Nepalgunj & Bageshwari Temple

For travellers heading to the remote north-west — Rara Lake, Jumla, Humla, Dolpa — Nepalgunj is the jumping-off point. Small planes leave its airport each morning for mountain airstrips, weather permitting. For everyone else, it is a lively border city worth a few hours in its own right.

Bageshwari Temple

The Bageshwari temple, dedicated to a form of the goddess Durga, is the spiritual heart of the city and is believed by devotees to be a Shakti pitha. Around it lies a large pond with a Shiva shrine at its centre. At Dashain the crowds are enormous.

A mixed city

Nepalgunj has one of Nepal's largest Muslim communities, and mosques, madrasas and Muharram processions are part of its character, alongside Hindu temples and Awadhi, Tharu and hill cultures. The bazaar is known for kebabs, biryani, sweets and colourful fabric shops.

Nearby

Banke National Park, created in 2010, lies to the north-east and forms a tiger corridor with Bardiya. Bardiya National Park itself is about two hours away.