Nepal
Nearly five years after a massive earthquake, community-minded tourism is on the rise.
When to go: Autumn (September through November) offers mild weather, clear mountain views, and festivals such as Dashain (October 23–28). The six-day fete includes temple offerings, animal sacrifices, parades, and processions honoring the goddess Durga. A few weeks later, locals will celebrate the Nepali festival of lights, Tihar (November 15–17), with candles and marigolds.
Why go: Travelers have been conquering Nepal’s mountains for decades—2019 brought a record number of Everest climbers—but only recently has tourism started trickling to communities in the Himalayan foothills. The five-year anniversary of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of the country in 2015 is a good time to invest in ongoing reconstruction efforts and local livelihoods. Visitors can start in the Kathmandu Valley, with its seven UNESCO World Heritage zones, including Patan Durbar Square, a complex encompassing ornate temples, a former palace, and the Patan Museum, which have all been painstakingly restored. Raithaane restaurant recently opened nearby to serve heritage Nepali dishes such as a version of kheer (a traditional pudding) whipped from kaguno (a type of ancient millet). Thanks to the women-run Community Homestay Network, travelers can now stay with local families in 19 rural areas across Nepal, from the beautifully preserved town of Panauti to the indigenous Tharu village of Barauli, set on the banks of Chitwan National Park. To trek for a good cause, consider Sasane Sisterhood Trekking and Travel, a new outfitter from the nonprofit Sasane, which is run by survivors of sex-trafficking and human-trafficking. They offer single-day tours of Kathmandu as well as longer trips such as the seven-day Poonhill Trek in the Annapurna Region. For travelers who want to tie all of the above together: G Adventures’ new Himalaya Highlights tour, which unites two partnerships (with National Geographic and the Jane Goodall Institute) and offers a cultural immersion that supports Sasane, along with local guides, craftspeople, and environmentalists.
Need to know: Most travelers fly into Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. New hotels opened in 2019, including a new Marriott in Kathmandu. In 2020, two new airports will open in Nepal in Pokhara and Lumbini.
(Published in the January/February 2020 issue of AFAR. View the PDF here, or read the online version here.)
