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From Dhulikhel, the Arniko Highway descends 600m into the broad Panchkhal Valley, a lush, irrigated plain cultivated with rice paddy, sugar cane and tropical fruits. The village of Panchkhal is a minor gateway to the Helambu trekking region: an unpaved road, served by local buses, heads north past Hiuwapati to the trailhead at Malemchi Pul. Just past Panchkhal another rough road to the south leads 9km to Palanchowk , home of the famous black-stone Palanchowk Bhagwati, which draws pilgrims seeking protection in time of need. The Nepalese contingent to the UN Peacekeeping Force trains nearby. Sunkoshi Adventure Retreat (Kathmandu: tel 223019; en suite US$20-40), located a few minutes' walk above the village, provides a base for exploring this rural area on foot, mountain bike, horse and raft. The highway reaches its lowest (and hottest) point 29km beyond Dhulikhel at Dolalghat (634m), a small market town clumped at either end of the bridge across the impressively vast and braided Indrawati River. This is the put-in point for rafting trips on the Sun Koshi, which joins the Indrawati just around the corner. An initially paved side road forks left just beyond Dolalghat to reach Chautara (1400m), a workaday Newar bazaar and an obscure trailhead for Helambu treks, after 25km. The town is served by direct buses from Kathmandu, but has only bare-bones Nepali inns; a Bhimsen temple at a high point of the ridge 3km further up the road offers good views.
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