village from Pokhara. As soon as you leave the main road, you leave the noise and cares of urban living behind and enter the heart of Nepal. Following the bumpy road to the road head the forty minute drive sets you in the right frame of mind for the experiences to come. Gone are the noisy engines and honking horns, to be replaced by the happy voices of the people and the gentle sounds of farm animals. From the road head to the village is a non-challenging walk uphill of about three hours. After a break for lunch, porters are organized to carry your luggage and the walk gets underway. Following a pleasant valley, studded with isolated settlements, the walking is, at first, along the banks of a river, which, during the warmer months offers tempting swimming opportunities. After a while the trail starts to ascend through shady forests, which provide welcome relief from the sun. At the half waypoint villagers who have carried refreshments of tea and biscuits down for you meet you. As the village is approached the sounds of music can be heard. This is the sound of the traditional welcome that awaits you and marks the beginning of your Sirubari experience.

The next three days are spent totally engrossed in village life and culture. You guests are introduced to your new “family” in whose house you will eat and sleep and are given welcome drinks and snacks before settling down for your first night, tired but happy after the day's walk.

The next morning, after breakfast, begins the sightseeing trip to the viewpoint above the village. The well-graded trail leads up, past the water tank where the village drinking water supply is collected, eventually emerging from the forest and through the high fields where the animals are pastured and the more hardy crops are grown. The distant views of rolling hills giving way to the hazy plains of the Terai dwarf the isolated settlements clustered around the valley rim. Far below can be seen the road head where, the day before, the experience began. Climbing yet further, through the plantations that are part of the community forest, the first view of the Himalaya is gained from a saddle known locally as Maidan Kharka. And what a view it is. Stretched before you, barely thirty kilometers away across the valley, is a panorama that is truly breathtaking. From the barren hills of Dolpo in the west to the snow capped peaks of Ganesh Himal in the east a distance of over three hundred kilometers can be taken in. And right before you are the giant peaks of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna with the famous fishtail of Machhapuchare in the foreground. For the more adventurous visitors there is a further hill to climb for a view even more expansive than the one from the saddle. Or, if you want to see some wildlife in natural jungle surroundings there is a jungle walk of about two hours along well-made trails. Whatever you choose, the morning will finish with a picnic lunch at the saddle, prepared by your village guides.

The day's sightseeing will finish in time for drinks and snacks at the village in the late afternoon after a circular trek back which takes in the adjoining village of Panchamul with its high school and local government office. There will be enough time for a shower before an early dinner. This evening there will be a cultural show hosted by the village youth club and participated in by all. A mixture of traditional Gurung and Nepali songs and dances will be performed and guests are encouraged to join in or, perhaps, perform a number from their own culture.

Sirubari is set amid a cluster of other villages all within about one or two hours walk away. It is to these villages that you will travel on your third day. While traversing gently around the valley there will be plenty of opportunity to see how the Gurungs, and the other ethnic groups that make up the population of this area, live their own traditional lives largely untouched by outside influences. Many of the houses that are seen are very old as this area was first settled about five hundred years ago. Wherever you go you will be welcomed by the locals and can be assured of a feeling of complete security during your travels.

Finally it will be time to return to the world outside Sirubari. As you are fare welled by your family you will take with you a bond that took only a few days to grow but one that will last a lifetime.