Cycling the Tharu villages around the lakes

The land around the lakes is flat, and village lanes connect Tharu hamlets set among rice fields, mustard and wheat. Cycling is the easiest way to see them: you move slowly enough to stop and talk, and fast enough to cover several villages in an afternoon. The roads are mostly flat dirt lanes, shaded by mango and other trees, with irrigation channels running beside them. Children wave, dogs bark and buffalo carts trundle slowly past.

Tharu houses here are long and low, with clay walls, thatched or tin roofs, and grain stores inside. You will see fish traps of split bamboo drying by doorways, buffalo returning from the fields and, in winter, the yellow of mustard in flower. Many families fish in the lakes and canals and grow rice in fields watered by the wetland. Your guide can explain how the lakes and canals feed the fields.

Bicycles can be hired through local contacts in Sukhad; ask your guide or hotel to arrange one in advance, as there is no formal rental shop for tourists. Finish back at the lakeshore for sunset. Carry water and a torch if you plan to ride back after dark. Wear a hat and sunscreen, as there is little shade in the open fields. Ask your guide before stopping to photograph people or homes.