If you want to experience true Ladakhi life, especially in its rural, pastoral villages, you need to stay in a farm with a local family. This is exactly what Himalayan Farmstays, set up as part of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), offers guests when they choose to stay in one of the homestays in its network.

Himalayan Farmstays is a community-based tourism organisation that aims to create a sustainable environment and to promote the true cultural heritage of the region. It has been working with local farmstays, offering accommodation in Ladakhi villages, and also curating experiences for visitors and guests. The idea behind Himalayan Farmstays is to generate alternative livelihood and to minimise unskilled migration from traditional villages that have been sustainable, and even regenerative for centuries, but are facing grave danger because the modern economy has bypassed them.

At present, Himalayan Farmstays offers stays in Phyang Village, close to Leh. Most homes in rural Ladakh have a farm attached where the people grow vegetables primarily for their own consumption.

Guests at the farmstay get to experience authentic Ladakhi life—having meals with the family in the warm kitchen or helping them in the farming activities. The village, which is ringed by mountains, is a great place for long walks. The quiet and beautiful setting is sure to turn even the most jaded urban dweller into a poet!

The homes that are part of the Himalayan Farmstay initiative are all unique. Some are set in big farms and have four or five bedrooms for guests, while others are more intimate with just a couple of bedrooms on offer. Many of the homestays have large glass windows offering great views of the looming snow capped peaks in the distance. All offer warm hospitality and authentic Ladakhi food.

Price: From Rs 800 per night per person

Read more: https://www.himalayanfarmstays.com