Pachpokhari Trekking Trail Explained

Three trekkers pose for the Ultimate Photo at 4150 meters

And finally, the day came. It was April the twenty-eighth; 2018. 

Welcome! This blog is typically a travelogue to Pachpokhari, the holy Five Lakes in the upper Sindhupalchok region.

Prologue

Ratna Banjara is a travel enthusiast. He likes to hike. From time to time I have been used to seeing his Facebook posts about his travels, especially the photos taken at and while towards the destinations. 

Left to Right: Myself, Rajkumar Shrestha and Ratna Banjara

I wished to share a journey with him and one day I heard about Pachpokhari. From the day I heard the word Pachpokhari, I yearned to go there. It was such an intriguing name. We planned only to fail until this time. We had to seek friends who might be interested in the trip because it would not be appropriate for just two of us trekking through the jungles and sometimes improvising ourselves for a makeshift shelter. Weather and Jungles are not always favorable for a human. So we started making calls to the friends who might venture in this trek. He confirmed two friends and I confirmed two friends, making a total of 6 candidates. It was going to be perfect.

But, as time flew, Ratna’s friends were not going. So we postponed the trip to 28^thApril from Nepali New year (14^th April). As the date approached, they were not going, again. My friends too started making excuses. I called a couple more friends, no one was going except Rajkumar.

Ratna borrowed some ideas from his uncle and friends who had visited Pachpokhari earlier. Rajkumar also gathered information about the trail from his cousin brother who went there some 4 years back. Nobody I knew had gone to Pachpokhari, or maybe I didn’t bother to ask anybody.

From the information they shared it was more like we would have to stay overnight in bhedigoth (temporary huts for chauris and cows), which necessitated sleep bag for each of us. They also suggested that we take rice, pulse, and gundruk (dried mustard leaves) so that we can cook by fetching firewood in the forest. We took a risk because when we think of carrying groceries the list simply goes on increasing. We need masala (spices), salts, chilies, turmeric, utensils, pots, spoons, plates, blah blah blah. We were sick of thinking about how to take all those raincoats, sleeping bags, changing clothes, jacket, plastics, cameras, charger, power bank, smartphones, caps, sunglasses, etc. So, we changed our mind. We were taking dry foods. The staple diet would be: dalmoth and chiura (bitten rice and salted pulse), and in between the walks, we would have pustakari, chocolates, cashews, imli, etc. 

Little into the facts, there is the main temple in Pachpokhari in which is laid Lord Shiva, where people gather from Bhadra Ekadashi to Janai Purnima to observe Jatra. The holy lakes are the origin of Bhramayani River and Indrawati River.

Click to Enlarge

Day 1: 28 April 2018

The bus was scheduled to come by Banepa at 6AM in the morning. We waited till 7. It was raining and a super finally came. The bus was to go to Melamchi; many people were waiting and we simply rushed in. The driver then saw a group of transport entrepreneurs just a few meters away to the left. The driver and khalasi made us get off the bus saying the bosses will kill them if we carry passengers standing. The seats were already full. We walked a few hundred kilometers, the bosses of the bus were off the visibility and we again get on the bus.

Due to the rain, the road was too muddy and slippery. The bus took three hours to reach Melamchi. We paid Rs. 180 each. It was 10, we had roughly 1 hour to while away. We had masubhat at Melamchi, quite tasty and gratifying. We also took aduwa lasun (ginger and garlic) as it is said they prevent altitude sickness. 

The time schedule of the bus plying to Bhotang was 11AM. It was 12 and we knew the driver didn’t have a driving license and he was caught by the police. There was no one to drive the bus. After literally eons, one driver came as a life saver and there was a bus at the Melamchi Buspark. But unfortunately, it was not going anytime soon. The crew first went to have lunch. They came and they started replacing tires, almost all tires. At quarter to 3, the bus kicked off. In three hours we reached Bhotang. The fare was Rs 180.

If you want to go Bhotang direct from Kathmandu, you don’t have to change the vehicle at Melamchi even. You have to go Narayantar Buspark (in Jorpati to Sankhu route), you can directly catch a bus from there at 7AM every day. The same vehicle would reach Melamchi around 10:30 and it would leave for Bhotang around 11Am after having lunch.  

You don’t get down at Bhotang. You have to stay until the bus finally stops at its final station, which is Chhimti. There are some hotels that may suffice for your needs for a night, but on the first day, you need a warm-up walk. It is because the next day we have to show walking spirit till, umm, eternity.

When the bus stopped at Chhimti, there were altogether 9 trekkers on the bus. We all decided to walk up to Deurali. Across the suspension bridge, there is an uphill trail of around 1 hour to reach Deurali. Luckily, in Durali there were three wooden cottages made recently to cater as a hotel. All of them were like a shared dorm type hall. The charge per head for a night (lodging and fooding) was Rs 350, beverages not included.

Verdant Rhododendron trees along the trail

Day 2: 29 April 2018

We all made a plan to start off at 5AM after tea and biscuits. First, the trail was a typical Nepali rural path: greenery, pastures, and stony roads. As we went up, the weather was highly unpredictable. Sometimes the cloud would appear to clear off and only a few minutes later it would start raining. So, raincoat and plastic to cover up the backpacks are utmost necessary. The forest is amazingly dotted with colorful rhododendron flowers: white, pink and red. You don’t find any human settlements except many huts for cows, chauris, and yaks. There are just two or three down-slope tracks; otherwise, we have to always walk up-slope. We can have rest at Manekharka and Tuppidada (2900m).

During heavy rains, we intruded into bhedigoth and made a fire to warm the body. We had foods there and baked garlic. We reached Nyosempati (Nasim Pati) at 2:45 PM. There are few temporary hotels, among them only one was opened. Few of our friends from Deurali were there sheltering from rain as they didn’t have anything to get protected from rain. There was a number of rains, and in each rain, they took shelter until it stopped. Then again, they were leading us. They used to run like hell, GOD! They started their day at 4:45 with a cup of Jhwai Khatte (a wine made locally by frying rice grain in hot ghee and pouring alcohol). 

The opened hotel was manned by an elderly who came there the day before to host 15 guests who were to return from Pachpokhari this evening. There was a big hearth and everybody was lined up to warm their bodies. A cup of black tea cost Rs.25. The taste was different because to add flavors we usually add tea beads; there the old man had fluid flavors (not solid beads). He said that’s the local brand.

The altitude of Nasim Pati is 3700m. We had to still climb some 400 meters. It would take three hours but for us, it took 5 hours full. Nasim Pati is the junction where the trail from Chautara meets. So, for the trekkers from both the trails remaining path is the same. The trekkers from Chautara would have to take two night stands at Pauwa Bas (3000m) and Hile Bhanjyang (3400m) to reach Nasim Pati around 2PM. 

We were walking UPHILL for 10 hours with only chiura dalmoth and very less water with the backpacks weighing around 14 kgs. And definitely, the hardest part of the journey was still to come.  

Our tentative plan was to stay at Nasimpati but none of the people were staying there as for the night there was someone in Pachpokhari who was hosting hotel. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that we find a hotel in Pachpokhari because most of the time there would not be guests and the villagers who manage hotels would not go up there. The cost for a night stay at Nasim Pati was Rs. 600 (we just asked) and just a bowl of noodle soup cost Rs 60. 

We left Nasimpati at 3: 10 PM. The trail from Nasim Pati is very dangerous with many landslides and unstable stones to step upon. Many ups and very few downs. We were too lethargic to move ahead after an hour walk. In every three or four steps walking up, we had to gasp resting the backpacks on the rock. It took literally forever to traverse the most scaring precipitous way, which was the last of its kind (we only knew later on). Along that way, thinking that the lagging factor could be the altitude we added acetazolamide tablets, we inhaled asthalin, we suckled up gingers and garlic. Nothing was working. There were jammed hailstones all over the paths. It was getting windy. The rain was continuing for one and half hour.

It was dark and we had to light up the torch when we reached the top: Lauribina, which we knew the next day. The symbolic meaning of Lauribina was that from now on nobody would need the Lauri (stick) to travel as the trail would be easy. Had we known that thing at that moment, we would have been far more delighted.

Rajkumar rushed ahead of us to wait there at the top.

“Now see, I don’t know where to go.” He said.

His torchlight was powerful; at least it could invade few more meters of the fog. There was a slope downward. We were angry, “We hiked up this killer cliff only to go down now?” An icy cold wind was gradually rising. We were looking at the other side of the hill and everything we could figure out was covered with thick snow. There were footsteps downward. We followed them. There were just three of us. Everyone else would have reached the shelter a few hours earlier to rest their back upon the hotel beds.

That was my first-time experience with the snow. I mean I used to take the snow for complete fun. Now it was not a fun game. When I was trying to travel through it, it was, like, making fun of me. When I step upon the previous footsteps, then it would slip off. When I try to carve my own steps then it would be too much dangerous, you never know whether there are crevices or cracks underneath. It was taking a lot of time to get across even a few meters for us. Our feet skidded many times with not so bad news. We, three people, produced a lot of sounds: sounds of dragging, whoosh, oh, shit, aiya, my god, etc. It started snowing: the last we imagined. Snow in the wind desensitizes your nose, fingertips, and ears.

We wanted to wrap up our body with whatever we had in the bags. Soon as we opened the zipper there was one hell of a snow wind to take us down. I slipped off the mobile into the snow (I was using it as a flashlight). The battery was drained dead due to the cold. My friends were a little bit away. I had to lie upon my fours not to tumble up myself with the forceful hit of the wind. Hands now were freezing. We wore jackets and stuff quickly. To avoid the numb, I alternately put fingers inside my mouth. I resorted to a lighter I had in my pocket which had a tail-light. It was too dwindling but just sufficient enough to merely tread down the very next step. One small mistake would take your life. My eyes, mind and every concentration were on the step I make.

Gradually snow was erasing the footsteps of earlier trekkers. Now we had to scrutinize the steps more closely. The faster we could move, the more safely we could reach. Everything was delaying us. When the trail was continuously leading down I suspected, “What if, it is the other way people come to Pachpokhari?” Ratna also said, “Oh, I also wonder if it’s the way that comes from Chautara.”

Now there was a dilemma, whether we are heading towards Pachpokhari or Chautara. Chautara trail ended up at Nasim Pati, we only knew the next day). Ratna took out the smartphone to view the offline google maps. 450 meters to Pachpokhari. We continued.  

Rajkumar was a little more confident that this must be the way we would be going. But later, when the way was getting to altitude and there were massive snows he opined, “Guys, this must be the way to Pachpokhari viewpoint. That means we already left Pachpokhari somewhere down.”  The Google maps showed 500 meters to Pachpokhari. Are we going away from our destination? Holy Molly.

Ratna uttered, “The view point does not have this sort of well-defined trails.” We were just exercising our guesswork as all of us were the first-timers. I was ahead of them. That fatigue we were having several minutes back was nowhere to be found now. What a great surprise. Our survival instinct must have been activated. At intervals, I yelled, “HELP, HELP.” There were no signs of human laughs or lights. I kept thinking we would keep on trying until the last hope, and if it fails we would find a shade of a rock so that we can snuggle together to keep ourselves warm all night long. 

I was thinking, if our way was heading to the viewpoint we should go there because we would not know whether it was Pachpokhari or simply the viewpoint unless we reach there. (The logic was if there were no ponds, it would be the view point, if there was even a pond we see, then that would be our destination).

The most reasonable ground to follow the trail was the footsteps. What if the footsteps disappeared while we make our journey down if it proved to be viewpoint? Ratna pulled the logical question. The answer was Bhagawan Bharosa.

Then came the Google Maps announcement: 300 meters to Pachpokhari. Yay!!

When in crisis three friends started to debate. The good news made them united with the big ‘Yay’.

When I saw stone-piled trail from both the sides with patches of wetlands, then my eyes were filled up with tears. “Hey guys, This is it. We made it.”

They approached, “how can you say?”

“I am pretty damn sure, this is it. I saw this landmark in a youtube video.” I said. 

My nose was bleeding. My throat was parched. There was a headache impending.

Dying light visible at a distance. A tin house.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The door creaked open. “Is this Suresh Dai’s Hotel?”

He said, “Yes, I am Suresh. Come in here.”

The best thing I would do at that time was sleep throwing my hands and legs. He showed me the tent and I just cuddled in there while my friends entered into the kitchen and made fire. There were dal bhat ready in a big pressure cooker; I had never ever seen one of those sizes. He would cook once, and serve whoever is coming for the day. He was catering dal bhat but Rajkumar patrolled the kitchen area to find anything cook-able for curry. He found lentil nuggets and dried tree-mushrooms. Suresh dai made the curry. We were asleep in no time after having dinner.

Day 3: 30 April 2018

We woke up at 5, had tea biscuits of Rs. 150 and walked to the viewpoint. It was all snowy. The sky was cloudy. The snow hill just in front of us was already obstructed by clouds. It took more than half an hour to reach to the hillock by the side of the biggest pond. Everybody took time for a photo session. It was drizzling with snow. Then we went to Pachpokhari Temple. We should offer paddy grains to the temple. Anecdotes suggest that in many time ago a Waiba hunter went to hunting. He didn’t find anything as prey and while returning frustrated found the place full of paddy plants. He was quite surprised to find paddy in that altitude. So, people started to offer paddy grains to the temple.

The names of five lakes are as below:

• Bhairab Kunda
• Saraswati Kunda
• Ganesh Kunda
• Surya Kunda
• Naag Kunda

The bad part is we could not see the best scenery of Pachpokhari like the ones we used to see in the photographs: the greenery and five sacred ponds with blue water. If there is snow, it is sure you are bound to miss that view. But snow also added thrills to our journey. It shone a light to another perspective of scenery for the five holy ponds which none of the travelers had noted down.   

The Pachpokhari Temple

At 8Am we left Pachpokhari. We saw how treacherous the route was on the return journey. We played with snow even for sometimes. There were photography sessions. At 11AM we reached Nasim Pati. We had dal bhat at Rs. 200 each. It was raining hailstones; we continued our walk downward with plastics on top of raincoat. In five hours, we reached Deurali. But before we reached Deurali, my right heels cramped and I could not fold my legs. I was lagging behind. Ratna came and volunteered to get my backpacks down. Then they together made it to the Deurali where we had Chau-Chau soup. Shel Dorje offered help to get my bags to Chhimti. We then started to move. We stayed the night at Chhimti.

Day 4: International Labor Day (May 1^st)

The next day was May first, international labor day. The labors of the public bus had announced the stoppage of their service for the day. The bus was not going. But with some exercise friends reserved a jeep to Kathmandu the next day with Rs. 10,000 through Sankhu route.     

Recommendation

The best season is April-May and September-October. So in these seasons, the hotels (these hotels are more like a tea house only which offers just a basic dal bhat khursani and blankets and mattress for sleeping) at Nasimpati and Pachpokhari are likely to cater food and shelter. In other seasons, you would have to get the tents or sleeping bags all by yourselves or if you are going through Bhotang spread the news that you people are going to Pachpokhari. If you are just a few persons then you would have to fix the deal beforehand how much you are willing to pay. If you have a group of 6 or more then they would go up. Shankar Waiba and Suresh Waiba both offer hotel service at Pachpokhari. If you plan to reach Pachpokhari on a day 2, give it a chance for a nice view the next morning by staying overnight there. While we returned, some of the friends asked whether we saw a couple golden ducks on the biggest ponds. We didn’t see because we didn’t look for it. If you are there don’t forget to look for those ducks.

If you want detailed information and booking contact:

Shankar Waiba: 9741505777

Suresh Waiba: 9741328642

Communication:

In Bhotang NTC Tower works well. In Chhimti and Deurali only CDMA phone works. You can have contacts with family through the CDMA in the hotels/shop. When you are way up to Deurali (after crossing the Suspension Bridge), NTC tower also works occasionally. You can try from your phone too. In some hills above Nasimpati also, we can have on and off networks to both NCELL and NTC sim.

Epilogue:

There are yaks on the way. Don’t go nearby them. Sometimes, they might be dangerous. Be careful when you are attracted to those beguiling rhododendrons because these flowers are on steep and difficult places. When you try to pluck them, you might fall down. If you think your backpacks are heavy, always try to find local potters around Bhotang or Chhimti. According to the weight, the potters are available for Rs. 1500 – 2500 but you are responsible for their food and accommodation. Rather than only dry foods, some fruits like apple or pomegranate would be gratifying. Better not to smoke and have heavy alcohol in the altitude. Bandages and anklets should be on the traveler’s bag. For preventing altitude sickness, secure acetazolamide 250 mg tablets. Diamox or Zolamide are the Trade name for the medicines. It might not be available in regular medical outlets, try to find them in eye hospitals’ pharmacy. 

While going up, when nothing works, there is only one thing that you have and it is the strongest tool to achieve your goal: YOUR WILL POWER. During the trek, don’t compete with fellow travelers. You walk how you walk, nobody should change that. It is always a long and daring walk and you should prove you can do it till the end. It is always good to finish late than give up in the middle. While returning back I also tried myself harder to walk down so that I could meet my friends. That’s exactly when I got my heels not working. It was towards the end of the journey. I had to give up if it was not. Your destination is always that matters. So, once you leave your home for a particular destination make a determination you will return to knock the door only after reaching there. There are no other conditions.

Plan for the trip as follows (This is a cost-effective trip plan for independent travelers)

Day 1:

Ktm (Narayantar) – Chhimti Single bus for Rs. 400-500. Time: around 6 hours

Chhimti – Deurali Trek for around 2 hours

Stay at Deurali (there are three hotels, may increase by the time). They charge Rs.300-400 per head for lodging and fooding. They serve Jhwai Khatte in additional cost.

Day 2:

Deurali – Tuppi Dada (2900m). Time 5 hours

Have lunch there

After lunch reach to Nasim Pati (3700m)

Stay the night there. There are places to stay in. Good for acclimatization.

Day3

Nasimpati- Pachpokhari (4100m). Time 2 – 3 hours

Pachpokhari to the viewpoint (4300m). Time 2 hours

Dine at Pachpokhari

Return to Chhimti.

Day 4:

The next day bus leaves for Ktm from Chhimti bus park at 8AM. 

The video log of this travel can be reached here: The Travelogue to Pachpokhari 

An abridged Nepali version of the blog is here: पाँचपोखरीको यात्रा

Click to watch the video about Pachpokhari