Ilam: Nepal's Tea Capital with Rolling Green Gardens
Ilam is the tea capital of Nepal, where rolling green hills are blanketed by pristine tea gardens stretching to the horizon. A refreshing, rarely visited destination in eastern Nepal.
Ilam: Where Nepal Grows Its Finest Tea
Ilam district in eastern Nepal is the heart of Nepali tea production. The landscape here is unlike anywhere else in the country — gently rolling hills entirely covered in the vivid green of meticulously maintained tea bushes.
The Tea Gardens
The tea estates around Ilam and nearby Kanyam produce some of Nepal's finest orthodox tea, often compared favourably to Darjeeling teas (the famous Darjeeling region is just across the border in India).
- **Kanyam Tea Garden** — the most photogenic estate, with perfectly groomed rows of tea bushes rolling over the hills.
- **Ilam Tea Garden** — the original estate, where you can tour the processing factory and sample fresh teas.
- Tea plucking season runs from March to November.
Beyond Tea
- **Mai Pokhari** — a sacred, heart-shaped lake surrounded by forest, designated a Ramsar Wetland Site.
- **Antu Danda** — a hilltop viewpoint famous for being one of the first places in Nepal to see the sunrise.
- **Sandakpur** — on the Nepal-India border, offering views of four of the five highest peaks in the world (Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu).
Getting There
Fly to Bhadrapur from Kathmandu, then drive 4 hours to Ilam. Or take an overland bus from Kathmandu (14-16 hours).
Ilam is Nepal at its gentlest and greenest — a world away from the high Himalayas, equally beautiful in its own rolling, fragrant way.