Hotel Alice was established to promote sustainable tourism in Humla

In the remote northwestern tip of Nepal is Humla, the last district that isn’t yet linked to the road network. At 2,900m elevation, Simkot is the highest placed district capital and has a busy airport that services Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar across the border in Tibet. After the earthquake destroyed the main Nepal-China border post at Kodari, the number of Indians on Kailash pilgrimage crossing the tiny border settlement of Hilsa grew three-fold to 10,000 last year and expecting 15,000 visitors this year.

Emerging Nepal Limited, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) investment company established mainly to foster and help grow the key enabling infrastructure frameworks, industrial promotion and management oriented business to build a better Nepal is the major promoter of the Hotel. Emerging Nepal Limited has investment portfolio in Nepal Infrastructure Bank Limited, CARE Rating Nepal Limited, Hotel Alice The Wonder Inn Limited, National Petroleum Limited and Banking Finance and Insurance Institute of Nepal Limited.

Hotel Alice is being established mainly to address the undressed segment of tourism attraction destination in Nepal, create employment opportunities, foster economic prosperity and development at local level, serve tourists visiting Kailash Mansharowar (a holy place for Hindus, Buddhist and Jain pilgrims), serve domestic tourist visiting Humla for recreation or official purpose and a well facilitated modern conference hall for trainings and conferences.

Being largest and first earthquake resistant RCC structure property in Simikot, the Hotel would be differentiating its services than the already existing hotels in the locality in terms of quality and customer services.  The Hotel’s estimated project cost Rs. 8 crore and it will have 26 rooms with 2 modern conference halls. The hotel will come into operation in full capacity from May 2019.

Director, Hotel Alice The Wonder Inn Ltd. Subarna Paudel, Acting CEO at Emerging Nepal Limited and Director at Hotel Alice The Wonder Inn Ltd. said: “Nepal has declared “Visit Nepal 2020 Lifetime Experience” with an objective to bring two million international tourists that year. The existing hotel infrastructure by that time could accommodate comfortably two million tourists a year.

Buddha Air has already announced to operate flights to Indian capital city Delhi from regional airport of western plain town Nepalgunj. This route would expected to add additional one hundred thousand Indian tourists’ visit in tourist sites of western and far western region of Nepal specially visit to Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage in China. Humla has huge potential for religious and domestic tourism. We are committed to adding value to the community and the region.”

How to reach to Simikot?
As there are no roads to Humla, the only possibility is to take a plane. There are two connections:
⦁ via Nepalgunj
⦁ via Surkhet
As availibility of flights from Nepalgunj or Surkhet to Simikot depend on good weather conditions, connections are irregular and not scheduled/reliable. It is best to contact a travel agency in Kathmandu to get information about flights.

From Kathmandu you can take a bus to Nepalgunj. There are vans and buses traveling during the day and busses traveling during the night. The journey takes 12 to 15 hours. The night connection is more comfortable, however then it is necessary to spend a day and a night in Nepalgunj as usually flights leave early in the morning.

most of the airlines provide ticket in the morning at Nepalgunj airport itself however some of the airlines do issue plane tickets in Kathmandu and elsewhere through travel agencies as an advance. It is also possible to fly to Nepalgunj and take a connecting flight to Simikot. This is the most comfortable, but also most costly option.

There is another possibility to reach Humla by Surkhet. There are some flights everyday depending on weather, You can go to Surkhet by bus and then catch a flight to Simikot.
There is still another option, which may not be practical for all. You can charter a plane. This option can be considered if you have enough group members in your team.