A buffer zone village that chose to host
Amaltari's families have lived beside this forest for generations. Tharu farmers cleared land for rice and kept buffaloes; Bote families fished the Narayani and ferried people across it in dugout canoes. When Chitwan National Park and its buffer zone were set up, access to the forest was restricted, and wild animals from the park began raiding crops. Families needed new income that did not depend on cutting grass and wood inside the park, and tourism was one of the few options open to them.
After Nepal introduced homestay rules in 2010, Amaltari saw a chance. In 2013 families opened their homes to visitors under a buffer zone community homestay, with help from the government and WWF. Guests were assigned to houses in turn, so income was shared, and village dance groups began performing for guests in the evenings. Families who had never hosted strangers learned to cook for guests, prepare rooms and present their songs and dances, and the homestay became a source of pride as well as income.
The project grew fast, drawing busloads of domestic tourists on weekends and holidays. Its success has raised hard questions too, about how fairly benefits reach Bote and Musahar families and how much tourism a small village can absorb. For travellers it remains one of the easiest ways to stay with a Tharu family and see a buffer zone village working. If you stay, ask your hosts how the homestay has changed their village; the answers are usually frank and always interesting.
