Dhankuta धनकुटा

Dhankuta sits on a long, tidy ridge at roughly 1,150 metres, once the administrative capital of the eastern hills and still one of the most pleasant hill bazaars in Koshi Province. The surrounding slopes produce oranges, ginger and large cardamom — the weekly market is stacked with them — and the town itself has a reputation for clean streets unusual in Nepal's hills. Above the town, Bhedetar (1,420 m) is a popular viewpoint with a notable 'Charles Point' named after Prince Charles, who visited in the 1980s; Hile, a compact bazaar further along the ridge, commands clear-day views that can reach as far as Sagarmatha, Lhotse and Kumbhakarna.

Dhankuta is quintessential eastern-hills country — Newar merchants, Rai and Limbu farmers, and a residual administrative culture that gives it a tidier, more ordered feel than the surrounding terrain. It suits travellers using it as a staging post into Terhathum and the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale rhododendron ridge, or as a quiet end in itself. The October-to-May window avoids the monsoon; the orange harvest in November is a particularly good moment to visit.