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In a country best known for its mountains, the lowland Tarai often gets short shrift. A narrow strip of flatland extending along the entire length of Nepal's southern border - including several dun (inner Tarai) valleys north of the first range of hills - the Tarai was originally covered in thick, malarial jungle. In the 1950s, however, the government identified the fertile southern plains as a major growth area to relieve population pressure in the hills, and, with the help of liberal quantities of DDT, brought malaria under control. Since then the jungle has been methodically cleared and the Tarai has emerged as Nepal's most productive agricultural and industrial region, representing 70 percent of the country's arable land, accounting for more than half its GDP and supporting about half its population. The barrier that had once insulated Nepal from Indian influences as effectively as the Himalaya had guarded the north, making possible the development of a uniquely Nepali culture, has been replaced by the geographic and political equivalent of a welcome mat. An unmistakable quality of Indianness now pervades the Tarai, as evidenced by the avid mercantilism of the border bazaars, the wearing of lungyi and chewing of betel, Muslim mosques and orthodox Brahmanism, the heat and dust, the jute mills and sugar refineries, and the many roads and irrigation projects built with Indian aid. Fortunately, the government has set aside sizeable chunks of the western Tarai in the form of national parks and reserves, which remain as some of the finest wildlife and bird havens on the subcontinent. Dense riverine forest provides cover for predators like tigers and leopards; swampy grasslands make the perfect habitat for rhinoceros; and vast, tall stands of sal, the Tarai's most common tree, throng with what at times seems to be the entire cast of Bambi. You'll probably only have the time to visit one national park. Chitwan , the richest in game and the most accessible, is deservedly popular, but if crowds bother you and you're willing to invest some extra effort, check out Bardia or Sukla Phanta . The region's other claim to fame is historical: the Buddha was born 2500 years ago at Lumbini , and his birthplace - one of the four holiest pilgrimage sites for Buddhists - is an appropriately serene place. Important archeological discoveries have been made in Lumbini, at nearby Tilaurakot and at several other outlying sites. Four border crossings in the western Tarai are open to foreigners. Sonauli is the most heavily used because it's on the most direct route between Kathmandu and Varanasi, and fits in well with visits to Lumbini and Chitwan, but it's horrible. Mahendra Nagar , at the far western frontier, makes an adventurous backdoor route between Kathmandu and Delhi, and takes you right past Bardia and Sukla Phanta. For a really obscure international experience, you can cross at points south of Nepalganj or Dhangadhi . Bus connections to the Tarai from Kathmandu and Pokhara are well developed via Narayanghat. The Tarai itself is traversed by a single main road, the Mahendra Highway (the Mahendra Rajmarg in Nepali, also known as the East-West Highway ), now paved all the way to the far western border. Traffic drops off dramatically west of Butwal, which makes for great cycling but potentially long waits for bus connections. Internal flights , while expensive and not always reliable, can save a lot of time; Nepalganj is the air hub for western Nepal, and there are potentially useful airstrips in Meghauli and Bhairawa. The weather in the Tarai is at its best from October to  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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January - the days are more pleasantly mild during the latter half of this period, though the nights and mornings can be surprisingly chilly and damp. However, the wildlife viewing gets much better after the thatch has been cut, from late January on, by which time the temperatures are starting to warm up again. It gets really hot (especially in the far west) in April, May and June. The monsoon brings not only rain but mosquitoes, malaria and leeches, and many roads become impassable at this time.
Your Tips For Western Tarai
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