Places
Temples, parks, lakes, ruins, towns and villages across the Tarai. Filter by region or type, or show only the hidden gems.
45 places
Kakarbhitta & the Mechi bridge
Nepal's easternmost town, where the East–West Highway begins at the Mechi river and traffic crosses to Panitanki in India — the doorway for travellers from Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Siliguri.
Eastern gateway1 min →
Tea gardens of Jhapa
Unlike the steep gardens of Ilam, Jhapa's tea grows on flat land: neat green rows running to the horizon, shade trees, pickers at work and small factories — Nepal's most accessible tea landscape.
Tea country of the plains1 min →
Arjundhara Dham
A Shiva temple around a sacred spring that local legend ties to Arjuna of the Mahabharata — the busiest pilgrimage site of Jhapa, crowded at Shivaratri and in the month of Shrawan.
Shiva shrine & sacred spring1 min →
◆ Hidden gemKichakbadh
Excavated brick ruins in southern Jhapa that tradition names as the place where Bhima killed the villain Kichak — one of the few archaeological sites of the far-eastern Tarai, and almost unknown to travellers.
Mahabharata legend & brick ruins1 min →Kechana Kawal
For decades the official lowest point of Nepal, at about 70 m above sea level, marked by a pillar among rice fields in the far south-eastern tip of Jhapa. A 2017 survey moved the title to Dhanusha — but this is still the symbolic bottom of a country famous for its tops.
Nepal's lowest ground (formerly)1 min →
Biratnagar
Nepal's first industrial town and the capital of Koshi Province. Its 1936 jute mill and the 1947 workers' strike helped start the movement that ended Rana rule — and it is the hometown of the Koirala political family.
Industrial city & cradle of democracy1 min →
◆ Hidden gemBetana Wetland
A small forest-ringed lake beside the East–West Highway at Belbari, managed by the local community — boating, birds, monkeys and a shady break on the long drive across the east.
Forest lake on the highway1 min →
Dharan
Where the plains meet the first ridges of the east: a lively, clean hill-foot city with a British Gurkha past, famous temples like Budha Subba and Dantakali, and the best pork and sukuti in Nepal by local reckoning.
City at the foot of the hills1 min →
Barahakshetra
One of the oldest pilgrimage sites in Nepal, where Vishnu is worshipped as Varaha, the boar, at the meeting of the Koshi and Koka rivers. Named in several Puranas, it draws huge crowds at Kartik Purnima, Makar Sankranti and its own Kumbha Mela.
Ancient Vishnu shrine at the Koshi1 min →
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Grassy islands and braided channels of the Koshi river, protected since 1976 for Nepal's last wild water buffalo (arna) and famous for birds — hundreds of species, and huge flocks of ducks and geese in winter.
Ramsar wetland & bird paradise1 min →
Koshi Barrage
The long barrage across the Saptakoshi that carries the East–West Highway over Nepal's largest river. At sunset fishermen work the pools below the gates, and in winter the water is full of birds.
Where the highway crosses the Koshi1 min →
Rajbiraj
Laid out in 1938 on a grid inspired by Jaipur, Rajbiraj is Nepal's oldest planned town — a Maithili-speaking district capital of straight streets, chowks, temples and ponds, famous for its Chhath and Holi.
Nepal's first planned town1 min →
◆ Hidden gemChhinnamasta Bhagawati, Sakhada
A revered goddess temple near the India border in Saptari, dedicated to Chhinnamasta — the fierce form of Devi who cuts off her own head. Quiet most of the year, packed with pilgrims from both sides of the border at Dashain.
Shrine of the headless goddess1 min →
◆ Hidden gemSalhesh Phulbari
A small sacred grove in Lahan linked to Raja Salhesh, the beloved folk hero of Mithila. An orchid on one old tree is said to bloom only on the eve and morning of the Nepali New Year — and thousands come to see it.
Folk hero's garden & New Year orchid1 min →
Janaki Mandir, Janakpur
The white, domed temple of Sita (Janaki) that marks Janakpur as the capital of ancient Mithila and King Janaka's city. Built in the 1900s by a queen from central India, it stands among the Vivah Mandap, Ram Mandir and the sacred ponds of Nepal's 'city of ponds'.
Sita's temple in the heart of Mithila2 min →
Janakpur–Jaynagar railway
A line first built in the 1930s, closed for years, and reborn in 2022 as a broad-gauge railway: board at Janakpurdham for Jaynagar in India, or head the other way to Bijalpura — the only regular passenger train service in Nepal.
Nepal's only passenger railway1 min →.jpg?width=640)
Dhanushadham
The temple that gives Dhanusha district its name. When Rama broke Shiva's great bow in Janakpur, a piece is said to have landed here — and devotees venerate a stone 'fragment of the bow' in the shrine.
Where Shiva's bow fell1 min →
◆ Hidden gemJaleshwar Mahadev
The temple that names the town of Jaleshwar, Mahottari's border capital: its Shiva linga sits below ground level in a sanctum filled with water — 'Lord of the Waters'. A major Shivaratri site of Mithila.
Shiva in the water1 min →
◆ Hidden gemSimraungadh
For over two centuries (1097–1324) the capital of the Karnat kings of Mithila, then sacked by the Delhi Sultanate and swallowed by forest. Today: brick ramparts, moats, scattered sculpture and two restored temples in quiet villages on the Bara border — one of the great untold stories of the Tarai.
Lost capital of the Karnat kings2 min →.JPG?width=640)
Gadhimai Temple, Bariyarpur
The shrine of goddess Gadhimai, whose month-long mela every five years draws millions of devotees from Nepal and India. It is also known worldwide for its mass animal sacrifice and the long campaign to end it.
Goddess temple of the five-yearly mela1 min →
Birgunj
The busiest border city in Nepal, facing Raxaul in Bihar — the entry point for most of the country's goods. A Bhojpuri-speaking metropolis with a landmark clock tower, the Gahawa Mai temple, legendary street food and a railway history older than any in the country.
Nepal's trade gateway1 min →
Parsa National Park
Sal forest and Chure hills joined to Chitwan's east — a tiger, elephant and gaur habitat with a fraction of Chitwan's visitors. Protected since 1984 and a national park since 2017.
Chitwan's quiet neighbour1 min →
Chitwan National Park
Nepal's first national park (1973) and a World Heritage Site since 1984: sal forest, tall grassland and rivers that shelter greater one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharials and over 500 kinds of birds — the best-known wildlife destination in the country.
UNESCO World Heritage · rhino & tiger country2 min →
Sauraha & the Tharu villages of Chitwan
The riverside village that grew into Chitwan's tourist hub, surrounded by Tharu villages of mud-plastered houses, clay grain bins and painted walls — where you can join a homestay, eat dhikri and ghonghi, and watch the famous stick dance.
Tharu culture on the park's edge1 min →
◆ Hidden gemBishazari Tal
The 'twenty thousand lakes' — a chain of forest-fringed oxbow lakes just south of Bharatpur, in Chitwan's buffer zone. Listed as a Ramsar wetland in 2003, it is a quiet place for crocodiles, birds and a forest walk without the Sauraha crowds.
Ramsar lakes in the buffer zone1 min →
Devghat Dham
Where the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli meet to form the Narayani, just north of Narayangadh. A peaceful holy place of temples, ashrams and a swaying suspension bridge — where many elderly Hindus come to spend their last years — and home to a huge Makar Sankranti fair.
Sacred confluence of rivers1 min →
Maula Kalika, Gaindakot
A hilltop Kali temple above Gaindakot with sweeping views over the Narayani and the Chitwan plains. Climb its 1,882 steps or ride the cable car that opened in 2023.
Hilltop goddess & cable car1 min →
◆ Hidden gemMakwanpurgadhi
The ruined hilltop seat of the Sen kings of Makwanpur, captured by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1762 and fought over again in the Anglo-Nepal War — with old cannons, palace walls and views over the inner Tarai near Hetauda.
Hill fort of the Sen kings1 min →
Sindhuligadhi
A ridge-top fort on the BP Highway where, in 1767, Gorkhali soldiers routed Captain Kinloch's East India Company expedition — Nepal's first victory over a European-led army. A small war museum tells the story.
Where the East India Company was turned back1 min →
◆ Hidden gemChepang Hill Trail
A few days' walk through the Mahabharat hills north of Chitwan, staying in Chepang villages — one of Nepal's most marginalised communities — with views of the Himalaya to the north and the Tarai plains to the south, and a climb to Siraichuli, Chitwan's highest point.
Community trek above Chitwan1 min →
Lumbini — the Sacred Garden
The place where Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The Maya Devi Temple covers the ancient birth site, beside the Ashoka Pillar of 249 BCE whose inscription names Lumbini — one of the holiest places on Earth for Buddhists, and a World Heritage Site since 1997.
UNESCO World Heritage · birthplace of the Buddha2 min →
Lumbini Monastic Zone & Peace Pagoda
A long garden of monasteries built by Buddhist nations and communities — Thai, Myanmar, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, German, Tibetan and more — laid out along a canal in Kenzo Tange's master plan, ending at the white World Peace Pagoda.
Temples of the Buddhist world1 min →%20Buddha%20Tree%20Pakari%20Devadaha%20Rupendehi%20District%20Nepal%20Rajesh%20Dhungana%20(7).jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemDevdaha
The ancient capital of the Koliya clan and the home of the Buddha's mother, Maya Devi, and of Prajapati Gautami, who raised him. Scattered shrines, ponds and old trees in the countryside east of Butwal.
Maya Devi's maternal home1 min →
◆ Hidden gemRamgram Stupa
A grassy brick mound by the Jharahi river that is one of the eight original stupas built over the Buddha's relics after his death. Tradition says Emperor Ashoka opened the others but left this one untouched — making it, many believe, the only original relic stupa still intact.
The relic stupa that was never opened1 min →
Tilaurakot (ancient Kapilavastu)
The walled, moated ruins that Nepali archaeologists identify with Kapilavastu, capital of the Shakyas, where Prince Siddhartha spent his first 29 years before leaving through the eastern gate on his search for truth. Brick foundations under old trees, a small museum and a quiet atmosphere far from Lumbini's crowds.
Where the Buddha grew up2 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemKudan
Brick stupa mounds south of Taulihawa, traditionally identified with the Nigrodha grove where the Buddha met his father, King Suddhodana, after his enlightenment — and where his son Rahula is said to have been ordained.
Where father and son met again1 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemGotihawa & Niglihawa Ashoka pillars
Two broken stone pillars set up by Emperor Ashoka in the fields of Kapilvastu to honour earlier Buddhas: Krakuchhanda at Gotihawa and Kanakamuni at Niglihawa, whose inscription records that Ashoka enlarged Kanakamuni's stupa.
Pillars of the Buddhas before Buddha1 min →
◆ Hidden gemJagdishpur Reservoir
A large irrigation reservoir near Tilaurakot that became one of Nepal's best winter wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention in 2003 — thousands of ducks, geese and waders, with sarus cranes in the surrounding fields.
Ramsar reservoir for winter birds1 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemChaughera Ratannath Monastery
A centuries-old monastery of the Kanphatta (split-ear) yogis at Ghorahi in the Dang valley, founded by Ratannath, a disciple of Gorakhnath, and endowed by the kings of the western hills — with a tall pagoda-style temple and Tantric rites.
Yogi monastery of the Nath sect1 min →
Nepalgunj & Bageshwari Temple
The hot, bustling hub of mid-western Nepal, where Hindu, Muslim and Awadhi cultures mix. Home of the Bageshwari goddess temple and the airport for flights to Jumla, Simikot, Rara and Dolpa.
Gateway to the Karnali1 min →
Bardiya National Park
The largest national park of the lowlands — wild, remote and far less visited than Chitwan — with a strong population of Bengal tigers, wild elephants, rhinos, and Ganges river dolphins in the Karnali.
Nepal's best chance to see a wild tiger1 min →.jpg?width=640)
◆ Hidden gemKarnali river at Chisapani
The Karnali — Nepal's longest river — bursts out of a gorge at Chisapani, crossed by a striking cable-stayed bridge on the East–West Highway. Fresh river fish, rafting take-outs and dolphin country downstream.
Where Nepal's longest river leaves the hills1 min →
Tikapur Park
A large, shady park on the bank of the Karnali at Tikapur, laid out around a former royal residence — lawns, flower beds, old trees and langur monkeys, and the far-west's favourite picnic spot.
Riverside royal garden1 min →
Ghodaghodi Tal
A chain of forest lakes right beside the East–West Highway in Kailali — the largest natural lake complex of the Tarai and a Ramsar wetland since 2003, covered in lotus and water lilies and rich in birds and turtles.
Lotus lakes in the forest1 min →
Shuklaphanta National Park
Nepal's westernmost park, famous for the vast Shukla Phanta grassland and the largest herd of swamp deer (barasingha) in the world — plus tigers, wild elephants, rare grassland birds and the legendary Rani Tal lake.
Grasslands of the swamp deer1 min →Every place on the map
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