My Solo Journey to Panch Pokhari, Sindhupalchok(4300m), Oct. 26–29, 2019
Panch Pokhari is a collection of five holy lakes that lies in Sindhupalchok district of Nepal. I wanted to visit this place since a long time. It was also my trek destination for Dashain festival, but due to packed buses and ticket shortage, I couldn’t go there. I planned the trip again because I really wanted to explore the five holy lakes. Finally, just before Tihar festival, I bought the bus ticket to Chhimti from Narayantar buspark. The ticket was for October 26. I was really excited for this trek because it is one of the least explored places of Nepal and also one of the most remote trekking routes. It was perfect for my solo journey.
Day I (Kathmandu to Melamchi Bazaar to Bhotang to Chhimti to Deurali, 2200m)
I woke up pretty early as I had to catch the bus which would leave Narayantar buspark at 6:45 am. I already had my bag packed the day before. I left home, reached buspark at around 6:30 am. The bus was already there. Without waiting, I got into the bus. The seats of the bus were very congested and uncomfortable. It was very hard for me to adjust in my seat. Still, it couldn’t be considered bad as a lot of people didn’t buy the tickets beforehand. Because of that, many had to stand in the bus the whole journey. The bus left the buspark at around 7 am. Midway through, the bus reached Melamchi bazaar where the bus stopped for about 45 minutes for food. I had dal bhat there. After Melamchi bazaar, the road was very rough. Oftentimes, the bus tilted to a very sharp angle and even the local passengers, for whom it was their daily route, were scared as well. It was petrifying. Finally, the bus reached Bhotang and then Chhimti at around 5 pm. It was the last place upto where the vehicles could reach. I was feeling the vibrations of the mountains as soon as I got off bus!
I started my hike quickly as I was planning to reach Deurali the same day and before dark. It was about 1:30 hours trek. As I was walking, I met a guy. He said he had a hotel in Deurali and so I planned to stay at his hotel. A suspension bridge could be seen near.
After some time, I reached the suspension bridge. The landscape looked so pleasing!
The hike was downhill until the bridge from where the uphill trail started.
The trail was very easy on the eye. Chhimti could be seen from there.
There, I met two small kids who were carrying some leaves and grass. They were very camera shy, but I took their picture anyhow.
Eventually, I reached Deurali just before the dark. There are two hotels there. I stayed at the first hotel, the one which was owned by the guy I met earlier. I was the only one there at that moment. After some time, the guy said that there were four more guys who were coming to the same hotel and were planning to trek to Panch Pokhari. Some time later, they arrived. They said they were from Melamchi and rode their bikes upto Chhimti. The dinner was ready and so we had our meal. Even though I was tired, I stayed pretty late talking with them. An hour later, I went to sleep.
Day II (Deurali to Tuppi Danda(2300m) to Noshyampati(3700m))
I woke up pretty early the next morning as I was planning to reach Panch Pokhari the same day. I had Thukpa as breakfast and quickly left Deurali. The other guys were already on their way and were waiting for me somewhere near. We hiked together for some time. The trail was getting delightful!
Finally, after walking for two straight hours, we reached Tuppi Danda(2300m). There was a single hotel there.
The hotel owner informed that there is a marathon going on every year in the trail. A lot of marathon runners participate in the race. This year, it was held on the 15th of August.
I didn’t eat any food there as I wasn’t hungry until that point. I decided to have something at Noshyampati which was about 5 hours from there. Also, I thought I could reach the place earlier as I was walking quickly. Those other guys had the same plan too. We started walking again. The trail got even more alluring!
The mountains could be seen too!
There was a very small wooden crossover.
I was walking with the four guys until this point. Since I was not getting a pure solo experience that I was looking for, I decided to lower my pace. They continued walking faster and after some time, they were way ahead of me. I was trekking alone from this point on. It was getting more fascinating!
The landscape was getting joyous. I met two more guys soon after who started their trek from Chhimti that morning and were planning to reach Panch Pokhari the same day. As I was walking leisurely, they outstripped me as well.
After trekking for some time, I reached a gumba shaped stone structure with prayer flags.
Another small gumba shaped structure could be seen again with a lot of prayer flags.
In Panch Pokhari trail, there are a lot of goths(sheds) where people would stay because there is nothing between Tuppi Danda and Noshyampati. A lot of people visit Panch Pokhari every year during Janai Purnima festival. Since the lakes at Panch Pokhari are considered holy, they bathe in them.
Mountain range could be seen again!
The trail got more gorgeous and colorful than before! It was just so refreshing!
Finally, after 6 hours of hike from Tuppi danda, I reached Noshyampati!
I was ravenous at that moment as I just had some soy beans and maize(that I brought with me from home) since morning thukpa. I decided to eat dal bhat at Noshyampati and then continue my trek to Panch Pokhari, next stop after Noshyampati. There were two hotels. I got into the second hotel and had my dal bhat there. I was feeling very tired and lazy after the meal. I couldn’t decide whether to pursue my trek to Panch Pokhari the same evening as it was about three and half hours hike from there. It was already getting dark. After sometime, a group of four guys stopped at the same hotel for some tea and snacks. They said they were planning to reach Panch Pokhari the same evening and were planning to trek in the dark. They welcomed me to join them. Since I was very tired, I declined their offer and decided to stay at Noshyampati. They left soon afterwards. I was the only guy at the hotel that night. I chatted with the hotel owner for about an hour. I felt sleepy. The guy showed me the room. It was a big hall with a lot of beds. I felt asleep fast and slept like a baby that night.
Day III (Noshyampati to Panch Pokhari(4100m) to Panch Pokhari View Point(4300m) to Noshyampati to Tuppi Danda to Deurali to Chhimti to Bhotang)
I got up very early as the hotel owner said that he was leaving for Bhotang as soon as I leave the hotel. The morning was ravishing! I had my morning tea and departed shortly. The mountains couldn’t be clearer!
The clouds were seen down below.
The morning weather was magnificent. It was really exhilarating! As I was walking, I felt so full of energy at that moment.
After hiking for some time, another small gumba could be seen.
The trail after Noshyampati was different from before. It was heavenly! So full of colorful plants and flowers!
Shortly, I reached a landslide area. Everyone should be careful here as it is very slippery and one could just slide down below.
The trail could be seen clearly!
Again, prayer flags were seen on the top!
Again, a small gumba was seen in the front! Simply awesome!!
It was at this moment, all the other guys(four guys whom I stayed with at the same hotel in Deurali, two guys whom I met on the trail, four guys whom I met at Noshyampati and another group of four guys whom I didn’t meet earlier) were returning back from Panch Pokhari after already exploring the place. They said the morning weather was perfect there and the lakes were just 15 minutes of hike from that point. Eventually, after hiking three straight hours from Noshyampati, I reached the celestial Panch Pokhari(4100m). The weather was indeed beautiful and so perfect. So clear! I couldn’t control my emotions at that moment in time! It was just so gratifying!
Hotels could be seen nearby.
I was very hungry. So, I looked for the hotels that were open. Only one hotel(among the three) was open. I went inside and there was an older lady there. She greeted me. I asked whether she could prepare me dal bhat. She cooked the meal and I ate it in no time. I was full and lethargic after the meal, so I rested for about 30 minutes. Then, it was time to move and explore the lakes. All the five lakes couldn’t be seen together from the hotel since they covered a big distance. So, I asked the lady about where I can see all the five lakes at once. She told me about a place where I could reach after a hike of about 30 minutes and from there, I could clearly see the five lakes together. She also notified me that there was a view point which was about two hours hike from there. She also informed me that I could see the Langtang and Jugal himal range clearly. It was the Panch Pokhari View Point(4300m). I wasn’t aware that I could see the himal range from Panch Pokhari. I was very excited then! I decided to go for it. I was the only trekker leaving for the view point as all the other guys already left the place. It was a perfect moment for a solo trekker like me! I started walking uphill. But, the first time, I missed the trail and just went around the biggest lake which took me about 45 minutes. I went around a loop and reached the same hotel again. I asked the lady about the trail and went for it again. Ultimately, I found the uphill trail to the view point. The hike was awesome and refreshing! I was feeling very energetic!
I took some photos here and then continued my hike. The view point could be seen clearly from here.
Finally, after walking about two hours from the lakes, I got to the breathtaking Panch Pokhari view point(4300m).
The view point was very hypnotizing! Panch pokhari could be seen on one side and the entire Jugal Himal range, including Langtang range, could be seen on the other side. I couldn’t control my excitement! I was overwhelmed! The view was stunning! I just gazed at both the himal range and the lakes without any thought on my mind. I enjoyed the moment at its very best. Just so refreshing! After enjoying the views, I started taking pictures. I took so many!
I had to take selfies as well like I did in other treks!(Note: I always take my selfie on the final destination or top of the trek).
After taking the pictures, I had to go down since it was getting late.
There were red colored plants everywhere which made the entire view amazing! After about 30 minutes, I finally reached the hotel where I kept my bag. The lady told me that there was also a Mahadev(Lord Shiva) temple there which I didn’t know about. I decided to explore the temple and get my blessings. The temple lied just behind the hotel and about fifteen minutes walk from there.
After some time, I decided to leave. I went to the hotel, took my bag, said good bye to the hotel lady and left Panch Pokhari. As it was already 3 pm, I planned to just reach Noshyampati that evening and stay there overnight so that I would leave for Chhimti the next morning. A lot of clouds were gathering down below!
The trail had serene beauty amidst the clouds!
And it could be seen finally!
After walking for about two hours from Panch Pokhari, I finally reached Noshyampati. It was surrounded by clouds and looked so awesome!
When I reached Noshyampati, the time was around 5 pm. The two hotels at Noshyampati were closed since there were no people trekking down. I was worried as it was already getting late. I had no choice left but to get to Tuppi Danda and stay there for the night. Also, I was not sure how long it would take me to reach the place. So, I decided to pack my camera and walk faster until I get there. It went dark after about an hour and the bad coincidence was that it was the darkest day of the month. We call it “Aushi ko raat” in Nepali. It is the opposite of full moon(“Purnima”). Thankfully, I always bring flash light with me in every trek. I took it out from the bag and put the light on. I couldn’t see the trail far though, only the part in my front. At one time, I even heard something walking on the side by crunching the dry leaves. It was a thrilling experience. Also, there were many parts of the trails where the route was confusing and not clear because I couldn’t visualize the trail in the pitch-black darkness. The same trail was not so bewildering in the day time when I was going up. Many times, I had to make instant decisions based on my instinct. Luckily, my instinct was always right because of my earlier solo trekking experiences when I had missed the right way and went the wrong way. Only this time, the situation was quite intense as I was in the middle of the jungle. Eventually, after walking for three hours straight without any rest, I reached Tuppi danda. The time was around 8 pm. I had no luck there as well as the only hotel there was closed too. Then, my only choice was to get to Deurali anyhow and stay there. I didn’t rest for a single minute at Tuppi Danda and continued walking. I was on the top part of the hill at that moment. As I was walking, I saw a glimpse of light very far. It looked like some guys were there. They saw me as well. They pointed their flashlights towards me and so did I. We communicated from a distance as there was a pindrop silence and we could hear each other clearly. They asked me where I was going and I replied “Deurali”. And I did the same to them and they replied “Bhotang”. They waited for me at the same place for about thirty minutes. Eventually, I reached there. They looked pretty terrified. They were just two guys from a group of four guys who were walking from Panch Pokhari when I was about to get there. I was surprised what they were doing so late in the trail and where were their other two friends. Their story was very frightening. They said they misjudged the trail somewhere while they were trying to take shortcut. They went very steep trail downhill and reached a river when they realized that it was a dead end. There was no way further after that point. Also, the trail they came down was impossible to go up. They decided to go along the river but had no idea where it would lead them. Sadly, it led them deeper into the forest and was the wrong way. After realizing that, they had no choice but to go up which was very tough. They said they slipped a lot of times and had injuries as well. When they reached up to the place where they were sitting, they were still confused whether it was the right trail. So, when they saw me, they were very relieved. Not to mention, I was relieved as well when I saw them. They said they called their other friends earlier who already reached Bhotang in daytime. I decided to go to Bhotang along with them. We walked together. They were still scared. On the way, they also explained how they thought they were going to die that day because they had no hope when they were lost. Their story horrified me. The same thing could’ve happened to me too had I misjudged the trail somewhere. We reached Deurali after about forty five minutes and decided to rest there for about fifteen minutes. They said they brought whiskey with them. They took it out and so we celebrated the moment with shots. After that, we started going downhill as Chhimti was not far. They said they had their bikes at Chhimti and from where Bhotang was very near. Finally, we reached Chhimti and then Bhotang in no time. I was very hungry. Thankfully, the dinner was ready for us at the hotel. After having dal bhat, we went to the room to sleep. I shared the room with them for the night. I felt asleep quickly as I was exhausted.
Day IV (Bhotang to Kathmandu)
I woke up early in the morning as the bus would leave Chhimti at around 7:45 am. It would come the way of the hotel where I stayed. I picked my bag, said goodbye to the guys and waited for the bus outside the hotel. The bus finally got there at around 8 am. When I got inside the bus, I met the group of two guys from Kathmandu whom I met on the trail. They said they stayed at Chhimti the night before. They shared their experiences of the trek and so did I. They also said they just reached Panch Pokhari and didn’t go upto the view point. I showed them what they missed from the photos I took. The bus stopped for dal bhat at Melamchi. Ultimately, it reached the Narayantar bus park at around 3 pm. Since the road was only downhill, it just took about seven hours from Bhotang to Kathmandu.
Anyway, this trek was a short but sweet and thrilling trek at the same time. I enjoyed it a lot and everyone should go do this trek at least once in their life. I recommend it to anyone who is traveling Nepal and has at least 5 days here.
Some suggestions for future travelers doing this route:
- Trekking boots are a must as most parts of the trails are rocky.
- Wind-proof jacket, gloves, caps are recommended as the wind is very chilling.
- Altitude sickness medicines are recommended for first time high-altitude trekkers.
- Cold-creams, lip cares are needed as the skin becomes very dry.
- Total cost for me was about Rs. 3500 including the bus fares(430+500). The cost may deviate depending on which hotel you live and what you eat.
- Don’t be scared of the nature. Nature always loves you . :)
Follow me on instagram for more pictures with the stories behind them:
https://www.instagram.com/suman_supertramp/
If you want to enjoy other solo trek blogs of mine, here are the links:
https://medium.com/@suman.dhakal/my-solo-trek-to-tsho-rolpa-4580m-may-16th-21st-2017-2552c92fe18d
https://medium.com/@suman.dhakal/my-solo-trip-to-kyanjin-ri-4779m-march-4th-8th-2017-c06e8de368af
