‘Rafi’s’ homestay in Chamba is a unique initiative to help a community develop it’s self-sustainability. Experience a 100 year old mud house which has seen 4 generations of a Gujjar family, living and prospering here. Find peace and experience what hospitality means to the traditional cultures in the unexplored places in India, in a home that has seen the passage of years but has remained untouched by it.
There are different types of rooms at ‘Rafi’s’ homestay. You can choose from a private cottage or a large community hall, if you are travelling as a group.Based on your needs you can choose your kind of stay. The Family kitchen is a beautiful example of traditional Himachali kitchens where the room is plastered with mud and cow dung, a warm fire blazes in the hearth keeping the room a cozy temperature even when it is cold outside. This is where you will be served food with a side item of thrilling local stories.
Rafi’s homestay in chamba is a traditional building that has been restored with care so that it retains its old world charm yet takes care of your comfort making it one of the beautiful homestays in Chamba.

At ‘Rafi’s House’ you will be served local and organic food, with most of the raw material coming from the fields just across the kitchen. Food is very unique at ‘Rafi’s House’. Breakfast comprises of fresh corn bread that is made from corn that is grown and milled by the family along with local veggies and a side of wild honey, wash this hearty breakfast with some fresh and warm buffalo milk(you can opt to see the family milk their buffaloes).
Lunch and Dinner will usually be a variety of local vegetables and meats if you are a non vegetarian. You will be served authentic Himachali food that has few dishes from the authentic ‘Dham’ (a traditional Himachali meal) been made with love at each meal. After all, the way to truly experience any new place starts with its food!

The most important experience will be staying with an Indian family. There is a lot to do near ‘Rafi’s House’, you can go for a village walk and observe the rustic slow-paced nature of life there. You can witness the unseen and unknown lifestyle of a Gujjar tribal family; from drinking fresh buffalo milk to learning local cuisines, you can do a lot of things here. ‘Rafi’s House’ is also a beautiful hiking destination. You can go for different types of treks based on your interests and fitness levels.
We urge you to call us when you book your stay at Rafi’s Homestay so that we can guide you with the possible things you can do based on your needs and interests.

The town of Chamba is around 600 km away from Delhi which makes Rafi’s stay one of the best homestays near Delhi. Chamba is well connected to Delhi by rail, road and bus. However, the most comfortable way to reach Chamba from Delhi is by boarding a train to Pathankot, the train takes about 10 hours to reach Pathankot. The best option to travel to Pathankot is by booking the Jammu Mail, this is a train that runs daily and connects the two destinations.
The Jammu Mail leaves from Delhi at 8:20 PM IST and reaches Pathankot by 6:50 AM IST. Pathankot is approximately 120 km from Chamba, or 3.5 hours drive. Tourists can hire a cab that will usually cost somewhere between INR 12-13 per km. There are also lots of buses that run from Pathankot to Chamba, the buses will take slightly longer to reach Chamba than the taxis.
Once you reach Chamba, one of our Not On Map local guides can direct you till Rafi’s house.

Rafi's house
Living with a family of 14, Mr. Rafi is associated with NotOnMap and manages our very first NotOnMap stay in Chamba. An athlete in his time and a coach now, he envisions an expansion of his home stay. He offers a warm and homely experience to the guests as they serve home-prepared delicacies. Mr. Rafi is enthusiast about telling new people about his home and the local food and lifestyle, making it a true home-stay, in association with NotOnMap.