| Duration | 10 |
| Max. altitude | m |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Transportation | Local Bus/4 wheel drive |
| Accommodation | Homestay/Guesthouse |
| Trip starts/ends | Kathmandu / Kathmandu |
People’s Indigenous Trekking by Asiana Treks and Tours is a pioneering trekking experience in Nepal, uniquely designed to immerse travelers in the rich and diverse indigenous cultures of the region. Unlike typical high-altitude treks focused primarily on nature and mountain views, this trek emphasizes cultural immersion, providing a living experience among Nepal’s indigenous peoples in the mid-hill regions, below 3,000 meters. The trek spans a stunning geographical area, offering panoramic views that extend from the western Himalayan giants like Dhaulagiri and Annapurna to the eastern marvels of Numburchuili and Kanchenjunga. The trail is framed by natural landmarks including the majestic Thulo Sailung peak to the north and the golden rivers Sun Koshi and Tama Koshi to the south and east.
The trek allows visitors to delve deeply into the everyday lives and traditions of diverse ethnic groups such as the Tamang, Newars, Sherpas, Thames, and Majlis. These communities maintain vibrant customs shaped by both Hinduism and Buddhism, evident in the numerous temples, stupas, and monasteries scattered along the trail. Staying overnight in private homes offers an authentic and intimate experience, far removed from commercial tourism. Visitors enjoy traditional meals prepared in hygienic local kitchens and often participate in cultural events like folk dances, weddings, and culinary workshops. The aim is to provide travelers not only breathtaking landscapes but a meaningful connection to Nepal’s living heritage.
Key Highlights:
Trekking at lower elevations (below 3,000m)
Panoramic Himalayan views from Annapurna to Kanchenjunga
Stay in traditional homestays with indigenous families
Exposure to multiple ethnic groups and their cultural practices
Opportunities for cultural performances, workshops, and festivals
Natural diversity including forest walks, bird watching, and fishing
2. Introduction to People’s Indigenous Trekking
The People’s Indigenous Trekking route is a cultural and scenic journey crafted by Asiana Treks and Tours to showcase the authentic lifestyles and traditions of Nepal’s indigenous communities. It is one of the first treks in Nepal dedicated exclusively to cultural exploration combined with accessible trekking, suitable for those interested in anthropology, history, and nature alike.
Unlike high-altitude trekking routes, this trail maintains moderate elevation, focusing on the mid-hills where indigenous people live in harmony with nature. Trekking here is not just about reaching a summit; it is about experiencing the heritage and stories of the local peoples firsthand. Travelers will traverse varied landscapes—from terraced farmlands and peaceful villages to lush forests and river valleys—while engaging directly with local hosts.
The journey also highlights the peaceful coexistence of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, manifested in a wealth of religious sites. Monasteries, temples, and local festivals provide a vibrant backdrop to the trekking experience. By spending nights in homestays, trekkers get a unique window into daily Nepali life, including cooking traditional meals, participating in cultural rituals, and learning native arts and crafts.
This trek promises a slow, immersive adventure that offers cultural richness, warm hospitality, and stunning natural scenery — a perfect blend for those seeking meaningful travel experiences.
3. Trekking Route Summary
The People’s Indigenous Trekking route is carefully planned to maximize cultural and natural experiences while maintaining comfortable trekking distances each day:
Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,337m) – Begin with acclimatization and cultural preparation.
Day 2: Heritage Tour of Kathmandu – Explore UNESCO sites and historic monuments.
Day 3: Kathmandu to Mude (2,580m), then Mude to Deurali (2,298m) – Initial trek into the hills.
Day 4: Deurali to Kholakharka (2,448m) – Scenic village routes and forest trails.
Day 5: Kholakharka to Surkey Doramba (1,842m) – Descend into warmer valleys, encountering diverse flora and fauna.
Day 6: Doramba to Galba to Khandadevi – Visits to local communities and temples.
Day 7: Khandadevi to Hiledevi/Dongme – Trek through terraced fields and cultural villages.
Day 8: Hiledevi to Sunapati to Lubughat – Cross river valleys and dense forests.
Day 9: Lubughat to Nepalthok, then drive to Dhulikhel (1,650m) – End of trek with traditional hospitality.
Day 10: Departure from Kathmandu or onward destination.
The route combines trekking, cultural experiences, and comfortable homestays, providing a well-rounded adventure in Nepal’s indigenous heartland.
4. Cultural Highlights
A central feature of the People’s Indigenous Trekking is the extraordinary cultural diversity encountered along the way. The trek passes through villages inhabited by six major ethnic groups: Tamang, Newars, Sherpas, Thames, Majlis, and others. Each group has its own language, customs, and traditional attire, which travelers can witness during their homestay visits.
The journey is rich with opportunities to attend local festivals, traditional weddings, and dance performances where locals wear vibrant costumes and sing ancestral songs. Visitors may take part in culinary workshops, learning to prepare authentic Nepali dishes using local ingredients. Religious diversity is also profound—monasteries, stupas, and Hindu temples dot the trail, offering insight into spiritual practices and ceremonies including meditation and traditional animal sacrifices.
Moreover, the trek provides cultural immersion rather than superficial tourism. Staying with host families allows trekkers to observe daily routines, agricultural practices, and traditional crafts like weaving and wood carving. This hands-on approach fosters understanding and respect for Nepal’s indigenous heritage.
Cultural Highlights Include:
Interaction with 6 ethnic groups and their languages
Traditional homestays and family-style meals
Local festivals, folk dances, and cultural performances
Visits to Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries
Culinary workshops and traditional cooking
Witnessing rituals like animal sacrifice and meditation practices
5. Terrain and Altitude Overview
The trekking route mainly traverses the mid-hills of Nepal, with altitudes ranging between 1,300 meters and 2,600 meters. This makes the trek accessible for most travelers, avoiding the extreme altitudes and risks associated with high mountain expeditions. The terrain varies from gentle valley walks and terraced agricultural fields to forest trails and small mountain ridges.
The route is generally moderate in difficulty, with some gradual ascents and descents each day. Paths are well-trodden, often connecting remote villages, allowing trekkers to enjoy a mix of natural beauty and rural landscapes. The moderate altitude ensures a comfortable trekking pace without the need for extensive acclimatization.
Throughout the journey, trekkers will experience diverse ecosystems—from subtropical forests in lower valleys to cool pine and rhododendron forests at higher elevations. This variation enriches the trek with opportunities for birdwatching, forest walks, and encounters with local wildlife.
Terrain and Altitude at a Glance:
Altitude range: 1,337m to 2,580m
Mid-hill trekking, moderate elevation gain and loss
Varied terrain: terraced farms, forest trails, river valleys
Moderate difficulty with daily trekking of 4-6 hours
Diverse natural habitats including forests and riversides
6. Duration and Difficulty Level
The People’s Indigenous Trekking spans 10 days, including arrival and departure days in Kathmandu. The actual trekking duration is 7-8 days, allowing a balanced pace that is suitable for travelers of moderate fitness. Each day involves 4 to 6 hours of walking, which is comfortable for most trekkers without requiring prior high-altitude experience.
The difficulty level is considered easy to moderate, primarily due to the moderate elevations and well-maintained trails. The trek is designed for those who want cultural immersion combined with manageable trekking. The gentle climbs and descents allow trekkers to appreciate the environment and interact with local people without feeling rushed or exhausted.
The homestay accommodations and opportunities to rest in villages provide additional comfort and cultural richness, making this trek ideal for families, cultural enthusiasts, and first-time trekkers alike.
Duration and Difficulty Summary:
Total duration: 10 days (including arrival and departure)
Trekking days: 7-8 days with daily walks of 4-6 hours
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Suitable for: Moderate fitness levels, families, cultural travelers
Accommodation: Homestays and guesthouses in villages
Your trip day starts today when you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Upon your arrival, you will be received by our representative at the airport. He will be carrying a signboard with our company’s name on it. Then you will be transferred to the tour hotel and checked in. A trip briefing will follow later today and the time will be notified to you by the representative who picks you up from the airport. We will come to meet and brief you about the trip at a fixed time. Until then just relax or explore a bit of surroundings
We take you for a day tour of cultural heritage monuments in Kathmandu valley after breakfast. The tour will give you a mixed insight of the history, culture, art, architecture, and spirituality of Kathmandu valley. The sites include; Swoyambhunath aka Monkey Temple: The oldest of all sites in Kathmandu valley, Swoyambhunath is an important Buddhist spiritual site having a history of over two thousand years old. This site has gained a popular name as a monkey temple as this small forested hill is a good habitat for hundreds of monkeys. The visit there will heighten your spiritual and cultural experience. Patan City including Patan Durbar Square: A tour to the medieval city of Patan gives you a great insight into the ethnic Newari culture, Buddhist spirituality, religious harmony, art, and architecture while you stroll around the charismatic alleys taking you to magnificent local community squares known as Bahal and eventually leading you to an incredible medieval palace square. The monuments and skills of the local artisans displayed on those monuments in the square will stun you with their unbelievable charm. Boudhanath Stupa: The largest of its kind in the world, this magnificent stupa is a very important center of faith for the people following Tibetan Buddhism. This place is a nice Circular Square with a stunning stupa in the middle of it which spreads a lot of spiritual vibrations around the atmosphere.
Early morning take breakfast, we are driving to 54 km access small hamlet Mude. The bus journey is so beautiful and takes 5 hours to Mude. We will follow the road through the Araniko highway and arrive at Dolalghat. Here, we can enjoy a little reprieve and appreciate newly cooked stream fishes. From here, we will pass through the hamlet of Khadichaur and arrive at Mude. On arriving at Mude, we will again take a short reward break and a trip continuous to Deurali. We will travel across delicate slopes and trails at Deurali. It will take around 3 to 4 hours.
Today we will hike along a small and narrow path to arrive at the Sherpa town of Kholakharka. It will associate with 5.30 hours journey, tolerably simple. We will arrive at the culmination of Thulo Sailung to get an Amazing view of the eastern Himalayan range at the height of 3,146 meters. The highest point provides an alluring view of the Annapurna, Ganesh Himal and Langtang, Everest, and Kanchenjunga range! We can likewise see the lavish green Mahabharata reach and Sunkoshi River winding down to the marshes of Terai on the Southern side. We will go through the night in the KholaKharka public venue.
Today's journey is only a five-hour. We will travel via an excellent settlement called Rajbhir. Most of the part of the trekking is downhill for now. We will be heading via serene and lush Sailung forest, which locals use to a maid house by these types of trees. Today we could visit the Rajveer Monastery and get endowments from the regarded Lamas. We walk via two different settlements of Sherpas and Tamangs separately. We can also visit the Gompas in both places. We will pass various Gompas, Chortens, Prayer Flags, Mani stones, and so on at Surkey. Overnight in homestay in Surkey.
After a lovely leave the Doramba valley, the course climbs to the consecrated Hindu hallowed place on Agleshwari Danda, where you will be fascinated with dazzling perspectives on the Himalaya and the moving Mahabharat slopes beneath. Plunge through the nearby record mine, through pine woods to arising at Galpa Bazaar. Galpa Bazaar is a clamoring community where you can buy cold beverages and bites, an ideal spot to break for lunch. Around two additional hours of strolling to the Khandadevi sanctuary, on top of a 1985m pinnacle, that charming Hindu Temple surrounded by old stone dividers. Temple was found in 1458 AD by a shepherd who found milk overflowing from a consecrated stone, likewise filled as a stronghold during the Anglo-Nepal war. The setting is overwhelmed by high slopes of lavish green Maharabharat Range with pinnacles of Numburchuli and Gaurishankar on the northern skyline and southern perspectives over the level Tarai. Every day offring (Panchabali) five different animals specify to Khadadevi which is continuous till today. Make the most of your night at the recently evolved Home-stay.
Following the pre-first light and dawn photograph and feeling, start your journey towards Hiledevi. After following the path from the edge up and down via thick pine timberlands before entrance into another valley. Amid the woods, you experience with few birds crip and warm-blooded animals just stone enhanced with a Shiva picture before arising at Dhonghme, a unique and age-old Yolmo settlement, habitant numerous Lamas. A significant part of the Yolmo youth is Thangka painters in Kathmandu. In the evening, make the continuous move gradual up to the Sunapati, A famous and stunning view of sunrise and sunset. Here among the Buddhist Chortens, you can appreciate dusk over the Himalaya before getting back to the religious community where you could enjoy the social and culture of the Yelmo ethnic group.
The following morning you will appreciate a similar view and dawn before the last drop to the town of Lubughat on the brilliant Koshi River. You will enjoy recently remodeled eco trails while arriving at the Senapati ridge. In the wake of showing up in Lubughat, you will encounter the Majhi people, eminent for their fishing aptitude and culture. Wandering through the streams, men, ladies, and youngsters again fling nets to get fish. You will go through your last day and night here in Lubughat, observe an interest in Majhi fishing, and get a charge out of a social exhibit before rising promptly the following morning. The Majhi fishing and BBQ encounters at Lubughat and further down at Seleghat have another business potential as independent items for brief-length travelers because of nearness to Kathmandu. Seleghat and Lubughat both places are pleasant stops for rafting to the clients also.
We will cross the river in Majhi boats and a hanging bridge to access Npalthok. From that point, we will get transport to Dhulikhel. Following one and half hours of picturesque transport drive, we will arrive at the unique and age-old bazaar of Dhulikhel. Dhulikhel is eminent for its unmistakable Newari culture and the perspective on the Himalayans. We could visit old types of sanctuaries, temples, houses, and craftsmanship in Dhulikhel. Overnight stay in Newari Homestay.
You will be transferred to the airport as per your flight schedule. We will pick you up from the hotel three hours prior to your flight time.