Kunja Village Homestay

Hosted by everyone

Held by the whole village

You don't stay beside the village — you stay right in the middle of it. Out here there are no neighbours, only family: every home a da's or a kaku's, every door open. We'll walk you over for chai, introduce you around, and let real Kumaoni warmth fold you in. This hospitality isn't a service we sell — it belongs to the whole village.

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You don't check into a property walled off from the world here — you stay right in the middle of a living Kumaoni village. And this village has no notion of a 'neighbour': it's one large family spread across many homes, where everyone is a da (elder brother), a bhula (younger one), an ama (grandmother), a bubu (grandfather) or a kaku (uncle). The lanes you'll wander belong to all of them.

We don't leave that connection to chance, either. We'll walk you over for chai with the family in the homes around us, introduce you around, and let you settle into the ordinary rhythm of village life. The warmth you'll feel isn't something we sell — it belongs to the whole village, and for a few days it's yours too.

How we address one another

No one stays a stranger for long — young or old, man or woman, everyone slots into the family by name. A whole household of them you'll hear, generation to generation (tap to hear each one):

Bubuबूबू/ boo·boo /

grandfatherthe village's grandfathers, one and all.

Amaअमा/ a·maa /

grandmotherevery grandmother here, yours too for the stay.

Babuबाबू/ baa·boo /

fatherwhat a child calls father — and a warm word for the older men.

Ijaईजा/ ee·jaa /

motherthe Kumaoni word for mother — every mother of the village.

Kakuकाकू/ kaa·koo /

uncleany uncle — and there's never a shortage of them here.

Kakiकाकी/ kaa·kee /

auntevery aunt, the warmth to match each kaku.

Daदा/ daa /

elder brotherany elder brother — kin or not.

Diदी/ dee /

elder sisterany elder sister — kin or not.

Bhulaभुला/ bhu·laa /

younger brotherthe fond word for any boy younger than you.

Bhuliभुली/ bhu·lee /

younger sisterthe fond word for any girl younger than you.

At a glance

When

Year-round

Cost

Free

Time

Typically evenings

Good for

Everyone

How it works

  1. 1

    Tell us you'd like to meet the family — over chai is the usual way.

  2. 2

    We walk you across and make the introductions; language is never a barrier.

  3. 3

    Linger as long as it feels right — drop in on the milking, the cooking, the chatter.

Like the sound of this? It comes with a stay — here's how that works.

Come experience it