Diktel

Diktel is the administrative centre of Khotang district in Koshi Province, and the main bazaar of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality. It sits along a hill ridge in the middle hills of eastern Nepal, in the country between the Dudh Koshi river to the west and the Sun Koshi to the south. The town is small and practical: government offices, schools, a hospital, shops and simple lodges line the road along the ridge, and from the edges of the bazaar the land drops away into terraced farmland and forest.

Few foreign visitors stay long in Diktel, but it is a useful base for travellers heading to the Halesi-Maratika caves, a major pilgrimage site in the south of the district, or simply exploring the hills of Khotang. On clear days, especially after the monsoon, the ridges around the town look north towards snow peaks, and early mornings often bring a sea of cloud in the valleys below. Walking along the ridge in either direction leads quickly into villages where farming life carries on much as it has for generations.

Because the town serves the whole district, it is a reliable place to find transport, basic supplies, mobile signal and a bed for the night before moving on to more remote corners of Khotang.