Antu Danda of Nepal — A Place for Sunrise Tour
At the far eastern region of Nepal, there is this beautiful hill which is named Antu Danda. It lies in the district of Illam. To be more specific it lies on the border of Darjeeling on the foothills of Mount Kanchanjunga- 8586 meters ( which is the 3rd highest mountain in the whole world). Basically, it is a 3 hours drive from Ilam bazar to Antu Danda. This beautiful danda which is located at eastern Nepal stands tall at around 2300 meters.
Antu Danda is one of the beautiful destinations to hang around in eastern Nepal. This danda lies in Illam district which is Nepal’s famous and major tea growing area. The climate is generally wet in this region which creates a favorable environment for tea growing.
If we talk about the travel perspective, the eastern part of Nepal is not so favorable destination for the foreign/ international tourists, as a result, the Antu Danda is still untouched from the foreign tourists and travelers. We can only find a handful of tourists traveling to this area. But in the past few years, many local tourists have visited this place.
The hike to the Antu Danda and to witness the Ilam tea garden is one of the popular tours amongst in this area. One of the main reason behind the hike to Antu Danda is to enjoy the beautiful view of the sunrise that it provides. We can find many people traveling to the hilltop just to capture the beautiful view of sunrise for which Antu Danda is very popular, but not only that, the hilltop offers beautiful views of the landscape of Terai region, the tea growing areas of Darjeeling and other gorgeous views of the Himalayas in the north.
Apart from the hike, the views and scenes, and the tea garden, Illam is a beautiful place that celebrates different cultures and traditions as it is a home to different ethnicities like Rai, Limbu, Tamang, and many others. Brahmin and Chettris are the dominant ethnicities living in this area. Also, the Lepcha is the only group of ethnicity in whole Nepal that is found in this place and you can also find Lepcha museum at Antu.
So Ilam is a place where we can find people of different ethnicities living in peace and harmony celebrating different cultures and traditions. Therefore, the one who travels to eastern Nepal in Ilam or to the Antu Danda can also experience the varieties of cultures this place has to offer. With all of this, Maipokhari at 2121 m which is popularly recognized as a religious and holy spot just adds another flavor while traveling to this place.
Although the eastern part of Nepal is not very popular amongst the international travelers, it definitely is more interesting to travel to this part of the country. Antu danda which is a beautiful place to hike to and relax enjoying the beautiful views of sunrise and landscapes is a place that definitely worth a visit.
For More Information about Sunrise and Sunset Views in Antu Danda, Nepal
