Indian Himalayas village homestay
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your budget and requirements |
| price: | From £489 (8 days) excluding flights (or £781 per couple, £1461 based on family of 4). We can arrange flights from the UK. Additional charges for activities upto £30 per couple (cooking) |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you have ever wanted to live in, work and support an Indian village, here is your chance.
In the green midranges of the Himalayas with a stunning backdrop of towering snow capped peaks lies the village of Samthar, tucked in a remote part of the mountains. The village stretches across 12 kms, with scattered homesteads loosely grouped into hamlets, adjacent to terraced farmland. The valley then plunges down steeply to the Samthar Khola (river).
The people who live in Samthar are a blend of ethnic groups - Lepchas, Sherpas and Nepali - and have adopted Nepali as a link language, yet maintained their diverse cultural identity.
We will collect you from Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri train station and take you to Samthar vilage through the beautiful Himalayan foothills with river valleys and forests. Dinner and overnight stay at Samthar Farm House, hosted by General Jimmy Singh. Next morning we'll take you to your homestay hosts and get you settled. For the rest of your stay you will have a flexible program. Lt. General Jimmy Singh will help you coordinate with your host families and you will choose what you want to do on a daily basis. At the end of your stay, after a farewell meal, we'll take you back to Bagdora or Kalimpong for your journey home.
General Jimmy Singh: During his 36 year career with the Indian Army, General Jimmy Singh commanded a Mountain Brigade in Sikkim, a Mountain Division in Arunachal Pradesh, and a Mountain Corps responsible for the defence of Sikkim and Bhutan. Having walked to almost every pass on the Himalayan Watershed, he was responsible for deploying large bodies of troops in virgin terrain up to altitudes of 18000 feet. Whilst in command of the counter Insurgency School in the tribal state of Mizoram, he interacted extensively with the tribal populations and learned the values of living in harmony with nature.
The General has an abiding interest in history, geopolitics, ecology, culture, religion and lifestyles of people living in the remote regions of India and is dedicated to introducing people to their heritage.
The General evolves and updates the tour itineraries based on his experience, ground reconnaissance, and interaction with local people. He has lived in Samthar for the last 15 years and offers two properties around Kalimpong – Gurudongma House, and Samthar Farmhouse which was converted from an old Lepcha Farm House thus providing free skill training for the local people.
We can offer a range of extensions following your homestay including trekking in the Himalayas or staying in a homestay in Sikkim. Please contact us for details.
Family holidays: The tour is suitable for families with children who are relaxed about staying in non-western environments (e.g. the food is Indian). There is plenty for children and lots of potential playmates.
The homestay
Gaire Gaon hamlet is reached by a 10 minute steep "tumble down" trail from the Samthar Farm House. You will see a cluster of 36 homes creeping down to the lower valley through a series of terraces. The people are all Nepali Hindus from the Bhujel community.
You will be hosted by Krishna Kumar Bhujel, aged 61 and his wife Pavitra (aged 50) who has brought up 9 children, of which 2 are still at home. They own 6 acres of land and grow paddy, millet, maize, ginger, pulses and vegetables. They own oxen, cows, goats, pigs and poultry.
The fully furnished guest room is on the first floor and built of natural stone and bricks with wooden floor and ceiling. There is an en-suite tiled western-style toilet and bath, and the room opens onto a 6 feet wide verandah with direct mountain views. A secluded garden with lawn is being developed by the host family.
Activities
In the green midranges of the Himalayas with a stunning backdrop of towering snow capped peaks lies the village of Samthar, tucked in a remote part of the mountains. The village stretches across 12 kms, with scattered homesteads loosely grouped into hamlets, adjacent to terraced farmland. The valley then plunges down steeply to the Samthar Khola (river).
The people who live in Samthar are a blend of ethnic groups - Lepchas, Sherpas and Nepali - and have adopted Nepali as a link language, yet maintained their diverse cultural identity.
We will collect you from Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri train station and take you to Samthar vilage through the beautiful Himalayan foothills with river valleys and forests. Dinner and overnight stay at Samthar Farm House, hosted by General Jimmy Singh. Next morning we'll take you to your homestay hosts and get you settled. For the rest of your stay you will have a flexible program. Lt. General Jimmy Singh will help you coordinate with your host families and you will choose what you want to do on a daily basis. At the end of your stay, after a farewell meal, we'll take you back to Bagdora or Kalimpong for your journey home.
General Jimmy Singh: During his 36 year career with the Indian Army, General Jimmy Singh commanded a Mountain Brigade in Sikkim, a Mountain Division in Arunachal Pradesh, and a Mountain Corps responsible for the defence of Sikkim and Bhutan. Having walked to almost every pass on the Himalayan Watershed, he was responsible for deploying large bodies of troops in virgin terrain up to altitudes of 18000 feet. Whilst in command of the counter Insurgency School in the tribal state of Mizoram, he interacted extensively with the tribal populations and learned the values of living in harmony with nature. The General has an abiding interest in history, geopolitics, ecology, culture, religion and lifestyles of people living in the remote regions of India and is dedicated to introducing people to their heritage.
The General evolves and updates the tour itineraries based on his experience, ground reconnaissance, and interaction with local people. He has lived in Samthar for the last 15 years and offers two properties around Kalimpong – Gurudongma House, and Samthar Farmhouse which was converted from an old Lepcha Farm House thus providing free skill training for the local people. We can offer a range of extensions following your homestay including trekking in the Himalayas or staying in a homestay in Sikkim. Please contact us for details.
Family holidays: The tour is suitable for families with children who are relaxed about staying in non-western environments (e.g. the food is Indian). There is plenty for children and lots of potential playmates.
The homestay Gaire Gaon hamlet is reached by a 10 minute steep "tumble down" trail from the Samthar Farm House. You will see a cluster of 36 homes creeping down to the lower valley through a series of terraces. The people are all Nepali Hindus from the Bhujel community.
You will be hosted by Krishna Kumar Bhujel, aged 61 and his wife Pavitra (aged 50) who has brought up 9 children, of which 2 are still at home. They own 6 acres of land and grow paddy, millet, maize, ginger, pulses and vegetables. They own oxen, cows, goats, pigs and poultry.
The fully furnished guest room is on the first floor and built of natural stone and bricks with wooden floor and ceiling. There is an en-suite tiled western-style toilet and bath, and the room opens onto a 6 feet wide verandah with direct mountain views. A secluded garden with lawn is being developed by the host family.
Activities
Sunrise watching. The panorama includes the Khangchenganga group of peaks - Simvo, Siniolchu, Lama Anden, Chomoyomo and Paunhari - and the passes of Chola, Natula, and Jalepla, leading into Tibet - Guided and non guided walks through the village to meet people in their homes and fields (Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist).), and learn about their work, beliefs and customs.
- Visit local artisans/craftsmen and watch (or join) them working with traditional skills (blacksmithing, basketmaking etc.)
- Learn Indian cooking (including pickle making) and cooking with a solar cooker
- Watch housewives show how they extract mustard oil using a press made of wood, bamboo and stone and watch husking of paddy using hand and foot pounding tool and grinding of corn using stone grinder
- Learn cutting and stitching of Indian dresses. You can visit the village tailors for made-to-measure clothes
- Learn about traditional methods of bee keeping (hollow tree trunks) and preparing Chang (millet beer)
Participation in village chores - ploughing, sowing, harvesting, collection of firewood and fodder, care of the family livestock (milking and herding) - Learn about traditional frame and thatch houses and watch their construction
- Learn about Bomthang and Jhakri - nature doctors, shamans, and faith healers. A chance to meet these men and watch demonstrations
- Enjoy several day treks - walk amidst nature with good views and the chance to meet more village folk
how this holiday makes a difference
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After 15 years in rural tourism, based from his home in Samthar, retired Lt. General Jimmy Singh is working with our company to start village homestay holidays. He believes that village self help schemes are the way forward to tackle rural unemployment and does not benefit financially from this scheme. The start up costs (US $3,000) and ongoing operational costs (until the tours provide suffienct income) have and will continue to be funded by General Jimmy Singh, who has also funded the building of the houses and is donating money for the education of the village children.
 Guests live in homestays within the village, learning with the local craftsmen who in turn get a direct income from their trades. The wider project includes educational support for school children and vocational training. During your stay in the village, you'll be able to join in village activities such as ploughing, sowing, harvesting, collection of firewood and fodder, cow herding, goat care, cooking, mat and basket making, and blacksmithing. You can explore the countryside, join in the cricket and football matches, play cards with the village elders, or relax in peace in your homestay.Approximately 35% of the cost goes to the host family, 18% to the project and 7% covers transportation with a local driver. All the money for activities goes directly to the villagers. Our tours are listed in the Ethical Travel Guide, published by Tourism Concern. We charge carbon tax to our guests for their flights according to the rates given by Climate Care and pay Climate Care yearly.  This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |