Sudurpashchim Province

The far west: Khaptad's high meadows, Api and Saipal Himal, the temples of Doti and Baitadi, and Shuklaphanta's swamp deer.

Sudurpashchim — literally 'far west' — borders India along the Mahakali river. It was the seat of the Doti kingdom, whose Katyuri-descended kings left temples, forts and stone water spouts across Doti, Dadeldhura and Baitadi. The Deuda song-and-dance, sung in a circle with linked arms, is the region's signature.

The province has some of the least-trodden landscapes in Nepal: Khaptad National Park's rolling grassland plateau, the Api and Saipal ranges in Darchula and Bajhang, and Badimalika above Bajura. Down on the plains, Shuklaphanta National Park holds the world's largest herd of swamp deer, and Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar are the main towns.