Sitting on the foothills of Mount Kanchanjunga (the third highest peak in the world) is the town of Ilam. It is in the far east of Nepal near the famous Indian town of Darjeeling.
Ilam is decorated with numerous lush-green tea gardens and is famous for producing tea. If you traveled to Ilam, you could get a first-handed look at where your next cup of tea might be coming from. The rolling hillsare covered with tea leaves which makes the surrounding areas a lovely place to rest. When a thick white fog comes down from the mountain it seems to imitate a magician who seems to be a professional at the disappearing magic trick because the gardens seem to vanish under its coat. The beautiful greenery of Ilam lasts all year round and continues up the surrounding hill sides.
The two main tea gardens in the area are the Ilam Tea Garden located near the Ilam Bazaar and the Kanyam Tea Garden which is located halfway between Ilam Bazaar and the plains of the Terai.
Besides tea houses, the Ilam District in eastern Nepal has many other treasures. At Antu Danda, at an elevation of 1677 meters, you can find breathtaking sunrise and sunset views of Mt. Kanchanjunga and other mountain ranges. There is also a drivable road from Ilam to Chhipitar from where one can reach Antu Danda on foot. Those wishing to travel along the lush green hills by trekking would enjoy three hours of beautiful sights.
Another place of interest for travelers is Mai Pokhari. It sits at an elevation of 2438 meters, Mai Pokhari is a famous pilgrimage destination in Ilam district. Lying at about 13 kilometers north of Ilam Bazaar, this beautiful jewel consists of a pond whose circumference is more than 1 kilometer. Altogether there are nine ponds in the area some of which are large enough for boats and possible boat-rides.
Ilam is easily accessed via road linked with Nepal's East-West Highway. Pashupatinagar, situated at northern boarder of Ilam, is an important entry point for travelers from Sikkim, Darjeeling and Mirik. Darjeeling, a famous hill station of India, is just two hours drive from Pashupatinagar.
To get to Ilam there are regular bus services to Pashupatinagar and Ilam from Kathmandu and Biratnagar.
Ilam district promoting tea tourism in Nepal
Even as travel trade entrepreneurs are exploring new avenues to cater to tourists, locals in Ilam have started to promote tea tourism to attract more visitors to the district. Locals aggressively engaged in implementing the concept are hopeful that it (tea tourism) would enable visitors to enjoy the serenity and vibrancy of tea estates and also help planters and producers promote their products and establish business networks.
Interestingly, one of the biggest supporters in this project is Thomas Holes, a German national who has been working to foster organic tea production in Nepal and help the produce gain access to the international market. “It offers a huge potential,” said Holes, who is in Ilam for the second time this year. And this time he has even brought 12 of his friends here who he says have expressed immense satisfaction. Traveling around the tea estates, interacting with workers and spending nights in farmers’ cottages are exciting experiences for us, he said.
Tea tourism is not a new concept in the region though. Darjeeling, the town on the other side of the border, has gained popularity from the tea tourism the government of India promoted in the past.
In Nepal the concept was imported and is being pushed by Gorkha Tea Estate. “Increased interest of overseas buyers, visitors and researchers and inflow of a substantial number of study teams to Ilam has also raised the importance of tea tourism,” said Uday Chapagain, a tea producer.
He told the Post that tourists who visited the place in the past had invariably expressed their highest delight and pleasure after living with planters, interacting with locals and going around the place.
Their responses had triggered in his mind the idea of tea tourism and its potential. Chapagain has built a dozen cottages and developed other necessary infrastructure and facilities to cater to visitors’ needs and lure them to extend their stay in Ilam. “If this concept gains popularity, each farmer will be directly able to enjoy a sound financial return from tourism,” said he. A substantial number of visitors from the US, Japan, Sri Lanka, China and Switzerland, among others, have been frequenting Ilam and other tea producing districts in recent years to study tea and understand its production. “Under tea tourism, we have made arrangements whereby visitors can stay at farmers’ homes as paying guests,” said Dorje Lama of Fikkal. He elaborated that dozens of farmers ofSundarpani who are associated to Gorkha Tea Estate are already enjoying the benefits and many more are preparing to join in.
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ReplyDeleteI loved your blog because I learned a lot's of things about these tourist destinations. Nepal has many beautiful places that can visit. Thank you for posting this.
You are welcome . Hope you find necessary data about Nepal .
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