Dharan

At the east of Nepal, right at the foot of hills, at an altitude of 1200 ft lies a beautiful city, Dharan. This picturesque town of broad roads, decorated homes, and rich of natural beauty embraces cleanliness, openness, friendly hill people and their smiles.

After British setup the `Gorkha Recruitment Center’ in 1953, this city grew up as a great employment opportunity came for the locals. Two ethnic groups namely Rais and Limbus basically inhabit in Dharan and those constitute the majority of Gorkha Regiment. Sapta Kosi, the second longest river of Nepal, runs near Dharan.

Dharan has a tropical monsoon climate with maximum temperature of 35 to 36 Degree Celsius in April, and minimum of 10 to 12 Degree Celsius in January. Dharan is called “Eton of Nepal” because of the numerous educational institutions that are scattered all around it including B. P. Koirala Institute of Health and Science. The place has over 25 temples and holy sites, making it an important pilgrimage destination for the Hindus.

Places to visit and things to do in Dharan:

Drink Tongba: A special Limbu culture of drinking Tongba is popular in Dharan, which is another name for Limbu’s homemade wine. Fermented millet seeds are put in a wooden or plastic mug which is filled with hot water. One sips through a bamboo straw as more hot water is added which makes Tongba go down easily and has more influence. During winter season, this light drink becomes a craze among the domestic tourists and the westerners

Visit Temples:

Dharan is one of the holy places of Nepal. Pindeshwar, Dantakali, Buddha Subba temple and Pancha Kanyan are the “must visit” because of their distinct architecture styles.

Sightseeing:

Bhedetar – Mountain Views: Bhedetar is located 9 Kilometer away from Dharan. When the sky is clear (especially during Autumn season), one can witness magnificent views of the Himalayan range, and enjoy fresh Himalayan breeze.

Pakhri Bash:

Small hill village which had the British base camp built to Recruit Gurkha Army. Some British monuments can be found here.

Dhankuta/Hile – Tea Gardens and Bazar: From Dharan, about 50 Kilometers of what is the most scenic drive in Nepal takes you to a place where your imagination of greenery gardens are revealed. It is said one should come to Dhankuta, if he wants to walk in the clouds. If you are a tea lover, you will enjoy awesome enchanting tea gardens here, organic tea processing units, and all about tea. Also visit Hile, a hill town situated at 1850 meter altitude, which is just 6 Kilometer from Dhankuta for the Hile Bazaar and gracious people.

Hiking:

Basantapur: This hill is located about 90 KM from Dharan, and about 1 KM from Hile. It is the starting point for trekking to Kanchanjunga base camp. Beyond the hill and forests, beautiful smiling rhododendrons can be seen.

Raja Rani Hill:

Excellent spot to view Kanchenjunga, Khumbakarna, Makalu and Mt. Everest. The hill is located 20 Kilometer from Dharan.

Dharan is linked by road with the east-west highway of Nepal. Dharan can be reached by a two hours drive from Biratnagar also.