My Dream of an Open-Air University in the Heart of Himalayas

On July 8, 2025, while teaching an Adventure Tourism class at NATHM, I shared a dream that I had once imagined, when I showed a video of Humla, a remote valley of Nepal.

My dream is this: instead of so many students leaving Nepal on student visas, we should establish a special university in Nepal focused only on tourism especially Adventure Tourism, Mountaineering Tourism, and Spiritual Tourism (both Hinduism and Buddhism). This university would offer limited seats and attract international students to come to Nepal to study these subjects.

We could charge high fees imagine $100,000 USD per semester. Students would learn in the open environment of the Himalayas: trekking while studying trekking on base camp, climbing peaks while learning mountaineering, flying by helicopter or walking to the Himalayan base camps while gaining knowledge. This is my vision for Nepal to teach the world from the heart of our mountains.

I dream that every teacher, like me, will have access to a helicopter. Sometimes classes could be held in Karnali, sometimes in remote valleys. We could fly to the lap of Api Saipal Himal, to Darchula’s peaks, to Bajura’s meadows where horses, sheep, and yaks graze among wildflowers during monsoon or rhododendron season.

Sometimes classes could be in Jaljala forests, sometimes in the sacred caves of Shivdhara, sometimes in the shadow of Kumbhakarna Himal, sometimes under the Mother’s arms of Ama Dablam, sometimes near Janaki Temple in Janakpur or along the banks of the Koshi River. We could reach high mountain passes or low valleys.

If the class gets boring, we could gather among the flowers of Patan’s gardens. We could study the 2,000-year-old civilization while visiting heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley, or we could travel to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, for lessons. My dream is to turn Nepal into an open university where I can teach students from the lowlands to the Himalayas, traveling by helicopter, learning through exploration.

This dream has lived in me since I was studying my Bachelor's in Tourism. But what must I do to make this dream a reality?

There are stories to tell -from Dolpa to Upper Dolpa, from the far west of Nepal, from Tritiria Bazaar, Phidim in Panchthar, OlangchungGola from Tharu villages, Chepang settlements, the Manang valleys, Bhotang, and so many more. There are countless stories to share and teach - about the civilization of the Himalayas, the hidden valleys (Beyul), the tales of Rimpoches, Lapchi, Paruhang, the Bonpo tradition, and the legends of Lord Shiva.

I want to teach by traveling, by showing these stories, becoming a storyteller of Nepal. Will these dreams ever come true? I believe that if we achieve this, Nepal’s per capita income could reach $100,000 USD. People from all over the world would line up to come here not only to study but to experience the legendary Nepali hospitality. The phrase "Atithi Devo Bhava" (Guest is God) would shine on the world stage.

A new Nepal would be born. I want to work in tourism. I want to teach this kind of tourism so that my students understand Nepal’s soil, Nepali identity, culture, traditions, and values and share it with the world. This will promote sustainable, regenerative, and transformative tourism.

 Jay Tourism. Jay Nepal. 


#upadeshkunwor

#tourism #education 

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