Far from Nepal’s famous Himalayan trekking routes lies the Terai, a warm, wildlife-rich region of plains, forests and farmland along the Indian border. Home to the Tharu people, it offers a striking contrast to the snow-capped peaks and busy streets of Kathmandu — and a growing community-run homestay network is helping travellers experience it up close.
In the village of Bhada, visitors stay with Tharu families through the Community Homestay Network, living in traditional mud-and-timber homes and joining daily life. During one stay, travellers joined Shyam Chaudhary in her kitchen preparing food for Auli, a post-harvest festival where locals give thanks for the rice crop. The celebration included drumming, dancing, homemade fruit pickle and even roasted field rat — eaten symbolically to protect future harvests. Leaf-stitched cups were filled with chhyang, a Tharu rice liquor, as the village gathered beneath bamboo poles decorated with marigolds.
The homestay project has brought new income to Bhada and helped preserve culture, especially as all homestays are run by women. For locals, hosting is more than business — it’s tradition. As one resident shared, “Atithi devo bhava — the guest is god.”
Quiet, cultural and deeply welcoming, the Terai offers a lesser-known side of Nepal — one defined not by mountains, but by community, ritual and heartfelt hospitality.
