Tangting Village Homestay

I last visited Tangting village, which is located to the north east of Pokhara, about twenty years ago. At the time we were assessing villages for their potential to develop what was then the new concept of village tourism.  SInce then the village community has established a number of households offering guest accommodation where the guest lives as part of the family. 

The Gurung village of Tangting is on the hillside opposite the large Gurung settlement of Siklis but has the major advantage of having direct mountain views from the village. The view is dominated by Annapurna 2 and Annapurna 4 and on a clear day is nothing short of spectacular.

Most of the village houses are of traditional design and construction and where old houses are being replaced they are still retaining their traditional appearance even if they are using modern materials. If the bed that I slept in was anything to go by then visiting guests will be more than comfortable and the food was delicious.

Our stay this time was only for one night, and was interrupted by a heavy monsoon rain storm, but it was long enough to see that the villagers had managed to retain all of the charm that I remember from my first visit.

The local school was financed by a UK/Isle of Man organisation, The Pahar Trust, established by a group of ex Gurkha soldiers. The quality of it's original design and construction is evidenced by the fact that it survived unscathed by the 2015 earthquake that hit Nepal. The 120 local students study up to year 10 before continuing their education in Pokhara or Kathmandu.

The only issue that has held Tangting back has been access. When I first visited we reached the village by climbing a steep trekking trail that took over four hours from the road head. Since then there have been three major hydro electric projects built and another is under construction. This has led to road access to Tangting being possible. Currently this access is hampered by a damaged bridge and an unfinished road close to the village but both of these  issues are expected to be resolved within the next year. Once access is improved we plan on marketing Tangting not only as a single destination but also as a part of short trekking itineraries in the area.

We will keep you posted on developments.