I know this is not the rhododendron season, but who says you have to visit Milke Danda only when Nepal\'s national flower is in bloom? If there is a rhododendron theme park in Nepal it is Milke Danda, a cloud forest in eastern Nepal over the Tamur Valley north of Dhankuta.

Milke Danda is a biodiversity treasure house with 16 types of rhododendron, 420 species of birds, thousands of species of butterflies and a wealth of plant life. Situated in an area that receives more than 3,500mm rainfall annually, the forest here is richer and wilder than in any other part of Nepal. During the monsoon months, it is perpetually in mist and the cloud forest turns into a leech forest. By late September when the clouds begin to part, the panoramic view that pans the Himalaya from Kanchendzonga to Everest is astounding. The sky is a deep shade of blue that you can see only in the post-monsoon season.

Unsettled and completely off the main trekking maps, Milke Danda is ideally suited for trekkers who like to be off-beat. The Milke ridge originates in the Jaljale Himal area and plunges due south towards the tarai. It has an average altitude of 3,000m. The epicentre of Milke Danda is Gupha Pokhari (2,800m), which reflects the massive white wall of the south face of Chamlang and Makalu in its waters on a clear day.

No remote area remains remote for long, and even here lodges have sprung up catering to the few trekkers who happen to come by. The Sherpas here are from Num, not from Khumbu, and a favourite item they sell is chhurpi, the rock hard cheese that you let dissolve in your month.

Caravans of dzo carrying supplies up to Gupha Pokhari and further north to Taplejung are encountered frequently on the trail. The yaks carry large bronze-and copperware down the valley and take stacks of noodles, biscuits and snacks back up to Taplejung. There are plenty of basic lodges where you can spend the night, and in some of them the very Nepali custom of free lodging if you pay for food is still practised. (This system has been steadily eroded along the main trekking trails in Nepal.)

It was Frenchman Rene de Mille Ville who made Milke Danda known to the outside world with his fascinating account of the flowers in full bloom in March-April. The forest cover, which had started depleting due to indiscriminate felling, is coming back due to conservation efforts by community groups. Villagers have realised that there is more money to made from the tourism attracted by the rhododendron than by cutting down the trees.

To get to Milke Danda, you start walking from the roadhead at Basantapur (2000m), four hours\' bus ride north of Dhankuta. It takes three days\' steady climb to reach the spine of Milke Danda. Another way to get here is to fly to Taplejung from Biratnagar, but even from there it is a four-day walk south. My preferred option is to fly to Tumlingtar from Kathmandu or Biratnagar (private airlines do this route, so there are more chances of getting a seat).

From Tumlingtar to Milke Danda via Chainpur takes three days. You can get into Chainpur after a pleasant walk through forests. Chainpur is a Newari trading town with inclined cobblestone streets and shops selling bronzeware. The weekly market draws farmers and goods from far and wide.Nundhaki, a Rai village, is next.

On reaching Gupha Pokhari the next day, there are two options. Either walk east another two days to Taplejung and take a flight back to Kathmandu, or descend to Basantapur in one and a half days via Lam Pokhari and Tinjure Phedi and take a nine-hour bus ride to Biratnagar and fly back.