Ilam Bazaar is the main town of Ilam district and the base most trips run from. It sits at around 1,150 metres, lower than the tea ridges around it, in a fold of hills in eastern Nepal.
It is a working town rather than a sight. That is worth knowing before you plan a day around it, and it is also why it is the right place to sleep.
Quick answers
What is Ilam Bazaar? The district headquarters and main market town of Ilam, in Koshi Province, eastern Nepal.
How high is it? About 1,150 metres, noticeably lower than Kanyam or Shree Antu.
Is it worth visiting? As a base, yes. As a destination in itself, half a day is enough.
What is there to do? Walk the old tea estate, visit Maisthan Mandir, and buy tea in the market.
Where does Nepali tea come from? Here. Cultivation started in Ilam in 1863.
Where Nepali tea actually began
This is the part of town that matters, and most visitors walk past it.
Tea growing in Nepal started in Ilam in 1863, from saplings gifted by China. Five years later, in 1868, the Ilam tea factory was built and plantations covered more than 135 acres.
That makes this the origin point of the entire Nepali tea industry, not just a place that happens to grow it. Every orthodox garden in the eastern hills traces back to what started here.
The original factory was privatised in 2010 and no longer runs. The gardens remain, and you can walk in them. It is a strange thing to stand in: the oldest tea estate in the country, with the mill that made it famous now silent.
Is Ilam Bazaar worth visiting?
As a base, absolutely. As a day out, be realistic.
The town has the district’s widest choice of guesthouses, the best tea shops, working ATMs, and vehicles going in every direction. That is exactly what you want between a sunrise on one ridge and a lake in the opposite direction.
What it does not have is a set of attractions. There is no old quarter to lose an afternoon in. It is a hill administrative town of around 50,000 people across the wider municipality, busy with people doing ordinary things.
Half a day covers what there is. Build your trip around the ridges and the lake, and let the town be the place you sleep, eat and buy things.
What to do in Ilam Bazaar
Walk the tea estate
The estate gardens are on the slopes at the edge of town and you can walk into them. Being the oldest in Nepal, they are older and more established than the wide open plantings at Kanyam, and they feel different underfoot.
Go early. The light is better and so is the temperature.
Maisthan Mandir
The main temple in town, and a short stop rather than an excursion. Worth twenty minutes if you are walking past, particularly in the early morning when people are actually using it.
Buy your tea here
This is the practical reason to spend time in town. The shops in the bazaar carry a far wider range than the roadside stalls on the highway, and the people behind the counter generally know what they are selling.
Ask for orthodox, ask which flush, and ask to taste. What to look for is covered in the Ilam tea guide.
Eat what the district actually grows
Ilam is known locally for its six A’s, all named for the Nepali words. They are alu potato, alan milk, alainchi cardamom, aduwa ginger, amriso broom grass, and akabare khursani, the round red chilli.
That last one is worth seeking out. Akabare is small, round and genuinely hot, and it turns up pickled on tables around the district. If someone offers you the local achar, that is what is in it.
Where to stay and eat
Ilam Bazaar has the widest choice of guesthouses and small hotels in the district, and prices are local rather than tourist.
Aerial view of Ilam Tudikhel football ground in Ilam Bazaar.
Book ahead around Dashain, Tihar and the school holidays. Nepali families fill the district in those weeks and the town is where most of them stay.
For food, eat where the town eats. This is not a place with a restaurant scene, and the dal bhat in an ordinary place will be better than anything presented to visitors.
How does it fit into a trip?
The town is the hinge of the district rather than its highlight.
| From Ilam Bazaar to | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kanyam | on the highway south | 30 to 45 min |
| Antu Pokhari, for Shree Antu | about 35 km southeast | 1.5 to 2 hrs |
| Mai Pokhari | about 22 km north | about 1 hr |
Everything radiates from here, and the two main sights are in opposite directions. That is why the 3 day itinerary sleeps at Antu Pokhari first and uses the town as the second night rather than the first.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ilam Bazaar known for?
Being the main town of Nepal’s tea district, and the place where Nepali tea cultivation began in 1863. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Ilam and the base most visitors use.
How high is Ilam Bazaar?
About 1,150 metres. That is lower than the tea ridges around it, which is why the town is warmer than Kanyam and considerably warmer than Antu Danda at 2,328 metres.
Is one day enough for Ilam Bazaar?
Half a day covers the town itself. You want two or three nights in Ilam district overall, but the town is the base rather than the reason to come.
Where did tea in Nepal start?
In Ilam, in 1863, from saplings gifted by China. The Ilam tea factory followed in 1868. The factory was privatised in 2010 and no longer operates, though the gardens are still there.
What are the six A’s of Ilam?
Alu (potato), alan (milk), alainchi (cardamom), aduwa (ginger), amriso (broom grass) and akabare khursani (round chilli). They are the district’s best known products after tea.
Is there an ATM in Ilam Bazaar?
Yes. The town is the district’s commercial centre and the practical place to sort out money, supplies and onward transport before heading to the ridges.
Before you go
Treat Ilam Bazaar as the base it is. Sleep here, buy your tea here, eat here, and spend your daylight on the ridges and the lake.
Full detail on the district is in the Ilam travel guide. If something here has changed, tell me and I will update it.