Active Tourism
Sikles Sky-Trail Homestay Circuit
Three Gurung villages, 14 registered homestays, 640 guest-nights in year one — income that stays local.
A 3-day circuit off the main Annapurna trail.
A homestay trekking circuit linking three Gurung villages — standardized hosting, trained local guides, digital marketing and bookings.
Benefits are designed to stay in the villages: standardized hosting, a guest-rotation system, and local guides mean tourist spend reaches households directly.
"Two of our youth came back from Gulf jobs to run a guiding business here."
— Homestay committee chair, Madi
At a glance
- Program: Tourism
- Location: Madi Rural Municipality, Kaski
- Duration: 2024–2026
- Budget: NPR 2,380,000
- Beneficiaries: 14 host households · 12 guides · ~40 indirect
Four objectives.
14 homestays to NTB standard
Registered to Nepal Tourism Board standard.
12 local guides trained
6 of them women.
800 guest-nights/year by end 2026
≥70% of tourist spend stays in the villages
Success criteria
- 14 NTB-registered homestays
- 12 guides trained (6 women)
- 800 guest-nights/year
- 70%+ spend retained locally
Where NPR 2,380,000 goes.
| Item | NPR | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Homestay upgrades (14 × 90,000) | 1,260,000 | 53% |
| Guide & hospitality training | 340,000 | 14% |
| Trail signage + rest points | 280,000 | 12% |
| Photography, website, booking integration | 250,000 | 11% |
| Fam trip for 10 operators/creators | 160,000 | 7% |
| Coordination & M&E | 90,000 | 4% |
| Total | 2,380,000 |
Budget notes
- One professional photo shoot outperformed a year of amateur posts.
Who this reaches
14
host households (~70 people)
12
guides trained
~40
indirect (produce, mules, tea shops)
- 14 host households, roughly 70 people
- 12 trained guides
- ~40 indirect beneficiaries
From assemblies to independence
Q2 2024
Village assemblies + household selection
Q3 2024
Upgrades + training
Q4 2024
Soft launch + fam trip
Q2 2025
Online bookings live
Q2 2026
Committee runs circuit independently
Before → after
Guest-nights (first 12 months)
NTB-registered homestays
- Host income +NPR 9,800/month in season
- 2 youth returned from Gulf employment to run a guiding business
People behind it
Local coordinator
Homestay committee chair.
8 youth-club volunteers
Trail work.
Diaspora mentor
Nepali travel-industry professional in the UK — marketing.
Partners
- Ward office
- A Pokhara trekking agency
- NTB listing
How it aligns
SDG 8 · Decent Work
National alignment
- Nepal Tourism Decade 2023–2032
- ADB ecotourism priority
Lessons learned
- Guest-rotation system prevented household conflict.
- Women-led homestays got better reviews — recruit accordingly.
- One professional photo shoot outperformed a year of amateur posts.
This project profile is an illustrative example developed for program design and partnership discussions.