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Disabuse yourself of any visions of high, snowy passes into Tibet. The border village of KODARI (1640m), 3km on from Tatopani, sits at the bottom of a deep valley, with nary a yak in sight. The lowest point along the Nepal-Tibet border, Kodari has always been the preferred crossing for traders between Kathmandu and Lhasa. Its low elevation isn't as extraordinary as it might seem, though: the main Himalayan chain, which the border generally follows, is breached in several places by rivers that are older than the mountains themselves (the watershed, in fact, runs not along the highest peaks but as much as 100km to the north). In the case of Kodari, the border was actually shifted further south after an ill-advised war with Tibet in 1792. Shared taxis ply between Tatopani and Kodari, and in good weather two buses a day make it up here from Kathmandu. The long, drawn-out roadside bazaar of Kodari is the Nepali equivalent of a service strip along a highway bypass, while old Kodari, a scattered village with a small gompa, perches on the ridge above. Accommodation is available at a few lodges along the road - you could do worse than the Namgyal or the Lhasa (both Rs140-200 [US$2-3]). Tatopani is the better bet, but if you're crossing into Tibet you might want to stay here to get an earlier start.
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