Barauli lies on the west bank of the Narayani in Kawasoti Municipality, Nawalpur district, about 45 km by road from Bharatpur. The village is Tharu, with mud-walled houses, buffalo sheds and fields of rice, wheat and mustard running down to the river. Across the water lies the western buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, and wild elephants and rhinos occasionally cross into the fields at night.
In 2015 local women, supported by the Community Homestay Network, opened the Barauli Community Homestay. Instead of staying in family bedrooms, guests sleep in a cluster of small cottages built in the village, each with an attached bathroom, and eat in the homes of the host families. The project is run by Tharu women, and income goes to the households and a community fund. It is one of the better-known examples of community tourism around Chitwan.
A stay here is slow and personal. You might help grind spices, catch small fish in a bamboo trap, learn a few words of the Tharu language, or watch the village dance group perform in the evening. Barauli is not a safari base in itself, but lodges and guides can arrange jeep drives into the western sector or a day across in Meghauli. We include it in our Tharu culture homestay package.
What to see and do
- Women-run community homestay
Barauli's homestay is managed by Tharu women from the village. You sleep in simple cottages with attached bathrooms and share meals with host families, and your money goes straight to the households and their community fund.
- Home-cooked Tharu food
Meals are cooked over wood or gas fires in family kitchens: rice, lentils, seasonal greens, fish or snail curry, and dhikri, steamed rice-flour dumplings. Guests are welcome to help in the kitchen.
- Narayani riverbank sunset
A short walk from the village brings you to the wide Narayani, with the forest of the Chitwan buffer zone on the far bank. Evenings are quiet, with fishermen in dugouts and egrets flying to roost.
- Village walks and farm work
Walk the fields with a host, visit the school and the community forest, and join in whatever the season brings, from planting rice in July to harvesting in November and mustard flowers in January.
- Evening Tharu dances
The village cultural group performs stick and harvest dances for guests on some evenings, in the courtyard rather than a theatre, which gives a very different feel from the Sauraha shows.
Experiences in Barauli
How to reach Barauli
Road
From Kathmandu, Barauli is ≈ 200 km · 6–7 h via Mugling and Narayangarh, crossing the Narayani at Gaindakot and following the Mahendra Highway west to Kawasoti before turning south. From Sauraha it is ≈ 60 km · 1.5–2 h, and from Lumbini ≈ 120 km · 3.5 h.
Air
Fly Kathmandu–Bharatpur in about 25 minutes, then drive ≈ 45 km · 1.5 h west via Gaindakot and Kawasoti. We arrange the transfer with the airport pick-up.
Where to stay
The Barauli Community Homestay is the reason to come: about a dozen small cottages built within the village, each with comfortable beds and an attached bathroom with a Western toilet, and meals in the host families' homes. It is basic compared with a resort but clean and well run. There are no large hotels in Barauli itself; travellers who want more comfort can stay in Meghauli across the river or at the resorts near Kawasoti and combine that with a day visit to the village.
Tips from our trip managers
- Book ahead; the homestay has a limited number of cottages and groups fill it quickly in October and November.
- Bring modest clothes; shorts are fine for men, but women should cover knees and shoulders in the village.
- Carry a torch; village lanes are dark and wild elephants sometimes visit the fields at night.
- Pack a small gift for the host family, such as fruit or school supplies, rather than giving money to children.
- Mobile data works in the village, but the homestay is a good place to switch off for a day.
