Region

Eastern Tarai

Use it as a 2–3 night stop between Kathmandu and the Indian border; skip it if your trip is trekking only.

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Key facts · Nepal

Best months: Oct–Nov
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR, Rs)
Language: Nepali
Plugs: C · D · M · 230 V
Time zone: UTC+5:45 all year

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 6

South Asia ↗Trekking regions, border districts and several Indian states need separate permits on top of the visa; check the permit before you book transport into them.
South Asia ↗Remove shoes (and in many Jain and Hindu temples, leather) before entering; cover shoulders and legs; ask before photographing people or rituals.
Nepal ↗Get visa information only from the Department of Immigration; visa-service lookalike sites charge extra, and the rules differ by nationality.
Nepal ↗At stupas walk clockwise; at temples and homes remove shoes where there is a rack or a raised floor; cover shoulders and knees.
Nepal ↗Carry Nepalese rupees in small notes: many stalls, taxis and tea shops are cash-only, and shops rarely take foreign notes.
Nepal ↗Strikes (bandh) and protests can close roads without notice: check the news and your hotel the night before any airport or highway day.

The Eastern Tarai (Madhesh) is Nepal's eastern plains: flat, hot, farming country along the Indian border, with the country's oldest industrial belt around Biratnagar and a dense mix of Maithili, Bhojpuri and Tharu communities. It is not a sightseeing region in the Kathmandu or Pokhara sense. It earns a stop for three reasons: Janakpur's temples and Mithila painting, Koshi Tappu wildlife, and the Kakarbhitta land border with India. Two nights covers Janakpur; three lets you add Koshi Tappu or Biratnagar. Everything else is transit.

Where to sleep

7 places in this region

Sleep base

JanakpurCity guide
Temples, Mithila painting, Maithili food; the one place worth a full day.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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Day trip

DharanCity guide
Hill-edge town at the north of the plains; cooler, gateway to Koshi Tappu.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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BirtamodCity guide
Market town near Kakarbhitta; a half-day at most.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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Sri AntuCity guide
Hills north of the plains; check road conditions before committing.
Best Oct–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
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Also here

BiratnagarCity guide
Airport, jute mills, university town; useful for a night before Kakarbhitta.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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BirgunjCity guide
Western edge of the region and the main crossing from India by road.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Birgunj →
KakarbhittaCity guide
Border town; one night at most.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Kakarbhitta →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

2 nights: Janakpur 2 nights, arrive by road or air from Kathmandu
3 nights: Janakpur 2 + Biratnagar 1, then Kakarbhitta for the border

Do not plan the Eastern Tarai as a substitute for the Kathmandu Valley or Pokhara; the draw is cultural and wildlife, not mountain views.
Monsoon (June–September) floods roads and makes the plains crossing slow; check conditions before travelling by bus.
The India border at Kakarbhitta and Birgunj can be slow; allow extra time and keep documents handy.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve	Biratnagar	90 min	unknown	Best in the dry season; arrange a jeep and guide in advance.
Birtamod	Kakarbhitta	30 min	unknown	Market stop; pair with the border crossing.
Dharan	Biratnagar	60 min	unknown	Cooler hill-edge town; a half-day.

Bags between cities

No luggage-forwarding network here; carry your bags or leave them at the hotel in Biratnagar or Janakpur.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Janakpur	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Dharan	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Birtamod	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Sri Antu	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	ok
Biratnagar	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Birgunj	go	go	go	×	×	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Kakarbhitta	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Nepal (country-wide)	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	ok	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Eastern Tarai plainsJanakpur, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Kakarbhitta	ok	ok	hot	hot	hot	wet	wet	wet	wet	best	best	ok

best: dry, mildok: workablehot: short walking windowswet: daily rain

Eastern Tarai plains: Hot and humid April–June (35–40 °C (95–104 °F)); monsoon June–September; the comfortable window is October to early December and February to March.Hot and humid April–June (95–104 °F (35–40 °C)); monsoon June–September; the comfortable window is October to early December and February to March.

Winter mornings can be foggy and flights to Biratnagar or Janakpur are sometimes delayed; build in slack if you are connecting to a border crossing.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes1 partGet in

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Kathmandu	Janakpur	Domestic flight or long-distance bus	flight ~45 min, bus 8–10 h	Flying is the practical choice; buses are overnight and slow.
Kathmandu	Biratnagar	Domestic flight	~45 min	Biratnagar is the region's main airport and the link to Kakarbhitta.
India (Siliguri / Panitanki)	Kakarbhitta	Land border crossing	border formalities 30–90 min	Then road onward to Biratnagar or Janakpur.
India (Raxaul)	Birgunj	Land border crossing	border formalities 30–90 min	The western entry to the region; road onward to Janakpur.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Maithili thali	Janakpur	Rice, dal, seasonal vegetables and fish; the regional staple.
Mithila sweets and dairy	Janakpur and market towns	Milk-based sweets are common; check freshness in hot months.
Tharu and Bhojpuri cooking	Biratnagar, Birgunj	Heavier, spiced plains cooking; ask what is in season.

Go next

Kathmandu Valley

Flight from Biratnagar or Janakpur, or overnight bus

The standard next stop after the plains.

Himalayas region guide

planned

Fly or bus to Kathmandu, then onward

Trekking regions are reached via Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Middle Hills

planned

Road north from the plains

Cooler hill country between the Tarai and the high mountains.

Western Tarai

planned

Road west via Birgunj

Lumbini and the western plains.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 3, 30 min to 1 h 30
Nights suggested: 2–3 nights
Ways in: 4 listed
Best months: Oct, Nov

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

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Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialNepal Tourism Board
officialNepal Department of Immigration
secondaryWikivoyage: Eastern Tarai, revision 5270825 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ask about Eastern Tarai

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