THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Mahabharat Range Range Mahabharat The Terai & 270 © LonelyPlanetPublications to checkthelatest securitysituationbefore you visit(see p19 ). signs oftheinsurgency were thearmyroadblocksalongmajor highways,butit’sessential finding apoliticalsolutiontotheir grievances. At thetimeofwriting,most obvious and thelong-term future oftourismintheTerai depends onthegovernment and Maoists visitor numbersseemtobeslowlycreeping upwards. However, thesituationremains volatile Agra, Varanasi, Lucknow andDarjeeling. are fourotherbordercrossingsbetweenIndiaandNepal,providing easyaccesstoDelhi, the BuddhaatLumbini. Ifyou’re headingtoIndia,don’trestrict yourselftoSunauli–there the citiesofTerai JanakpurandTansen –placeslike of –andthehistoricalbirthplace at Sunauli.However, more andmore peopleare escapingthistouristycircuitanddiscovering toRoyalChitwanNationalPark orPokhara andontotheIndianbordercrossing Kathmandu hills. IfyouthoughttheTerai flat,prepare wasallpancake tobepleasantlysurprised. wilderness andbustlingbazaars,plusthelushgreen landscapeoftheChure andMahabharat There andtemples, are ancientmonumentsand nationalparks, plainsandjungles,forts ofitastheyrushbetweentheIndianborderandhills.people seeonlyatinyfraction world’s mostmountainousnation,buttheTerai isafascinatingandvariedplacemost Hanging outintheplainsmightnotbe firstthingthatcomestomindwhenvisitingthe „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS „ „ „ „ Tourism totheTerai intheearlyyearsofMaoistuprising,but dropped offmarkedly The route vastmajority oftravellers throughtheTerai, followawell-established from

Tibetan lodge in lofty When the hillsare peaceful, stayinatraditional Janakpur Women’s Development Centre atthe womenartisans Support See thejunglewithout thecrowdsat ( p298) Tour terrific Durbar fromthehilltownof temples tothefabulous Ranighat andhike to Hike Visit National Park Spot rhinosfromthebackofanotherjungle giant –theIndianelephantin Sauraha Chepang villages ( p280 ) toscrubajumboatelephantbathtime

( p281) Hile ( p288 route) onthenewtrekking totheChitwanHills ( p320 ) Janakpur 32) in (p312) Royal BardiaNational Park National Park Royal Bardia Tansen

( p308 ) inthewestern Terai Royal Chitwan National Park Chitwan Hills Sauraha Royal Chitwan Janakpur Tansen Hile

national parks, andthe massive industrial of inaseries excellent remain, preserved ertheless, somelarge patches of wilderness Nev- farmland andindustrialdevelopment. areas of theforest have for sacrificed been groupsinNepal,andhugedisadvantaged the Nepalihills. ers flocked intotheTerai from Indiaand ofplains andthousands land-hungry farm- to driveDDT wasused malariafromthe almost stone-age existence until1954,when people of theplains,Tharu,lived an jungle wellintothe1950s.Theindigenous the 1857IndianUprising. lganj) asareward forassistingtheBritishin additional land(includingthecity of Nepa- rent borders. Nepallater regained some itscur-trimmed thekingdomtoroughly the Shahs. Atreaty wassignedin1816that Nepal, theyhadregular skirmishes with of Nepaltotwice theirmodernsize. claimed theplains,expanding borders of fearsome warriors, theShahs Gurkha re- oftal the Shah dynasty.Aided bylegions which toprominenceasthecapi- later rose intheKathmandumany settling valley, and Buddhistrefugees fledupintothehills, ern India. Hundreds of of thousands Hindu sweptacrosstheplainsofMughals north- inthe14thcentury,when in earnest the GutpasfromPatna innorthernIndia. century AD,whenitslandswere by seized kingdom, which flourished untilthethird atJanakpur.tal Janak foundedtheMithila ruled large partsof theplainsfromhiscapi- daughter of the historicalkingJanak, who wasthe andheroineof theRamayana, Rama ofdevelopment thewife Hinduism. Sita, of the Buddha’sbirthinLumbini. leaving acommemorative pillaratthesite of made afamouspilgrimage here in249BC, born. TheIndianBuddhistemperorAshoka tree atBodhgaya inIndia,Buddhismwas and35yearsGautama later, underaBodhi avastu gave birthtoasonnamedSiddhartha of thequeen thetinykingdomof Kapil-BC, placesinthesubcontinent.In563 important thatthiswasonceoneofto believe themost Travelling theTerai through today,it’shard History www.lonelyplanet.com Today, theTharu are oneof themost The Terai wascovered by swathesof conquered theBritishnever Although The depopulationof theTerai began roleinthe Nepal alsoplayedapivotal THE TERAI&MAHABHARAT RANGE••History on security issues see issues see on security p19 ). and more recently, nearLumbini.Formore Chitwan NationalPark (including Sauraha), inthevillages attacks aroundRoyal been peaceful inthecentralTerai butthere have border withSikkim.Thingsare generally tothe potential flashpoint,particularlyclose The hillsinthefareastof Nepalare another particularly northof theMahendra Hwy. on government are installations common, land of theMaoist insurgency andattacks risky –thefarwestof Nepalistheheart- are few areas where travel isparticularly situationbeforethe security youvisit.There flare to check up quicklysoit’simportant rything operates asnormal,butviolence can Nepali government. Duringceasefires, eve- of theMaoists negotiationsbetween andthe safety of travel dependsonthecurrent status leave theKathmandu Valley. Inreality, the embassies claimthatit’sdangerous toeven often issafe insistthat everything while safety of travel intheTerai. Touristoffices There isalotof misinformationabout the Dangers &Annoyances obstacles. togetnecessary aroundthese journeysandbeprepareddistance toflyif washed away.Allowextratimeforanylong- rents androadsbridges are routinely to mud,drystream bedsbecomeraging tor- fect transportintheregion –dirtroadsturn The annualmonsoonrainscanseverely af- are clear andtemperatures are moderate. winter (November toFebruary) whenskies rains fromJunetoSeptember. Trytovisitin May toOctoberanddrenched bymonsoon ern plainsof India–hotasafurnacefrom The Terai hasasimilarclimate tothenorth- Climate ineconomicterms.nation, atleast is slowlyraisingthequalityof life forthe intheplains and agriculturaldevelopment fews are acrosstheTerai. imposed times. At timesof cur- conflict, night-time checks, which canaddhours tojourney for questioningandbag must disembark usually waved but locals through, straight points onallmajor roads. Foreigners are for travellers isthenetworkof armycheck- see see p272 formore information. Another the risky nature of road transport inthe Terai, The mostobvious signof theinsurgency An equally pressing problem fortouristsis

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE aabit o o ajeig p322 forDarjeeling, p307 p302 to Kakarbhitta forPatna &Kolkata p290 Birganj toRaxaul forVaranasi, Agra &Delhi forLucknow toSunauli Belahiya p311 Nepalganj to forDelhi &hilltowns Page Mahendranagar Border crossing(NepaltoIndia) following points: IndiaandNepal atthe can crossbetween the Terai. Heading fromeast to west,you All of Nepal’slandbordercrossingsare in LAND Royal NepalAirlinesCorporation AIR villages acrossNepal. air connectionsfromtheTerai totownsand crossings andthere are frequent busand of borderto several themostimportant close India. The Indianrailnetworkpasses Pradeshin BiharandUttar West Bengal, inNepalandfrommandu andPokhara The Terai iseasilyaccessiblefromKath- &Away There Getting rainwater andfloodsare inevitable. water are fromthemountains inundated by monsoon. Rivers already swelledbymelt- potential problemfortravellers istheannual 272 wards travel into India are included in the and US$80formultiple entry). visa fee (currentlyvisa US$30forasingle entry passport photoandUSdollars cashforthe arevisas available one onarrival.Youneed eign touristsatall thecrossings andNepali for- are toseeing used but immigration staff thetwocountries, popular route between The Sunaulicrossing isbyfarthemost on theNepalAirFares map, p383 . aroundtheTeraifor flights are alsolisted Prices individualtownsfordetails. these and Bhadrapur (forKakarbhitta) –see Bhairawa, Janak pur, Simara(forBirganj) to Nepalganj,Biratnagar,Bharatpur, you canflyfromKathmandu orPokhara offer aroundtheTerai. flights Currently, .royalnepal.com) Panitanki Sikkim &Kolkata Sikkim Panitanki Bazar inUttaranchal Jamunaha to Banbassa Details ofDetails border opening timesand on- THETERAI&MAHABHARAT There &Away RANGE••Getting andmanyprivate airlines (RNAC; www details on bustravel.details desk. See to find theright p385 formore –you’ll havebus stations toaskaround atmany ticket buses desks fordayandnight 4pmand6pm. Theretween are separate typicallydepartbe- expensive buses night leave 5amandnoon,whilemore between generally – day buses services and ‘night’ short localbusroutes. power cables–all inall,it’sbesttostick consider deadlyhairpin turnsandhanging to hilarating experience,butyoualso need with thewindinyourhaircanbe anex- tion intheTerai. Ridingon the luggage rack mandu Valley but there isnosuch proscrip- the frontseats. safety, travel hours in daylight andavoid by fartheworst offenders. Tomaximise are buses Night than gambleonthebuses. pats andNGOworkers prefer toflyrather yearinbuscrashesandmanyex- every concern. Hundreds of Nepalisare killed around theTerai, butroadsafety isabig areBuses themainformof transport BUS eral bikinginformation. Hetauda toMugling( p87 ), aswellgen- routes fromKathmandu toHetauda and roof of thebus.See p86 of fordetails biking way, youcanusuallyputyourbike onthe mended. Ifyourunoutof steam alongthe bikesturdy mountain isstronglyrecom- of theroadsleaves alottobedesired –a is relatively sparse. thecondition However, there are villages few every milesandtraffic flat, for cycling–theterrain ispool-table On thefaceof it,theTerai isperfectly suited BICYCLE travel –see below formore information. safety canbeanissue,particularlyfornight road the mainbordercrossings.However, Kathmandu andbetween andPokhara have resumed services ist ceasefire, night transport aroundtheTerai withtheMao- are andminibuses themainformofBuses Around Getting NepalandIndia,see between p380 . gar andKakarbhitta. Formore oncrossing Sunauli, Nepalganj,Birganj, Mahendrana- ‘Crossing theBorder’boxed texts under Buses intheTeraiBuses are dividedinto‘day’ Roof ridingisprohibited intheKath- www.lonelyplanet.com CENTRAL TERAI details. excursion fromJanakpur –see p312 for this route butthetrainmakes foragreat Foreign touristscan’tcrossintoIndiavia Janakpurtween andtheIndianborder. A singlenarrow-gauge trainlinerunsbe- TRAIN accommodation forthedriver. must alsopayforroadtollsandmeals day, includingpetrol.Ontopof this,you Corolla anddriver isaround Rs4000per rangements andthegoingrate foraToyota mandu. Mosttravel agencies canmake ar- you canhire acaranddriver inKath- To avoid thehassleof localbusservices, CAR www.lonelyplanet.com Central Terai just ashortbusridefromSunauli. the birthplaceof theBuddhaatLumbiniis and mostfamouswildernessinNepal, and Royal ChitwanNationalPark, thelargest and Nepal.Ontheway,youcan detour to the mostpopularlandroute India between valley andthebordercrossingatSunauli is principal route southfromtheKathmandu road fromMuglingtoNarayangarhisthe the mostvisited partof theplains.The Butwal, thecentralTerai isfarandaway tomatic SiddharthaHwyfromPokhara from Kathmandu toHetauda andthedra- Bound bythewinding TribhuvanHwy Bhagwanpur Mahendranagar (518km) To Nepalganj(250km); CENTRAL TERAI Tilaurakot Tamghas Kalipavastu

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Baglung Belahiya Lumbini

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out bathroomRs100/150,s/dwith& hotwaterRs a bathroom fromRs600/750,withair-con1000/1200; stand. stand. to Mugling,andmore bus nearthePokhara junction of theMahendra Hwyandtheroad There are hotels at Pulchowk, several the Sleeping the waytoRoyalChitwanNationalPark. people onlycomehere tochange on buses most transporthub, though an important you cometoonceleave thehillsandit’s agar toKakarbhitta. It’sthefirst major town runs thelengthof Nepal,fromMahendran- ling HwyandtheMahendra Hwy,which sitsatthejunctionofNarayanghat) theMug- Narayangarh (alsospeltNarayangadhand % NARAYANGARH &BHARATPUR Cafe you cancheck youremailat to thepilgrimage centre of rewarding detouristhe20-minute bustrip ing viewsof theforested westshore. Amore along theNarayaniRiver that offer pleas- there are small several

Hwy arrive late intheday. It’s quite popularanditmaybefullifyou and goodroomswithhotshowers upstairs. restaurantRoyal hasatandoori downstairs Rv Bayaha Royal Rest House Royal Rest There are noforeign exchange facilitiesbut If youdofindyourself stoppingover, Regal Rest House Rest Regal Tandi Bazaar ) 056

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE rant andaswimmingpool. andhotshowers, agoodrestau- with TVs wan, thisupmarket placehasplushrooms people astheIslandJungleResortatChit- 8.30pm) have tiledfloors andshowers are hot. noisy roomsatthefront.Theclean lar. Roomsatthebackare preferable to the ( Kathmandu (US$54,30minutes) with (US$44,20minutes) andfrom Pokhara tional Park. There are regular to/ flights airporttoRoyalChitwanNa- the closest Bharatpur (2kmsouthof Narayangarh)is &Away There Getting good upmarket choice atPulchowk. All thehotels have restaurants andthere’s a Eating 200/250) 274 (day/night Rs405/475, 12 hours)(day/night andMa- Rs 380/400, ninehours),night Kakarbhitta hours),ganj (Rs 380; eight Biratnagar (day/ hours), Janakpur (Rs150, sixhours), Nepal- 150, three hours), Birganj (Rs140, three (Rs 80,twohours), Sunauli/Bhairawa (Rs three hours). (Rs90, few also runnorthtoGorkha buses the Mahendra A Hwyandthebusstation. destinations leave fromtheroadbetween 150/160, fourhours). Minivanstoboth four hours) andKathmandu Rs (day/night Rs120/140, regularly (day/night toPokhara run town, ontheroadtoMugling.Buses isattheeastendof bus stand, Pokhara main roadopposite theairport. Bharatpur, are theairlineoffices allonthe without bathroom from Rs 300, d with bathroom & TV Rs500) without bathroomfromRs300,dwith&TV and thebeers are cold. dishesarenese particularlyrecommended thebestfoodintown.ThespicyChi- serves ani, thisbaroquecolonialgardenrestaurant with bathroom & TV US$15; with bathroom&TV r www.islandjungleresort.com; 4220162 inKathmandu; Bharatpur, which are handyfortheairport. outofstraight bedandontothebus. It’sverybus stand. cleanandyoucanjump This isthesmartest optionatthePokhara % Hotel Satanchuli Hotel Kitchen Café Kitchen There are alsoregular toButwal buses known astheThe mainbusstation, Island Jungle Resort BharatpurHeights Island JungleResort There are acoupleof upmarket choices in CENTRAL TERAI •• Narayangarh &Bharatpur CENTRALTERAI••Narayangarh 530470) Justbefore thebridge over theNaray- Oneblockwest,Regalisvery simi- and several private airlines.In andseveral

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months of winter –see p363 . Sankranti river tocelebrate theHindu festival of themselvesand India toimmerse in the fromaround Nepal grims flock toDevghat Magh (inmid-January), of thousands pil- rants) aroundthe suspensionbridge. are somebasic drinks. There isnowhere butthere to stay, includes shaking hands andsharingfoodor withnon-Hindus,which by physicalcontact Hindusmaybeoffended but somedevout local attitudes.Residentsare very welcoming holy place,youshouldtake care torespect cremations. ing, weddingrituals,picnicsand Hindu point where therivers forritualbath- meet Nepali pilgrimsmake theirwaytotheexact about 10ameach morning,large crowdsof itual trainingcentres) andtemples. From and thestreets are linedwithashrams(spir- bridge over therushingwaters of theTrisuli modern village isreached byasuspension is towanderaroundanddiscover –the oftees Devghat Shiva. Thebestwaytosee byIndiandevo- around the5thcenturyBC tioned inthe of theplains. wonderfully soothingafter thehecticpace and thecalm,contemplative atmosphere is from beinggloomy,it’sanupliftingplace of godonthebanksof theholyriver. Far final years dieinthesight andeventually caste Nepaliscomehere tolive outtheir especially sacred andmanyelderlyhigh- regard thepointwhere therivers as meet oftributaries theRiver Ganges. Hindus Gandaki andTrisuliRivers, two important markstheconfluenceofoghat) theKali (De- northeast of Narayangarh,Devghat Hidden awayintheforest about6km DEVGHAT Around Narayangarh way fromPulchowk (Rs600). but it’susuallybetter allthe totake ataxi minutes) andthenarickshawtoSauraha, Chowk/Tandito Sauraha (Rs10,20 Bazaar and Pulchowk ontheMahendra Hwy. inBharatpurpull intothenewbusstation also hendranagar (Rs565,12hours). Buses On thefirst day of theNepali monthof Western visitors are rare, andasthisisa The sacred confluencewasfirst men- For Chitwan,youcouldtake alocalbus , which marks the endof the dark Skanda Purana, bhojanalayas www.lonelyplanet.com (snackrestau- written in Magh Magh population has been hit particularly badly. hitparticularly badly. population hasbeen stopped patrollingthepark,and the rhino increased significantlysincetheNepali army scaring off yourprey. poaching However, has an elephant-loadof touristsshoutingand it’s aloteasiertohuntwhenyoudon’t have benefited fromthereduced visitornumbers – have droppedtheirrates significantly. resorts inSaurahahave andothers closed numbers of budget visitors, butseveral lodges insidetheparkstillattract decent have plummeted since2001.Theupmarket all visitors toNepal,buttourist numbers wan wasvisited byanimpressive 92%of Gangetic dolphins. populations of tigers, leopardsandrare horned Indianrhino andthere are sizeable of thelastrefuges of theendangered one- and ripplinggrassland.Theparkisone tects 932sqkmof forest, sal water marshes This huge andbeautifulnature pro- reserve after trekking andtheKathmandu Valley. regarded asNepal’sthirdbiggest attraction Royal ChitwanNationalPark haslongbeen % ROYAL CHITWANNATIONAL PARK eastern bankof the river theforest. through feel energetic, youcanwalkbackalongthe inNarayangarh.Ifyou busstand Pokhara leave fromnearHotel Satanchuli atthe (Rs7,20minutes) toDevghat Local buses Getting There &Away www.lonelyplanet.com On one level, thewildlifeOn onelevel, hasprobably theMaoistBefore insurgency, Chit- been spotted inthe reserves. andmostofChitwan’s signatureCommunity Forest specieshave canbearranged inSauraha formore than 2000localpeople.tourism opportunities Canoe andelephant safarisinKumrose and eco-tourism. forests have provided new economicavenues forlocalpeople interms ofnature management a majorsuccess. Forest clearance insidetheparkhasfallendramatically andthecommunity then handedover tolocalcommittees, withrepresentatives fromevery familyinthearea. an alternative sourceoffire woodandfodder. Ownershipand responsibility forthe forests was areas borderingthe nationalparkwere replanted withfastgrowingtrees to provide villagerswith park wardens,untilthecreation ofthecommunityforests atBaghmara and Kumrose. able todrive offthepoachers,butfuelwoodgathering proved anongoingthorninthesideof Armypatrols were tothedesperatelinked economicsituationinthevillagesaroundpark. During the1980sand1990s,Chitwanexperienced awave ofpoachingandillegalforest clearing, MAKING THEFORESTPAY 056 Between them, thetwo community forests nowcover 2500 hectares, providing fuel, fodder and manyof theNepalgovernment’sUnlike socialpolicies,thecommunity forests have proved thesetwo TrustforNature Conservation, Mahendra bytheWorld BankandtheKing Backed CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark one of theupmarket lodges insidethepark. far theeasiestapproach at ifyouplantostay Kathmandu, oroverseas. Pokhara Thisisby tours arranged travel through agents in CDs totiger pugmarkashtrays. full range of Nepalisouvenirs, frompirate net cafésanddozensof the shopsselling bars, moneychangers, travel agents, Inter- Mahendra Hwy,withhotels, restaurants, of SaurahaChowk(Tandi onthe Bazaar) up alongtheriver bankabout6kmsouth A smallbutlively touristcentre hasgrown town of Sauraha isanexcellentalternative. lodges insidethepark,nearby deep expensive lodges insidethepark. probably more todohere thanatthebig, rice fieldsandTharuvillages. Infact,there’s ing countrysideisapeacefulpatchwork of tivities canbearranged andthesurround- far bank.Anincredible range of jungleac- onthe of jungleloomingtantalisingly dense side awide,slow-flowing river withawall isimpressivebut thesetting –perched be- some of atmosphere thesafari atSauraha, include adayof travel ateitherend. four-day, three-night packages toChitwan awarewildlife thatthepopular spotting.Be days intheparkisreally the minimum for rely time. every Twowhole onsightings The wildlife isunpredictable andyoucan't safaris. give time forseveral yourself enough Many peoplevisitChitwan onpackage If you can’t afford oneof theexpensiveIf youcan’tafford Careless development hasunderminedCareless development When planningavisittoChitwan,try

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE ing human encroachment toaminimum. toprovide coverpreserved forgame, keep- and the forest andmalarialswamps were loss, habitat lowland Nepal hasalways been it killed. Thebiggest threat towildlife in probablyprotected more animals than serve asahuntingre-the jungle,Chitwan’s status blood-soaked toChitwan in1911. safari ing 39tigers and18 rhinosduringjustone ward VIII,managed astagger- toslaughter King George Vandhisson,theyoungEd- forNepaliandforeign aristocrats. reserve since atleastthe19thcenturyasa hunting in 1973,butthearea protected hasbeen Royal ChitwanNationalPark wascreated History Royal ChitwanNationalPark 276 Mahendranagar (618km) To Sunauli(75km); Tribeni Ghat 4 1 3 2 ROYAL CHITWANNATIONALPARK Despite allthetoffs firingbuckshot into CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark Gaida WildlifeJungleCamp...... Gaida WildlifeCamp...... Chitwan JungleLodge...... BreedingProject...... National ParkHeadquartersGharial Elephant BreedingCentre...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Ὀ A 262m Royal ChitwanNationalPark Ὀ 5 4 3 2 1 F2 F2 G2 D2 F2 Tiger TopsTentedCamp...... Tiger TopsJungleLodge...... Lodge...... Tiger MountainTharuSafari Temple Tiger...... Machan WildlifeResort...... Machan ParadiseView...... Island JungleResort...... Green Mansions...... B 10 Kasauti Bazar 11 Ὀ ὈὈὈ Devi Tal I NDA 436m BIHAR Mahendra only whenarmy patrols were introduced to from withinthe parkboundaries, butit was were1973. Some 22,000peasants removed becoming anationalpark in a royalreserve, King Mahendra andthe area wasdeclared of thedramaticdeclinereached theears of fewer than100 rhinosand20tigers. News gers andrhinos.Bythe mid1960s,there were were cleared tomake spaceforfarmland. into theregion andhuge tracts of theforest fromthehillsswarmed land-hungry peasants sive malariaeradicationprogrammein1954, natural resistance tomalaria. After amas- of Tharuvillagers, whowere witha blessed the ChitwanValley were smallcommunities As disappeared, their habitat sodidthe ti- of Until thelate 1950s,theonlyinhabitants

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Mahendra of survival. of survival. dangered animalsare tohave anychance ifChitwan’sen- pal’s civilwaris essential around Sauraha. Aswiftresolution toNe- by monsoonfloodsin2002,particularly things worse, manyresorts were damaged villagers aroundtheparkfringes. Tomake massive dentinthelivelihoods of Tharu C of the topography, mosttourist activities the boxed –see Kumrose text p275.Because in thecommunity forests and atBaghmara areas have created been new conservation asideas theParsa and set Wildlife Reserve pressive 932sqkm.A further499sqkmis Royal ChitwanNationalPark covers anim- Geography

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE spotting thelarger andmore elegant temples) agood chance but youalso stand of hanging aroundinNepali monkeysame seen Chitwan is thestockyrhesus macaque(the medicine. parts forChinese are threatened bythe illegal tradeinanimal sloth bears, butlike thetigers, animals these predators intheparkinclude hyenasand wild oxen) skulkinginthebushes. Other jarayos (spotted deer), may spotmuntjacs chitals (barkingdeer), more onChitwan’ssignature species. theboxeddolphins –see text opposite for ulations of tigers, crocodilesandGangetic poaching. Chitwanalsohassignificantpop- despiteelephant safari, therecent upsurge in agoodchance you stand oneonan of seeing is themostfamousanimalatChitwan and of butterfly, someaslarge asyourhand. fly-spotters have identifiedatleast67species 450differentoff species of birdsandbutter- elephants, andrhinos.Bird-watchers cantick leopards, slothbears, wildboar,hyenas, deer, cies of mammals,includingmonkeys, tigers, Chitwan boastsmore than50different spe- Animals as theubiquitous fig andscarlet-flowered shisham, rhinos andtigers. Intheforest, you’llfind elephant grassprovides excellent cover for ers. thelocal Growingupto8minheight, andNarayani Riv- the banksof theRapti of forest,in sal butthere are alsolarge areas Around 70%of thenationalparkiscovered Plants for viewingbirds,are The mostinteresting of particularly these, tal River. are restricted tothefloodplainof theRapti 278 lectively as just outsidetheparkboundary,knowncol- There’s anothergroupof lakes andpools Tops JungleLodge and wood speciesintheTerai. lakes’). The most commonly seen monkey atThe most commonlyseen As high-profile animals,you wellasthese The As wellastheriver, there are numerous (smalllakes) dotted aroundtheforest. phanta CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark gaida (sambar) and massive (sambar) gaurs (Indian kapok, (grassland), particularlyalong (one-horned Indianrhino ceros) Bis HajaarTal palash, laghunas sal, theprincipalhard- Lami Tal pipalandstrangler kusum Devi TalDevi (hog deer) and (hogdeer) (literally ‘20,000 trees, aswell near Kasara. near Tiger bandar

connection isvery slow(Rs 120 perhour). most alsooffer the Internet access,although inSaurahaand STD/ISD phoneservices at reasonable rates. There are anumberof lars andeurosincashtravellers cheques private moneychangers acceptpounds,dol- you have topaythefee separately. the overall charge, inSauraha butifyoustay inside theparkthisisusuallybundledinto fees tothepark.Ifyou’re atalodge staying security situation beforesecurity you visit. change tocheck rapidly so it’sessential the ally safe during ceasefires, butthings can yangarh, killing38people. Travel isgener- bus wasdestroyed byalandmine nearNara- occasions.In June 2005,apublic several exchange have atSauraha attacked on been Chitwan andthe armypostandtelephone Maoist rebels are active inthe area around Dangers &Annoyances some areas of thepark. life inthejungleandmalariaispresent in arelent –mosquitoes aninescapablefactof you come,remember repel- topackinsect Wheneverthe parkbecomeimpassable. andtracks through gust), manylodges close 25°C. Duringthemonsoon(May toAu- the average dailytemperature isa balmy tober toFebruary, whenskiesare clearand The idealtimetovisitChitwanisfromOc- When toVisit 500/200/20; Rs932; admissionperdayforeigner/SAARC/Nepali Sauraha’s Information hornbills. emerald doves, jungleowletsandcrested rarer speciessuch asscarletcrested sunbirds, decent binoculars andkeep aneyeoutfor of drongos.Birders shouldbringapairof cocks, kingfishers, oriolesandvarious species mynahs, egrets, parakeets, junglefowl,pea- profligate feeding habits. langurs advantage of around,taking their oftenSumatra!). Spotted deer followthe about 3000kmfromhisnative homein and Louie, whowasplainlyanorang-utan toon of the the basisformonkeys inDisney’scar- agilegrey(langur). These apeswere as used There’s no bank in Sauraha, but several There’s but several nobankinSauraha, Birds seen inChitwanincludebulbuls, Birds seen h park officeandvisitorcentre Jungle Book 7am-6.30pm) handlesadmission www.lonelyplanet.com (apart from King (apart fromKing

( % 521 serious attacks on tourists taking guided on tourists taking attacks serious killing human beings, andthere have been pards and rhinosare allquite capable of from the wildlife in thepark.Tigers, leo- www.lonelyplanet.com Another smallbutsignificant riskcomes help wash the elephants at the daily elephant bathtime at Sauraha (see help washtheelephantsatdailyelephantbathtimeSauraha p280 ). spotting safaris. This isdefinitely themostinteresting waytoexplore theparkandyoucaneven programme anddozens ofdomesticated elephantsferry visitorsaroundtheparkonwildlife- There are nolonger anywildelephantsatChitwan,buttheparkhasahighlysuccessfulbreeding The Indianelephantisthelargest animalinthesubcontinent, reaching five tonnesinweight. Indian Elephants (hathi) one ofthemostcommonlyseenanimalsonelephantsafarisinpark. werein the2005censusandmore rhinos are reported kills throughout2005.Nevertheless, still Maoist insurgency. In2000,there were 500rhinosinthepark,butonly372animalswere found Sukla Phanta inwestern ofthe Nepal.Sadly,poachinghasincreased significantlysincethestart rhinostoother Terairecently, exporting Chitwanwasactually parks, includingRoyalBardiaand NationalPark worldwide,mostoftheminChitwanandnearby Kaziranga survive inIndia. Until Chitwan isoneofthelastrefuges Indianrhinoceros. oftherare Onlyabout2000 one-horned The OneHornedIndian Rhino (gaida) Chitwan hassomehighprofilespeciesthateveryone wantstosee,includingthefollowing: SPECIES SIGNATURE a hundred surviving dolphinsinNepal,withfewera hundred than 20inthewaterways surviving ofChitwan. blind andithuntsusing sonarinthemurkywaters of Nepal’s rivers. There are estimated tobeonly Rivers.in theNarayaniand Rapti This freshwater relative oftheoceanic dolphinsisalmostcompletely Perhaps therarest ofallanimalsatChitwan, theGangeticorfreshwater dolphinisoccasionallyseen Gangetic Dolphins (susu) parks andyounggharialshave been released intomanyrivers intheTerai. plan. Gharialsare endangered, butthere are breeding programmes atChitwanandothernational for itsdietofriver fish–110million-year-old fossilshave thesame body beenfoundwithexactly slender, elongated evolved snout crammedwithill-fittingteeth. thegharialisperfectly Infact, Another distantrelative oftheAustralian beast,with a saltie,thegharial isabizarre looking Gharials to asuddenwatery grave! marshmuggersdraggingthe Britishborrowedterm villagers unsuspecting after observing including humans. Incaseyouwere wondering,theword‘mugger’originally comesfromIndia– lian saltwater crocodile. This small,stockycrocgrows to4mandfeeds onanythingitcancatch, The most commonlarge reptile inChitwan,themarshmugger,isadistantrelative oftheAustra- Muggers Marsh sightings are rare youreyespeeled. astigerslaylowduringdaylight hours,butkeep to thinkaboutbefore There joiningaguidedwalk. are currently around60tigersinChitwan– the subcontinent.Bothlocalsandforeigners have bytigersatChitwan–something beenattacked intelligence itoneofthemostfeared andsavagepoweroftheroyalBengaltigermake animalsin machineisthetoppredatorThis inthejunglesofNepalandcunning, lean,mean,killing The RoyalBengal Tiger (bagh) CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark seems alot less funny whenyou consider seems byarhinosignificant risk –being chased should be aware thatthere’s asmall but a goodexperience onjungle walks,butyou thepark. Mostpeople havewalks through

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Rs 50/25/10; Centre Centre kooky-lookingreptiles these upclose. see breedingand agharial project where youcan a smallvisitorcentre withdisplaysonwildlife part of andthere’s anorganised junglesafari River.bank of theRapti Most peoplevisitas about 13kmwestof Saurahaonthesouth breeding centre breeding River, thisinterestingthe smallBhude Rapti About 3kmwestof Saurahaonthefarsideof ELEPHANT BREEDINGCENTRE h main The NATIONAL PARK HEADQUARTERS Sights monsoon, theforest comesalive with large numbers yearroundandduringthe life inthejungle. Mosquitosare present in of atiger atthereserve! attack boxed text p282 forafirst-person account the ‘trampledtodeath’.See the phrase 280 west of thecentre. ephant breeding centre isashortcycleride river fortheirdailybathandthemainel- lunchtime, dozensof elephantscometothe can bookridesonparkelephants.Every plays onwildlife where andanoffice you ways inspect exposed skinafter walking. ways inspectexposed contracting typhusfever fromatickbite –al- pests.Therewith these isalsoasmallrisk of (leeches). See p395 fortipsonhowtodeal There’s alsoasmaller Bugs are anotherunwelcomeaspectof ephant bathtimes atsimilar times. with their ownelephantsoffer similarel- refreshing trunk-full ofcold water! Lodges the accent rightyou’llberewarded witha elephant andshouting day thansittingonthe backofasubmerged There’s nobetter wayofcoolingoffonahot swimming costume, youcanjoininthefun. out towatchthespectacle. Ifyoubringyour for theirmorningscrub andeveryone turns down totheriver nearthe Riverside Hotel march to noon,theelephantsinSauraha bath anelephant.Every dayfrom11am a feeling wonderashelpingto ofchildlike There are few experiencesthatcreate such ELEPHANT BATHTIME 7am-6.30pm) CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark ( h h National Park Headquarters National Park Headquarters 7am-6.30pm) 6am-6pm) isinsidetheparkatKasara,

( % 580154; foreigner/SAARC/Nepali 580154; foreigner/SAARC/Nepali suppliesmostof theel- inSauraha,withdis- chhop! National Park Vis National Park Vis itors –ifyouget ( % 521932; 521932; jukha

but donationshelpfundtheactivities. urday from7amto11am.There’s nocharge guided bird-watching excursions Sat- every 10/80 perhour/day)andtheyalso have (Rs books andabinocularrental service enthusiasts. Thecentre hasalibraryof bird call forbirders, twitchers andotheravian cost Rs 60. at 7.30pm each and ticketsstarts evening Theshow Guest House. near the Rainforest performance atthe local people. there’s In Sauraha, anightly are funandtheyprovide employmentfor much atouristexperience, buttheshows equivalent of Morrisdancing! It’svery sticks together in time–it’stheNepali where agreat circleof menwhacktheir guests, including thepopularstickdance, of traditionalTharusongsanddances for Most of thebigpark lodges putonshows THARU CULTURAL SHOW h watching centre Run bylocalvolunteers, thisfriendly BIRD EDUCATION SOCIETY Narayangarh. by bike orbylocalbusfrom fromSauraha visit atothertimes,butyoucanget here don’t have native elephants.Few travellers countries thatworld, includingseveral attractsteams fromaroundthe The event heldontheMeghaulispectacular airstrip. Polo Championships Decemberfortheannual up every for culturaltours. thetownwakes However, plansarethough thetown afoottodevelop ens, andthere isnotouristdevelopment, full of thatched hutsandwanderingchick- Tharu village of Meghauli place, isasleepy About 25kmsouthwestof Narayangarh,the POLO ELEPHANT for anominalcharge. Rivercarries visitors across theBhude Rapti along theroadpastLunTara ferry –acanoe The breeding centre isaneasywalkorcycle andricewrappedingrass. from molasses preparing cute babyelephants.Lookoutformahouts theindescribably 3.30pm ifyouwanttosee the junglesocomebefore 10.30amorafter elephants spendmuch of thedaygrazingin atChitwan.The ephants forelephantsafaris 7am-5.50pm) kuchiis – shouldbethefirst portof

( , ajumbo-sizedsporting % elephant sweets made elephant sweets 580113; www.besnepal.org; Tharu Culture Program Culture Tharu www.lonelyplanet.com Elephant bird- , Sauraha towards Gaida Wildlife Camp. Sauraha towardsGaidaWildlife Camp. The nearest Tharuvillage is paintings andadobebas-reliefs of animals. withMithila ple stilldecorate theirhouses ing isthemainindustryandmanypeo- shops oreatinvillage want tohelplocalpeople,shop inthevillage pensandmoney.Ifyou to handoutsweets, villages bybike oronfoot,butresist theurge Terai plains.Youcanexplore manyof the lages thatprovide of aglimpse life onthe Sauraha issurroundedbysmallTharuvil- THARU VILLAGES www.lonelyplanet.com pahit elephant iscontrolledby a platform). Each crammed intoeach wooden rolling gait andthree orfourpassengers are Elephants movecomfortable. withaheavy, than of orwalkers. noisyjeeps wildlife ismuch more tolerant of elephants above of grasses the thetall offer vantage point high safaris afantastic wildlife inthepark.Elephant-backto see of afive tonne jumboisbyfarthebestway thejungle ontheback Lumbering through RIDES ELEPHANT special interest groups. be arranged forbird-watchers andother most popularoptions,butspecial tripscan coverChitwan. Thefollowingsections the There are loadsof waystokeep busyat Activities elephant throughout itslife.elephant throughout Riding anelephant isthrillingratherthan of drinking… Formore detailsseethewebsiteof drinking… www.elephantpolo.com. since scoringthenbecomesalmostimpossible. One ofthefirstrulesmadeitafoulforanyelephanttoliedowninfront of thegoalmouth, abandoned after theanimalsrealised howmuchfunitwastostamponandexplodetheballs. mallet. As thewebsite says'it'sslowerthanhorsepolobutfaster thanyou mightthink'! Each gameconsistsoftwo10-minute week-long tournament,though localheroesthe'Tiger TopsTuskers' are alwaysfirmfavourites. held every November atTiger TopsinMeghauli.Eightinternational teams compete duringthe istheannualWorldElephant PoloChampionships,One ofNepal'smore sports unusualspectator AHDR PL POLO PACHYDERM fastest, smallestelephant.Eachelephanthasa while theyremount. Scotlandare the current reigning worldchampions,whichisabitodd. are tiedontotheelephantsbyropebutiftheyhappentofallofftheirelephant,playisstopped It may come as no surprise to hear that the sport wasallegedlyinventedIt maycomeasnosurprisetohearthatthesport during aheavybout Elephants seemtolove thegame,somuchthat the initialuseofsoccerballshadtobe Each team consistsofelephantswitharangespeeds–thebestplayertends togoonthe (mahout), who works with the same (mahout), who works withthe same bhojanalayas Bradley Mayhew howdah phanta Bachauli andthe , eastof . Farm- (riding chukka CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark s of playing time, with a 10-minute interval. Playerss ofplayingtime,witha10-minute interval. mahout vourite feeding ground for deer and rhinos. vourite andrhinos. feeding groundfordeer in theearlymorningorlate afternoon. much difference run inpriceandallsafaris owned elephantsintheparkbutthere isn’t ( through safaris raha, youcanarrange inexpensive elephant are includedinmostpackage tours. InSau- their ownelephantsandelephant safaris Most of thelodges insidetheparkhave Privately OwnedElephants dense Safaris last1½hours the andrunthrough visitor centre at6amor1pmtobuyaticket. ings soyoushouldcometothenational park 8am and4pm.There are noadvancebook- leave thevisitorcentre atSauraha dailyat (foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs1000/400/200) mesticated elephants,andjunglesafaris The nationalparkhasitsownherdof do- Government-Owned Elephants by rhinos and tigers over the theyears –see people have attacked several However, been tothewildlife. waytogetbe afantastic close foot with amandatoryguide andthiscan Visitors are allowed toenter thepark on JUNGLE WALKS plus theparkfees. Safaris last2½hours andthecostisRs550, the parkwithdecent wildlife populations. Forest, zoneontheeastedge abuffer of Community intheKumrose noon safaris % There are bothprivate andgovernment- 580219) (driver), aswellaplayerwith2m phanta . Bothrunmorningandafter- along the Rapti River, afa- alongtheRapti Unique ( % 580080) and United 281

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE ing centre. Sauraha, withastop attheelephantbreed- followed byatwo-hour guidedwalkbackto which includesaone-hour tripdownriver, trips fromSauraha costRs850perperson, ofa glimpse arare Gangetic dolphin.Canoe if youget really catch even lucky,youmight of spottingwater birds andcrocodiles or NarayaniRiver. Youhave agoodchance tripontheRapti the parkisonacanoeing An altogether more relaxing waytoexplore CANOEING bagaresleeping includedintheprice. ofnoises thejungle. Supper,breakfast anda the wildlife viewingtower,enveloped bythe person. Walkers ontopof spendthenight CommunityForestKumrose forRs500per have topaythedailyparkfees. 600 toRs800forafulldayandyou’llalso andRs going rate isRs400forahalf-day the lodges ortravel agents inSauraha. The titude tocreeping uponrhinos. guides have aworryinglydevil-may-care at- of experiencevaryandsome ofLevels the experience of yourguidecountsforalot. bigger thegroup,safer thewalk,but of the atiger inChitwan.Generally, attack boxed text above forafirst-person account 282 Animals are bythe rumble of lessphased popular way toexplore the national park. areof safaris anelephant, butjeep another the jungleonthe back as riding through It maynot have romance quite thesame SAFARIS 4WD You canalsoarrange overnight tripstothe Walks canbearranged anyof through with itsclaws. Wewere terrified! leopard, butsuddenlyahugetigerleaptoutinfrontofusandbroughtdown oneofourguides small yellowishanimalrunningawayafew metres infrontofus. Weinitiallythoughtitwasa longwhenourguidesuddenlygave usasignal.WefrozeWe hadn’tbeenwalking andsawa We were someofthefirsttouriststoenter theparkearlyinmorninganditwasstillmisty. survived atigerattackinNepalandwehadsecond chance atlife.survived tiger hardonthenoseanditvanishedasquicklyhadappeared. Wewere allalive, wehad stickswhilewestoodterrified behindthem.Thenback withwalking one of ourguideshitthe see itsenormousheadcomingthroughthebushandhearitroaring. Ourguidesbeatthetiger CHASED BY ATIGER the tigress hadababyandwasprotecting it. tiger twiceinoneday?Minutes later wesawthefootprintsofanadulttiger andcub–obviously CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark The tigerdisappeared intothebushthenwheeledaroundforasecondattack–wecould We decidedtocontinuethewalk–after all,whatwere bya thechancesofgettingattacked Joop van Pijkeren, Netherlands northern bank of the Rapti River northern bank of is apopular the Rapti there are large numbers of people. The meal. The goldenruleis only swimwhere muggers are notaverse totheodd human tobealittle carefulbut you need asmarsh and rivers to splasharoundinatChitwan, There are someexcellent swimmingholes SWIMMING Chitwan see that passes p87 . full day. around Rs70perhalfdayand 140per rented fromvariousshops inSaurahafor Sauraha, accessibleviatheMahendra Hwy. and pondsabout 1½hours northwest of Hajaar Tal, acollection of bird-filled lakes children. AnotherpossibledestinationisBis guaranteed tobemobbed byenthusiastic Tharu farmingcommunitieswhere you’re cycle touring.Youcanvisitdozens of small the surroundingcountrysideisideal forbi- but You can’tcycleinsidetheparkitself, CYCLING to reduce thecost. sotrytogetfull-day safari, agrouptogether person. fora You’llpayRs8000perjeep atRs800per Kasara. start safaris Half-day crocodile–breedingthe gharial centre near ations includeBisHajaar Tal, Tal Lami and roads after themonsoon–populardestin- rent of situationandthestate security the intothejungle. deeper you’ll have theopportunitytoget much suspectand enginesthanyoumight jeep For information on a mountain bikeFor information on amountain trip bikesMountain madeinIndiacanbe The route dependsonthecur- forsafaris www.lonelyplanet.com ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ is whentoshower–almostallof thelodges the onlyguestatalodge outsidethepark. the companyof anorganised tourtobeing greatly reduced atChitwan.Youmayprefer beawareyou stay, thatvisitornumbers are north shore River. of theRapti Wherever Sauraha, thesmalltraveller centre onthe eitherinsidethepark,orat You canstay Sleeping elephant bathtime–see p280 . tume, don’tmissthechance tohelpoutat before swimmingelsewhere inthepark. local advice and avoid thesouthbank.Seek spot foradip,butwatch outforthecurrent www.lonelyplanet.com Sauraha Centre (3km) Elephant Breeding Lun Tara(2.5km); Green Mansions(2km); Paradise Hotel(1km); To Chitwan 4 1 3 2 SAURAHA One important consideration at Chitwan considerationatChitwan One important If you’ve yourswimmingcos- brought Royal Chitwan National Park AC 22 (Tandi Bazaar)(5.5km)

20 To Chitrasali(2km); Rapti Sauraha Chowk

14 River (Tandi Bazaar)(6km) To SaurahaChowk 6 26 9 24 31 15 Bathing Area 23 Elephant 16 28 18 21 13 33 B 29 2 27 35 3 32 30 SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Jungle AdventureWorld...... Hotel WildlifeCamp...... Hotel RiverSide...... Hotel JungleLodge...... Family GuestHouse...... Crocodile SafariCamp...... Chitwan TigerCamp...... Chitwan SafariCamp&Lodge... Chitwan ResortCamp...... Annapurna ViewLodge...... United ElephantRides...... (see6) Unique ElephantRides...... Tharu CultureProgram...... (see6) Park Office...... Elephant Stables(Hattisar)...... Bird EducationSociety...... Bicycle Hire...... Visitor Centre...... Moneychanger...... (see 31) nqeEehn ie...... B3 Unique ElephantRides...... 17 CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark 11 34 25 The lodges allhave bars andrestaurants but all withprivate bathroomsandhotshowers. tents, safari jungle cottages orcomfortable of thelodges offer achoice of Tharu-style rounded bythesoundsof thejungle. Most intheforest,experience of deep staying sur- pensive, butit’shardtoputapriceonthe resorts insidethepark.Theresorts are ex- atoneofChitwan istostay theupmarket By farthemostatmosphericwaytovisit INSIDE THENATIONAL PARK but bringrepellent oryou eration ismosquitos–mostplaceshave nets the day,notinmorning.Anotherconsid- onlyprovidebut these hotwater attheendof friendlysolarshowers, environmentally use 19 5 1 10 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 8 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B4 B3 B4 A2 B3 C4 B4 C3 B3 C4 D3 C4 D4 B3 B3 C4 12 TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING reln u fie...... B3 Greenline BusOffice...... Happy House...... Happy House...... Traveller Restaurants...... River SunsetRestaurant...... (see11) KC's Restaurant...... Bhojanalayas...... Al Fresco...... Travellers JungleCamp...... Royal ParkHotel...... River ViewJungleCamp...... Rhino ResidencyResort...... Rhino LodgeHotel...... Rainforest GuestHouse...... Jungle WildlifeCamp...... Jungle TouristCamp...... Jungle SunsetCamp...... Jungle SafariPark...... Jungle SafariLodge...... 400m 0.2miles 0 0 will 7 Royal Chitwan National Park get bitten. D 4 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18

283 B3 B3 B4 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3 C4 B3 B2 A3 B3 A3 C4 B3

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE half theadultrates. Childrenimpassable. aged three to10pay whenthejungleroadsbecome September, Lodge andTented fromMay close to Camp and activities,butnotparkfees. TheJungle at allthelodges includemeals superb. Rates the facilities,guidesandoverall ethosare and reputation standards forhigh served Thecompanyhasade- atBardia. Camp and theKarnali JungleLodge andTented ages theTiger Lodge Mountain inPokhara run byTiger which Mountain, alsoman- at Chitwan,thethree lodges tocutpricesforwalk-inguests. age tours, there isnoreal incentive forthe but asmostvisitors arrive onprepaid pack- worth inquiringabout additionaldiscounts, reflected inthepricesquoted here. Itmaybe ofcause fallingvisitornumbers, andthisis the parkresorts have lowered theirrates be- park charge 13%government Mostof tax. a 50%surcharge. Allthelodges insidethe ple sharing–ifyoucomealone,you’llpay agent inKathmandu orPokhara. theresortsthrough atravel orgothrough driver. Youcanmake arrangements directly as mosttransfers involve arented car and resorts isalsoextra,anditcanbe expensive park entryfees (see p278 ). Transporttothe included andyoumayalsohave topaythe trips andculturalshows. Drinksare not cluding elephantrides,junglewalks,canoe all mealsandactivitiesonceyouarrive, in- andtherates include days andtwonights package lastthree Thestandard Pokhara. age tours arranged fromKathmandu or ‘getting backtonature’ ethos. there are few othermodcons,reflecting the 284 adding tothe jungleatmosphere. ways elephants wandering about theplace, fans and solar-heated water. There are al- cious rooms have solar-powered and lights at thewestern endof thepark andthespa- The lodge sitsbeside thesmallReuKhola rything isconstructed fromlocalmaterials. commodation anywhere inNepalandeve- are stillsomeof themostcharacterful ac- Tiger Topsbrand. Thefamousstilthouses ginal tree-top thatforged guesthouse the night US$350; discounts available May-Sep) night US$350;discounts availableMay-Sep) www.tigermountain.com) 4361500 inKathmandu; Tiger TopsJungleLodge Easily themostfamousaccommodation Easily The followingrates are ontwopeo- based Most peoplevisitthelodges onpack- CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark Tiger Topslodges (packages perperson (packages The ori- ( % are 01- person US$230;discountof20%Jun-Sep) per 3-day/2-nightpackage www.islandjungleresort.com; May) galows perpersonUS$100/110, notinclparkfees; www.visitnepal.com/gaida; tents/bun- safari Kathmandu; person pernightUS$200;discountsavailableMay-Sep; Park fees are extra. deal. Children under12are charged 50%. jungle–it’sthereal rounded bydense safari phanta private viewingplatformlookingover the roofs andprivate bathrooms, each witha offers woodencabinswiththatched raised River inthewestof thepark,Temple Tiger night US$200;discountsavailableMay-Sep) US$250) perpersonnight packages .catmando.com/temple-tiger; Rates includeparkfees. Rates Children aged three to10are charged 50%. obligatory Tharu-stylerestaurant andbar. lovely riverside breakfast terrace, plusthe decorated withanimalpaintings.There’s a the mainresort are simplebuttasteful and western endof thepark. Thecottages at the middleof theNarayaniRiver atthe has asuperblocationonlarge islandin and there’s astylish restaurant andpool. decorated withMithilapaintings, houses, are inattractive contained Tharu-stylelong as theotherTiger Topslodges butrooms haveit doesn’t junglefeel quite thesame on thenorthbankof theNarayaniRiver, family. Located outsidetheparkboundary This isthenewestadditiontoTiger Tops barandrestaurant. raised a delightful bathrooms andsmallbalconiesthere’s tents safari havefortable twinbeds, modern to huntintheearly20thcentury.Thecom- sahibs what life musthave like been forthe andit’s easytoimagine tional junglesafari Valley, thisfeels much more like atradi- of theJungleLodge intheserene Surung Wildlife is notparticularly prolific atthe river of atthe base the Someshwar hills. across the the Gaida Wildlife Jungle Camp, lows at the mainlodge tents or safari at have a choice of appealing timberbunga- River.the northbankof theRapti Visitors and it’stheonly parkaccommodationon Tiger TopsTented Camp Island JungleResort Gaida WildlifeCamp Gaida Temple Tiger Lodge Tiger Safari MountainTharu Gaida is the closest lodge Gaidaistheclosest toSauraha Onthesouthbankof theNarayani (colonial gentlemen) whocamehere . Rates are butthecampissur-. Rates high

( % 01-4221637 in Kathmandu; www 01-4221637 inKathmandu;

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% ( % www.lonelyplanet.com 01-4220162 in Kathmandu; 01-4220162 inKathmandu; (packages perperson (packages 01-4215409/4215431 in Thisplace (packages per (packages 3km east pukkah h s Oct- )

resort fromJunetoAugust. isclosed park fees andchildren payhalfrates. The are include linedwithreed matting.Rates bar andrestaurant andthespaciousrooms materials. There’s avery invitingopen-air makes extensive of use thatch andnatural of Chitwan,thissensitively-themed resort Riverbank of intheeastern part theRapti rant andavideolibraryof wildlife films. natural swimmingpool,abarand restau- Janakpur. Facilities here includeadelightful created bywomenfromthevillages around striking Mithilapaintingsonthewallswere amongthetrees.with bathrooms,set The in well-designed,timber-frame bungalows plentiful aroundtheresort and guestsstay to theParsa Wildlife is Wildlife Reserve. park, thisattractive resort placeistheclosest 30% May-Sep; 30% May-Sep; nights US$110/220,additionalUS$90,discountsof ratesperperson1-/2- palinformation.com/machan; package per night forthejunglecamp. per night an extracampingfee of US$7perperson both aspartof package. thesame There’s in around thejunglecamp.Youcanstay main camp,butthere are loadsof animals www.lonelyplanet.com of wildlife, the words jungle, safari, river, names are madeup of some combination Elephant Breeding Centre. Most resort some laid-back options ontheroad tothe buttherethe road toChitrasali, are also out alongtheNational Park boundaryor spillsoverPokhara toChitwan. in Kathmandutourism revival and seen insurgency. Itmay besometimebefore the before of the start seen from thelevels the visit or numbers are significantlydown resorts runbylocalvillagers. However, ket package tourplacesto simplecottage of lodges andresorts here, fromupmar- ern fringes of thepark.There are dozens inthevillagestay of on thenorth- Sauraha, Most independenttravellers toChitwan SAURAHA age US$220,additionalnightsUS$100) mandu; www.chitwanjunglelodge.com; 3-day/2-nightpack- fees are extra. ters at Kasara, charging rates. thesame Park inlargeset groundsneartheparkheadquar- dise View Machan Wildlife Resort WildlifeResort Machan For more creature comforts, Chitwan JungleLodge Most of theresorts andhotels are strung is alarge, modernhotel-style resort s ) Attheeastern endof the

( ( % % Set onthesouth Set 01-4225001; www.ne 01-4442240 inKath- Machan Para- Machan CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark has asolarshower. The bungalowsare very invitingand each the prayerflagsandTibetan wallhangings. over byBuddhistowners, which explainsall thisplacehasrecentlytaurants, taken been for theparkentranceandriverside res- hotmail.com; cottages from Rs400) before turningupatthedoor. the followingplacesare openforbusiness morning sunshine. aheadtomake sure Call ers which onlyrunhotafter afew hours of and mostplaceshave solarpowered show- a choice of shared orprivate bathrooms small tropicalgarden.You’llnormally have aroundacentralrestaurantrandas, set ina mud-and-thatch cottages withsmallve- decision. Mostlodges consistof simple themisoftenchoosing between justaspot All thebudget optionsare very similarso Budget place.to theright signs carefully tomake sure youare going park, resort, lodge andcamp–read the decorated withbird murals. Rooms are spic and cottages arehas its ownelephant stand Across theroad, Travellers JungleCamp rooms are tidy. over the river. Themoodiscalm andthe a longgardenwith viewingtowers looking differentwith several stylesof cottages and hotmail.com; cottagesRs500,discountsof20%) .com.np; s/d withbathroomRs200/400, rwithtubRs500) River View Jungle Camp View River Jungle Adventure World Jungle Adventure Travellers Jungle Camp JungleCamp Travellers of theplace. Nepal sotrynottoletthiscolouryourview are someofthefriendliestpeopleinraha jostle forcustomers. The villagersofSau- send jeepstothebusstandatChitrasali tion isdoublyfierceandmostofthelodges check in.Inthesedifficulttimes,competi- whenyou asking but itmaystillbeworth dropped theirpricesaslowtheycango, that don’toffer discountshave usually have mentionedthisinthereviews. Places some cases. Iflodgesoffer discounts,we on theirprinted rates –asmuch50%in were offeringSauraha significantdiscounts At thetimeofwriting, mostofthelodgesat DISCOUNTS

( ( % ( % % Adecentplace, 580064; jaw_resort@ 580096; adhikari46@ 580096; adhikari46@ 580013; tiger@gnet Handy 285

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE .com; rwithoutbathroom Rs250) without bathroomRs300,withUS$10-20) bathroom Rs150-200) tages Rs100,s/dwithbathroomfrom150/200) often fullsocallahead. tages ortwo-storey villas withbalconies.It’s and youhave achoice of tidymoderncot- neatly manicured gardenfullof royalpalms north fromthebazaar. ina Thehotel isset low atthisbigpackage placeontheroad the parkentrance. It’s ashortwalkfromboththebazaar and a quietlocationandfriendlylocal owners. back of thevillage, thisplacebenefitsfrom the cottages are clean. fairly rusticbuttheowners are friendlyand travellers whoare watching thepennies.It’s the parkentrance,thisisanotheroptionfor have fans,mozzienetsandbathrooms. hedges. Roomsare inlongblocksandall divided intosmallsquares byminiature budget gardenis placesandthepleasant posite thearmypost,thisisoneof thebetter the cheapest bathtubsintown. and span,asare are thegrounds,andthese 286 tages Rs300) in Kathmandu; rwithbathroomRs400, discountsof20%) in Kathmandu; timate garden. clean, economically pricedroomsinanin- bazaar, thissmall village-style resort has Sauraha isbyhorse andcart. on site. and TheconnectiontoChitrasali and variouswellnessactivitiesare available andNepalimeals Thai,Italian tasty serves have lotsof homecomforts,therestaurant the environment.TheTharu-style cottages designed withupmostconsideration for Breeding Centre. Everything here hasbeen 3km westof SaurahaneartheElephant son, looknofurtherthanLunTara, about you’re agetting-back-to-nature kindof per- of tiny topiary. tages withlatticed verandas, in amaze set hasattractive cot- Chitwan ResortCamp the road leadingnorth from thebazaar, The best of very similarplaces on several 500-1000; discountsof20%) lifecamp.com; cottageswithbathroomRs300,rinvilla Annapurna View Lodge Annapurna View Family Guest House Lun Tara Crocodile Safari Camp Crocodile Safari WildlifeCamp Hotel Chitwan Resort Camp Camp Chitwan Resort Chitwan Safari Camp &Lodge Camp Chitwan Safari CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark Set among mustard fieldsatthe among mustard Set

( % 580145; www.luntara-nepal.com;r Back fromtheriver Back near ( % Rates are refreshingly Rates ( (

% % ( 580081; old&wild@hotmail %

Close tothemain Close ( 580082; 580322; www.hotelwild % 580053; cottageswith 580072; 2-bedcot-

( % % 580078; cot- 01-4227711 Op- If

private bathroomRs200-300) private hotmail.com; cottageswithshared bathroomRs150,rwith chitwan.com.np; cottagesRs300,discountsof 20%) bathrooms inamodernconcrete block. basic thatched cottages tohotel roomswith this placehasawidechoice of rooms,from restaurant. It’s allquite tasteful andthere’s abigcentral bathrooms, woodenfloors andverandas. of Sauraha. Roomsare hutswith in raised in ashadygardenonthenorthwestedge yahoo.com; rwith bathroomRs250) yahoo.com; Rs 500,discountsof20%) www.hjlchitwan.com;rwithbathroomfrom Kathmandu; the ElephantBreeding Centre. cottages atthefront.It’sjustoff theroadto modern hotel blockatthebackandsimple ontheriverful optionright bank,witha travel orKathmandu. agency inPokhara transfers any bybus,plane orcarthrough you canbookan allinclusive package with Alternatively,pick youupfrom Chitrasali. your ownwayto Sauraha,butlodges will –you’llhavedays andtwonights tomake packageactivities. Thestandard laststhree accommodation, meals andvariousjungle US$10/15 persingle/double. vate bathroomandbalconyforaslittle as you canget atopnotch roomwith pri- some of places are these excellentvalue– are vacancies. Withthecurrent discounts, rooms toindependenttravellers ifthere visitors onpackage tours, butallgive out Most of themidrange lodges are upfor set Midrange room Rs200-300) cottageswithoutbathroomRs100,rwithbath- yahoo.com; showers. nets, fansandlarge bathroomswithsolar Rooms are simplebutcleanwithmosquito bythewater.est gardenandasundeckright place hastwogreen hotel blocksinamod- floors are inasmallgarden. set choice. Cleanroomswithbednetsandlino on theedge of thevillage, thisisn’tabad day/2-night package US$200, s/droom onlyUS$50/60, day/2-night package 3- www.rhino-residency.com; 4420431 inKathmandu; Jungle SunsetCamp Rainforest GuestHouse Rainforest Hotel JungleLodge Hotel Jungle WildlifeCamp Rhino Residency Resort Residency Rhino Many hotels offer theirownpackages, with Jungle Tourist Camp Camp Jungle Tourist Atthenorthernendof town, A long-established place A long-established

( %

( ( % % ( Acheap andcheer- %

www.lonelyplanet.com 580006; ( %

580112; jungle_sunset@ 580030; www.adventure 580093; junglewcamp@ ( Nextdoor,this 580007; sharad2029@ % % 580095; 01-4443599 in % Out 01- counts of30%) .com.np; downstairs/1st-flrwithbathroomUS$10/15,dis- US$15/25, discountsof30%) .com; downstairsrwithbathroomRs500,1st-/2nd-fl in advance. It’s popularwithpackage groups sobook floorhavesecond gardenandriver views. most of theway to theriver. Roomsonthe inalarge,set well-kept gardenthatruns Discounts extend tothetourpackages. nial andthere’s apool,barandrestaurant. EnglishRegencybetween andMalay Colo- stone patios.Thestylingfallssomewhere rooms inslate-roofed bungalowswithflag- to thenationalpark,thiselegantresort has US$20) US$80,ronlypernight .com.np; 1-day/2-nightpackages discounts of50%; www.lonelyplanet.com package US$60,cottagesonlyRs800,discountsof20%) package % US$40,discountsof50%; air-con &TV % the profits to ruralcommunities. goes in tidy,modernbungalows andaportionof trimmed withnailscissors.been Roomsare loving ly manicured lawn thatcouldhave thiscalmandmodern placehasa Centre, Down theroad to theElephantBreeding fans. with carpets,reed furniture andpowerful of rooms a goodselection well-maintained restaurant, agardenfullof hammocksand you get roundtheback.There’s ariverside by theriver ismuch more attractive once best in town for wheelchair users. users. best intownforwheelchair it’snotalwaysfull.Rooms arethough the include breakfast andthere’s atinypool, or two-storey villasinthegarden.Rates rooms inelegant,widelyspacedcottages air bar,arestaurant full of oldphotosand this appealingupmarket hotel hasanopen- currently notinuse. some have here bathtubs.Thecottages are cavernous andextremely and comfortable like ahotel thanajungleresort. Roomsare from theroadinahuge garden,thisismore is raising standards at Tigeris raising standards but Camp, discounts of20%; gercamp.com; standard/deluxe rwithbathroom Rs400/800, Jungle Safari Lodge Jungle Safari Royal Park Hotel Chitwan Tiger Camp Rhino LodgeHotel Rhino Hotel River Side River Hotel Chitwan Paradise Hotel 01-4416300; www.nepal-safari.com; rfromUS$20,with 01-4416300; www.nepal-safari.com; 01-4444544; [email protected]; 3-day/2-night Set in groundsyoucouldget lostin, Set A large moderntwo-storey place as a

) Atimely refurbishment ( ( % %

( ) Thisbig,modernblock % Right bytheentrance Right

( 5800098; hriverside@hotmail 580061; www.royalparkhotel ( % %

( 580065; rhinolodge@wlink % 580060; www.chitwanti 580046, inKathmandu 580048, in Kathman 580048, inKathman du a ) Set back Set CENTRAL TERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark

rates includingactivities. Askown elephantsafaris. about package well looked after andthelodge arranges its but thebrickcottages here are modernand the armycampmayputsomepeopleoff, packages US$190,additionalnightsUS$80, discountsof20%) packages 3-day/2-night 4221854; [email protected]; sauce, inventedsauce, inHolland. ketchup,mayonnaise, onions,andpeanut- unlikely-sounding combinationof chips, to jointhethrongis know thedrill.OneunusualEuropeandish fare Mexican, – Nepali,Indian,Italian, you andafamiliarmenuofcocktails travellers jungle-themed zaar atSauraha. Allserve independentplacesinthemainba- several Most lodges have restaurants andthere are Eating % roomsareupstairs, standard downstairs. assortment of buildings: deluxe roomsare attraction. Roomsare inanodd housed the riverside restaurant isstillthemain room Rs500-1000,discountsof30%) 10pm) and crafts. Local specialities include tiger range of Tibetan, Kashmiri and Nepali arts Souvenir the usual shops inSaurahasell Shopping are afew rustic zas andpasta. runs fromNepaliandIndiancurries topiz- chefs here cookupafeast andthemenu open terrace andafire pitattheback.The inaSpanish-stylehacienda withan is set The mostupmarket choice KC’s atSauraha, tastefully styledwithplentyof localtrim. antly low-key andthe smarttiledcottages are Breeding Green Centre, Mansions ispleas- An upmarket optionneartheElephant is Probably the mostpopular time andsunset. that get quite busy around elephantbath- ler restaurants banksof onthesandy theriver traveller favourites. street-sidetwo levels, viewsandallyour ably thebestof the terrace restaurants, with River SunsetRestaurant River Green Mansions Green Al Fresco Al Fresco Park Jungle Safari For real bargain meals,there basement There’s anothercluster of laid-back travel- KC’s Restaurant Restaurant KC’s 01-4263054, www.islandjungleresort.com; rwithbath- 01-4263054, www.islandjungleresort.com; , attached toChitwan Tiger, attached Camp. (mains Rs50-200; bhojanalayas

( (mains Rs70-300; %

580088, inKathmandu ( %

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE seven hours andthefareseven isRs300to350, In eitherdirection, thejourneytakes sixto tourist busfromKathmandu orPokhara. By fartheeasiestwaytoreach Chitwanisby BUS agents andhotels canmake bookings. to SaurahawillcostaroundRs600.Travel (US$44, 20minutes). from theairport Ataxi (US$54 toUS$70,30minutes) andPokhara toBharatpurdaily flights fromKathmandu RNACtaxi. private airlinesoffer andseveral Bharatpur nearNarayangarh andtake a bound forSauraha,it'sbetter toflyinto as there isnothinginMeghauli. Ifyou're rangements withyourlodge forapick-up tomakeUS$82, butyou'llneed advancear- mandu tothetinyrunwayatMeghauli for Yeti fromKath- hasdailyscheduled flights When there touristdemand, issufficient AIR &Away There Getting upmarket, headto mating scenes.Forsomethingabitmore elephants andrhinos,includingdubious of pugmark ashtraysandwoodcarvings 288 operatives nearJanakpur. paintings producedbywomen’scraftco- gorgeous varieties)andsells table Mithila produces itsownhoney(invariousdelec- Society). Thissmall,family-runbusiness (there’s abranch neartheBirdEducation h Himalayan viewpointat Himalayan at fort loop aroundthetop oftheridge,visitingRana-era and of Nepalilife routes thantheestablishedtrekking aroundEverest andAnnapurna. the development hasbeenvery andthewalksoffer low-key, amuchmore authenticexperience andtrekscommodation invillagehomestays,cultural activities tomountainviewpoints. Sofar, Magar andGurungvillageshave beendeveloped asdestinationsforculturaltourism,withac- has created ofChitwan.Several routes anewnetworkoftrekking Chepang, inthehillsnorth After nearDaman,theNepalTourismBoard thesuccessofSirubarivillagetourismproject WALKS INTHE CHITWAN HILLS villages; localsare very friendly,ifalittle bemusedbythesightofforeigners. insurgency. See www.welcomenepal.com/trpap/areas_chitwan.html for more information. Asor Sauraha. elsewhere, the safety inthisarea depends onthestatus oftheMaoist ofwalking Alternatively, Pokhara allthearrangements throughatravel youcanmake agency inKathmandu, in give youmore timetoexplore thisinteresting area. Simplehomestay accommodationisavailable 7am-9pm) CENTRALTERAI••RoyalChitwanNationalPark Hattibang The are maintrailheadsforwalkers Because of the poor transport links,mostpeoplestayatleastone night,buttwodayswill Because ofthepoor transport Hugdi neartheAlFresco Restaurant , near Kurintar on the Prithvi Hwy. From either starting pointyoucanfollow along, nearKurintaronthe Prithvi Hwy. Fromeitherstarting , on the trail up from Hugdi, and in Shaktikhor, where youcan alsohire, onthetrail upfromHugdi, andinShaktikhor, guides. Happy House Siraichuli

(1945m). Ontheway you’llpassthroughastringoftraditional ( % 580026; Shaktikhor usually drop guests off attheturn-offsusually dropguestsoff to Kathmandu takes aboutfive hours. Cars or US$60 andthejourneyfromPokhara The goingrate foracaranddriver isaround range transfers byprivate toChitwan car. Travel agents andupmarket lodges canar- CAR air-con busoperated by or travel agent canmake bookings. leavebuses at 9.30am. Anyhotel Chitrasali Intheoppositethe toutssay. direction, at anyparticularresort, regardless of what There’s noobligation tocommitstaying transfer newarrivalstoSaurahaforRs50. andhoteljeeps toutswaitatthebus parkto about5kmfromSauraha– stop isChitrasali, Kantipath inKathmandu at7am.Thefinal andtheThamelendof inPokhara stand leavewith. Buses bus fromtheMustang depending onwhich travel agent youbook p274 for more information. (Rs 10,20minutes) andchange there –see easier totake alocalbustoNarayangarh 6km northof Sauraha. it’susually However, Tandi ontheMahendra Bazaar), Hwyabout the Terai atSaurahaChowk(alsoknownas anddestinationsinmandu andPokhara itleavestrasali, at8am. itleavesor Pokhara at7.30am;fromChi- US$10 includingbrunch. FromKathmandu which runstoKathmandu for orPokhara , accessiblebylocal busfromNarayangarh, A more optionisthedaily comfortable You can pick up public buses toKath-You canpickuppublicbuses Uppardangadhi www.lonelyplanet.com Greenline andthedramatic

( % 560126) , enough demand. enough tripsonlyruniftherements –however, is com panies (see p90 ofrafting section thetrip.Mostrafting ) canmake arrange- to payaroundUS$80perperson forthe fari package inthenationalpark–expect Most peoplecombineraftingwithasa- two orthree daystoraftdownChitwan. Kathmandutween Ittakes andPokhara. on thePrithvi Hwy,abouthalfwaybe- side offer great campingspots. beachesviews andthesandy alongtheriver- of aleisurely drift–butthere are somefine white water –theraftingexperienceismore park of apackage tour. Don’texpectwild minating atthenationalpark,usuallyas down theTrisuliandNarayaniRivers, cul- Kathmandu raftingoperators offer trips Chitwan isbyriver raft.Mostof thebig A rathermore interesting waytoarrive at RAFT ney bylodge 4WDorelephant! the resorts andyoumustcomplete thejour- www.lonelyplanet.com popular border crossing between India and popular border crossing between Sunauli (pronounced ‘so-nor-li’) isthe most About 165kmsouthwest of Narayangarh, % SUNAULI &BHAIRAWA allow 40minutes forthe journey. zaar toSaurahawill costaroundRs70,but A rickshawfrom Sauraha Chowk/Tandi Ba- RICKSHAW port atBharatpur. Chowk/Tandi and Rs600totheair- Bazaar Rs400toSauraha cost Rs200toChitrasali, will ture jeep of Areserve thetourist buses. they onlyleave tocoincidewiththedepar- Shared costRs50but to Chitrasali jeeps JEEP before intotheStyx. headingoff but make sure thebikes upproperly start bikes forRs150perhour orRs500perday, 140 perday. surrounding villages; the goingrate isRs that are perfectly goodforexploringthe rent shopsin Sauraha outbicycles Several BICYCLE &MOTORCYCLE Around Getting Mugling isthemainembarkationpoint A few placesrent outdecrepit motor- 071 Sunauli &Bhairawa north of theborder. in Bhairawa, amore town 4km substantial to stopover, there are more placestostay Kathmandu Ifyou dochoose andPokhara. way south toDelhiandVaranasi ornorth to most travellers on their justwhistlethrough of hotels –and alongthedustyhighway Nepal. There’s notmuch here –just astrip (22km) To Lumbini Lumbini (22km) To Airport(1km); CENTRAL TERAI••Sunauli&Bhairawa 4 1 3 2 5 SUNAULI &BHAIRAWA Airlines Offices...... (see6) Yeti Airlines...... Local BusestoLumbini...... Bus Station...... Bus Stand...... VIP's Restaurant...... Kasturi Restaurant...... Nepal GuestHouse...... Hotel Yeti...... Hotel Shambala...... Hotel Prakash&Prakash...... (see3) Hotel MtEverest...... Hotel JayBijay...... Hotel Glasgow...... (see5) Hotel Centaur...... (see4) Tourist InformationOffice...... Nepali Customs...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION

Paklihawa Rd A Police Station To Butwal 12 (22km) 8

Market Rd Market New Rd 9 I NDA 5 PRADESH UTTAR 4 13 1km 0.5miles 0 0 Bhairawa

13 12 11 10

6 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Siddhartha Hwy Siddhartha 10

B2 A1 B4 B3 A2 A2 B4 B2 A2 A2 B4 B4 B4 To Gorakhpur(90km) Rd Bank Sunauli B 1

2

11 7 3 289

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE guesthouses atLumbiniBazaar.guesthouses Bhairawa inoneof andstay thefriendly Lumbini, youcanskipbothSunauliand IndiaandNepal.Ifyouwanttovisit tween popular placetobreak thejourneybe- of Buddhaandanincreasingly Gautama trips toLumbini,thehistoricalbirthplace slower andmuch more expensive. ing Rs25perhour. NetcafésinSunauliare RdandNewinBhairawa,Bank charg- are netcafésaroundthejunctionof several easier tochange moneyatthe border. There banksbutit’susually Bhairawa hasseveral by mosquitoes –bringcoilsoramozzie net by mosquitoes the borderpostisnoisy,dustyand plagued There are but plentyof hotels atBelahiya, Sleeping informationoffice tourist town andSunaulifortheborder. can usuallyget awaywithBhairawa forthe is alsoknownasSiddharthanagarbutyou things,Bhairawahiya. To furtherconfuse don’t like thelook of thehotels inBela- togointoBhairawano need unlessyou der tomostmajor townsinNepalsothere’s Bhairawa. rundirectly Buses fromthebor- about 4kmsouthof actually atBelahiya, the border,butNepaliborderpostis SunauliforbothsidesofMost peopleuse &Information Orientation 290 5pm Sun-Fri) Bhairawa pointfor isalsothestarting The Government of Nepalrunsasmall officials oneitherside. 6am to10pm.After 7pm andbefore 7am,youmayneedtogosearching fortheimmigration The Nepali sideoftheborderisopen24hours,butIndianpostonly staffed from Border Hours CROSSING THE BORDER connect with the Indian broad-gauge railway. with theIndian broad-gauge connect (INRs 150,10hours). There (INRs50, three are hours) where alsobusesto Gorakhpur you can side ofthe border,there are direct morningbuses toDelhi(INRs405, 24hours)andVaranasi All travellers bound forIndiamustchange busesattheborder. Fromthebusstation ontheIndian Onward toIndia Indian rupee. sides oftheborder acceptIndianandNepalirupeesata fixed rate of1.6Nepalirupeestoone and cashtravellers chequesinUSdollars,UKpounds andeuros. Shopsandhotels onboth Several moneychangerson theNepalisideofborderexchange NepaliandIndianrupees, Foreign Exchange CENTRALTERAI••Sunauli&Bhairawa ontheNepalsideof theborder. ( % 520304; h 10am- Rs 1200/1500; s/dwithbathroomRs800/1000, withair-con prakash.com; 1000/1200, discountsof20%; &bathroomRs500/700,withair-con Bank Rd;s/dwithTV showers are cold. Rooms are reasonably large andcleanbut are spaciousandreasonably quiet. with Indiantravellers andtheguestrooms the roadtowardsborder. It’spopular locale, thisbusiness-class hotel isfurtherup Siddhartha Hwy. Rd,which the runswestoff out alongBank Most of thehotels inBhairawa are strung BHAIRAWA with bathroom&cold/hotshowerRs150/240) to Bhairawa. All thehotels are strungoutalongtheroad SUNAULI/BELAHIYA much more wholesomeplacetostay. or endupassupper. Allinall,Bhairawa isa room Rs200) restaurant. the money,andthere’s alsoapretty decent Rooms here are pretty basic,butgoodfor lers budget looknofurther. onatight need but reasonably clean. dated butcheerful décor. Roomsare simple Rs 250/150) Hotel Glasgow Hotel Hotel Centaur Hotel JayBijay Hotel Hotel Prakash &Prakash Prakash Hotel Nepal GuestHouse A quite bright, friendlyplace,with Aquite bright, Atypicalno-frills, budget place. a ) Unexpectedly poshforthis

( % ( ( % %

523029; rwith/withoutbathroom 523737; [email protected]; ( 527266; BankRd;rwithbath- % a www.lonelyplanet.com 520876; 4-beddmRs50,r

( ) % Thebestplacein 526994; www.hotel Travel- air-con US$35/45,discountsof25%; Hwy;s/dUS$30/35,with cnr BankRd&Siddhartha filiated hotel flour pancakes), aswellIndiansweets. cellent vegetarian curriesand ex- along Paklihawa Rd,thisplaceserves than bandhars Eating perfect andyouhave theoptionof air-con. erly hotshowers. Roomsare pretty much excellent restaurant, huge roomsandprop- town. Hotel an Glasgowhasattentive staff, www.lonelyplanet.com For more onthis see p381 . Everyone has tochange atthe border. buses tickets’ thetwocountries. ‘through between agents inIndia orNepalwho claimtooffer suspiciousofgoing to Bhairawa. travel Be For otherdestinations, you’re bestoff andBhairawa.regularly frombothBelahiya forKathmandu leaveBuses and Pokhara BUS Yeti Airlines AIR &Away There Getting restaurants nearthebusstation. dishes.InSunaulitheretal are afew small usual range of Nepali,Indianandcontinen- the All thehotels have restaurants serving the corner on Bank Rd. the corneronBank place around Indian, NepaliandChinese showers. phonesandreliably hot rooms have TVs, and it’svery All modernandcomfortable. preferred choice of upmarket tourgroups h .com) &air-confromRs800; room fromRs400,withTV phones andhotshowers. There’s arestaurant androomshave fans, solid, midrange choice onthemainstreet. and theSiddhartha Hwy. fices easily accessiblebyrickshaw. Most Bhairawa airportisabout 1kmwest of town, and Bhairawa (US$90,40 minutes, daily). Kathmanduairlines offer between flights 9pm) Hotel YetiHotel VIPs Restaurant VIPs Restaurant Hotel Shambala Hotel Kasturi Restaurant Kasturi Hotel MtEverest Hotel 7am-8pm) Ifyoumusthave meat,trythissmall are aroundthejunction of Rd Bank Rates andfacilitiesareRates similaratthisaf- Oneof upmarket several

( down fromtheShambala. % ( % (Indian snackrestaurants) 527527)

(Bank Rd;mainsRs50-120;

( ( 520551; [email protected]; 520551; [email protected]; % %

520410; hotelmteverest@yahoo 520167; BankRd;rwithbath- (snack mealsfromRs50; andotherprivate a dosas ) Thisisthe airline of- h (lentil- a mis- 8am- ) A cost Rs305/300. hours). MinivanstoPokhara/Kathmandu hours)eight viaNarayangarh(Rs 150,three and Kathmandu Rs230/280, (day/night hours) Rs230/270,eight (day/night Pokhara daily month of May in563BC. treeborn underasal inLumbini inthe bal philosophyof peaceandreflection, was enment underaBodhitree, inspiring aglo- The manwhowouldlater achieve enlight- religiousmost important sites intheworld. Siddhartha Buddha,Lumbiniisone of the As thehistoricalbirthplaceof Gautama % LUMBINI rickshaw willcostRs20. theborderandBhairawatween forRs7.A shuttlebe- andlocalbuses Regular jeeps Around Getting say ‘ommani padmehum’. say are springinguphere faster thanyou can over the last few years, andnewmonasteries bini hasundergone amajor renaissance rounding thesacred site. Lum- That said, inthemonasteries ontomeditate sur-stay come inaslow,respectful trickleandmany Haridwar, Mecca orLourdes.Pilgrimshere for pilgrimages, Lumbiniisnothinglike the pillar of Ashoka as well as the ruined the temple isasacred garden containing Siddhartha. Surrounding birth toGautama MayaQueen of Devi Kapilavastu gave Temple, which markstheexact spotwhere Kakarbhitta (Rs520,12hours). to (Rs 470,10hours) anda4.15amservice hours),320, eight a5ambustoBiratnagar east, there’s a6.10ambustoJanakpur (Rs destinations inthewestern Terai. Heading 30 minutes) where youcanchange for leave 15minutes every toButwal(Rs 28, at 7.30amandSunauli7am. Kathmandu (Rs525);itleaves Kathmandu north of Rd. Bank Hwy andtheroadtoLumbini,about 1km leave fromthejunctionof theSiddhartha hours) andTaulihawa (Rs50,three hours) There are to regular buses dayandnight A slightly moreA slightly option isthe comfortable Despite being an important destination Despite beinganimportant The centre of LumbiniistheMaya Devi Local buses forLumbini(Rs25, 1½Local buses From the 071 Golden Travels Golden Travels CENTRAL TERAI••Lumbini bus stand ( % inBhairawa, buses 520194) air-con busto

291

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Kapilavastu andLumbini. The whole region the remaining ‘pagan’ monuments at both the end of the14thcentury anddestroyed shipped in theMaya Temple. Devi leaving thatisstillwor- thenativity statue made apilgrimage here in1312, possibly forgotten. TheNepali king,RipuMalla, thesiteground. However, was notentirely lar, shattered and lyingonthe bylightning 1000 derelict monasteries and Ashoka’s pil- pilgrim,described another Chinese Zang), hundred years later, Hsuan Tang (Xuan and thecityof Kapilavastu inruins.Two 403, hefoundthemonasteries abandoned pilgrim, Fa Hsien (Fa Xian),visited inAD clysm affected Lumbini.WhentheChinese erecting oneof249 BC, hisfamouspillars. peror Ashoka madeapilgrimage here in the site byhisfollowers andtheIndian em- of monasteries andstupaswaserected on Ahuge complex bornheredeed in563BC. Siddhartha, thehistoricalBuddha, wasin- gists are thatGautama nowfairlycertain After years of workatLumbini, archaeolo- History the mainentrancetosite. village of directly LumbiniBazaar, opposite plenty of inthepeaceful small guest houses perimeter of Zoneand theDevelopment There stay. night are hotels allaroundthe exploring thesite soit’swellworthanover- communities fromaroundtheworld. dhist monasteries, constructed byBuddhist already fullof landscapedlakes and Bud- It’s aworkinprogress butthegroundsare by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange in1978. Zone,designed the LumbiniDevelopment the sacred gardenisahuge parkknown as monasteries. formilesaround Extending foundations of dozensof ancientstupasand 292 Mughal invadersMughal arrived intheregion at Shortly after this,someunknowncata- You caneasilyspendoneortwodays had arrived inLumbini. ally aChinesedocumentaryfilmcrew that 'Chinese team toShoottheBuddha!',actu- favourite headlinewastheeyecatching come acrosssomegreat newsstories. Our Scan theNepalinewspapersandyou'll UDA BUDDHA! CHINESE TEAM TOSHOOT THE CENTRALTERAI••Lumbini Bradley Mayhew Nepali Rs50/10/free; a number of brickstupas and monasteries, the grounds are the ruined foundations of ing birth totheBuddhaand dotted around to bewhere Maya bathed before Devi giv- the temple. reproduction intheBihari monastery near and Brahmalooking on.There’s amodern and givingbirth to theBuddha,withIndra shape of branch Maya graspingasal Devi veneration, butyoucanjustdiscernthe worn almostflatbycenturiesofhas been the Hindumothergoddess.The carving wasworshippedDevi asanincarnationof Ripu Malla, inthe14thcentury,whenMaya dha, reputedly lefthere bytheMalla king, of thebirthof theBud- carving sandstone The focalpointforpilgrimsisa famous boardwalk.around theruinsonaraised a plainbrickpavilion. site, butfornow,theruinsare protected by agrandmonument onthe plans toraise ThereAshoka are inthethirdcenturyBC. scription of astone laiddownbyEmperor stone onabrickplinth,matching the de- 2200 years, includingacommemorative sion of ruinsonthesite datingbackatleast carried outin1992have revealed asucces- cording toBuddhistscholars. Excavations exact site of thebirthof theBuddha, ac- The revered MAYA DEVITEMPLE Sights intothecountryside.ing off check situationbefore thesecurity wander- lence, includingatTaulihawa. As elsewhere, in thearea duringthelatest upsurge invio- but Maoists have attacks carriedoutseveral Travel around Lumbiniisgenerally safe, Dangers &Annoyances globe. reflecting Buddhistcultures fromacrossthe of dozensof vast21stcenturymonasteries, years,in athousand they’llfindtheruins ment Zone–ifexplorers rediscover the site intheLumbiniDevelop- ology foritself excavation of Ashoka’s pillarinlate 1896. Palpa, beganthe Shumsher Rana, Khadga were losttohumanity,untilthegovernor of then returned towildernessandthesites The pond besidethetemple is believed If youremove youcan walk yourshoes, Lumbini isnowcreating anewarchae- Maya Devi Temple Devi Maya h 6am-5.30pm) www.lonelyplanet.com

(foreigner/SAARC/ sitsonthe the inNepal,while by pilgrimsfromMustang the occasion.After beinglostforcentu- pillartocommemorateinscribed sandstone leaving behindan bini inaround249BC, The IndianemperorAshoka visited Lum- ASHOKAN PILLAR raj BuddhaVihar dhist monasteries: the century AD. tothe9th dating fromthe2ndcenturyBC www.lonelyplanet.com Lumbini on thepathwaytotemple. dhist paraphernaliaatthereligious andotherbitsofcan pickupincense Bud- structed bymonksfromBiharinIndia. You (26km) To Taulihawa 4 1 3 2 LUMBINI Opposite thetemple are twosmallBud- Nepal BuddhaVihara Tenuhawa AC Development ( % Lumbini Zone 11 24 Ὀ Ὀ 580132) 29

( Dharma SwamiMaha- 27 17 10 9 Sanctuary % Lumbini 5 8 Crane

21 Sacred Pond was constructed 580172) 28 1 Garden Sacred 16 6 18 13 4 wascon- B 2 3 14

22 20 12 Harhawa 19 38 market 34 23 15

37 7 Rv Ceremonial Bell...... Ashokan Pillar...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES ete...... B3 Centre...... Dhama JanamiVipassana

Telar Rv 25

31 Main Gate 36 40 end of thepark. languishes, largely forgotten, atthesouth gant monasteries aroundthebirthplaceof around theworldhave constructed extrava- founded in1978,Buddhistnationsfrom Zonewas Since theLumbiniDevelopment BUDDHIST MONASTERIES with hisown Mahendra of Nepaltriedtomatch thefeat reveredhighly byNepaliBuddhists.King the pillarisn’tmuch tolookat,butitis site infrontof theMaya temple – Devi returnedpillar hasnowbeen toitsoriginal pinksandstone in1896.The6m high Rana, the governor of Palpa, Shumsher Khadga ries, Ashoka’s pillarwasrediscovered by 39 Lumbini Bazaar 32 26 30 33 35 To Bhairawa (21km) CENTRAL TERAI••Lumbini 3 2 1 1km 0.5miles 0 0 B3 B4 column TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Lumbini GuestHouse...... Lumbini GardenLodge...... Lumbini BuddhaHotel...... Crystal...... Monastery...... World PeacePagoda...... Vietnam PhatQuocTuTemple.. Sri LankanMonasterysite...... Sokyo Gompa...... Royal ThaiBuddhistMonastery.. Pilgrim's Market...... MeditationCentre...... Nepal BuddhaVihara...... Myanmar GoldenTemple...... Maya DeviTemple...... Manang SamajGompa...... Mahendra Pillar...... Vihara...... Lumbini ResearchInstitute...... Lumbini Museum...... Lokamani PulaPagoda...... Linh SonMonastery...... Korean BuddhistTemple...... Stupa...... MonasterySite...... Gautami Nun'sTemple...... Eternal Flame...... Drubgyud ChölingGompa...... Vihar...... Lumbini BusStand...... Buses toTaulihawa...... Pilgrim's Rest Cottage...... Lumbini Garden Restaurant...... Maya GardensResort...... Lumbini VillageLodge...... Lumbini HokkeHotel...... Hotel LumbiniGardenNew Zhong HuaChineseBuddhist C4 Tibetan Gompa...... Panditarama InternationalVipassana Mahamaya VishwaShantiBuddha Great DrigungKagyudLotus Geden InternationalFoundation Dharma SwamiMaharajBuddha inthe1980s,butit D 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

293 C4 C4 B4 C4 B3 B1 B2 B3 A2 B2 B4 B3 B4 B3 B4 B3 B4 B2 B2 B2 B3 A2 B3 B2 B3 B3 B3 B3 B4 C4 C1 B3 B4 C4 C3 B1

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Tibetan-style gompa builtin 2001by Bud- nating mapof worldBuddhistphilosophy. and together themonasteries create afasci- pretation of Buddhismof itshomenation reflectsthe Buddha. Each theuniqueinter- 294 Drubgyud Chöling Gompa can study foranominaldonation. where practitioners serious of meditation Centre Meditation Vipassana Panditarama International road alongthewest bankof thepond tothe the Maya Temple), Devi followthedirt atthe Starting monasteries fromthe Mahayana school. asidefor The WestMonastic Zoneisset West Monasticzone during daylight hours.during daylight allthemonasteriesstated, are opendaily the archaeological zone. Unlessotherwise the waitingrickshaws attheentranceto orrenta bicycleinLumbiniBazar oneof The site is Heading north, atrackturns westtothe the home of Maya Devi, was identified on the outskirts oftheNepalitownButwal. the homeofMayaDevi,wasidentifiedonoutskirts continents tovisitBodhgaya,SarnathandKushinagarinIndia. More recently, thesite ofDevdaha, close toLumbini were unearthed atTilaurakotof Kapilavastu (see p297 ), anddevotees stillcross centres forpilgrimageandtheBuddhaisworshippedasadeityacrossBuddhistworld.The ruins Buddha’s rejection ofdivinityandmaterialism, allthe sites associated withhislife have become astate ofeternal andachieve andrebirth bliss. Nirvana, cycle ofbirth way’ –apathofmoderationandself-knowledgethroughwhichhumanbeings couldescapethe 46yearsteaching spentthenext the‘middleRenamed Buddha(‘theenlightened one’),Siddhartha ence. Hetravelled toSarnath,nearVaranasi, topreach hisfirstsermon,andBuddhismwasborn. attainedenlightenment –afundamentalgraspofthenatureIndia, Siddhartha ofhumanexist- Thus wasbornthemiddleway. pauperwasnomorethat life conducive asastarving towisdomthan life asapampered prince. meditating onthenature ofexistence. After somesevere austerities, theformerprincerealised suffering, theprinceabandoned hisluxuriouslife tobecomeamendicantholyman,fastingand with anoldman,asickhermitandcorpse. bythissuddenexposure Shocked tohuman the palace. leftthecityforfirsttimeandcamefaceto At theageof29,Siddhartha Eager toensure thelater, Suddhodanashieldedhimfromallknowledgeoftheworldoutside King identified asLumbini. before thebaby wasborn.Thesupport yearwas563ADandthelocationhasbeenpositively suddenly wentintolabour,andjusthadtimetowalk25steps andgrabthebranchofatree for beauty,surroundedbyfloweringsaltrees.of extraordinary After bathinginthecoolwater, she the pregnant MayaDeviwastravelling betweenthetwostates whenshecameuponapond Accordingtolegend, ofDevdaha. and MayaDevi,aprincessfromtheneighbouringkingdom Gautama, wasthesonofSuddhodana,rulerKapilavastu, The historicalBuddha,Siddhartha THE BIRTHOF BUDDHA CENTRALTERAI••Lumbini The Buddha finally died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur inIndia.The Despite Buddhafinallydiedattheageof80Kushinagar,near Gorakhpur the Finally, after 49daysmeditatingunderaBodhitree onthesite ofmodern-dayBodhgayain aseerpredictedAfter thebirth, thattheboywouldbecomeagreat teacher oragreat king. ( % 580118; www.panditarama-lumbini.info), extremely Eternal Flame Eternal ( h spread out,sohire 580241) (just northof , aclassic Chinese BuddhistMonastery dhists fromManang innorthernNepal. reliquarybetan stupa)constructed by Bud- huge new government of South Korea isbuildinga the ForbiddenCity. Nottobeoutdone,the style monastery looks like somethingfrom by Confuciandeities,thiselegant pagoda- bini. Reached agateway through flanked of themostimpressive structures atLum- ( Samaj Gompa small trackveers southtothetasteful stupa isunderconstructionnext door. A work insideisquite refined andagigantic dhists fromSingapore andNepal.Themural the charming on theotherside of theroad. and monastery buildings being constructed Nearby is anewcomplex oflightful. stupas landscaped andthedragon tiledroof is de- The pagoda-style monastery is beautifully % Further westistheelegant Just northof temple is theChinese 580178) , dueto becompleted in2006. Korean BuddhistTempleKorean ( % Vietnam Phat QuocTu Phat TempleVietnam 580135) , agiant www.lonelyplanet.com

( % chörten 580264) Zhong Hua ( % Manang Manang 580123) , one (Ti-

5pm) Nun’s Temple inspired bytheShwedagon Paya in Yangon. style, gilded stupainthesouthernBurmese Nearby isthe (tower), styledafter thetemples of Bagan. sive istoppedbyacorncob-shaped three prayerhallshere –themostimpres- est structures inthecompound.There are Sokyo Gompa spired Buddhistmurals. main prayerroomiscovered insomein- Foundation andthedomedceilingof the Royal Thai BuddhistMonastery Royal Thai settings. of themonasteries have peacefulwoodland zone andthetrackisbumpier,butmany The area thanthewestern islessdeveloped monasteries fromtheTheravada school. asidefor Monastic Zoneisset The East East MonasticZone LotusStupa Kagyud pond. Thetrulyextravagant aroundanL-shapedhayana monasteries, set the governments of MongoliaandBhutan. tion by theAustrian www.lonelyplanet.com Tibetan characters. passing ahuge here takes youbacktothe Eternal Flame, Golden Temple dhists andtheIndianMahabodhi Society. as ajointventure Japanese between Bud- French Buddhists nextdoor. astery Sokyo Foundation.Thenew gompabuiltbytheJapanesebetan-style astery site earmarked forthenew meditation. ers of theTheravada school canpractice Vipassana Centre Centre Vipassana Across theroad is thesmall in thecompound builtforfemale devotees. Shanti BuddhaVihara the ratherplainandaustere from gleamingwhite marble. Nextdooris imposing Behind thestupaismodest Behind Behind the German monastery isthe theGerman Behind Close tothenorthendofClose thepond, groupofFurther northisasecond Ma- A shortcycleridesouthisthe Further south,a track leadsdowntothe . Newmonasteries are alsoplannedby was constructed by the German Tara wasconstructed bytheGerman

( ( % % 580193) wat 580198) ( % ( (Thai-stylemonastery) built % ( ceremonial bell ceremonial Lokamani PulaPagoda Lokamani % 580177) . Ashort walksouthfrom isbeingconstructed by ( 580111) % Geden International Founda- International Geden 580179) ( %

( 580282) % , theonlymonastery 580275; , atraditionalTi- 580144) , oneof theold- , where follow- Mahamaya Vishwa Vishwa Mahamaya

, inscribed with ( h % Sri Lankan Mon- Lankan Sri , constructed Dhama Janami Linh SonMon- Great Drigung Drigung Great 8am-noon &1- 580222) , ahuge shikhara Myanmar Myanmar Gautami Gautami is an

50/10/10; Institute world, fromKathmandu toCandy. photos fromBuddhistsites aroundthe the life of the Buddha,withartefacts and for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme Alleviation for RuralPoverty grassroots tourismaspartof the around Lumbinihave for developed been Recently, anumberof traditionalvillages Tours Peace Pagoda cessible bybike, thegleamingwhite Outside themaincompound,buteasilyac- CRANE SANCTUARY LUMBINI & PAGODA PEACE WORLD this near thebridge atthenorthendof thepond, Tucked awayatthebackof thecompound, LUMBINI MUSEUM Pilgrims also comehere to worship each here tocelebrate thebirth of the Buddha. of Buddhists fromIndia andNepalcome festival in AprilorMay, when busloads at Lumbini istheannual Buddhist celebration The mostimportant Festivals &Events % livelihoods. with afocusontraditionallifestyles and ZonenowrunvillageDevelopment tours ofseveral thelodges andhotels aroundthe project isjustgetting off thegroundbut and make yourownwaybybike. 500 perday,oryou canget amap(Rs20) life intheTerai. Guidesare available forRs ing tours thatreally get underthesurface of history. scholarsonly opentoserious of Buddhist struction of themonument. anti-Buddhist extremists duringthecon- grave of aJapanese monk,murdered by ofmillion. Nearthebase thestupais by Japanese Buddhistsatacostof US$1 damp meadowsbehind thepagoda. and noentrancefee –just strollintothe ows. There's noformalentrancetothepark thewater through mead- cranes stalking agoodchancestand rare of sarus seeing as partof the Across the roadis Lumbini Village Lodge arranges interest- The surroundingwetlandsare protected 01-4269768; www.welcomenepal.com/trpap) museum

h ( % 10am-3pm Wed-Mon) CENTRAL TERAI••Lumbini

580175; [email protected]) ( Lumbini CraneSanctuary ( h % daylight hr) 580318; foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs 580318; foreigner/SAARC/Nepali was constructed Lumbini Research Lumbini Research is devoted to isdevoted Buddha Jayanti , butthisis andyou Tourism Tourism . The (TRPAP; World 295

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE 100, s/dwithbathroomRs250/350) rwithoutbathroomperpersonRs [email protected]; by raised walkways. by raised buildings linkedhas rooms insafari-style opment Zone,this calm,institutionalplace of woodlandatthesouthendof theDevel- tours of surrounding villages. for Rs100perday,andtheowners run able forRs80perhour,youcanrent bikes and windownets.Internet accessisavail- mango tree andbig,cleanroomswithfans lodge hasacentralcourtyardshaded bya about 500msoutheast of the site, this up- rooms, TVs andair-con. rooms, TVs rooms atallthefollowing hotels have bath- velopment stated, Zone. Unless otherwise main roadaroundtheoutsideof theDe- Most of theupmarket hotels are onthe MIDRANGE &TOPEND bathroom Rs300/200) homestyle Nepalimeals. All are simplebutvery clean,andallserve Zone.trance totheLumbiniDevelopment thesmallvillage oppositeBazaar, theen- Most of thebudget optionsare inLumbini BUDGET aroundthecompound. stay Bhairawa, butthere are plentyof placesto It ispossibletoday triptoLumbinifrom Sleeping tami purnima 296 the mothergoddessof Lumbini. May) toworship Maya as Devi of (April– theNepalimonthof Baisakh Hindu pilgrimscomehere onthefullmoon incarnation of of Vishnuandthousands so youhave thechoice. toilets andsomehave western-style toilets but stillgoodvalue. Someroomshave squat bazaar, thisplaceisabitmore upmarket 250/300/400) afew beforeso see deciding. rooms. Someget more than others sunlight a tidy,family-runplacewithsmall, clean .com.np; s/dfromUS$60/70; [email protected]; s/dUS$15/20; Maya Gardens Resort Gardens Maya Lumbini Garden Lodge Lumbini Garden Lumbini Buddha Hotel Lumbini BuddhaHotel Lodge Lumbini Village Many Hindusregard theBuddhaasan Lumbini GuestHouse CENTRALTERAI••Lumbini (the eighth night after night thefullmoon). (theeighth (the night of (thenight thefullmoon)and Ontheothersideof themain Afew doors down,thisis a

(

% ( ( % ) % Set inlarge grounds Set a ( ( 580220; bmaya@kghouse % % 580146; rwith/without 580432; lumbinivillage Thischarming ) Inasmallarea 580142; s/d/trRs 580114; lama_raa Rupa Devi as- , groups. mealstohungrypilgrimsandschoolset goodvalueNepali stupa,serves Burmese Japanese meals. set top-notchfurniture. Therestaurant serves floors, paperpartitions andJapanesetatami come Western-style orJapanese-style, with like atraditionalJapanese village androoms nearby WorldPeace Pagoda. Itlooks abit Japanese pilgrimswhocometoprayatthe with real style,theHokke targets wealthy taurant fairly reliable Hero Chinese bikes. chargesLumbini Bazaar Rs 100per dayfor is bybicycle –LumbiniVillage Lodge in The best waytoget around thecompound Around Getting to theborderatBelahiya. the mainBhairawa andRs 600 busstand charge inLumbini Bazaar taxis Rs 500to Taulihawa (Rs25,1½hours). road (Rs5)andchange toabusboundfor local bustothejunctionwith Bhairawa a perfect forabitof setting roof riding. mangotreeswith traditionalfarmsandtall – 1½ hours). TheroadtoLumbini islined inBhairawaand thelocalbusstand (Rs25, runregularly Lumbini Local buses between &Away There Getting snackmealsandcolddrinks. serving a few restaurants zone inthedevelopment Most peopleeatattheirhotels, butthere are Eating s/dUS$90/120;Apr-Aug; wlink.com.np; rant. Ask aboutdiscounts. in calmsurroundings.There’s agoodrestau- market resort offers very rooms comfortable [email protected]; s/dfromUS$90/99, and veg thalis(plate meals). theusualmixof coldCokes place serving foyer. religious paraphernaliaisavailable inthe pilgrimsandallsortsofat well-heeled gate Zone. to theDevelopment It’saimed huge, swish placeisalmostopposite the this inPokhara, hotel totheNewCrystal If you need to beinBhairawaIf youneed inahurry, To reach Taulihawa fromLumbini,take a By themaincarpark, NewCrystal LumbiniGarden Hotel Pilgrim’s Rest Cottage Rest Pilgrim’s Lumbini Hokke Hotel Lumbini Hokke

( h 6am-6pm) is amodernred-brick

( %

( h www.lonelyplanet.com 580236; subhokke_btw@ Lumbini Garden Res- Lumbini Garden 6am-6pm) a a

( , nearthe % ) Partner ) Built 580145; depending onyourbargaining skills. zone, charging Rs50to150perhour, loiter neartheentrancetodevelopment good alternative. Loadsof rickshaw-wallahs ical site of Tilaurakot identifiedasthehistor- hasbeen Teraiis anothersleepy town,butnearby About 27kmeastof Lumbini,Taulihawa TAULIHAWA &TILAURAKOT www.lonelyplanet.com from Lumbini, catch alocal busto thejunc- Bhairawa toTaulihawa. Toreach Taulihawa Lumbini liesafew km offtheroad from &Away There Getting bathroom Rs80/100) expensive rooms at lihawa andthere are reasonably clean,in- There are plentyof inTau- basicfoodstalls Sleeping &Eating man, ahermitandcorpse. anoldman, asick the first timeandseeing theimposingcity gateway for out through It isn’thardtoimagineSiddhartha walking it didinthetimeof SiddharthaGautama. todayas ing farmlandlooksmuch thesame tion thenature of existence. gant luxurythatdrove theBuddhatoques- thecityofimagination tovisualise extrava- centuries andittakesamountof acertain theruinshaveHowever, degradedover the and theremains of thecitymoatandwalls. foundations of a large residential compound the River,Banganga andyoucanstillsee 3km fromTaulihawa, onthebanksof the pretty thedeal. much sealed the timeof theBuddhaatTilaurakot have but thediscovery of artefacts datingbackto battle witharivalsite atPiprahwainIndia, For years, archaeologists waged anongoing dhartha spentthefirst 29years of hislife. Mon) seum travel issafe before visiting fromLumbini. in2006.Checklocallytomakeist assault sure and pottery. the site, includingalarge collectionof coins water andfoodfromTaulihawa. There are nofacilitiesatTilaurakot sobring If youcan’tget abike, arickshaw canbea About 400mfromtheruins, asmall Entry tothesite isfree andthesurround- The site sitsinapeacefulmeadow,about Taulihawa wasthevictimof amajor Mao- displayssomeof theartefacts foundat

( % 076-560128; entryRs15; Kapilavastu , ontheroadtoTilaurakot. Lumbini Hotel , where Sid- Gautama h 10am-5pm Wed-

(s/d without mu- CENTRAL TERAI••Taulihawa &Tilaurakot wards Narayangarh. site, signposted theMahendra off Hwyto- but there’s asmallmemorial parkonthe limited excavations have carriedout, been Buddha. Sofar,only Siddhartha Gautama mini-suspension bridge. kingdom of village justeastof Butwalasthesite of the of dramatic looking Tinau Gorge, you’llcometoaseries the SiddharthaHwynorthinto spooky Chowk.Ifyoufollow just westof Traffic pension bridge leadsacross theriver from is worthexploring.Asmallpedestrian sus- town town onyourwayacrosstheplains. here, it’squite likely thatyou’ll passthrough Bhairawa/Sunauli. Even ifyoudon’tstop andsouthto Hwy runsnorthtoPokhara west toMahendranagar andtheSiddhartha hendra HwyrunseasttoKakarbhitta and junction.Fromhere,important the Ma- flat, dustyandcrowded–butitsitsatavery Butwal isfairlytypicalTerai town–hot, % Butwal to prayforasafe journey. where drivers tosscoinsfromtheirwindows temples ateitherendofseveral thehighway and floodsduringthemonsoon.There are but theroadisoften blocked bylandslides runfairlyregularlylic buses onthisroute, ButwalandPokhara. Pub- valleys between of aseries landslide-scarredwinds through route isthedramaticSiddharthaHwy,which butamoreMugling toPokhara, interesting to NarayangarhthenthePrithvi Hwyfrom followtheMahendrauli toPokhara Hwy Most travellers headingnorthfromSuna- HWY THE SIDDHARTHA bound forTaulihawa (Rs25,1½hours). tion (Rs5,10minutes) andchange toabus Taulihawa willcostRs30. Arickshawfrom a dirttrackontheright. the leftandruinsare 400mawaydown the endof ison the bitumen themuseum road near Traffic Chowk offer slow Internetroad nearTraffic Numerous Internet centres on the main INFORMATION Archaeologists have recently identified a There isn’tagreat butthe dealtosee, Tilaurakot is3kmnorthof Taulihawa. At 071 onthewestbankof theTinau River Devdaha waterfalls , hometothemother of , reached byanother

297

old

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Rs 50-250; h are oldbutOKforthemoney. Chowk, thisisareliable cheapie –rooms south Indianvegetarian meals. range of andhealthy stickyIndiansweets awide serves shopandsnackhouse) (sweet a few interesting optionsintheoldtown. alongthemainroadinButwal,plus taurants restaurant. sonably cosyroomsandanabove-average dhartha, Hotel Royalhascompactbutrea- good restaurant. There’s noise. alsoa away fromthetraffic and hotshowers –askforoneattheback andfriendlyroomshavebright bigTVs the better choices intown,theSiddharthais town. Chowk onthemainroadincentre of There are plenty of hotels northof Traffic SLEEPING &EATING international cards. ChowkhasanATMon Traffic thattakes access forRs30perhour. The NabilBank 298 room Rs250) Rs 500/700,s/dwithair-con1000/1200; 400/500) Hotel Siddhartha Hotel Nanglo West Bhandar Misthan Kasturi There are lotsof cheap andcheerful res- Royal Hotel Hotel NewGandaki Hotel chilli chicken. break from thedaalbhaat,chow mein ing time inthe Terai, you’llfind yourself visit- tamarind). Ifyoutravel foranylength of (a spicydippingsauce withcinnamonand served withcoconutchutneyand served and cakes) (lentil flourpancakes), flavours ofSouth Indian cuisine– treats, you’llfindthespicy vegetarian (soft fruitslices).Alongsidethesesweet tarian restaurant, blendofsweetshopand vege- An unlikely BHANDARS MISTHAN to gulab jamun the fullrangeofIndiansweetmeats, from 7am-8pm) CENTRAL TERAI •• The Siddhartha Hwy CENTRALTERAI••TheSiddhartha barfi misthan bhandars Across Traffic Chowk fromtheSid- AcrossTraffic h (milkandnutfudge) OnthealleybehindTraffic Thissimple 9am-8pm)

vadai

(dough ballsinsweetsyrup) ( ( % %

546184; Samaya Devi Tole;mains 546184; SamayaDevi 542730; s/dwithbathroomRs ( (gram flourdonuts), all Hiddenawayintheold % misthan bhandars

( % quite regularly fora 540380; s/dwithbathroom idly 540928; dwithoutbath- misthan bhandar (meals fromRs40; (steamed rice a sambar ) halwa Oneof dosas offer

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ric used for traditional Nepali jacketsric used and Metalworking and weaving the trade route IndiaandTibet. between reinvented as aNewaritrading poston waned in the18thcentury andTansen was Thepower of theMagarsMukunda Sen. 16th centuryunder theleadership of King toconquering Kathmanduclose inthe in Nepal.Troops fromPalpa came even was oneof themostpowerful kingdoms Kathmandu orPokhara. travel issafe before venturing here from pound in2006.Checklocallytomake sure major ontheTansen assault Durbarcom- Maoists occasions,includinga onseveral hills. Sadly,Tansen targeted hasbeen by and there are someexcellentwalksinthe daysexploringthetown easy tofillseveral Few touristsmake itoutthisway,butit’s for cars, which alladdstoTansen’s charm. temples andmostof thecentre istoosteep streets are fullof and Newari shop-houses Thenarrow,winding Butwal andPokhara. Kali GandakiRiver ontheroadbetween above hill town,perched high medieval the of Tanahun, Tansen (Palpa) isaromantic ofThe formercapital theMagar kingdom % Tansen (Palpa) (Rs 28,30minutes) 10minutes. every yangarh forRs130. zipalongthehwy to Nara- Kia minibuses and Mahendranagar (Rs467,ninehours). hours), Nepalganj(Rs215-247,fourhours) regular toNarayangarh(Rs80,two buses via Tansen (Rs50,twohours). onthescenicroute toPokhara daily buses and thePrithvi Hwy.There are also several bus Rs160/210/240;five hours) viaMugling (day/night/mini- hours) andPokhara seven Rs207/261/282, mandu (day/night/minibus are halfhourorsotoKath- every buses bus park,justsouthof Chowk.There Traffic leave buses fromthemain All long-distance THERE&AWAYGETTING specialities. menu features someinteresting regional peopleasNangloWestinTansen.same The phisticated Nepalirestaurant isrunbythe town onthewestbankof theriver, thisso- Until the rise ofUntil therise theShahs, Tanahun leaveLocal buses forSunauli/Bhairawa Along theMahendra Hwy,there are 075 www.lonelyplanet.com dhaka, the fab- Tne (Palpa) Tansen www.lonelyplanet.com centre on themain road. isabout 500m south ofthe bus stand the Tole),running south fromSitalpati; khan Streetmain shopping street (Ma- is Bank of themainmarket Sitalpati, square. The pavilionis theoctagonal inthemiddle landmarkold town.Themost important tucked awayonthecobbledstreets of the edge of town,butmostplacesof interest are The mainroadsnakes aroundthewestern but getting lost ispartof the pleasure. Tansen isveritable mazeof narrowalleys, ORIENTATION above Tansen the boxed –see text p301 . up toShreenagar Danda,theforested peak Himalaya views,head Forsweeping Lake’. morning, earningitthenickname ‘White normally hangsover thevalleytillmid- of points aroundtown.Asheet mist several over thebowl-shapedMadi Valley from around Tansen andthere are great views excellent walkstoviewpointsand villages industries. topis Temple (9km); Ridi Bazaar(28km) To BhairabSthan 1 3 2 TANSEN (PALPA) Ghansal (5km) Danda (3km); The tourist office canrecommendThe touristoffice some To Bhut (clothhats),are local stillimportant SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Shreenagar MoneyChanger...... Mission Hospital...... Beacon ComputerAcademy...... Tribhuvan Campus...... Tansen Durbar...... Mahadev Mandir...... Ganesh Mandir...... Buddha Statue...... Bhimsen Mandir...... Bhagwati Mandir...... Baggi (Mul)Dhoka...... Amar NarayanMandir...... EU ors nomto fie.C2 GETUP TouristInformationOffice.. AC Durbar (7km) To Ranighat 15 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 D1 C2 C2 C2 C2 C1 D1 C2 C2 C2 C2 u tto...... C2 Bus Station...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Nanglo West...... Hotel TheWhiteLake...... Hotel TheBajra...... Hotel Srinagar...... Hotel GautamSiddhartha...... B 14 2 7 [email protected]; UpgradingPalpa;Environmental &Tourism per hrRs35; www.tansenpalpa.net. www.tansenpalpa.net. tion isat power cutsare common –thebestconnec- are Rdbut Internet cafésonBank several Rd,just eastof Thereon Bank Sitalpati. mation. and theboxed text, p301 formore infor- –see the classiclooptoRanighat p301 for short treks aroundTansen, including excellenttrekkingalso sells maps(Rs 10) tres and fabricworkshops andtheoffice range cen- guidedtripstometalworking canar-about 30mwestof Staff Sitalpati. tourist informationservice, Enterprising localshave upanexcellent set INFORMATION is packed with interesting sights. For alittle visited hilltown,Tansen is SIGHTS Shreenagar CENTRAL TERAI •• The Siddhartha Hwy CENTRAL TERAI••TheSiddhartha 12 Bishal Bazaar (1600m) 8 13 Danda 17 For more information onTansen, visit For foreign exchange, thebest option 6 Shreenagar MoneyChanger Shreenagar

19 18 17 16 15 14 Ὀ Tole Asan

Bank Rd 18 C2 C2 C2 A1 B2 4 1 Sitalpati (PublicSquare) 10 16 11 19 Beacon Computer Academy Beacon Computer h Tundikhel 7am-8pm) 5 h 10am-1pm &2-5pmSun-Fri), . To Butwal 1km 0.5miles 0 0 (38km) Bartung

Sidd 9 ( Getup h har To Ghorbanda(1km); To Pokhara(119km);

tha D Bagnaskot (3km); 7.30am-6pm) Hwy ( % Sirubari (60km) Ranighat (7km) %

To Ghorbanda (Group for 521341; 520239; 3

(2.5km)

299

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE locally as way onthesouth sideof (known Sitalpati the hugejects onanelephantthrough gate- governor torideoutgreet used hissub- 1927. Afanof the pompandcircumstance, was builtfortheprovincial governor in Tansen, thisbureaucratic-looking palace Probably themoststrikingbuilding in Durbar Tansen women filltheirbrass drips continuallyontoastonelingam. Local tiered Newaristyleandinside,apotof water Mandir Narayan Mandir isthesmaller Lord Vishnu. butter lampsinhonourof thepatrondeity, comehere Devotees tolight evening every ing skullsandanimalheadsonthelintel. scenes ontheroof strutsandthealternat- side theKathmandu Valley. Note theerotic be oneof the mostbeautifultemples out- governor of Tansen, andit’sconsidered to Thapa,thefirstin 1807byAmarSingh pagoda-style temple. Themandirwasbuilt Narayan Mandir isaclassicthree-tiered, theAmarrunning eastfromSitalpati), At thebottomof Asan Tole(thesteep road Amar NarayanMandir fabric andlocalmetalware. Street, and alongnearbyBank sell shopsonthesquare,commerce. Several is sacred totheNewarigodof tradeand square, thesmall,two-tiered Shah regime. Atthenorthwestcornerof the Tansen wasruledbythegovernors of the forpublicfunctionsinthedayswhen used inated pavilion, byacuriousoctagonal The mainmarket square inTansen isdom- Sitalpati 300 As the onlyshrine dedicated toDurga, the but it sitson the site of older shrines. several in acourtyard onthewest side of theDurbar, This large modern-looking temple ishidden Mandir Bhagwati the gate.in through fied andforeigners are only allowed topeek the localgovernment butit’sheavily forti- Durbar isnowthe administrative centre for moved before entering eithertemple. at thewaterspout behindthetemple. At the start ofAt thestart thesteps totheAmar Leather items should andshoes bere-Leather CENTRAL TERAI •• The Siddharta Hwy CENTRALTERAI••TheSiddharta , sacred toShiva. It’sbuiltinthesame Baggi Dhoka Baggi orMulDhoka). The gaagri (water ewers) Bhimsen Mandir Mahadev Mahadev dhaka

8.30pm) out bathroomRs150/250) Rs 900/1200) room Rs200/300,s/dwithbathroom400/600,deluxe s/d with duck meatwith chilli andginger), served the local sample likeas familiarstaples daalbhaat, youcan are plain butclean. a Nepalirestaurant downstairs androoms local hotel isagoodfind.Theowners run square thissmall knownasBishalBazaar, end of the stand. Buses to Pokhara (Rs 130, toPokhara end of Buses thestand. to Tansen and theticket isat theeast office The THERE&AWAYGETTING West at theNepalidelights out sampling would beashame toleave Tansen with- All thehotels have restaurants, butit EATING andthere’ssensational agoodrestaurant. lated, rooms are sumptuous,theviewsare west of ratheriso- thesummit. Although on theridge above town,a 20-minute walk most luxuriousoption,about 2kmaway 150/250) are uphillintheoldtown. all pretty awful–mostof thedecentchoices butthey’replaces aroundthebusstation, There are somecheap ‘hotel andlodging’ SLEEPING Krishna Nawamifestival. chariots each Augustaspartof theBhadra the temple are townon paradedthrough most populartemple intown.Theidols from ofpatron saint theNewars, it’sprobablythe (hot water isavailable bythebucket). rant andbasicroomswithcoldshowers cheerful cheapie hasagoodNepalirestau- s/d with bathroom & TV US$24/32;discountsof30%) s/d withbathroom&TV at thebackhasexcellentvalleyviews. decentgrubandtheterrace restaurant serves thewelcomeisfriendly, priced. However, butthecheapercomfortable, roomsare over- (shoes shouldberemoved(shoes atthe door). and dinersNepali house sitonlowcushions incurd.Therestaurant isstyledliketoes a Hotel Srinagar Hotel Hotel The Bajra The Hotel Hotel The White Lake White The Hotel Hotel Gautam Siddhartha Gautam Hotel

bus station ( chura chura % , onthenorthsideof As Sitalpati. well Justuphillfromthebuspark,this 520184; NepalimainsRs50-250; Thedeluxe roomshere are very (flattened rice)andspiced pota- isatthe southernentrance

( %

( % choyla 520045; www.hotelsrinagar.com; Nearby,onthesmall

520443; s/dwithbathroomRs ( % www.lonelyplanet.com 520291; s/dwithoutbath-

(dried buffalo or (dried buffalo ( % 520280; d/trwith- h 10.30am- Nanglo The www.lonelyplanet.com ably the the ably nearTansenThe mostfamoussight isprob- RANIGHAT foot orbybus. interesting villages thatyoucanreach on theboxed(see text above ), there are a few As wellasthepopularwalks aroundTansen Around Tansen you wanttoget day. backthesame hourssame –get if anearlymorning start two hours) leave fairlyregularly duringthe (Rs50, forRidiBazaar to 5pm.Localbuses to Butwal(Rs50,twohours) from 6.30am 9.30am, orthere down are regular services four hours) leave at5.30am,6.15amand four hours along an easy-to-follow trail, of theKali Gandaki. slowly fadingonthebanks ing stillstands, most of itsvaluable fittings,butthe build- his departure, theDurbar wasstrippedof was exiledagain, thistimetoIndia. After abortive powerin1921and attempt to seize the primeminister. madeanother Khadga exiled fromKathmandu for plottingagainst anambitiouspoliticianwho was sher Rana, Sham-palace wasbuiltin 1896byKhadga Nepal’s Taj Mahal, thiscrumblingbaroque the Kali Gandaki.Fancifully referred toas You can walk tothe Durbar inaround the trail.Allthree walkscanbecompleted inadayifyougetanearlystart. trade route exposedhilltopviewpoint.Youcanalsofollowtheold a smallDevitemple andawonderfully of Tansen and onthewaytoPokhara route. sellsamap(Rs10)withdetaileddescription ofthetrail. GETUP mainly downhillandthere are valleyviewsfromBhutDada,abouthalfwayalongthe spectacular several hilltopviewpoints,emerging onthehighwayabout3kmsouthofTansen. The walkis the roadfromTansen toTamghas. silver byMukundaSen.The maskofBhairab,allegedlyplundered walkfollows fromKathmandu of Tansen. infrontofthetemple containsagigantic The courtyard brasstridentandinsideisa Riverfabulous viewsover andtheHimalaya. Gandaki thegorge oftheKali turn right;a20-minute youtoamodern strollwilltake and climbssteeply throughopenwoodlandtothecrest ofthehill.Whenyoureach theridge, hill directly north of town. The trail starts near thesmall oftown.The trailstarts hill directly north recommend someexcellentwalksinthesurroundinghills. Tansen countryandthetouristoffice issetinthemiddleoffantasticwalking TANSEN AROUND WALKS Other possibledestinations for walksinclude Other If youfancysomethingmore challenging, walktothevillageof thethree-hour strolltothe andeasywalkisthetwo-hour Another short One of the nicest short walks is the one-hour strollup walksistheone-hour One ofthenicestshort Ranighat Durbar Ranighat from Tansen hasamap(Rs10)withdetaileddescriptionof toButwal–GETUP on theeastbankof Bagnaskot Ghorbanda fied bythepresence of pilgrimages, andthesite isfurthersancti- confluence, Ridiisapopulardestination for Kali As Gandaki andRidiKhola. asacred sitsattheconfluenceofRidi Bazaar the (or 13kmonfoot),theNewari village of About 28kmnorthwestof Tansen byroad RIDI BAZAAR p97. see daki sometimesmake itasfarthepalace– tripsontheKali Gan- map (Rs10).Rafting anexcellentroute guideand GETUP sells next ridge, emerging nearHotel Srinagar. ascendingtrailonthe leg followsasteeply the river ismainlydownhill,butthereturn of Shreenagar Danda. Theroute downto attheeastendbeginning inGorkhekot dashi winter. Worshippers also gather every of theKali Gandaki tomarkthepassing of hundreds of bathe in theicywaters devotees Nepali month of Magh (mid-January), when Sankranti Magh forgiven. feast dayis Themostimportant in theKali Gandaki,all their sinswillbe ship forthree days andtake aritualbath symbols of Vishnu. related tothemodernnautilus –revered as creatures,ral fossilsof ancientsea distantly , on the ridge east of Gorkhekot, whichhas , ontheridgeeastofGorkhekot, CENTRAL TERAI •• The Siddharta Hwy CENTRAL TERAI••TheSiddharta Pilgrims believe thatif theyfastandwor-Pilgrims believe Ganesh mandir(temple) (the 11th day after thefull moon). Buddha statue , atraditionalpotters villagenortheast Shreenagar Danda Bhairab SthanTemple (see (see p363 ), thefirst dayof the andaviewpointwith saligrams GETUP GETUP , the1600m-high Ghansal above Tansen , 9kmwest 29) can ( p299) –thespi- passes

eka- 301

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE stand inTansen.stand 50, twohours) leave fromthepublicbus road nearHotel Srinagar. toRidi(Rs Buses ing northwestfromtheTansen–Tamghas nearthebusstand. Khola, temple isonthesouthbankof theRidi miraculously aged fromboytoman.The discovered fully-formed intheriver andhas ing tolegend, theVishnuidolinsidewas inthe16thcentury.Accord- Mukunda Sen Ridi isthe village of nearSyangja, on Arjunchaupari Regiments. have atleastonememberinthe Gurkha ers are mainly Buddhistandmostfamilies offull sweep Himalayanpeaks.Thevillag- nearby at monastery), andthere’s arugged viewpoint including acharming gompa village isfullof traditional stonebuildings, from SyangjaontheSiddharthaHwy.The only wayinisonfoot,viaafour-hour trek meals are provided bylocalfarmers andthe –accommodationanda ruralhomestay touristexperience,thisismorea tacky like ism bytheNepalTourismBoard.Far from asadestinationforculturaltour-developed mote Gurungvillage of Sirubarihasbeen About 80kmnorthwestof Tansen, there- SIRUBARI 302 To reach Ridionfoot,take thetraillead- The principalreligious monument in The trailtothevillage beginsatthesmall 3-tier/air-con 2-tier. morning. at5amthenext Seats cost INRs276/748/1165 insleeperclass/air-coninto Howrah train station–itleaves at10.20am, arriving Raxaul Howrah ExpressMithila train toKolkata’s thereFrom Raxaul, are regular buses toPatna (INRs 90,five thedaily hours) oryoucantake Bazaar.station inRaxaul arickshaw straightthroughfromBirganj Mostpeopletake (Rs40). The borderis5kmsouthofBirganj andit’sabout 500mfromtheNepaliborderpostto thebus Onwards toIndia There are nofacilitiesatthe borderbutthere are banksandmoneychangers inBirganj. Foreign Exchange be inUSdollars. times. Nepalivisasare availableonarrivalfromtheNepalimmigrationoffice butpaymentmust 4am to10pm,thoughyoumaybeable tofindsomeonestampyouthroughoutsidethese The Nepalisideofthe borderisopen24hoursbuttheIndiansideusuallyonlystaffed from Border Hours BORDER THE CROSSING CENTRALTERAI••Birganj Thumro Rishikesh Mandir Rishikesh (2300m)overlooking the , foundedby

(Buddhist after theBuddhiststupaatBodhnath,and Nearby is by localsasanimpromptuswimming pool. the to Durga. Ontheothersideof Main Rdis the popular and Hinduiconographyjustwestis the centre of towniscovered inBuddhist ted aroundtown.Thefanciful there are some interesting buildingsdot- Kakarbhitta. bordercrossingsatSunauliand much saner skip thiscrossingentirely infavour of the buttravellers Bazaar, tendat Raxaul to the countryviahecticbordercrossing fumes.Mostof Nepal’sexportsleavetraffic horns, jostledbyrickshaws andchoked by town ismobbedbytrucks,deafened bycar for freight Indiaand Nepal,the between scribe Birganj. As themaintransitpoint Unlovely wouldbeagoodwaytode- % BIRGANJ trailhead. bustothe guide andputyouontheright they'll arrange youraccommodationanda a travel agent inKathmandu – orPokhara visit istomake advancearrangements with drop inunannounced.Theeasiestwayto English andyoumayhave problemsifyou fewHowever, peopleinSirubarispeak andTansen. Pokhara the roadbetween If youcanget over theheatandnoise, 051 Ghariarwa Pokhari Ghariarwa Bal Mandir Gahawa Maysan Mandir Maysan Gahawa , a meeting hallstyled , ameeting , asacred pondused www.lonelyplanet.com clock tower , sacred in 300-250) Rd; s/dwithoutbathroomRs125/150,dwith bathroom Rs 1000; Adarshnagar; rwithbathroom Rs400,withair-con600- comfortable. comfortable. The stylingisa bit dated butroomsare cluttered roomsandacosylittle restaurant. this biginstitutional placehaslarge, un- food. IndianandChinese tasty restaurant serves Dewan-E-Khas attached Rd. Roomsare moderately tasteful andthe big budget hotel oneblockwestof Main and chintzy ’60sdécoraddcharm atthis Ghantaghar Rdand MainGhantaghar Rd. the busstand. nextto thanthe placesright noise traffic area, Hotel WelcomeNepalgets less slightly Hotel Kailas. r withair-conRs990; bathroom Rs100,s/dwithfrom Rs 280/430, Shree Shyam Cyber Cafe Shyam CyberCafe Shree pus Rd. Nepal BangladeshBank only incash.Fortravellers cheques, trythe but pounds andIndianNepalirupees, Rd. Youcanchange USdollars, euros,UK on thecornerof Rd andMain Campus changer north endof town. which runseastfromtheclocktowerat Rd(NewRd), is attheendof Ghantaghar on thestreets runningwest.Thebus stand Indian borderandmostof thehotels are themiddleofRd runsthrough towntothe Birganj followsasimplegridsystem. Main ORIENTATION &INFORMATION ofa giantstatue LordShiva. further southisacolourful www.lonelyplanet.com from Rs 1200; Rds; rwithbathroomRs800, withair-con cnr Campus & Main more upmarket choices inthecentre. andahandfulofnear themainbusstand, There are anumberof noisybudget places SLEEPING class hotel isvery calm andrelaxed –just h Hotel Makalu Hotel Diyalo Hotel Hotel Kailas Hotel There are more hotels furtherwestalong Fast Internet accessisavailable from There’s agovernment-approved Hotel WelcomeNepal Hotel 6.30am-8.30pm) a The most salubrious choice inthis Themostsalubrious ( ) h Almostnextdoor toHotel Kailas, a 7am-7pm) )

This recommended business-

( ( ( % % % , aroundthecornerfrom a 522370; [email protected]; 523054; [email protected]; 523054; [email protected]; 522384; Adarshnagar;swithout opposite Hotel Makalu ) Bellboys inbowties Bellboys , furtheralongCam-

( % ( % 529947; perhrRs20; 524057; Ghantaghar Shiv Temple money- with and there’s avery goodrestaurant. carpets and24-hourhotshowers have TVs, inhecticBirganj.what youneed Rooms gigantic place feels a bitlike a1970s airport this the clock tower and thebus station, Birganj with air-con Rs1200/1400; Rs700/800, .np; Ghantaghar Rd;s/dwithbathroom &TV 4 1 3 2 5 BIRGANJ Hotel Heera Plaza Hotel 4 TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Yeti Airlines...... Star Hotel...... Himanchal Cabin...... Hotel Makalu...... Hotel Kailas...... Hotel HeeraPlaza...... Hotel Diyalo...... Shiv Temple...... Ghariarwa Pokhari...... Gahawa MaysanMandir...... Clock Tower...... Bal Mandir...... Shree ShyamCyberCafe...... Moneychanger...... ea agaehBn...... B3 Nepal BangladeshBank...... A CENTRAL TERAI••Birganj

( (4km); Patna(210km) % a To IndianBorder Tank 0.3miles 500m 0 0 To Kathmandu 3 7 523988; [email protected] ) (185km)

Midway between Midway between 11

9 Adarshnagar 14

2 Campus Rd Campus 15 13 8 B 15 14 13 12 11 10

12

5 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Main Rd Main Hotel Welcome Nepal (250km) 1 B3 B2 B1 B3 B2 B1 B2 B3 B1 B2 B1 A2 B2 B3 Market To BusStand; Ghantaghar (New) Rd 303

6 10

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE hours). 140, five hours) andHetauda (Rs65,two are alsoregular toJanakpur buses (Rs Rs140/150,three(day/night hours). There 225/270; ninehours), viaNarayangarh Rs (day/night nine hours), andPokhara to Kathmandu Rs225/280, (day/night There are plenty of buses dayand night attheendof Rd.bus stand Ghantaghar (US$64; 20minutes). (the airportforBirganj) andKathmandu private carriers Simara flydailybetween tasty southIndian vegetariantasty snacks. and Indiansweets serves and snackhouse) this reliable h Yeti Airlines THERE&AWAYGETTING following placesinthetowncentre. All thehotels have restaurants, ortry the EATING cared for. lounge butroomsare andwell comfortable 304 and tasty and tasty cheap canteenserves this simpletandoori tandoori chicken.tandoori 9pm) Buses leaveBuses fromthelarge andhectic Star Hotel Star Hotel Himanchal Cabin Himanchal for the latest developments. of thestory –checktheNepali newsmedia tion. However, tobe theend this isunlikely a location more conducive toinnerreflec- spiritedmost likely away byhisfollowersto reached, Banjanmysteriously disappeared, a miracle. Before anyconclusionscouldbe tigate theclaim, andifnecessary,declare emy ofScienceand Technology toinves- government theRoyalNepalAcad- asked theNepaliAlthough thatsounds unlikely, est eastofBirganj foratleastsixmonths. meditating withoutfoodorwater inthefor- teenaged lamaclaimthatBanjanhasbeen incarnation oftheBuddha. Followersofthe the 16-year-old Tamang boyasthesecond thousands ofNepaliBuddhistswere hailing Banjan.Bytheendof year, Bahadur Ram of2005,nobody had heardofAt the start THE BUDDHA OFBARA 7.30am-8.30pm) CENTRAL TERAI •• The Tribhuvan Hwy CENTRALTERAI••TheTribhuvan Between theKailas andDiyalohotels, Between thalis ( (Adarshnagar; mealsRs40-100; % misthan bhandar Close totheclocktower, Close 525389; CampusRd) (Indian plate meals)and

(Main Rd;mainsunderRs60; (Main (sweet shop (sweet andother h 9am- Rs 1500/2000: Rs 600/800,s/d withair-con Rd; s/d withbathroom &TV bathroom Rs90/140, s/d withbathroomRs170/250) Mahendra Chowkonthemain road. butquieter rooms arestand, available around There are cheap several lodges bythebus SLEEPING &EATING gri for itsbrassware, particularlythebrass the localsare friendlyandthetownisknown son tostophere excepttochange but buses, for construction.There isn’tanygreat rea- Kathmandu’sto satisfy appetite insatiable ries cementandgravel uphillfromtheTerai From here, aHeath-Robinson cablewaycar- TribhuvanHwy. spectacular and thesteep, theflatMahendrajunction between Hwy The bustlingtownof Hetauda marksthe % Hetauda bike ridealongthisroute see p86 . ofviews inNepal.Fordetails themountain at Damanforsomeof thebestHimalayan ery isbreathtaking andyoucanstoponway landslides after themonsoon,butscen- is sometimesblocked byfloodwaters and at Hetauda, justeastof Chitwan.Theroad Hwy, which leaves theMahendra Highway to take thewindinganddramaticTribhuvan easy?It’smuchexperiences ever more fun to Mugling,butwhenwere thebesttravel hendra HwytoNarayangarhandthennorth to Kathmandu isalongtheMa- orPokhara From Birganj, theeasiestandfastest route THE TRIBHUVAN HWY walk totheIndianside. to theNepaliborderpostforRs8andthen cart)fromthebusstation or tonga(horse Bazaar. Alternatively, youcantake atempo to theNepaliborderpostandonRaxaul Rickshaws charge Rs40togofromtown AROUND GETTING offer Internet accessforRs30perhour. Internet cafésonthemainroad but several and thewelcome warm. There are nofrills but theroomsare clean favourite stopfortraders fromthehills. Mahendra Chowk,thissimple lodge isa On themainroad, about 200mnorthof Neelam Lodge There are noforeign exchange facilities Hotel Seema Hotel pots that locals use tostore potsthatlocalsuse water. 057 a

( ) % This big,modern business-

( % 520124; [email protected]; Main 520124; [email protected]; Main 520900; Main Rd;s/dwithout 520900; Main www.lonelyplanet.com gaa-

1200/1600, discountsof20%; 350/500, hotels/dfromRs500/800,deluxe s/dfromRs Hwy;Nissan huts/dRs Tribhuvan www.orchidresort.com; from town to the bus stand for Rs 30. for Rs30. from towntothebusstand shaws andauto-rickshaws canferry you (Rs 90,fourhours) untilaround2pm. Rick- Kathmandu hours) (Rs200,eight via Daman Avocado. There are hourorsoto every buses just northoffrom asmallerbusstand, Motel run regularly toBirganj (Rs65,twohours). Mahendra andminibuses Hwy.Localbuses ices todestinationseastandwestalongthe 75/90, onehour).Youcanalsopickupserv- 200/210, sixhours) viaNarayangarh (Rs six hours), andKathmandu Rs (day/night (Rs250/270, toPokhara afternoon buses dra Chowk.There are regular morningand isjustwest ofThe mainbusstand Mahen- THERE&AROUND GETTING andhotshowers. TVs rooms have atouch of class,withcarpets, foodandthe excellent IndianandChinese hendra Chowk.Therestaurant cooksup class hotel isashortwalksouthof Ma- www.lonelyplanet.com erest fromtheconcrete the entire range fromDhaulagiri toMtEv- of Nepal.There are unimpeded viewsof lar outlookontheHimalayain whole boasts whatisarguably views tothenorth,eastandwest, Daman Perched 2322mabove withclear level, sea % Daman sion foreigner/Nepali Rs20/10) little On the way,you can dropinto agorgeous Mandir, Mahadev Rikheshwar theforestwest through tothe tiny village, towardsHetauda, a trail leads from Daman.About 1kmsouthof the helipad attheEverest Panorama Resort. Resort. Alternatively,Mountain headtothe corded theirtravels Nepal. through where cyclistsandmotorcyclistshave re- and thecheerful restaurant hasanotebook plush hotel blocksatthebackof thegarden hutsor in two commodation isinNissen of rhododendron andavocado trees. Ac- this quirkyresort inapeacefulgarden isset where theTribhuvanHwyleaves Hetauda, Buses alongtheTribhuvanHwyleaveBuses AvocadoMotel &OrchidResort There are interesting several detours 057 gompa (Buddhist monastery) inaglade a insidetheDaman the viewing tower ) Furthernorth, sacred to Shiva. mostspectacu-

( % 520429; (admis- Shree Shree daal bhaat Single/double rooms costRs100/200,and nearapile ofyou endupsleeping onions! if –don’tbesurprised rustic village houses All offer Nepalimealsandsimpleroomsin budgets are catered for. There are just afew butall placestostay, SLEEPING &EATING gompa and1.5kmtothetemple. it’s1kmtotheflags. Fromthehighway, of trees of drapedwiththousands prayer simple guest houses – simple guesthouses best avoided inwinter. views in Daman.Thetents are probably cosy and theviewingtower hasthebest It’s nottheSavoy, butroomsare cleanand the village isamore option. comfortable Rs 800/700) tentsRs400,rwith/withoutbathroom mandu; safari-style 4415372-3 in Kathmandu; s/dUS$70/80, discounts of20%) 4415372-3 inKathmandu; a singlephonenumber( Lodge Daman&Lodge Hotel CENTRAL TERAI •• The Tribhuvan Hwy CENTRAL TERAI••TheTribhuvan Daman MountainResort In themiddleof thevillage are three Everest Panorama Resort Everest setting offintothehills. area. sure Make thatthingsare calmbefore government forcesandMaoistrebels inthis Daman passthroughseveral timesaday. and road andbusesbetweenKathmandu There are several rusticlodgesonthemain Shikharkot pointforwalksis Probably thebeststarting a decenttopographicalmapandgoexplore. (snack restaurants). Justequipyourselfwith the area have basiclodgesand trips. Mosttownsinand mountainbiking Internet cafésandbananapancakes. can experienceNepalasitwasbefore the where youthe closestplacetoKathmandu timetoexploretake it,butthisisprobably Few peoplepassthroughthearea, letalone peaceful villagesofbrickandstonehouses. fields, smallorchards,tricklingstreams and idyllic patchworkofmustard,riceandmillet into theheavilycultivated Palung Valley, an Beyond Daman,theTribhuvanHwyplunges DAMAN AROUND WALKS Sadly there have beenclashesbetween The valleyisafascinatingbaseforwalks –ownedbylocalfamiliesandsharing Thisageing resort of atthestart

is Rs50. , about40kmsouthofNaubise. and Everest Hotel &Lodge Hotel Everest

Gauri Shankar Hotel & Hotel Shankar Gauri

( ( % % % 01-4438023 inKath- 057-540382, bhojanalayas 057-540387). % 305

01-

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE ὈὈ ὈὈ THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE ning any trips through this area.ning anytripsthrough to check situationbefore thesecurity plan- on numerousoccasionsandit’simportant have andarmybases offices attacked been Bridges, telephone exchanges, government the heartlandof theMaoist insurgency. parks. Unfortunately, western Nepalisalso to investigate itslittle-visited national theareapass through andfewer stillstop partsofdeveloped Nepal.Few travellers oneofdranagar, passingthrough theleast theIndianborderatMahen-wal tomeet The Mahendra Hwyruns westfromBut- WESTERN TERAI Nepal (see p86 fordetails). lar (andgruelling)mountain-bike routes in ternatively, thisisoneof themostspectacu- hours) andHetauda (Rs90,fourhours). Al- 7am to2pmKathmandu (Rs175,four leaveBuses hourorsofrom Damanevery THERE&AWAYGETTING boardwalk. alongawindingwalk fromthehighway ing andponytreks. Receptionisa200m can arrange bik- guidedwalks,mountain hot showers views andyou andmountain Himalaya. Alltheroomshave heaters, TVs, tered acrossasunnyhillsidefacingthe fers tasteful cottages withsundecksscat- Daman, thisupmarket resort mountain of- themostcharming in placeto stay Easily 306 Wsen Terai Western Banbassa To Delhi(250km) WESTERN TERAI WESTERNTERAI••Nepalganj Tanakpur Royal SuklaPhanta Wildlife Reserve Mahendranagar Dandeldhua Jogbura Puranpur Bilauri Ataria To Lucknow (175km) Kalan Palia Dhangadhi P RAD ESH

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Tamghas ( Hwy % Tilaurakot

Taulihawa 520664; Surkhet 520664; Surkhet To Butwal(20km); Sunauli (44km) 20 miles

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momos. 9.30pm) road. are upmarket several eateries on themain ern Nepal. Nepalganj isthemainairhub for west- AIR &Away There Getting Kathmandu Rs450/540, 12 (day/night northeast of Birendra to Chowk. Buses The well-organised BUS The menurunsthegamutfrom the bestfoodandatmosphere intown. Travels Travels around US$109. private airlinesalsofly toKathmandu for (US$81 toUS$91, 45minutes). Mostof the (US$61 toUS$69, 45minutes) andDolpa airstrips intheinterior, includingJumla two hours) tosmall andnumerousflights toKathmanduflights (US$103toUS$122, Tours & Travels Tours &Travels All thehotels have restaurants, butthere Kitchen Hut Kitchen If the airline offices areIf theairlineoffices try closed, the border. Indian railnetworkisNanpara,17kmfrom seven hours).The nearest pointonthe taxis runregularly toLucknow (INRs160, Rupaidha Bazar. Fromhere, busesandshare andontothebusstandin at Jamunaha the Nepalganjbusstandtoborder arickshawfromFor Rs50youcantake Onward toIndia exchange othercurrencies. Nabil BankinNepalganjmaybeableto exchange IndianandNepalirupees. The Nepali sideoftheborder,buttheyonly There are several moneychangers onthe Foreign Exchange officials. cross later ifyoucanfindtheimmigration 4.30am to9pm,butyoumaybeable Both sidesoftheborderare openfrom Border Hours CROSSING THE BORDER This bright andbustlingplace has Thisbright ( % WESTERN TERAI••Nepalganj 522507) RNAC RNAC ( % ( % onthemainroad. ( 524349; mainsRs50-200; % 523525) bus stand 520767) or has four weekly hasfourweekly isabout 1km Sneha Tours& dosas h 10am-

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307 to

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE 308 Rupaidha Bazaar inIndia. Rupaidha Bazaar 50 to theairport and Rs40all theway to der for Rs 15.Acycle-rickshaw costs Rs and thebor- thebus stand run between 1.30pm (Rs126, three hours). NationalPark)Bardia leave at11.20amand 2pm intheafternoon. six hours) leave hourlyfrom5.30amuntil forMahendranagarhours). Buses (Rs300, Rs380/400,eight Narayangarh (day/night runviaearly intheafternoon; allbuses 12 hours) leave earlyin themorningor Rs400/520, (day/night hours) andPokhara Nepalganj Shared Around Getting 4 1 3 2 NEPALGANJ Local buses toThakurdwara (forRoyal Local buses WESTERNTERAI••RoyalBardiaNationalPark 7 tempos Surkhet Rd A (three-wheelers) andtongas Mahendra Hwy(16km) TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Sneha Tours&Travel...... Neha Tours&Travels...... Main BusStand...... Kitchen Hut...... Manakamana GuestHouse...... Hotel Sneha...... Hotel PahunaGhar...... Small Temples...... Mahadev Statue...... Bageshwari Mandir...... Nabil Bank...... ar us os...... B1 Hamro GuestHouse...... To Airport(5km); 9 0.4miles 600m 0 0 Indian Border(3km); To Jamunaha(3km); Lucknow (195km) 11 Bazaar Birendra Chowk Water Tower 2 4 8 6 5 12 Pond 3 B Tribhuvan Chowk 1 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 A2 B1 A3 B1 B2 B2 B2 B1 B1 B1 B1 for around Rs 4000 per jeep. for around Rs 4000per jeep. can be arranged directly thelodges through vance at the parkheadquarters. Jeep safaris 1000/400/200) shouldbe booked inad- elephants (foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs way toexplore thepark. Ridesonthepark safari onan Most peoplevisit Bardia Sights &Activities quarters Park fees shouldbepaid atthe &Information Orientation dranagar, About ButwalandMahen- halfwaybetween % ROYAL BARDIANATIONAL PARK admission per day foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs500/200/20) admission perdayforeigner/SAARC/Nepali army and rebels are observing aceasefire.army andrebels are observing organised tours, which onlyrunwhenthe of theinsurgency andmostpeoplevisiton numbers have plummeted sincethestart on thefringes of the nationalpark.Visitor River. tripsalongtheGeruwa canoe are occasionallyspotted onraftingand mugger crocodilesandGangetic dolphins crane. Gharialandmarshflorican andsarus of birds,includingtheendangered Bengal deer. alsohasmore Bardia than250species bears andhog andbarking,spotted, sambar macaques, leopards,civets, hyenas,sloth in theparkincludegrey langurs, rhesus sive are andsightings rare. Othermammals animalsare butthese elu- rhinos atBardia tigers and100one-hornedroyal Bengal have thewholeplacetoyourself. current slumpintourism,youmaywell phere iswonderfullytranquilandwiththe andKarnalithe Geruwa Rivers. Theatmos- forest andwhisperinggrassland,bordering Terai. Theparkprotects 968sqkm of sal is thelargest untouched wilderness inthe May of because flooding. to September that much of theparkisinaccessible from to betransferred tothelodges by4WD.Note dition of theroads,visitors usuallyarrange ofThakurdwara, butbecause thepoorcon- 500m before theAmreni armycheckpost. road leaves about atAmbassa, thehighway village of Thakurdwara. Thebumpy access 13km southof the Mahendra Hwy inthe Be warnedthatMaoist rebelsBe are active There are estimated tobearound22 Most of lodges thesafari are to close 084 and thisisbyfar themostexciting

( % Royal BardiaNationalPark 429719; h 6am-5pm Sun-Fri) www.lonelyplanet.com

( park head- % isabout elephant 429719;

mation centre mation centre raft. by inflatable andRs1000/4000/100 500/200/50 bycanoe Boat trips on thenumberof peopleinthegroup. can arrange aguide,butrates willdepend with angryrhinos around.Anyof thelodges the wildlife, butthiscanbeariskyactivity eigner/Nepali Rs50/5; www.lonelyplanet.com Royal Bardia National Park is theintriguing crocodiles.Alsolocatedand gharial here and abreeding centre formarsh mugger fishing andpollution. list of endangered of speciesbecause over- for the World Wildlife Foundationiscampaigning headquarters. beaware However, thatthe SAARC/Nepali Rs500/100/20)at the park glers fishingpermits (foreigner/ canobtain which canreach An- 80kilosinweight. haseer, Tharu people. explores thecustomsandritualsof the (110km) To Mahendranagar 1 3 2 ROYAL BARDIANATIONALPARK ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ Guided walks The parkheadquarters hasasmall The Karnali river isalsofamousfor I NDA

PRADESH Karnali UTTAR thegiantSouthAsian river carp,

Rv mahaseer along the Geruwa Riveralong theGeruwa costRs AC (admission free; 2 1 Chisopani will get you even closer to will get closer youeven 4 6 Geruwa Rv Thakurdwara tobeaddedtheworld h 5 Tharu Museum Tharu 7 10am-4pm Sun-Fri),

8 Mahendra Ambassa

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(admission for- Amreni B Parewa Sainwar Odar which infor- ma- WESTERN TERAI••RoyalBardiaNationalPark

without bathroomfromRs300/250) cottageswith/ 01-4428552; [email protected]; day packages incl meals & activities US$155/206) inclmeals&activities day packages www.foresthideaway.com; 4/5 4225973 inKathmandu; headquarters. you’ll appreciate tothepark beingsoclose morewith ceilingfans.Inthese quiettimes, thatchedrant andcomfortable cottages resort hasalarge, shadygarden, arestau- the parkentrance,thisfriendly,low-key doesn’t apply topackage rates.doesn’t discounts of thisusually upto40%,though business. Mostplacesare currently offering call aheadtomake sure resorts are openfor age tours. Independenttravellers should onorganised pack- most peoplevisitBardia ofWith thecollapse tourismintheTerai, Sleeping &Eating and anonwardbusticket toyourchosen activities, parkfees, transfers fromAmbassa have solarpowerandrates includemeals, choices Thegrass-roofed atBardia. cottages cosy Tharu-styleresort isoneof thebest 1km northof theparkheadquarters, this Forest Hideaway Cottages Hideaway Forest Bardia JungleCottages To Kohalpur (44km); Nepalganj (60km)

Dhakaila Babai

National Park Royal Bardia Bheri Rv Bheri Rhino LodgeBardia...... Karnali Safari...... Forest HideawayCottages...... Bardia JungleCottages...... National ParkHeadquarters...... ie osKraiTne ap.... A1 Tiger TopsKarnaliTentedCamp...... A2 Tiger TopsKarnaliLodge...... SLEEPING INFORMATION

12miles 20km 0 0 Rv

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309

01-

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE du; package ratespernightUS$200) du; package mandu; www.tigermountain.com;GPOBox242, Kathman- on thelawn. small verandas andmealsare often taken dation isintidythatched bungalowswith that thegardenhasgrownin.Accommo- entrance, thisplacelooksmuch nicernow counted by15%fromMay toSeptember. destination inNepal.Package rates are dis- 310 leave Nepalganj at11.20am and 1.30pm Thakurdwara (Rs126, three hours) –buses to Nepalganj andchange toalocal busto airport is atNepalganj(see p307 ). a pickupfromThakurdwara. Thenearest make sure theresorts are openandarrange your ownwayto thepark,callaheadto from Kathmandu. Ifyou intend tomake onapackage tour people visitRoyal Bardia The slumpintourism hasmeantthatmost &Away There Getting fees andlocaltransfers are extra). rates includemealsandallactivities(park park overlooking theKarnali River. Package insidethe tentsThakurdwara orsafari deep tion isinstylish Tharu-stylecottages near a package groupisintown.Accommoda- mended top-endlodge onlyopenswhen team asTiger Tops inChitwan,thisrecom- bathroom Rs150-500) cottageswith [email protected]; in Kathmandu; Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge Tiger TopsKarnali Rhino LodgeBardia Rhino To reach bypublic transport,head Bardia monsoon rains. and replace material washedawaybythe plied throughouttheyeartofillincracks However, fresh layersofmudmustbeap- water range. coolerandwood-fired kitchen side, fromcupboardsandbedsteads tothe is usedtoproducemostofthefurniture in- cool, even insummer. The sametechnique thehomessurprisinglyheat shield,keeping asanaturalmentally friendly,themudacts mud. As wellasbeingextremely environ- and grasscoated inthicklayersofriver Even housesare builtupfromwoven twigs using thenaturalmaterials aroundthem. almosteverythinglagers make theyneed ern Terai are masters ofimprovisation. Vil- The indigenousTharu peopleofthewest- HOMES THARU WESTERNTERAI••Jumla About 4kmfromthepark

( %

( 429720, % Run by the same Runbythesame 01-4361500 inKath- % 01-4701200 minutes). Jumla andNepalganj(US$61toUS$69,45 by air. RNAC between fliestwice weekly be abletoarrange guidesandporters. prove, Kathmandu trekking agencies should mended. Shouldsituationim- thesecurity travel inthisarea cannotcurrently berecom- Jumla are controlledbyMaoist rebels and mous sky-blue lake. Sadly,thehillsaround tween Nepal and India, tween Mahendranagar As the mostwesterly border crossing be- % MAHENDRANAGAR Rs500/200/20) admission perdayforeigner/SAARC/Nepali WildlifeReserve Sukla Phanta Tucked againsttheIndianborder, RESERVE ROYAL SUKLAPHANTA WILDLIFE four daystoreach From theairstrip inJumla,ittakes three to nali region inthefarnorthwestof Nepal. is thetrailheadfortreks totheremote Kar- Himalaya, thetinyvillage of Jumla (2370m) Hidden awayinthefoothillsof theSisne JUMLA (Rs 100,21/2hours). toMahendranagar forbuses at Ambassa and Thakurdwaraat7am9am.Change est populationof crocodiles, wildelephantsandNepal’s larg- Park hastigers, rhinos, andthereserve National terrain issimilartoRoyalBardia River.along thebanksof theBahini The covers 305sqkmof forest sal and foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs1000/100/free) foreigner/SAARC/Nepali because ofbecause monsoonflooding. fromJunetoSeptember park isimpassable January; themain vehicle trackwithinthe somebody willbe around. headquarters, butcall aheadtomake sure Rs 1000/500/200) canbebooked atthe park Elephant rides Mahendranagar withahired caranddriver. the parkgenerally comeondaytrips from overnight. Thefew visitors whomake it to park lodge, campingistheonlyway tostay ficult, andsincetheclosure of theonly as large numbers of migratorybirds. currently numberingaround2000,aswell The onlyrealistic waytoreach Jumlais The besttimeto visitisNovember to Visiting SuklaPhanta wasalwaysdif- 099

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attacks. attacks. tural damage tobridges followingMaoist ofsometimes beimpossiblebecause struc- aware thattravelbombs. Be byroadmay where have buses targeted been byroadside in Nepalandparticularlyhairy aregion during themonsoon. preparedBe forlongdelays,particularly dranagar isanotoriousaccidentblackspot. theroadfromNepalganjtoMahen- season, bridges. Evenlapsed duringthedrywinter ofset challenges, fromfloodedroadstocol- before youvisit. ceasefires, socheck situation thesecurity times. Everything returns tonormalduring addinghoursarmy searches, tojourney the Mahendra Hwyare subjecttoregular stitutions inrecent years andvehicles on onbridgesnumerous attacks andcivicin- Maoistwith difficulties. rebels have staged Nepal, buttravel intheregion isfraught Mahendranagar isthegateway towestern Dangers &Annoyances the airport. isashortdrive eastofWildlife Reserve border, butthelittle-visited SuklaPhanta region. forthe Mostpeopleheadstraight ist insurgency travel affects this throughout ant. Unfortunately fortravellers, theMao- issurprisingly pleas- and thetownitself one of themore relaxing bordercrossings and thehilltownsof Thisis Uttaranchal. offers aninteresting backroute toDelhi www.lonelyplanet.com Road travel isriskyanywhere atnight The annualmonsoonbringsawholenew Bareilly, where youcanpickuptrains tootherdestinations inIndia. Almora,Nainital andothertowns inUttaranchal.There’s train toserve alsoaslowmetre-gauge you canpick uplong-distance busestoDelhi(INRs 156,10hours). Local busesandshared jeeps From the Indian borderpost, it’sanINRs10rickshaw ridetothebus stationinBanbassa, where Onward toIndia Nepali rupees. There’s asmall bankcounter near theNepalicustomspostbutitonly exchangesIndianand Foreign Exchange vehicles 5am-6am,noon-2pm and5-6pm. may needtogosearchingfortheNepali officials. The Indiansideoftheborderis only opento The Nepalisideoftheborderisopentotourists24hours,butbefore 7amandafter 5.30pmyou Border Hours BORDER THE CROSSING d withbathroomRs350-450,air-con 1000; 6.30pm) room fromRs300/500) chair towatch itfrom. andacomfy aTV ple roomswithageyser, arcade, thisgoodvaluecheapie offers sim- station, thisfriendlymidrangestation, placehas about100meast ofOn thehighway thebus roads leadingsouthfromthemainstreet. plusmorestand, upmarket optionsonthe There are lotsof cheap hotels nearthebus Sleeping &Eating informationcentre tourist centre thenight. unlessyouplantostay Hwy sothere’s tocomeintothe noneed ontheMahendra isright 5’. Thebusstand leading southare labelled‘Line1’to main roadrunseasttowestandtheroads probably thewaytogo. –arickshaw isborder postatBanbassa Gaddachauki, it’sabout 1kmtotheIndian border. FromtheNepali border postat hendra Hwy,about5kmeastof theIndian Mahendranagar isjustsouthof theMa- &Information Orientation Rs 40perhour. centres onLine5offer fastnetaccessfor computer aHotmailfix,several you need Rs 160) hotels directly opposite thebusstand. Hotel SweetDream Hotel Royal GuestHouse The Government of Nepalrunsasmall It’s laidoutonasimplegridsystem. The Hotel NewAnand Hotel WESTERN TERAI •• Mahendranagar WESTERN TERAI••Mahendranagar Thisbasicplaceisthebestof thegrungy ontheNepalsideof theborder. If

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Dhanusa t Khajuri best timetovisitisduringtheHindu festival pilgrims fromacrossthesubcontinent. The hostels andthehuge Janaki temple attracts India. Thestreets are dotted withpilgrims’ but almostallthetouristsare pilgrims from life intheplains. there’s nowhere better toget areal feel for India thanthetribaltownshipsof Nepal– tothe Hindutownsofthe townfeels closer Eventen downintheRamayana. today, daughter of KingJanak of Mithila,waswrit- when thestoryof and wife Sita, of Rama grimages the4thcenturyBC, sinceatleast Janakpur acentre hasbeen forHindupil- % JANAKPUR at Kakarbhitta. This includesthebordercrossingtoIndia situationbeforesecurity embarking east. rebels andgovernment soldiers. Checkthe often impossibleduetoskirmishesbetween and travel northof theMahendra Hwyis peaceful. Maoist rebels operate inthehills painting. Politically,thingsaren’t quite so templeSita andrich traditionof Mithila famous spotisJanakpur, withitsancient Probablythemost as fartourismgoes. a peacefulanduntouched region, atleast more visitors thanthewest,butit’sstill easy accesstoSikkimandDarjeeling. the IndianborderatKakarbhitta, providing and theMahendra Hwycutseasttomeet On one level, JanakpurOn onelevel, isatouristtown, The eastern portionof theTerai sees

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Chatara Rv Tumlingtar Kusaha Birpur To Taplejung(20km) Hile Itahari Jogbani Basantapur Dharan Bazaar Dhankuta Tamur Bhedetar Biratnagar Forbesganj Haraincha

Rv Therathum Mahendra Araria old metre-gauge traintoJaynagar. notacross it)onthe dian border(though make afascinatingdetoursouthtotheIn- the wayto/fromKakarbhitta andyoucan energy Many andpurpose. peoplevisiton and bicyclesthancars of andareal sense winding narrowstreets, more rickshaws pur isabusy,bustlingbazaartown,with invaders inthe14thcentury.ModernJanak- city wasalsodestroyed,thistimebyMuslim Simaraungarh grew upinitsplace,butthis backintotheforest.abandoned andsank butitwaslater ana existed around700BC, site. intheRamay- Thecity mythologised the Terai theboxed –see text p315 . fers afascinatingwindowontorural life in anditof- primitive, intheFineArtsense, wildly colourfulpaintings.Mithilaartis The peopleof Mithilaare famousfortheir still speakMaithili astheirnative tongue. more thantwomillionpeopleinthe area NepalandIndia, now dividedbetween the ancientkingdomof Mithila,aterritory culture. Janakpur of wasoncethecapital vividly tolife. in thestreets, bringingtheancientmyth arevignettes acted fromtheRamayana out of BibahaPanchami Sita (see p366 ), when www.lonelyplanet.com streets –thetelecom towerandwater tower Janakpur isamazeof narrow,winding About 20kmsouthof theMahendra Hwy, Orientation Eastern Terai Phidim Bahadurganj

Hwy Janakpur isactuallythethirdcityonthis The otherlure inJanakpur isMithila Ilam Birtamod Kakarbhitta Kishangani Bhadrapur Pantapera Charali Panitanki Islampur Darjeeling Siliguri 0 0 To Gangtok(30km) B ANGLDESH B ENGAL I NDA W EST 20 miles 40 km per hrRs30; most colourful saris for the occasion. for theoccasion. most colourful saris lar with women, whowear theirbestand Thetemple isparticularlypopu- Ramayana. cloisters andcontemplate thelessons of the and manypeople come here tositinthecool thirsty goings-on atNepal’sShaivite temples It’s amuch calmerprocess thantheblood- asanincarnationofSita Lakshmi. asanincarnation of Vishnuand gard Rama wereand Sita historicalfigures, Hindusre- monkey god,Hanuman. Rama Although sped southtosave her,aided bytheloyal andherhusbanddemon-king of Lanka thetext, waskidnappedbyRavana, Sita Accordingtotheancient of theRamayana. thewifecated andheroine toSita, of Rama Janakpur’s temple mostimportant isdedi- JANAKI MANDIR Sights ( There’s asmallandinformal Information Chowk andthetrainstation. ther eastontheroadrunninguptoBhanu the bazaar,butmostof thehotels are fur- town istheJanaki Temple inthemiddleof are centre landmarks.Theofficial useful of temple and thesurrounding street market gious objects on thesquare infront of the the MileChowk. Zero is duesouthattion whilethebusstand tusks. Thetowncentre iseastof thejunc- sculpturegiant metal of elephant crossed Chowk,toppedbya arrive atRamanand wedding cake, designed foramaharajah. rets andscreens. Itlooksalittlelike aglorious feels much olderwithitsarches, domes, tur- In fact,thetemple onlydates to1912,butit lyinginthefurrowof field. Sita aploughed exact spotwhere KingJanak foundthe infant statue inthe statue the gatehouse topayhomage to theSita from November toJanuary. Bhanu anhourearlier Chowk.Itcloses on upstairs inanarcadenearthestation Royal Cyber&Communications % Vendors coloured sell powders andreli- Built inextravagant style, baroqueMughal you’ll If youcomeinonthehighway, A steady stream of pilgrimsfilesinthrough There’s nowhere tochange moneybut 520755; Janaki Mandir Janaki h h EASTERN TERAI••Janakpur EASTERN 6.30am-10pm) inner sanctum 10am-4pm Sun-Thu, 10am-3pmFri) is believed to stand on the onthe tostand isbelieved isareliable net-café.

( % ( h 525441; Station Rd; 525441; StationRd; 5-7am & 6-8pm). 5-7am &6-8pm). tourist office tourist 313

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE models of Sita and Rama. models of andRama. Sita inatthekitschso youcanpeer life-sized tiered pagodaroof andthewallsare glass topped byamodernist interpretation of a were andSita married.Thetemple is Rama such as bazaar. LookforunusualIndianimports has theusuallively hubbubof aplainstown Jaknapur 314 of theJanaki Mandir, the Hidden awayin astonecourtyard southeast RAM MANDIR &DANUSHSAGAR rather bizarre Almost nextdoor totheJanaki Temple, this RAM SITA BIBAHA MANDIR 5, videoRs21; (27km) To Bijalpur 4 1 3 2 JANAKPUR EASTERN TERAI••Janakpur EASTERN oe aa...... D2 Hotel Rama...... Janakpur Women’sDevelopment Tourist Office...... Royal Cyber&Communications... Nepal RastraBank...... Kathmandu GuestHouse...... Hotel Welcome...... Hotel SukhSagar...... Hotel ManakiInternational...... Ramanand ChowkSculpture...... Ram SitaBibahaMandir...... Ram Mandir...... Kuwa VillageGateway...... Centre...... Janaki Mandir...... Janak Mandir...... Cinema...... Big MonkeyTemple...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION pani phul h AC 5am-9pm) temple (fresh water chestnuts). Kunda Sita

(admission Rs2,camera fee Rs marksthespotwhere 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 D2 C2 C2 C2 B2 C2 C2 D4 D4 C2 C2 B2 B2 D2 C2 C3 Ram Mandir Mandir Ram Kunda Bihar udaAr...... D2 Buddha Air...... New BusStand...... Pools Halls...... (see18) Rooftop FamilyRestaurant...... TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT EATING To Jaleshwar(15km); Zero Mile Indian Border(20km) Ratan Saga Chowk Kunda B Telecommunications 20 4 Highway (20km) Tower is a To Mahendra Mauchami Sagar Kopal 5 Ramanand 12 Chowk sacred tothe fatherof Sita. (prayers). Nearby is thesmall threads andotherritual objectsfor pujas flower garlands,tikka powder,sacred sell around the perimeter andvendors infront at Janakpur. There are smallshrinesall the (steps forritualbathing) leadingdowninto music. smokecourtyard isfilled withincense and whenthe It’s busiestinthe earlyevening, and Durga dotted aroundthecompound. smaller shrines toShiva,several Hanuman buttheretemple issacred are toRama tiered pagodastyleof thehills.Themain much olderstructure, builtintheclassic Opposite theentrance are of a series ghats Purare Chowk 20 19 18 Danush Sagar Sagar Ford Hospital C2 B3 Water Tank 11 7 Danush Sagar 10 Bazaar 15 Sagar 6 Campus Chowk , thelargest ceremonial tank 13 Chowk Murali 1 18 Mills Area Ganga Sagar 16 Chowk 0.4miles 600m 0 0 2 To Airport

(100m) Station 9 www.lonelyplanet.com 19 14 Rd Chowk Bhanu 17 Janak Mandir 8 D Village Kuwa 3 Station Train To Dhanusa Jaynagar (15km); (29km) ,

magic bow. allegedlythe spotwhere drew Rama Shiva’s nusa If youfeel like roamingfurtherafield, theboxed – see opment Centre text below . drop inontheJanakpur Women’s Devel- intrusive withyourcamera, andyoucan are very friendly,aslongyouaren’t too about 1kmsouthof MuraliChowk.People est village toreach fromJanakpur, is of peopleandanimals.Probably theeasi- walls decorated withcolourfulpaintings in thetraditionalMithilastyle,withadobe Manycal mosaic. of thevillages are built around Janakpur formalush andmagi- The sugarcanefieldsandMithilavillages TRADITIONAL VILLAGES rhesus macaqueatthe man isworshipped intheformof alive town, accessibleonfootorbyrickshaw. ponds scattered aroundtheoutskirtsof There are numerousothertemples and OTHER TEMPLES& PONDS www.lonelyplanet.com Bihar Kunda you’ll reach twomore ceremonial – tanks Chowk. about 100msouthof Ramanand the gateway isalmostopposite the following it.It’seasytomissthetemple – wellonthewayto its replacement seems finally succumbingtomorbidobesityand The previous monkey grew to60kgbefore Over ontheothersideofOver town,Hanu- If you head west from Ramanand Chowk, If youheadwestfromRamanand Janakpur tothe centre willcost Rs30. andbuydirectly fromthecentreof ruralwomen. Youcanmeet theartisans –arickshaw from ceramics. The work isdelightfuland themoneyraised goes directly towards improving thelives ing paper paintings,papier-mâché boxes andmirrors,screen-printed fabricsandhand-thrown Janakpur inthevillage ofKuwa. womenare Around50Mithila employed atthecentre, produc- ( whole newindustry forwomeninimpoverished ruralcommunities. the mudwalls. form,creating More a art offasacollectable recently, paintinghastaken Mithila the Terai patterns withabstract orcomplexscenesofvillage life painted inwhite and ochre on network amongvillagewomen. ings record thefemale experienceoflife intheTerai marriageandthesocial –work,childbirth, in asocietywhere reading andwritingare reserved forhigh-caste paint- men.ScenesinMithila socialcommentary,recording thelives decoration,part ofruralwomen paintingispart Mithila painting. ofMithila Morepreserve theancientart commonlyassociated withBiharinIndia, it’sappropriate ofMithila, thatJanakpur isstrivingtoAs theformercapitalofkingdom ART MITHILA % , 15kmnortheastof Janakpur, marks One of the best known social projects isthe One ofthebestknown socialprojects paintingswereTraditionally, Mithila usedfor decoration–youcanstillseehouses across 521080; www.catgen.com/jwdc; and Ratan SagaKunda Ratan Big Monkey TempleBig Monkey . h cinema Kuwa Dha- 10am-5pm Sun-Fri, 10am-4pmDec-Jan , , . rooms withsquattoilets. have fans,mosquitonetsandcleanbath- room Rs150/250) Chowk; s/dwithoutbathroomRs100/200, withbath- coil if you want a decent night’s sleep. sleep. coil ifyouwantadecentnight’s a all gunsblazing.SlapontheDEETorlight in theholyponds,mosquitoscomeoutwith of water allthestanding Because taurants. All thefollowinghotels have attached res- Sleeping &Eating on theirhouses. Mithilawomenrepaintingsee themurals inOctober/November,(Deepawali) you’ll powder andwater. Ifyouvisitduring from aritualsplattering withcoloured but bewarned:foreigners are notexempt pilgrims. oftown’s ringroad,attractingthousands rikrama panied byahuge procession. birthday,isalsoaccom- celebrating Rama’s in thestreets. performances of scenesfromtheRamayana andthereriage are toRama processionsand to celebrate there-enactment of mar- Sita’s ofthousands pilgrimsdescendonthetown moon inNovember/December. Tens of Panchami) onthefifthdayof thewaxing Janakpur isduring By farthemostinteresting timetovisit Festivals &Events Janakpur Women’s Development Centre Kathmandu GuestHouse Kathmandu On thedaybefore HoliinMarch, involves aritualwalkaroundthe Holi EASTERN TERAI••Janakpur EASTERN itself canget itself very boisterous A reliable cheapie. Rooms Rama Navami Rama Bibaha Panchami Bibaha ( ) % (March/April), , justoutside 521753; Bhanu (Vivaha (Vivaha Tihar 315 Pa-

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE Rs 200,s/dwithbathroomfrom250/275) a bathroom Rs300/450,s/dwithair-con1000/1600; 50-200; but noair-con. roomswith hot showersmodest standard deluxe roomswithallmod consandmore the Manaki International hascavernous only really upmarket choice inJanakpur, 316 1000/1200, s/dwithair-conRs2000/2500; ShivChowk;s/dwithbathroomRs [email protected]; expensive downstairs. veg curryhouse and hotwater bythebucket. There’s anin- pilgrim’s hostel hasreasonably cleanrooms zaar opposite theJanaki Temple, thissimple conditioner. theair-cost justRs500ifyoudon’tuse paintings onthewalls.Roomswithair-con some roomshave cheerful Mithila-inspired good value. Thelocationisconvenient and shades of lilac. are large, cleanandpainted in soothing which isalwaysagoodsign,andtherooms of Bhanu Chowk.It’spopularwithNGOs, isabout 500mnorth money, Hotel Rama hike fromthecentre butexcellentvaluefor bathroom Rs300-400,dwithair-con800; nese andIndianfoodisexcellent. nese pur andwe’re inclinedtoagree. TheChi- ‘the onlychoice of smartpeople’inJanak- Mandir, thisupmarket placeclaimstobe Hotel Sukh Sagar Sukh Hotel Rooftop FamilyRooftop Restaurant Hotel Rama Hotel Hotel Manaki International Manaki Hotel Hotel Welcome Hotel but thetrainrideprovides adelicioustaste ofthesubcontinent. to thedustyplainstownofJaynagar. crosstheborder, OnlyIndiansandNepaliscanactually trainrunseastacrosstheIndianborder From thetrainstationinJanakpur,aslow metre-gauge RIDING THERAILS kites and families winnowing rice in the courtyards oftinythatched homes. andfamilies winnowingriceinthecourtyards kites children chasingbesidethetrainwith paperway you’llseefarmers ploughingwithbullockcarts, unspoiledcountryside, stoppingataseriesofsmallTeraisome wonderfully villages. Along the dow sothere’s often nowhere else to go. It’sabreezy ride up top,butthetrainpassesthrough are crammedintovery square inchofthecarriagesand bicyclesandboxes hangfrom every win- train or hopon alocalbus. Baidehi (2nd/1st classRs10/18, 12km,onehour). Toreturn the next toJanakpur, youcantake legs, the train stopsinthe villages ofParbaha (2nd/1st classRs7/12,8km, 30minutes) and ataround 8.40am,12.40pm and4.30pm.Ifyou fancygettingdown andstretchingKhajuri your southeast ofJanakpur. Trains leave Janakpurat6.45am,11.30am and3.20pm,returning from ) EASTERN TERAI••KoshiTappu EASTERN Wildlife Reserve Slightly rundown,butstillreasonably Slightly This mustbeoneof the lasttrainsinAsia where peopleroutinely rideontheroof. Passengers Foreigners cantravel (2nd-/1st-class asfarKhajuri Rs16/32, three hours),about21km h 9am-10pm)

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520059; Mills Area Chowk;dwith 520059; Mills % Facing thesmallJanak ( % 520646; StationRd;s/dwith 520488; dwithoutbathroom

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( % Intheba- 521540; hotel a a ) The ) A several several foreigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs500/200/20) foreigner/SAARC/Nepali local villages – see local villages –see below fordetails. pointfortrain ridesto Rd isthestarting until about3pm. run hourlytoBirganj (Rs140,five hours) ratnagar (Rs160,fourhours), Localbuses and there forBi- are morningbuses several leaves (Rs325,10hours) dailyforPokhara Rs150/170,sixhours).night Asinglebus 350/370, 10hours) viaNarayangarh (day/ and northtoKathmandu Rs (day/night Rs270/300,five (day/night hours)bhitta are easttoKakar- buses dayandnight rickshaw ridefromcentralJanakpur. There MileChowk,aRs30 tion southwestof Zero of thecentre. the airportisaRs70rickshaw ridesouth line officesare aroundBhanu Chowkand and Kathmandu (US$76,25minutes). Air- airlines have Janakpur between dailyflights s i h T % KOSHI TAPPU WILDLIFERESERVE Buddha Air &Away There Getting habitat ofhabitat theendangered floodplain of theSaptKosiRiver, thelast (grassland) and in 1976toprotect asmalltriangleof Restaurant. Restaurant. If you’re lookingfornightlife, there are The station atthenorthend of The station Station leaveBuses fromthedustymainbussta- 025 WildlifeReserve pool halls

( % 041-525022) tappu near theRooftop Family

( % (smallislands)inthe www.lonelyplanet.com 530897; admissionperday andotherprivate arna wasfounded (wild water phanta

hiring aguideat the parkheadquarters. If youcomehere independently, askabout park, usuallyincluded inthepackage rates. bird-spottingwalksaroundthe who leads Rs 1500,covering uptofive passengers. the goingrate foraboatanddriver isabout facilities forindependenttravellers. fers fromBiratnagarairport.There are few the tented campsinsidetheparkandtrans- boat trips,accommodationandmealsat clude bird-watching walks,elephantrides, from Kathmandu which orPokhara, in- Kosi buttheyare very rarely seen. handful of Gangetic dolphinsintheSapt and crocodiles.There are tobea thought wild boars,you mayalsospotdeer, pythons 5pm) lands) by canoe or lands) bycanoe ary. take upresidence fromNovember toFebru- migratory speciesfromSiberiaandTibet cies of birdshave recorded been here and crane.florican andsarus Atleast 439spe- ofsearch rare speciessuch astheBengal travellers whovisitare bird-watchers in flood damage inBihar. Sapt Kosiintoasinglechannel tominimise funnelsthefloodwatersKosi Barrage of the the Atthesouthendofbuffalo). thereserve, www.lonelyplanet.com and 13% tax. the park camping fee (Rs300 perperson) rates, you’llhave topaythepark entryfee, at thefront door. As well asthepackage make sure they’re open before turningup There are lodges, butcall ahead to several Sleeping can arrange tours of the (foreigner/SAARC/Nepali). Allthelodges the parkheadquarters forRs1000/400/200 can bearrangedephant. Elephantsafaris at the mostpopularwaytoexplore isby el- As withothernational parks intheTerai, Sights &Activities The Information entry fees. entry fees. ial. Thisiswhere visitors paythedailypark andguarskullsadesiccateddeer ghar- tion centre withelephant, andmuseum, Every lodge hasaresident ornithologist Most visitors comeonorganised tours It’s awonderfullyserene spotandmost at Kusaha hasaninteresting atKusaha informa- Arna reserve headquarters headquarters reserve tend to hang out on the tappu and tend tohangoutonthetappu dunga ( % (wooden boat)– tappu 530897; (river is- h 10am- .kosicamp.com; 3-day/2-night package perpersonUS$189) .kosicamp.com; 3-day/2-nightpackage Tappu WildlifeCamp situation. demand andthesecurity years inFebruary, dependingontourist gratory birdsfestival thattheyputonmost hot showers. Ask thecampaboutmi- tentsdation isbigsafari with solar-powered guides are very experiencedandaccommo- ered friends.Theresident bird-watching from the bus stand willcostRs30. from thebusstand toDharan Bazaar.at theturnoff Arickshaw person US$125) per www.koshitappu.com; [email protected]; package US$175) [email protected];3-day/2-nightpackage Kathmandu; nagar andplacesalongtheroadto Hile. toBirat- are fastandfrequent localservices andthereinto thewell-organised busstand alongtheMahendra buses Hwypull tance roads toBiratnagarandHile. Alllong-dis- junction of the Mahendra Hwy andthe isanundistinguishedtown atthe Itahari ITAHARI 16km northeastof theKosiBarrage. 3km southof the Mahendra Hwy, signposted own steam, theparkheadquarters isabout nagar airport.Ifyouwanttovisitunder your tour withapre-arranged pickupfrom Birat- comeshereAlmost everyone onapackage &Away There Getting tents. safari in comfortable small andlow-key andaccommodationis water holes.It’srefreshinglynear several is located onthewestern edge of thepark, A popularchoice forbirders, KoshiCamp Hotel road leading southto Biratnagar from the town. There’s lots of heavy industry on the Nepal, but itstillfeels like asmallprovincial Biratnagar isthe second-largest cityin % BIRATNAGAR from thecomfortof thebar. thegroundssoyoucan watchthrough birds very appealing.Asmallwater course flows no electricity,butthejungleatmosphere is tents insimplesafari andthere’sGuests stay out onthenortheastern edge of thereserve. bathroom Rs350-450) Koshi Camp Koshi Camp If youget stuck overnight, the Camp Aqua BirdsUnlimited 021

( % Again, thefocushere isonourfeath- 580113; s/dwithoutbathroom Rs200/250,rwith Thispeacefuljunglecampsits EASTERN TERAI •• Itahari TERAI••Itahari EASTERN ( % is right bythe roundabout isright 01-4429609 in Kathmandu; www 01-4429609 inKathmandu;

( % 01-4226130 in Kathmandu; 01-4226130 inKathmandu;

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE Ὀ THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE flights totheeasternflights hillsandthere are daily butthetownisamajorsights, airhubfor crossing opentotravellers isKakarbhitta. the bordertoIndia–nearest border the goodsproducedhere across gostraight surprisingly calmandmanageable. Mostof Mahendra Hwybutthecentre of town is 318 Biratnagar 4 1 3 2 5 BIRATNAGAR Biratnagar doesn’t haveBiratnagar doesn’t anymust-see

EASTERN TERAI••Biratnagar EASTERN 6 Malaya Rd Malaya To Airport(2.5km); 9 Itahari (22km) Mahendra Chowk A RNAC...... Main BusStand...... Hotel Namaskar...... Hotel Geetanjali...... Dhankuta Lodge...... Kali mandir...... Hanuman Mandir...... Lumbini BankLtd...... Internet Cafés...... TRANSPORT SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION oe wgtm...... A4 Hotel Swagatam...... 5 10 Post Office 2 8

Himalaya Road To IndianBorder(6km) 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Police B Market 10 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4 A4 A3 B2 A3 A3 B1 B1 A2 B1 7 Main Rd 1 Chowk Traffic bathroom Rs350/450) air-con Rs1000/1200; Rd;s/dwithbathroomRs600/800, .com.np; Main and areasonably pricedrestaurant. has big,cleanroomswithconcrete floors above somecanefurniture shops,thisplace RNAC RNAC &Away There Getting a &bathroom Rs550/700,rwithair-con1200-1500; d withTV welcoming area. Chowkisamorebut Traffic upbeatand nearthenoisybusstand, Most peoplestay Sleeping &Eating Rd; (Himalaya the airportisaRs60ridenorthwest. rickshaw ridesouthwestof thecentre and south totheborder. isaRs30 Thebusstand are furtherwestonMalaya Rd,which runs just northonMain Rd.Mostof the hotels Chowkandthemunicipalmarket is Traffic centrehendra Hwy.Theofficial of townis Biratnagar isabout22kmsouthof theMa- Information &Orientation market. man Mandir time here, dropintothegaily-painted killing industry.Ifyoufindyourself nised produced thefibres have lostouttomecha- but theTharuandDanuwarvillagers who be grownaroundhere inlarge quantities, air connectionstoKathmandu. to Jute used Air-con rooms have tubsand carpets. and theroomsare chintzy butcomfortable. The barandrestaurant hasaniceambience pinkhotelbright is covered inbougainvilleas. taurant heretaurant isoneof thebestintown. and roomsare large andinviting. The res- ofcourtyard. It’srunbydevotees SaiBaba inaquiet Chowk,Namaskar isset Traffic noise. at theback,awayfromtraffic Rooms are dingybuttolerable;trytoget one placeopposite thebus station. dimentary Several Internet caf Several offer flights between Biratnagar andKath-offer between flights from Rs160/200) offer fastconnectionsforRs25perhour. Hotel Namaskar Hotel Dhankuta Lodge Dhankuta For foreign exchange, try Hotel Swagatam Hotel Geetanjali Hotel ) About 500m southof this the busstation, ( % 524661) h and Don’texpectfrillsatthisru- 10am-2.30pm Sun-Thu, till12.30pmFri) and several private airlines and several a Kali Mandir Mandir Kali Not far from the bus stand, Not farfromthebusstand,

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% % ( ( % % ) Thesmartest optionat 524450; [email protected]; s/ 521199; hotelnamaskar@wlink é 527335; Malaya Rd;s/dwith 527335; Malaya 522925; s/dwithbathroom s at Traffic Chowks atTraffic www.lonelyplanet.com near thepublic Lumbini Bank Ltd Lumbini BankLtd Hanu- . 170, 3½ hours). 170, 3½hours). (Rs140,three Dhankuta hours) andHile(Rs day. There are to alsoearlymorningbuses the zaar (Rs40,onehour)throughout (Rs120,3½hours).bhitta along theMahendra HwytoKakar-services (Rs 160,fourhours). There are alsoregular Birganj hours) andJanakpur (Rs252,seven leave buses morningfor and several every Rs380/400, ninehours),angarh (day/night Rs475/495,12hours)(day/night viaNaray- toKathmanduregular buses dayandnight There Chowk. aresouthwest fromTraffic Rs 60. A rickshawtotheairportwillcostaround Chowkcanmake bookings. around Traffic (US$64 toUS$85,30minutes). Travel agents also fliesthree toTaplejung timesaweek mandu (US$81toUS$96,onehour).RNAC www.lonelyplanet.com four-tiered concrete tower, bamboo thickets down thepath beside the in thevillage of Bijayapur. among dense Set Shaivitetant temples northeastof thecentre consumed byflames.There are impor- several of Shiva’s first wife, Sati,fell after she was marking thespot where partof the body (brass water jugs)forvillages inthehills. qualitycauldronsand produce high Dharan isfamous foritsmetalworkers, who quake almostdestroyedtheplacein 1988. upbeat –you’dnever realise thatanearth- and theoverall moodisprosperousand wealth intheformof heavy goldjewellery lotsof tribalwomenwearingtheir You’ll see transported totheplains. town thathasbeen of theChure hills, Dharanfeels like ahill theMahendraJust off Hwy,atthefoot % Dharan Bazaar north of DharanBazaar. situationcarefullysecurity before venturing Maoist problemsandyoushould check the trailheads. Sadly,thisisanother area with ries of attractive hilltownsandtrekking of theHimalaya,providing accesstoase- roadrunsnorthinto thefoothills tarmac route intothehills.Fromhere, adecent ofzaar marksthestart yetanotherdramatic About 17kmnorthof Dharan Ba- Itahari, TOHILE BAZAR DHARAN Local buses runregularlyLocal buses toDharanBa- The Dharan isalsoone of the 025 bus stand is aRs10rickshaw ride Budha SubbaMandir shakti peeths, gaagri gaagri

fans, hotshowers andthickblankets. midrange placehascomfyroomswithTVs, near thesteps toBijayapur,thisdecent bus stand. bus stand. bhaat 500) 50; Out and rafting ontheTamur River. oftails toThe Hide treks fromBasantapur before venturing outthisfar. See p99 forde- Therathum, butcheck situation thesecurity and continuefrom HiletoBasantpur buses morningHile (Rs118,2½ hours). Early (Rs95,twohours)hour), Dhankuta and from 4amto4pm toBhedatar (Rs50,one Heading runregularly north,local buses hours) andBiratnagar(Rs40,one hour). for Kathmandu Rs475/527, 15 (day/night leaveBuses regularly fromBhanu Chowk THERE & AROUND GETTING about three blocksnorth. andonedecentmidrangestand choice there are afew cheap hotels nearthebus Accommodation inDharanisvery limited – SLEEPING &EATING Mahadev (Shiva). Thesmaller torepresentrocks, said thereclining bodyof acuriouscollectionofcontains mud-covered and back. toBijayapur rickshaw from thebus stand fectly adequate. restaurant androomsare simple butper- fairly respectable cheapie. There’s asmall inthewindows–thisisactuallya lights room Rs250/200) Hotel, orcharter anauto-rickshaw. take thesteps leadinguphillnearthePanas the concrete football.Toreach Bijayapur, ing southfromthesmallroundabout with Pindeshwar accepts foreign cards. per hour. hasanATM TheNabilBank that clocktower) offer fastnetaccessforRs30 (the square and withthebusstand popular and otherSouthIndianfavourites, trythis from Bhanu Chowk. EASTERN TERAI •• Dharan Bazar to Hile TERAI••DharanBazartoHile EASTERN For meals,there are lotsof cheap daal House ofSweets&Snacks Expect topayaround Rs300foranauto- Expect NayaYugHotel Hotel Panas Hotel Several netcafésaroundBhanu Chowk Several h Three blocksnorthof Bhanu Chowk,

7.30am-8pm) and chow mein misthan bhandar temples are bothontheroadlead- Don’t be put off bythered Don’tbeputoff ( % Forcheap andtasty ( 523204; ChataChowk;s/dRs400/ % 524797; rwith/withoutbath-

places aroundthe ontheroadnorth (snack mealsunderRs Dantakali Dantakali dosas 319 and and

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE motorcycle, watch outfordrunkdrivers. (ie spirits).Ifyoucomehere bycaror meals, eigner/SAARC/Nepali Rs50/10/5; eigner/SAARC/Nepali for the weekly for theweekly ers fromthehills,particularlyonThursdays facing ridge. stopfortrad- It’sanimportant dusty bazaartown,sprawledalonganeast- About 50kmabove isa Dharan, Dhankuta % Dhankuta fromthe20m-high tains giddying viewsover theTerai andmoun- Everest andMakalu –isdramatic.There are perched viewsover at1420mwithsoaring butthelocation– the roadtoDhankuta, of woodenshacksandarmybuildingson Bhedetar isn’tmuch more thanacluster Bhedetar 320 the mainstreet. eral decent‘hotel and lodging’placeson tostop here,If youdochose there are sev- SLEEPING &EATING 5pm Sun-Fri) There’s asmall but itdozesquietlytherest of thetime. village bythe police post. andbranch right get here, the follow the mainroad through where To youcan hangoutintheevenings. village-style roomsand a nicerestaurant hassimple,friendly wooden guesthouse the ridge atthe northendof town,this roofed entry fee israrely collected. days,the behindthearmypost;these bluff Dharan. check thatthingsare safe before youleave inrecentpolice postatDhankuta years – trekking routes aroundKanchenjunga. loftier locations such asHileortheremote trail thatbranches leftupthehillside. above and followtheobvious thebusstation just southof thecentre; fork take the right views a viewpointwithmodestmountain ble towalkinthesurroundinghills. There’s situationimproves,security itmaybepossi- help tofindit. the topof local thebazaar,butyou’llneed Hotel Parchaya Hotel There’s tin- nowhere butseveral tostay, Maoists have raidsonthe several staged Most travellers whovisitare bound for Maoists are active in thisarea, butifthe 026 EASTERN TERAI••DharanBazartoHile EASTERN tongba bhojanalayas withdisplaysontribalculture at (millet beer) andlocal‘wine’ (millet beer) haat bazaar

( % museum 520593; s/dRs100/175) serve simple,filling serve h (entry Rs10; viewing tower (village market), daylight hr) h onthe Along 10am- (for- bathroom Rs60/100/200) bar attheback. owners andadark butcosyTibetan-style blue windows,friendlyTibetanwith bright climb thegrassyridge beyond. main roadtothearmyencampment and For thebestviews,walkuphillalong the over theMakalu of section theHimalaya. (Rs 118, 2½hours) from the dirt bus stand (Rs 25, 30minutes) and Dharan Bazaar rundownhill toDhankuta Regular buses THERE&AWAYGETTING ofmillet beer theHimalaya. lodges alsooffer a plate chow of mein.Mostof spicybuff the village where youcanfindacleanbed and lodges the alongthemainroadthrough There are charming several Tibetan-run SLEEPING &EATING .guransetea.com.np) Guranse Tea Estate school. Fans of anice,hotcuppacanvisitthe ther alongtheridge, neartheDon Bosco There’s Buddhistmonastery fur- asecond Chöling Gompa who worship atthecolourful home toasizeablepopulationof Tibetans, the eastern highlands. Hile isoneof themostattractive villages in trekking parties,which isareal shame,as rently limitstoallbutthemostintrepid off not good.ThehillsaroundHileare cur- situationis thesecurity groups). However, to Kanchenjunga andMakalu (onlyfor Arun Valley (possibleforindividuals)and pointfor trekslay’) isthestarting tothe The hilltownof Hile(pronounced‘high- % Hile andTherathum. on toBasantpur tinue uphilltoHile(Rs25,30minutes) and con- fromDharanBazaar Morning buses (Rs95,two hours).and DharanBazaar Plenty of travel buses Dhankuta between THERE&AWAYGETTING bathroom Rs120/400) but cosy,withoodles of character. monastery, Gumbais very similar–dark Gumba Hotel &Lodge Gumba Hotel Several high pointsoffer high dramaticviews Several Hotel Himali &Lodge Himali Hotel If youdomake ituphere, thevillage is 026 inthemiddleof thevillage. on the road to Dhankuta. ontheroadtoDhankuta. ( % tongba, Astone-finished place NexttotheBuddhist 01-4478301 in Kathmandu; www 01-4478301 inKathmandu; ( www.lonelyplanet.com % ( % thetraditionalhot 540173; s/d/qwithout 540140; d/qwithout Urgay Namedo Namedo Urgay from Biratnagar and bus from Birtamod. from BiratnagarandbusBirtamod. trekstain isTaplejung, accessiblebyplane peak.Themaintrailheadformoun- highest Mt Kanchenjunga (8598m),theworld’sthird tours, hillwalksandtreks inthefoothills of Ilam mayresurface asadestinationfortea forcesandrebels. security clashes between ity androadtoIlamisoften blocked due to ing, butthearea isahotbedof Maoist activ- has alotincommonwithnearbyDarjeel- centre of Nepal’ssmall tea industry,Ilam ontheMahendraBirtamod Hwy.As the justeastof starts (pronounced ‘ee-lam’) ofThe roadtothetinyhillstation Ilam TOILAM BIRTAMOD north intotheHimalaya. and Therathum,where treks youcanstart runnorthtoBasantpur road issafe, buses in themiddleof the village. Assuming the www.lonelyplanet.com until the security situation improves.until thesecurity but trips toIlam are probably best avoided and hillwalks are themainattractions here tions of Maoist rebels. Tea tours plantation town isfrequently off limitsdue totheac- around theworld. Sadly,thisattractive hill try andthequality of Ilamtea isrecognised Ilam isthecentre of Nepal’ssmalltea indus- % Ilam journey inthree hours (Rs140). the mainroundabout.Jeeps dothe same hours) leave justeastof fromthehighway, toIlam(Rs130,four Buses drop youoff. Hwy soanybusheadingtoKakarbhitta can ture pointforIlamjeeps. the mainroundabout,opposite thedepar- reasonably pricedlodge; it’s200meastof hills. situation locallybefore youheadinto the Checkthesecurity stopping inBirtamod. to Ilam,which fewer meansthateven are inthehills,fewstation touristsare heading bound forIlam.Withthecurrent security andjeeps pointforbuses is thestarting townof The nondescripthighway Birtamod % Birtamod rant &Lodge 100/200, s/dwithbathroomRs250/350) If the security situation does improve, situationdoes If thesecurity Birtamod sits right ontheMahendra sitsright Birtamod tostopover,If youneed 027 023

( % 542942; s/dwithoutbathroomRs Paradise Restau- isaclean, 6pm) 50, dwithbathroom Rs250) without bathroomfromRs350/200). Hotel Mechi. stay is stay can check youremail at stand. stand. leys leadingwest fromthebackof thebus are crammedtogether inthenarrowal- Kakarbhitta istinyand mostof thehotels Sleeping &Eating ( hotels are in thesurroundingstreets. on thenorthsideof thehwy.Mostof the isabout100mwest ofbus stand theborder the bordereasilyonfoot.InKakarbhitta, the few hundred metres apart,soyoucancross the IndianborderpostatPanitanki are justa The NepaliborderpostatKakarbhitta and Information &Orientation isn’t anygreat reason tolinger here. sideof theborder,butthere’sDarjeeling ataste oftations, thingstocomeonthe surrounding countrysideisfullof tea plan- radios andotherblackmarket goods.The Nepali packed withvendors Indianspices, selling is crossings andthebazaarbybusstand Sikkim. Thisisoneof theeasiestborder andGangtok in inWestBengal Darjeeling just afew hours drive fromSiliguriand IndiaandNepalit’s crossing between istheeasternmost Kakarbhitta (Kakarvitta) % KAKARBHITTA tourist informationcentre tourist a green view–of tea plantations. haveclean andmodernmostdoindeed Kanchenjunga. pointforgrouptreks ofstarting tothebase roadnorthtoTaplejung,low thesame the situationallows,youcanfol- the security –see to Ilamoriginate inBirtamod left . If andjeeps hendra HwyatCharalibutbuses janalaya Showers are coldand there’s a simple basic but youcan’targue withthe price. the buspark, thisold-style cheapie ispretty % If youare abletovisit,thebestplace Hotel Deurali Hotel The Government of Nepalrunsasmall The roadtoIlambranches theMa- off 023 EASTERN TERAI •• Birtamod toIlam TERAI••Birtamod EASTERN 562040; perhrRs30; ontheNepalsideof theborder. You Green View GuestHouse View Green khukuris downstairs. downstairs.

( % (Gurkha knives), Chinese knives), Chinese (Gurkha 562115; swithoutbathroom Rs Onan alley westof h

Net PointCyberZone 8am-8pm) ( % Rooms are large,

( % 562252; 520103; rwith/ opposite h

bho- 7am- 321

MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE bar fullof fairylights. dash of colourand there’s arestaurant and hotel west of Roomshave thebusstand. a character atthisunusual temple-topped with air-conRs1000; Rs600/800,d with bathroomRs200/300,deluxe s/dwithTV serving Indian, Nepali and Chinese fare. Indian,Nepaliand Chinese serving source of advice foronwardtravel. simple butinvitingandtheowner isagreat tableclothsgingham downstairs. Roomsare here andthere’s abistro-like restaurant with 322 to Kathmandu (US$113, 50minutes) –any and other private carriers have dailyflights west of Kakarbhitta. south of which Birtamod, inturn is13km The nearest airportis at Bhadrapur, 10km AIR &Away There Getting 500/700, s/dwithair-conRs800/1400; Rs 200/400, s/d with TV Rs300/500) Rs 200/400,s/dwithTV rooms here are excellent value. toapplyhere –thelarge,seem comfortable ice). Theusualborderprice-hike rulesdon’t foodisavailable(the same fromroomserv- hot showers andarecommended restaurant roadastheKanchan,same Hotel Mechi has Hotel Sirijunga Hotel Hotel Mechi Hotel For meals,allthelodges have restaurants Hotel Rajat Hotel Nepali rupees. change cashandtravellers chequesinUSdollars,UKpoundsandEuros, aswellIndianand line from Kolkata to northeast India. tonortheast line fromKolkata lineupjustbeyondtheIndianvisapost.Siliguriliesonmaintrain 140, 4½hours)inSikkim, pick upbusestoDarjeeling(Rs60,twohours).Jeepsthesamedestinations, andGangtok(Rs bus standatPanitanki, toSiliguri(Rs15,onehour),where whichhasregular youcan services allthewaythroughto border postatPanitanki. charge Rickshaws Rs30fromKakarbhitta busstandtotheborder,andanother100mIndian It’s about100mfromtheKakarbhitta Onwards toIndia Nepal BankLtd operates aforeign exchangedesk( Foreign Exchange outside thesetimesbutyou’llneedtogosearchingfortheimmigrationofficials. Both sidesoftheborderare staffed between6pmandbefore 7pm.Youmaystillbeabletocross Border Hours BORDER THE CROSSING EASTERN TERAI••Kakarbhitta EASTERN

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562033; [email protected]; s/d 562033; [email protected]; ( % ) 562040; s/dwithbathroomRs The welcomeisfriendly 562122; s/dwithbathroom Yeti Airlines Fullpointsfor a ( ) % Onthe 522232) western Terai. 1128, 20 hours) andother townsinthe daily at12.40pm forMahendranagar (Rs to crossNepalin one go,asinglebusleaves hours).eight If forsomereason youwanted gar (Rs120,3½hours) andBirganj (Rs275, Rs 270/300,five(day/night hours), Biratna- are fourormore toJanakpur dailybuses fore committingto17hours onunlit roads. poor safety record inNepal be- of buses night Rs405/475,12hours).night Considerthe hours), alltravelling viaNarayangarh (day/ Rs520/622, 17 (day/night and Pokhara Rs530/607,17hours)mandu (day/night your luggage iftravelling after dark. is theusual,chaotic affair. extra waryof Be inKakarbhitta trip instages. Thebusstand again atSiliguri–it’sjustaseasy to dothe you mustchange atKakarbhitta, then buses butoffer ‘through-tickets’ toDarjeeling, Travel agents inKathmandu andPokhara BUS to theairport. bustoBhadrapur,a second thenarickshaw then you cantake alocalbustoBirtamod, totheairportcostsRs600orbus stand can issuetickets. fromKakarbhitta Ataxi of thetravel agents aroundthebuspark h Within theeastern part of theTerai, there toKath- There are daily services several 7am-5pm) closetotheborder. Youcan www.lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright theterms andconditions onoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake © LonelyPlanetPublications

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MAHABHARAT RANGE MAHABHARAT THE TERAI & & TERAI THE