--- description: Find out why Home Tale Laya is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. title: Home Tale Laya: World's Greatest Places 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf4ef463748867f/69ae8615035c6fe57e7a2318/HomeTaleLaya_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Home Tale Laya Laya, Bhutan by [Erin Levi](/author/erin-levi/) ## Erin Levi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy Karma Dorji It took 4,000 horse trips to build [Home Tale](https://www.instagram.com/home%5Ftale%5Flaya/ "undefined"). That alone hints at the remoteness of Laya, a semi-nomadic settlement in Bhutan’s Gasa district, reachable only by foot, hoof, or helicopter. Until now, visitors—mostly hikers tackling the punishing Snowman Trek or guests attending the annual Royal Highland Festival—camped or stayed in homestays with outdoor bathrooms and heat limited to a bukhari stove. Home Tale started with a simple wish: Bhutanese trekkers wanting a warm shower. The idea took on fresh urgency when the six cofounders learned that their horseman’s wife had suffered life-threatening altitude sickness while harvesting cordyceps—despite living above 12,500 feet her entire life. The group pooled its savings to build a four-room lodge she could manage safely, without risking her health. Each sunlit room has a window nook overlooking the village and snow-dusted peaks, an ensuite bathroom with impressive water pressure, soy-pigmented blue beams inspired by dzongs, and bamboo Layap hats hung on stone walls. Profit isn’t the point. The founders hope Home Tale can raise living standards in the region while modeling thoughtful, homegrown hospitality. Change is already underway. [Zhiwaling Heritage](https://www.zhiwalingheritage.com/ "undefined"), in partnership with [Yangphel Adventure](https://aboutbhutan.com/ "undefined"), will debut 16 geodesic tents for the next Royal Highland Festival, with plans for a permanent 16-room hotel by 2027—developed alongside De‑suung, the country’s Royal volunteer corps. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/home-tale-laya/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/home-tale-laya/"},"headline":"Home Tale Laya","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:26.424Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:26.579Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/home-tale-laya/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","Bhutan","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf4ef463748867f/69ae8615035c6fe57e7a2318/HomeTaleLaya_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Erin Levi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/erin-levi/"}],"creator":"Erin Levi","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf4ef463748867f/69ae8615035c6fe57e7a2318/HomeTaleLaya_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/home-tale-laya/","name":"Home Tale Laya"}}]}] ```