Travelling to a city that is underrated for its beauty has a different feel. Far-West is the region, where most people are aware of its existence but rarely consider it as a travel destination. I and my amigos take on a road trip to this unknown destination to explore the place, culture and food.

You always have an option to fly, but for me, 18 hours of night bus journey with my amigos sounds more fun. We left the valley at around 6 in the evening and reached Dhangadi by noon the very next day. Fortunately, enough one of my friends is from Dhangadi and her family welcomed us wholeheartedly. Our plan for this trip was to explore Dhangadi, Mahendranagar and visit the nearest Indian border, Paliya.

As soon as we reached Dhangadi the first thing to try is the local “Tato Panipuri”. One can find these stalls almost everywhere. Crunchy puri filled with warm and spicy mashed potato and beans dipped in mouthwatering spiced water is all you would have wanted. Typically panipuri found in the valley offers cold mashed potato with onions, spices and only one type of pani (water) however the warm fillings with khatha (sour) and mitha (sweet) pani is just lips smacking good.

Just a few kilometres away from the main city is Shivapuri Dham which houses the world’s tallest Shiva linga. Taking a tuk-tuk from there, we visited Jhokhar Taal, a place where one can enjoy peace of mind and appreciate the beauty of nature.

Almost an hour drive from Dhangadi is Mahendranagar. Places you shouldn’t be missing out here are Shuklaphanta National Park, Dodhara Chandani Bridge and Linga. We booked a Jeep for our jungle safari at Shuklaphanta, which is a must-try activity. Our tour guide was kind enough to share a cup of tea and some cookies for each one of us during our safari and explain the history of Shuklaphanta and how the place Mahendranagar was born. Almost after 4 hours of jungle safari which was breathe taking we visited Dodhara Chandani Bridge, which is Nepal’s longest bridge measuring 1 kilometre. An hour of a bumpy ride on a tuk-tuk from Mahendranagar bus park, Linga is a religious place with naturally formed stones which resembles tall sandcastles. A photograph of this place cannot justify the beauty which was seen at the moment. According to locals, the stones grow tall gradually as time passes.

Our next destination was Paliya, the nearest border of India from Dhangadi. An hour of the bus ride (which has a terrifying story in itself) from Nepal-India Border, we reached Paliya, India. With some shopping done, we went to a dhaba (local Indian restaurant) which serves one of “The best Indian food”.

A week journey to the far-west was joyous and fun. My favourite part of travelling with my amigos was making memories that will remain forever and the jungle safari at Shuklaphanta National Park. The less known part of our country holds the beauty that should be visited at least once.

Unnati Nyachhyon