Panch Pokhari trek is Lesser known yet as beautiful and comparable to other major trekking in Nepal. Panch Pokhari trek lies in Sindhupalchok District to the north-east of Kathmandu which is an important feature of Langtang national park housing the ninth highest alpine wetland ecosystem in the world.
Panch Pokhari means five lakes and among them, Surya Kunda is the biggest. This place is sacred for Hindu, Buddhist, and Bombo followers who are a small group of natural healers.
According to local legend, a hunter called Bombo Wiba arrived at Panch Pokhari with his dog 2,325 years ago. Upon his arrival, he saw Lord Shiva and his wife Parbati planting rice. Seeing the hunter, Lord Shiva and Parbati went to hide and disappear behind a rock which became the main shrine today and is still there by the lake.
Since then this is the place of significant spiritual energy for Bombo followers where they come together to join the annual powerful spiritual festival with the Hindus and Buddhists in August.
This infrequent visited remote trekking trail is near the base of Jugal Himalayan which provides many snow-capped mountain views like Dorje Lakpa(6,966m), Phurbi Chhyachu (6,637m), and Madiya (6,257m)
This trek also offers plenty of scenic views of lush green grassland, and colorful wildflowers passing through Newar, Tamang, and Sherpa settlements which are all wonderful off-the-beaten-path trekking experiences in Nepal.
Getting to the trailhead of the Panch Pokhari trek
There are few getaways to reach Panch Pokhari in which the traditional trek route starts from Chautara and can be reached by road takes around 5 hours drive. There is now another famous gateway which is Malachi Bazaar, which is now famous among the trekkers with a short period of time as you reach Panch Pokhari in just 2-3 days walk.
Trek route to Panch Pokhari
The trek route goes driving to Chautara which is the district headquarter of Sindhupalchok district then the trek goes to Sano Pokhran danda and to Kami danda for the first and second night. The trek continues to Pauwabas and to Hike Bhanjyang gradually for another two nights and the last two days go through Nasimpati and Panch Pokhari which is the final destination. Then it takes another three days to finish the trek via Tupi Danda, Dhap, and finally at Melamchi bazaar.
Required permits and fees for the Panch Pokhari trek
To trek to Panch Pokhari, you need two types of permits which first you Need a "TIMS card"(trekking information management system) which costs $20 USD for independent trekkers per head and $10 USD for organized trekkers per head. The last one is the "Langtang national park entrance fee" which costs 3000 Nepalese rupees per head.
