Meet the hosts of the Api Himal Trek
In May 2025, two members of the Community Homestay Network’s (CHN) Product Development Team embarked on an extensive trip across wide plains and high mountain ranges to the far West Corner of Nepal. A one-hour inland flight, followed by a 14-hour car drive through dramatic scenery and narrow mountain roads, brought them to Makarigad. From there, no vehicle, not even a bike, would bring them further. Now it was time to shoulder the backpack and put on the hiking boots. After a 3-hour hike, they reached the serene Naupata Community on the Trek to the magnificent Api Basecamp.
Evolution of the Api Trek
In the past, this remote region of Nepal was only traveled by the most adventurous trekkers, sleeping in tents on their way to the Api Basecamp, from which the stunning 7132-meter-high Api summit can be behold. In the last couple of years, the demand for immersive travel experiences, and therefore the concept of community-based homestays, has gained traction on many treks throughout Nepal.
However, due to its remote location as well as its limited market visibility, Communities of the Khandeshwori Region in the far West of Nepal have unfortunately not been able to capitalize on this flourishing opportunity so far.
Training the Hosts
Recognizing this untapped potential in the Api Base Camp Trail, CHN has decided, in collaboration with the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP), a program of the Nepal Tourism Board and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to strengthen the capacity of homestays in Khandeshwori through product development training, enhancing their market visibility, competitiveness, and contribution to inclusive and sustainable tourism in Nepal.
The goal was to orient the hosts from the Naupata Community in operational homestay practices, identify gaps in existing infrastructure and services, as well as to create valuable content to strengthen storytelling and increase its online visibility. Through this training, the homestays would be integrated into the Community Homestay Network, thereby enhancing their access to domestic and international travellers.
In total, eleven members of the Naupata Community Homestay took part in the orientation program, including ten women and one man, all of whom were of the Chettri caste and were already owners of homestay businesses.
Potential and Challenges
The CHN Team first conducted an extensive data collection on the homestays’ infrastructure, capacity, facilities, and available services. Based on their findings, the Team could estimate the capabilities already in place and identify areas for improvement to achieve quality service standards and secure travellers' satisfaction.
Naupata Community Homestay and the surrounding trail exhibit strong potential to attract international travellers. On top of that, the Khandeshwori Region offers a rich cultural heritage, which remains one of the most distinctive highlights of the Api Himal Base Camp Trail. The community’s unique traditions, lifestyle, and hospitality offer visitors a meaningful connection to the local way of life, enhancing the destination’s overall appeal and contributing to its identity as a culturally rich trekking route.
However, despite offering comparatively better accommodation options along the trail, Naupata Community Homestay’s lack of marketing and promotion has led to limited awareness among travellers, reducing the likelihood that visitors will choose it as a preferred stopover. Another key gap the CHN Team observed during the assessment is the limited hospitality knowledge among tourism service providers along the trail. The services currently provided are sufficient for domestic travellers but require significant improvement to meet international standards, particularly in service delivery, guest communication, hygiene, and overall professionalism.
Considering the long-term development of the Api trek, the increasing number of domestic travellers in the absence of a destination management strategy raises concerns about potential overcrowding in the future. High visitor concentration without proper management could strain local resources, disrupt community life, and negatively affect the region's ecological balance, posing challenges to the destination's long-term sustainability.
Sharing knowledge
In the orientation session, the members of the CHN introduced participants to the significance of Tourism in Nepal and the crucial role of Homestay Experiences in the face of increasing international demand for authentic, immersive travel experiences. Especially the potential, being so close on the Api Trail.
During the session, participants also shared their establishment stories and current operational practices, creating a platform for mutual learning. With this orientation session, the hosts were equipped with a stronger understanding of tourism both globally and within Nepal, preparing them for improved management and long-term growth of their homestays. Furthermore, the assessment included information on hygiene standards, room quality, toilet facilities, and cultural activities available for guests. This data serves as a reference for determining their readiness to integrate into the Community Homestay Network (CHN) and for planning future digital promotion and product development efforts.
Strengthening Capacity
Another step was to collect stories, images, and descriptions of the homestays, local culture, and scenic surroundings to create promotional content. This material will be used to support online visibility of the destination through digital marketing initiatives, increase visibility of the homestays online, and help attract more visitors through the Community Homestay Network and other tourism platforms. The materials aim to strengthen the storytelling of the area, increase visibility, and attract a wider range of travellers to the community and its homestays.
Infrastructure was another crucial step to enhance the quality of the homestays. Therefore, a clear roadmap for upgrading facilities in the accommodation service was created to meet basic service and safety standards. Aiming to create a strong, resilient, sustainable business model, the Identification of environmental management needs was of major importance. This included waste disposal, trail improvements, and orienting the local hosts about the significance of a clean and protected environment.
Warm hospitality, professional service
Overall, the Naupata community, a destination with rich culture and significant potential for international tourism, could benefit in many ways from the CHN Team's visit, strengthening its online presence through storytelling and content creation, improving its guest facilities and accommodation standards. As of March 2026, all of its homestays have been included in the Community Homestay Network, already awaiting their first international travellers. So, if you want to explore a Himalaya region, off the beaten track, you might want to take a trip to the stunning landscapes of Khandeshwori undertake the 11-days-circuit to majestic Himal Api and enjoy the warm hospitality and unique culture of the Naupata Community.
