Nepalgunj

Nepalgunj is the district headquarters of Banke District in the Bheri region of Mid Western Nepal. The place has many advantages. As it the central point of the Mid-Western Region, you can reach other places easily by road or air. A lot of people visit the town for official business or shopping. Due to the near proximity to India, supplies are quite cheap, esp. vegetables. Many Nepalis cross the border and go shopping in Rupaidiha, a little market town just beyond the border. One can easily move around the place by bicycle, or hire one of the many rickshaws.

Understand


Nepalgunj is the centre of Mid Western Nepal. It has various communities including native Nepalis as well as Madhesi Hindus and Muslims. Nepalgunj is connected with the border town of Uttar Pradesh in India. The topography is as flat as a pan, as the southern strip of Nepal is the northern extension of the great Gangetic Plain, called "Avadh" or in Nepali Terai.

The town has a busy bazaar area and the highest percentage of Muslim population of any town in Nepal. The Himalayan foot-hills are only seen in the distance. Babai conservation valley is just an hour drive away and famous Karnali river is 90 mins drive from here. The Holy Birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumbini is a 5-hour drive from Nepalgunj.

The climate is sub-tropical, with high temperatures during April–June, reaching sometimes more than 40°C. In July–September the rainy season, monsoon, sets in, and it becomes very humid and sticky. The winter is usually very pleasant if the sun comes out. It can, however, also be foggy and overcast. Then it can become quite chilly with temperatures below 10°C, but no frost.

By plane
Direct flight from Kathmandu. 45-55 min. flight, daily 4-6 flights.

By car
You can reach here from Lucknow in India by car. The drive will take approximately 6 hrs. Thought the drive is through a somewhat deserted area with a variety of landscape. You cross the river Karnali, which is called Ghagrah in India. The River Ghaghara has some tea-stalls for a stop over.

By bus
From Kathmandu there are dozens of daily bus services to Nepalgunj. Few of them have quality services. It's a 10-12 hour ride and an overnight bus journey from Pokhara and Bhairahawa.

From Lucknow, India you can take a bus until Bahraich on the Nepalese border from Kaiserbagh bus station (180 rupee with Ac). From Bahraich there is a bus to Nanpara (main terminal seems to be on NH927 across the river heading N/W) and one bus from Nanpara to Rupadiya (the border market). This is a cheap but time-consuming route; consider hiring a private vehicle from Bahraich instead.

There are plenty of local rickshaws available to cross the border and the crossing is small and friendly.

Once you reach Nepalgunj there are many buses to other parts of Nepal.

It is best to journey during the day, even though the Nepali immigration office claims to be 24/7.

Eat
Hotel Batika with a nice swimming pool; Kitchen Hut Hotel; Travellers Village hotel and restaurant; Sneha Hotel.



Budget
Nepalgunj is not much valuable market.

Splurge
You can find many things on the street like Birayani, Chat, sweets. The attraction of Nepalgunj is Sekuwa (Barbeque). Mutton Sekuwa is famous. Do try it. Shrijana hotel, Hamro momo, Gulmeli are famous joints for the.