Exploring Nepal’s Spectacular Panch Pokhari Lake — An unforgettable journey of double exploration
The month of Bhadra welcomes festivities in the Tamang community of the Panch Pokhari VDC. The trial to Panch Pokhari is filled with local travelers rushing towards the destination for the celebration of the Bhadau Purnima Mela. However, going through the same trial on a different occasion feels totally different due to its untouched beauty and pristine surroundings.
What Makes Panch Pokhari a Unique Destination?
Panch Pokhari, which translates to ‘Five (holy) Lake’, is a confluence of five glacial lakes located in the highlands of the Sindhupalchok district. This destination holds significant religious value to both Hindus and Buddhists. Many local residents travel to this sacred pilgrimage during the Janai Purnima to celebrate the ‘Bhadau Purnima Mela’. Often considered a less explored destination, Panch Pokhari has been slowly gaining popularity as a trekking destination for local tourists due to its close proximity to the capital city.
The Story Behind Panch Pokhari — a mythological perspective
It is said that Panch Pokhari was discovered by an enchanter, who goes by the name of Bumba Ruma Waiba, while he was hunting in the mountains. While hunting, he saw some people farming in these highlands. (For further context, farming in such high altitudes is almost impossible.) Upon closer inspection, he noticed that one of the farmers was none other than Lord Shiva. The group of farmers immediately disappeared after being spotted by the enchanter. After this incident, as per the inscription, the hunter — Bumba Ruwa Waiba built the Panchpokhari temple at the very spot where he saw the farm 2335 years ago. (Source: Land Nepal)
There is also a belief among locals that if you succeed to find strains of rice in this holy place, you will become very rich. Also, if you happen to spot a pair of ducks in the lake you will be considered very lucky. These are the main reasons why people go on this spiritual journey for the Bhadau Purnima Mela.
My Experiences During the Double Exploration
I traveled to Panch Pokhari on two different occasions. My first visit to this sacred pilgrimage was during the Bhadau Purnima Mela in 2018. The second trip was a solo trek to the same destination during the Dashain holidays (post-monsoon, pre-winter season).
The Bhadau Purnima Mela (Janai Purnima | Aug-Sep)
The month of Bhadra welcomes festivities in the Tamang community of the Paach Pokhari VDC. Bhadau Purnima Mela — the occasion celebrated in accordance with the alignment of the full moon, falls during the month of Bhadra. Thousands of people from nearby villages and towns walk all the way up to Paach Pokhari to celebrate this festival. The destination is packed with temporary accommodations in the form of tents and sheds set up by local travelers. The festivity goes on for days and nights with locals feasting on foods and dancing along to the tunes of Tamang Selo.
Since it’s monsoon season, the route to Panch Pokhari is quite tough. There are multiple routes one can take to get there with the one from Chhimti, and Chautara being the popular ones.
Our journey to Panch Pokhari began in the village of Bhotenamlang. Accompanied by local students and youths, we ventured off the beaten path towards Nyasim Pati (Norsyampati), our destination for the day. The journey was long and tough due to bad weather and extreme walking conditions. Sadly, we couldn’t make it to Nyasim Pati that day and concluded our walk at Hile. (Estimated time — 8 to 9 hrs)
The next day, we continued our journey from Hile to Nyasim Pati. We had our brunch at Nyasim Pati followed by a 2-hour ascent to our ultimate destination, Panch Pokhari. There were lots of locals traveling to Panch Pokhari, so the routes were pretty much packed throughout our journey. (Estimated time — 3 to 4 hrs)
After ascending the final few steps to the sacred lake, we were welcomed by a foggy atmosphere with plenty of tents spread throughout the area. The visibility was so low that one could barely appreciate the beauty of the lakes. We took shelter in a small shed sharing the space with 20 other people. There was loud music playing along with the rumbling sounds of people dancing and enjoying the festival, throughout the night. That pretty much sums up the Bhadau Purnima Mela experience.
We headed down straight to Bhotang the next day. This route was comparatively easier in comparison to the one we took earlier while heading toward Panch Pokhari. But due to bad weather, the roads were pretty slippery and we had a tough time descending to our final destination — Bhotang.
Going Solo During Dashain (Oct-Nov)
The feeling of not being able to witness Panch Pokhari in its grandeur was still there. Hence, I decided to travel solo to Panch Pokhari the following year. This was my first solo trip, so I was pretty excited about it. However, this time I decided to take the easier route from Chhimti.
The solo trek began at Melamchi Bazaar — the place where I was residing at that time. From there on it was a 4-hour long journey on a local bus to Chhimti. Chhimti is the final stop for this route as the roads are inaccessible for transportation, beyond this point. I ended my first day at Deurali after pushing myself to walk an hour further. (Estimated time — 4 hrs bus ride | 1 hr walking from Chhimdi to Deurali)
The next day, I started early from Deurali in the hopes of making it all the way up to Panch Pokhari. The trail passed through Tuppi Danda, where a new hotel was being constructed back then. This was a good sign for locals because more travelers were coming to Panch Pokhari resulting from the growing popularity of the destination. Another 3 hours of walking uphill and then comes another checkpoint — Nyasim Pati. I had my lunch there and I took some time out to admire the Himalayas, which weren’t visible at all during my first trip to Panch Pokhari. The route from Nyasim Pati to Panch Pokhari isn’t that long and steep. So getting to Panch Pokhari after this point wasn’t that hard. I ended up reaching the destination, late in the evening, that day. (Estimated time — 7 to 8 hours)
Watching the sunset from Panch Pokhari with a small campfire by the side, I met a few other travelers who were preparing their dinner for the night. I finally got to witness the five holy lakes on its full scale. But I had to wait till tomorrow to admire its view, fully. There weren’t a lot of hotels located here, only 2 or 3 as far as I can remember. I ended up staying in a small hotel sharing the bedroom with three other travelers who had been giving me company throughout the entirety of the journey uphill.
An early wake-up call the next morning followed up by another ascent to the nearby hilltops. The objective was to witness Panch Pokhari on its full scale, but there was another surprise waiting to be admired up there. On one side, I could see all five lakes laying calmly in the laps of the mountains. On the other side, I witnessed the glorious ranges of Ganesh Himal, Jugal Himal, Dorje Lhakpa, Langtang Himal, and Gaurishankar Himal. Watching the sunrise over the mountains and admiring these views all by myself was a moment, that I knew at that very moment, I would cherish for the rest of my life.
I could’ve stayed there forever, but my moment was interrupted by an unexpected movement in the bowel. I had to rush down quickly to the other side of the hill just so that I wouldn’t shit my pants. Glad to say, I made it that day. The glorious morning was followed by a long and arduous walk downhill; all the way to Chhimti. I also happened to spot a Danphe (Himalayan Monal) on the way down. I reached Chhimti in the evening and decided to spend the night there. (Estimated time — 6 to 7 hours)
The next day I took the one and only bus shuttle service available in Chhimti. The bus left early at 7 and it took around the whole day (8 to 9 hrs) to get to Kathmandu. Luckily, my gruesome journey back home was cut short as I was living in Melamchi back then.
Rewards and Takeaways from My Panch Pokhari Journey
Traveling to Panch Pokhari may seem easy on paper because of its short duration but, trust me, it isn’t. Here are a few things that I learned while venturing out to Panch Pokhari twice;
- If you’re planning to visit Panch Pokhari during the Bhadau Purnima Mela, make sure to be prepared to poop, out in the wild.
- Carry some snacks for the long walks because there aren’t a lot of stops you can make in between. Also, make sure to dump the waste responsibly.
- Make sure to be a part of (as a bystander or a participant) the Panch Pokhari Marathon. It’s an annual tradition for the locals, where runners from all around the country (the world to be precise) participate in it to claim cash prizes worth 50,000 NPR.
- Don’t miss out on the celebrations of the Bhadau Purnima Mela in Raithane. Raithane is also the finish line for the participants of the Panch Pokhari Marathon.
- Enjoy the journey no matter hard it is. It’s only in the end that you realize why you started in the first place.
