Sunita's Homestay

Sunita’s Homestay is a typical mountain village house in Manang, the heart of the Annapurna region. Most tourists and trekkers choose to stay in Manang comfortable hotels to acclimatize and rest, but they miss the chance to meet local Manangi people and live a true village experience. While staying at Sunita’s, you will be one of the few travellers to reach beyond the highly touristy Manang area and connect with the unique Manangi culture. the price is for: tea and snack+dinner+night+breakfast. The space Manang is an ideal place to have a rest, acclimatize, visit Milarepa cave, the ice lake, the gompas (monasteries) nearby, and get stunning views of the Annapurna range. Sunita’s house is a traditionnal village house, in the heart of the village, with upstairs bedrooms western-style toilets, and a beautiful terrace offering stunning views on the whole Annapurna range. We can easily accommodate up to 10 persons as we have triple and double rooms. At Sunita’s, you are free to choose what you want to eat for dinner or breakfast. You are always welcome to join her around the fire, look or take part in the preparation of meals. Most of what you will find on your plate has come from the local gardens. Sunita was born and has spent all her life there so she knows a lot about this place, its people and its traditions . She has welcomed many foreign travellers and can speak English almost fluently. She has also travelled to Australia and Europe before so she understands the requirements of foreigners and provides excellent matresses, ample blankets, bed sheets, clean food & boiled drinking water so you have everything you need to enjoy your stay. It's a very quiet and "local" area, away from the hotels and shops which are down in the center of Manang. There is wifi, but like many villages, there are sometimes electricity cuts and the phone network can be moody at times. Manang can be reached both on foot and by jeep from Besi Sahar. And every day, there are many buses from Pokhara or Kathmadu to Besi Sahar. In dry season It is possible to get directly from Besi Sahar to Manang in a day by jeep, but during the monsoon (july-august) the road is sometimes not accessible by jeep as far as Manang so we recommend to take minimum luggage as you may end up hiking a part of the journey. It is best to leave your suitcase at you guest house in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and bring only what you can carry yourself (maximum 10 kg). There are quite a lot of places to see in the village and if you need, Sunita can show you around. You might wish to watch the locals in their daily activities : making momos, brewing the local alcohol ‘raksi’, or making local churpi with fresh yack cheese, see how people spend their days working the fields or around the house, or you can simply relax and enjoy the views over the Annapurnas. From manang, you can easily go for day hikes to the ice lake, or gangapurna viewpoint or again Milarepa cave. For a 2 days-hike, you can choose to reach the famous lake of Tilicho. You can also hike to the yack pastures where you can meet the local sheperds,and see how they make butter. Either way, this can be a great opportunity to learn about different ways of living or simply recharge your batteries and connect with nature. Guest access At Sunita, you have a Bed and Breakfast formula (dinner + night + breakfast) but you also have the possibility of choosing another meal on site (lunch meal for example). You are always welcome to come and sit by the fire pit, watch or take part in meal preparation. Most of what you find on your plate is grown in local gardens. Sunita was born and lived all her life in this region, so she has a very good knowledge of the places, the people and their traditions. It has already welcomed many foreign travelers. Therefore, she speaks English almost fluently, but above all, she knows the requirements of travelers and pays particular attention to the quality of mattresses & blankets, the cleanliness of bed sheets, the hygiene of food and uses boiled drinking water so that you can peacefully enjoy your stay. During your stay Manang is an ideal place to rest, acclimatize, visit the Milarepa Cave, the frozen lake, the nearby gompas (monasteries), and admire breathtaking views of the Annapurna massif. Sunita can guide you in the village and surrounding areas, depending on your needs and her availability. You can also learn with her to cook the specialties of the region (momos, thukpa, etc.), if it is the right season: witness the making of local alcohol (raksi), fresh yak cheese, or even work in the surrounding fields. From manang, you can easily go for a day hike to the ice lake, or to the Gangapurna viewpoint or to the Milarepa cave. If you have 2 days, you can choose to reach the famous Tilicho Lake. You can also meet local shepherds in the "alpine pastures", share their meals and see how they make yak butter: so many opportunities to discover the typical way of life of these inhabitants or simply to recharge your batteries and contemplate absolutely majestic landscapes. Other things to note As Manang is located in the Annapurna region, you must plan to purchase a trekking permit from KTM or Pokhara beforehand. Being Sunita's friend for many years, I am helping her (with her consent of course) to advertise her little place on AirBB as co-host and contact person, so, do not hesitate to ask questions for further information. Valerie