Feeling at home

The community homestay in Patmara started four years ago and the community has held more than 100 meetings. Before operating the homestay, the women visited popular scenic areas like Pokhara and Ghale Gaun offering homestays.

Kalashi Budha, secretary of the community homestay, said many homestays focus on decoration. "But here, natural beauty is enough to attract tourists."

Tourists can enjoy the green highland pastures during the monsoon and in winter they are mesmerized by snow-covered pastures.

"The view and traditional food make tourists happy," Budha added.

The women initially took out loans to start the homestay, with many of them becoming financially independent and offering to support others in turn.

Rawat said women used to ask for money at home for the family expenses, but now they take care of their children's and husbands' expenditures.

Rawat's husband, Nara Bahadur, has been in Saudi Arabia for the last two years. Before that he worked for five years in Malaysia. His income has also been invested in the homestay arrangements.

Other villages have similarly started operating homestays and welcoming guests.

According to Budha, more than 1,000 tourists from Australia, the United States, France, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have experienced Patmara homestays.

"With the arrival of tourists after homestays were opened, sanitation in the villages has improved," Budha said.

"Most of the tourists arrive by making phone contact, while some arrive after visiting Rara Lake."

Women operating homestays also have other roles. Once a month, they monitor the nearby forest to check on any illegal wildlife activities.

They are particularly concerned about the conservation of red pandas as most tourists come to see the shy animals.

Conservation efforts are underway to save red pandas and Maharudra Community Forest has been designated as a pocket area for their protection.

Patmara is located just beyond Urthuchautara, on the way from Khalanga. Tourists use the shortest route to reach Rara Lake, with 10 to 25 vehicles arriving daily.

In 2011, Nepal Tourism Year was rolled out and helped set off the homestay trend in the country in anticipation of a surge in tourism.

Homestays were conceived as an alternative arrangement for an expected hotel room shortage during the tourism campaign aiming to attract 1 million international visitors before it ended.

The lodging option became a permanent feature of Nepali tourism, with hundreds of homestay offerings across the country.

The Kathmandu Post, Nepal