Rumsi trip a fine choice to explore rural settings

Bishnu Nepal and Basu Dev Paudel

Rumsi (Tanahu), May 5: Traditional houses roofed with neatly arranged stone slabs. Approach paths to homes are orderly paved with stones.

It is an ethnic Magar-majority community, Rusmi village of Vyas Municipality- 14 in Tanahu district. However diverse local traditions and culture are enriching. 

The village has started gaining an identity of a tourist destination since the local government in collaboration with the Gandaki Province government implemented a programme to develop Rumsi as a 'model village' three years back. It is known as the 'village of Lahure', as a significant number of people here were recruited in the British and Indian armies in the past. 

Initiatives to develop the village into the model one have been implemented under the "Chief Minister Innovation Partnership Programme". Homestay services are available in around 80 percent of the households, said Chair of Rumsi Community Homestay Management Committee, Santosh Thapa. 

Besides, the conservation and utilisation of historic, religious, cultural and natural heritages has been equal priority, he added. Under the model village initiative, it has been aimed to establish it as a 'significant' tourist destination, simultaneously boosting the income generation efforts through tourism and agricultural activities 

The Bandipur-Rumsi Village tour, the Rumsi Eco Trek, cannoning in Rumsi Waterfall, farmer field schools, cultural exchange programmes, traditional local cuisine experiences and religious events have been introduced under the Programme. For the scheme, Gandaki Province Government had earlier allocated Rs 6.5 million while the local government chipped in Rs 3.5 million.  

Moreover, the local government this year released Rs 1 million to construct a building aimed at systematising the homestay services.

Homestay facilities at Rumsi welcome guests from both home and abroad, according to Committee member Harimaya Thapa. He said that the service providers strive to deliver services at their best to the guests, ensuring that visitors depart with a lasting and gracious impression of their hospitality. 

The services are available in a package pricing at Rs 1,200 per person per night. Upon arrival, guests are warmly welcomed with locally brewed tea accompanied by a traditional maize snack. 

In dinner, visitors are provided with meals with local tastes. Guests are served organic, locally sourced produce and vegetables prepared in traditional styles, typically shared in a group setting. Groups of more than ten visitors are warmly welcomed with the village's traditional art and cultural performances.

Rumsi is conveniently reachable by road from Damauli that serves as the districts headquarters for Tanahu, and Bandipur, a noted tourist destination in the district. It lies in a distance of 16 kilometers from Damauli and 15 kilometers from Bandipur. 

The route from Damauli passes through Bhadgaun, Buddha Singh Marga, Pokhari Bhanjyang, Gudi Phachyang, Keshabtar and finally reaches Rumsi, while the route via Bandipur goes through Serathar, Sukhaura and Keshabtar. Public transport services are available at different times in the morning from Damauli to reach Rumsi while private vehicles can be used from the Bandipur route. 

A village safari service has been introduced for visitors wishing to explore the surroundings of Rumsi village, said Village Safari operator Basanta Poudel.  

A farm trip targeting media representatives and tourism entrepreneurs was  recently organised on the occasion of the Village Tourism Mart concluded in Bandipur, said Nepal Tourism Board, Gandaki Province Chief Maniraj Lamichhane. 

Village Tourism Promotion Forum (VITOF) Gandaki Province is working on promoting potential destinations across the province, said Forum Chair Shobha Sapkota. It has been prioritised to provide training in hospitality and homestay management to the services providers in villages with strong tourism potential, she added. RSS