Nepal is a nation of soaring mountain ridges and timeless customs that greet every soul with open arms and open hearts. You can find the living heritage and living culture in every corner of Kathmandu Valley and the great Nepalese tradition of providing the warm hospitality to the visitors. Nepalese people are friendly, truly kind and incredibly welcoming as there is a phrase in Nepali culture ‘Guests equal Gods’. Instead of just visiting the villages on the way to the summit, let the villages be the summit and explore each and every moment with the villagers and their livelihood. Through our culture of staying in the homestays, expertly designed and managed together with moments of music, organic and authentic foods, and shared love and fun, you will find that the landscape is held together not only by rock and ice, but by the breath and stories of the authentic Nepalese people. At Access the Asia Treks, we do not just design our meticulously designed routes; we try to depict lives, leading you into the warm, vibrating center of the Himalayas, where every smile and every step carries the weight of a thousand shared meals and a thousand prayers.

One of the most enriching ways to feel the inner happiness of Nepal’s living culture and living heritage is to step into a community-based homestay. This is the preliminary act one should initiate and the person can feel the authentic Nepalese style of living in the hills and the mountains. These family-owned lodgings share far more than just the place to stay. Somehow, they unfold the rhythm of everyday living with pure authenticity and generosity. From the green hills of Gorkha to the far-off valleys of Mustang, our guided homestay treks match guests with welcoming people and great hospitality, home-cooked Nepali cuisines, and the unique way of showing respect to the ancestors. Such travel is both gentle on the land and strong on local pride, this really helps you safeguarding ancestral wisdom of the people living around. Meanwhile, you travel while uplifting mountain villages and help them preserve the living culture, living heritage and Nepalese tradition to its best.

In spite of having all the facilities and fancy stuffs, you find the stay in Nepal with not just the trip with food and shelter, you will observe rituals which basically defines the spirituality and core understanding of the Nepalese people. You may find a different healing mechanism performed in the eastern hills, a prayer ceremony by the Buddhists in the Khumbu and a puja celebrating harvest in the Terai depending on where and when you visit. These are not the preordained ideas or performances, they are regular activities of living culture and living heritage of Nepalese society. Having Access the Asia Treks as your travelling partner, we generally will guarantee proper and cautious involvement in such ceremony many a times guided by the locals.

Basically, community designated homestays are one of the most fulfilling and the most satisfying ways to explore Nepal and its original style of living culture and living heritage. These accommodations of the locals are more than the place to stay whereas they are soul of Nepalese tradition. It is a way of sustainable tourism since it protects the indigenous core information and way of living as well as empowering the rural families economically.

1. Authentic Homestays: Living Like a Local

Homestays are one of the greatest experiences of the Nepal culture. This is because it sets up the periphery where visitors get to live with Native families in ancient villages with all day-to-day activities. In the Sherpa communities across the Everest region or in the Gurung villages across Annapurna, tourists are always in the perfect place to learn the local Nepali lives through homestays and living culture. Guests are also engaged in activities on farms as per their interest and their willingness to participate or volunteer. Usually, they cook traditional food such as dal bhat and around the fire they exchange tale stories and this feeling is too lively and away from the fancy world. Rural economies are also facilitated with the help of this sustainable model of tourism.

2. Handicrafts: Nepal’s Artistic Legacy

Nepal is famous for the handicrafts and its lively way of depicting these handicrafts. Above all of them, they display several centuries of skills and the techniques used in mastering the way to transparently showcase the identity. Whether it is a Thangka painting of Buddhist deity depicting the Mandala, Life cycle of Budhha and many more, handwoven Dhaka which is the typical textile of Nepal or wooden carvings, Handicrafts in Nepal maintain their Nepalese tradition in creativity. In Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, one can observe artisans at work and buy real souvenirs helping local artisans and you can experience the living culture and style of the then royal families and peoples’ day to day activity.

The Nepalese tradition is known by its handicrafts where you find different regions providing different styles and techniques preserving the local cultural values. Wood and terracotta are produced by centuries old methods by artisans in the town of Bhaktapur. These designs and skills are beyond the beauty showcasing the spiritual giving in the lively traditional art. Hand woven yak wool blankets and the handmade paper called “Lokta” are made by the women in villages of Solukhumbu as the medium for them to earn in daily life. As part of your cultural trekking trail, we arrange interactive sessions with the local people who work with fabrics, do pottery or painting Thangka and you can have a go yourself volunteering with the local participation.

3. Rituals & Festivals: A Vibrant Cultural Tapestry

Nepal’s festivals and rituals are deeply rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism as you can find the ancient way of celebrating the festivals according to the season and time of the year. Kathmandu’s lively Indra Jatra, the colorful festival of Holi, and the religious Mani Rimdu in Everest region are a mirror of Nepal’s religiosity and exuberance depicting the natural beauty along with preserving the ancestorial offerings. Participation in the festivals gives one an once in a lifetime experience into the country’s religious soul, where extremely ancient Nepalese tradition still live on in the modern day. For festival loving trekkers, Access the Asia Treks also arranges special departures built around iconic events like Tiji Festival in Upper Mustang or Maghe Sankranti in the hills. Along with this, you’ll see for yourself how Nepalese tradition lives on in song, dance, and ritual—and how the past continues to shape the present.

4. Newari Culture: The Heart of Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu valley has a rich culture of Newari people and these indigenous people are responsible to preserve and enhance the cultural importance and living culture and heritage of this area. Their art and communal spirit can be noted by the way their unique architecture. Basically, this thing is observed in the form of temples and palaces, as well as through some of the major festivals of this community as Bisket Jatra, Indra Jatra, Gai Jatra and other various festivals. Newari culture: Visiting Bhaktapur or Patan will make a tourist into the world of juju dhau (king curd), beautiful metals, etc. and the most importantly the place with living culture, Nepalese tradition and lively architecture.

5. Tharu Homestays: Exploring the Terai

In Nepal’s southern flat land also known as Terai, the Tharu people offer homestay experiences unlike any other. They are the living indigenous people offering you the unique culture and the way of living. Renowned for their stick dances and mud-wall houses, the Tharu people welcome guests to explore Chitwan National Park. Along with this, you can experience more while learning about their indigenous lifestyle. It blends your soul on wildlife safaris and make you involve in the nature and the species living around.

6. Monasteries & Handicrafts

The Buddhists communities residing in Nepal have contributed towards the Nepal culture especially in Boudhanath and Swayambhunath along with lots of Stupas around Nepal. Singing bowls and prayer flags, as well as hand knotted carpets, are made in monasteries and uphold Tibetan Buddhist artistry. This also depicts how well our culture is being exchanged and we make them our daily life medium. Tourists are welcomed to attend a meditation exercise or even to purchase some original Tibetan handicraft. This helps the local people to uplift their living and enhance the locally produced materials.

7. Pottery & Metalwork: Ancient Crafts Alive Today

Pottery making in the wooden wheels is still practiced in major sections of Kathmandu Valley especially in Bhaktapur and Thimi and metal workers make statues of gods and goddesses. These are some of the crafts that are passed on by generations and they form part of the Nepal culture. Travelers may have a go at pottery, or watch the delicate lost-wax metal casting to observe how the Nepalese tradition and culture in preserved in Nepalese society.

8. Culinary Living Heritage: A Taste of Nepal

Basically, what we believe is the Nepali food is an experience by itself. There is a story to be told in every dish about a momo (dumpling) or a sel roti (rice doughnut) where you get the authentic taste and varieties of Achar (pickle) on it. Homestays are incomplete without authentic and organic food. You can also volunteer as visitors where you are usually taught how to make gundruk (fermented greens) or chhang (local beer), thus food is associated with Nepalese tradition and day to day activity.

One of the best Nepal homestays is the food experience and the way they manufacture and cook. There is a very different and traditional way to prepare and make the cuisines. Visitors usually participate in cooking some ancient recipes, such as the one that is based on millet or buckwheat entitled as a dhido, or the freshly grinded elements of a pickle, also known as achar, with wild herbs. Doing this, it makes them used to with the living style of Nepali people. These are not only nutritious but symbolic as well much of the food relates to festivals or festivities based on seasons depicting the ancient Nepalese tradition and culture. It is a very different and unique adventure that accompanies your mountain activities with the lively Nepalese tradition and authentic stay.

9. Spiritual Journeys: Pilgrimages & Sacred Sites

For all the visitors, Nepal is a religious hub.  The world renowned Lumbini (Lord Buddha’s birthplace), Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath, Syambhunath, Muktinath and many more provides you the exciting and religious importance for the people dwelling in the Nepalese society. All these sacred sites are providing relief to pilgrims and travelers alike, where they indulge in rituals like aarti (fire worship) and prayer wheel spin, which make the environment meditative. You can also join this lively event in different occasion and can feel yourself being in the place of the paradise.

Usually, you can experience the uniqueness with our specially designed itineraries, like the ” Living Culture and Heritage & Hills Homestay Trail”, where you can find out where spirituality and everyday life intersect in Nepalese society. Farming and traditional along with the festivals and other activities are defined according to astrological and lunar calendars. You will see how individuals participate themselves with nature not just to survive but as a form of worship. Cultural connection with the landscape makes your trek richer in terms of spiritualism and your soul blends in the vibrant culture and Nepalese tradition of the people living in the mountainous region.

10. Sustainable Tourism: Preserving Nepal’s Living Heritage

Once you join with Access the Asia Treks, we believe in responsible travel that should respect the living culture and living heritage and lively culture of the Nepalese people. Through adoption of homestays, purchase of local handicrafts, and incorporation of cultural rituals, a traveler is able to preserve these cultures to the future generations. And, traveler can be the medium to enhance the living standard of the local people and help them promote their tradition and culture. Travel with us to Nepal, as it cannot be done on top of mountains somehow, we focus on each village with their crafts and festival which has an interesting story and lively feeling to blend your soul into it.

One major difference you can find with Access the Asia Treks is that we orient our clients towards ethical traveling and cultural preservation. We are directly associated with people in the community directly, coordinate with the homestay hosts and artisans and never-stop documenting living culture and living heritage with the motive to preserve and protect our Nepalese traditional and cultural importance. When you trek with Access the Asia Treks, you just do not travel, you join a regenerative travel network that cares about local voice, local Nepalese tradition, culture and authenticity.

Travelling with us is not a hiking to a place, but walking into memories, into the houses, into the centuries-old Nepalese tradition. Our well managed and creatively designed cultural treks provides you the very different experience and you will visit Nepal with the feelings of awe and wonder. Along with this, you also find pleasure that will enable you to fully appreciate the living culture and living heritage of Nepal associated with daily life and spiritualism. All the smiles you give and receive, all the shared meals and ways of an artisan demonstrating become imprinted into your trip to share with your loved ones.

Therefore, regardless of whether you are a culture and Nepalese tradition aspiring visitor, spiritual seeker, or an individual who just needs a good relationship with the local people, you can absolutely join with Access the Asia Treks. Explore Nepal in an entirely new way as a living culture and living heritage, a heritage that lives in its homestays, and vibrant through its rituals and is crafted in its artifacts.

Book your trip and take an adventure into the living culture and living heritage of Nepal with Access the Asia Treks now!