Panchpokhari delights visitors round the year

By Our Correspondent,Sindhupalchowk, Mar. 11: Sindhupalchowk’s Panchpokhari is one of those rare tourist destinations that never goes out of style. 

Be it summer or winter, monsoon or autumn, domestic and foreign travellers keep coming to soak in the scenery and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere  year-round. 

Even natural disasters and two years of COVID-19 did not take away the charm of this place which was declared a must-visit site for the Visit Nepal Year 2020.

True to its name, this area, located at an altitude of 4,151 metres above sea level in the Panchpokhari Thangpal Rural Municipality–3, has five beautiful natural ponds (Panch means five in Nepali and Pokhari means pond). 

Local Mangale Tamang shared that hundreds of national and international tourists visited the site every month. “We get over a hundred Nepalis and around a dozen foreigners here every day,” he said. 

The recent upgrading of the Bhotang-Chhimti-Panchpokhari Road has allowed people who come to Langtang to reach Panchpokhari via Helambu.

To capitalise on this influx of tourists and boost their livelihoods, the locals have started setting up inns and hotels. Chhingrel Tamang told The Rising Nepal that his small hotel earned him enough to sustain his family and send his children to school. People here have stopped going abroad and have started establishing businesses to cater to the tourists.

Rural Municipality Chairman Tasi Lama said that the local government would do more to beautify the pond area and lure more tourists. “We are collaborating with various agencies for this,” he informed.

The five ponds also hold religious value. Devotees from all over the world throng the area on the day of Janai Purnima.