Famous Farm

Famous Farm has been lovingly restored, taking eight years to return a collection of old Newari mansions to their former glory. Working hand in toe with the local community, it is a perfect example of sustainable tourism in action. The views over the sleepy town of Nuwakot are stunning. Famous Farm isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The rooms are really rather simple, yet charming and packed with character. The electricity and hot water supply is intermittent, and there is absolutely no WiFi or phone signal. The doorways and beams make you duck or grouse if you are tall. If none of that worries you, or even better it intrigues you, then read on. There are just 13 rooms at Famous Farm, all but two are en-suite (which we always book for our guests). There are nooks and crannies galore within the buildings. Outside you find the courtyard where al fresco meals are served, lovely traditional home-cooked Nepali thali dishes, although western dishes can be prepared. Down the side of the ridge you find eight traditional terraces, growing the organic food they serve up. It takes ten minutes to walk down to the centre of Nuwakot, which means ‘nine forts’. The town was badly affected by the Nepal Earthquake of 2015, and the owners of Famous Farm not only quickly repaired the hotel, but spearheaded the rebuilding in the town. The main Durbar Square contains a seven-tier pagoda constructed by Prithvi Narayan Shah, who eventually conquered the whole of Nepal in the 18th Century along with temples and palaces. It is very much a mini-Kathmandu, a snapshot into a lost age before the modern world arrived. There are also amazing walks you can head off on by day, so you can spend a day or two here or even a week if you just like getting off-the-beaten track and seeing authentic Nepal.