Ilam

Nepal's tea country, in the eastern hills across the border from Darjeeling: rolling estates around Ilam Bazaar and Kanyam, the Mai Pokhari wetland, and sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Antu Danda (Shree Antu) on clear winter mornings. It is about 3 hours by road from the Kakarbhitta border near Siliguri, which makes it an easy add-on to a Darjeeling or Sikkim trip; from Kathmandu, fly to Bhadrapur and drive up.

Highlights

• Walk through the Ilam and Kanyam tea gardens
• Kanchenjunga sunrise from Antu Danda
• Mai Pokhari wetland
• Tea tasting at a factory
• Cardamom and chhurpi markets

Things to do

• Tea estate walk & factory tastingMorning · 3h
• Sunrise at Antu DandaMorning · 4h
• Mai Pokhari wetlandAfternoon · 4h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: October – April

• Dashain (Bada Dashain) — Nepal's biggest festival, 15 days ending on the full moon, with the main days (Phulpati to Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika from elders) like India's Navratri and Dussehra. Kathmandu empties as people go home: buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, government offices, many shops and some restaurants close for 4-5 days, and prices rise. It falls in the autumn trekking season, so book transport early.
• Tihar (Deepawali) — Five days of lights, two to three weeks after Dashain: crows, dogs and cows are honoured on successive days, Laxmi Puja falls on India's Diwali, and Bhai Tika ends it. Towns are lit with oil lamps and garlands and children sing deusi-bhailo door to door. Offices close for the last days and long-distance buses fill up again.