The Blue and Brown house is a recent renovated small original country nepali house in the heart of the valley where people can stay and experience the real impact of their donations to Himal Foundation. The house can host anyone who either wishes to do some volunteer work or stay and pay for your stay. All funds raised from guests staying at the Blue & Brown House are donated to The Himal Foundation. Staying here is a great way to live in the heart of the valley, meet the locals, explore the Himalayas and experience this beautiful part of Nepal in style.
The Himal Foundation has access to a small typical Nepali house with the most stunning views of the Himalayas, specially the Machhapuchhare Mountain, which is one of the only peaks in the Himalayas that has never been climbed by humankind. Staying at the house, locally known as the Blue and Brown house is a unique experience to live in the heart of the valley, where you will be able to not only enjoy the views, but also live like a real local. The fresh spinach which can be literally plugged from the beautiful carved terraces in front of the house will be the most tasty that you have ever tried. This valley is so rich in resources; you will be able to find wild cinnamon tree, tealeaves, spinach, and cauliflower, almost whatever vegetables you can think of! Another must try and you will find some in the house is rock honey, one of the most delicious and difficult to find honey. Locals climb even 20 metres just to fill one pot; the bees that pick on the pollen of high altitude flowers make a sweet and most delicate honey.
In Nepal the Cow is sacred so most people do not eat it, we encourage you to try instead Yak or buffalo milk, as well as Yak cheese, one of our favourites! The clean fresh air from the valley will take you to a journey, were you will go ‘back to basics’ and will have a chance to reconnect with mother earth like never before. You can go trekking or simply stay in the house and admire the grandeur and power of nature at its best.
If you decide to experience Nepali from The Himal Foundation House you will have the chance to meet the locals, most of them do not speak English but you will be amazed how much you can communicate with them. Most of them spend their days farming or taking care of their yaks and homes. The people from the valley is what makes this place magical, with their kindness and peaceful energy they can teach us so many things, from rock honey hunting to basic and key values which will be the best souvenir you will take back home. From the house you can walk to the school and health post the Himal Foundation has been working on, it’s a great way to see with your own eyes what impact your donation has had in the valley. As soon as you arrive, be sure to have one or a few visitors to welcome you to their homeland, gift you some buffalo fresh milk or a bunch of spinach. The people from the valley have very humble lives, yet they are the most kind we have every come across.
Once settled in the Blue and Brown House if you wish to 'stay flat' you can do so and still experience the beauty of the Himalayas. However, if you are more adventurous and wish to go off trekking this place is just at the perfect location. The house is just a few metres from the start of the Mardi Himal Trek, which takes you all the way to the skirts of Machapuchare’s base camp. This walk can be done in one day and for those who trek, wouldn’t it be lovely to trek in the Himalayas with a light bag pack and come back to your very own home and have a warm shower? The Mardi Himal trek is a popular trek, but not as crowded as the Annapurna trek; it is shorter as well and to us, just as beautiful, if not more! There plenty of other walks you can do near around the house for all levels. You can visit the Himalayas with all members of the family knowing you have a comfortable base where some can stay or do shorter walks and others can really visit the neighbouring valleys of Annapurna as well as other more challenging treks.
We say, 'experience Nepal in style', let us explain. For those who have already trekked in Nepal might understand how rewarding and valuable a warm shower becomes after a few days walking. The Himalayas are remote and sometimes it is not easy to spend days walking in the mountains without access to certain things. With the Blue and Brown house, we want to give the opportunity to everybody to visit this beautiful part of the world. For those who are less adventurous, or younger or older, you can still do this whilst staying at the house. We are lucky to have warm water, comfortable beds, small fridge and even an oven! We decided to make this home a bit more comfortable, whilst still being an original country Nepali house build by locals we thought it would be great to make it a place where a whole family with younger kids or elderly members of the family could enjoy. The house has two bedrooms, one large living and dining room (with sofa beds) its own kitchen and private bathroom (with WC!) and shower with cold and hot water. There is even a small pool with natural water on the terrace. You will need to visit to see by yourself.
