A short trek straight out of Pokhara into some of the last big rhododendron and oak forests near the city, with nights in village lodges, a hilltop of sacred ponds, and a view that stretches from Dhaulagiri to Manaslu.
Panchase, "five lakes", is a forested massif west of Phewa Lake. Its summit area holds a cluster of small sacred ponds and a Hindu shrine, and pilgrims climb it for festivals.
For walkers it is the best short trek from Pokhara that needs no jeep: you can leave from Lakeside on foot or by boat. The trail climbs through farmland and villages of Gurung, Magar and Brahmin families into dense forest of rhododendron and oak, home to many orchids and birds, to Panchase Bhanjyang below the top.
It can be done as a long day from Bhumdi, but a two- or three-day loop with nights in community lodges is much better, finishing with a boat across the lake. Rhododendrons bloom in March and April. The summit view stretches from Dhaulagiri to Manaslu.
Out through Bhumdi, over the top, and back by boat across Phewa Lake.
Taxi or walk from Lakeside to Bhumdi, then climb through villages and terraces to the forest edge. Sleep in a homestay or lodge.
A long climb through rhododendron and oak, mossy and quiet, to the pass below the summit with its lodges.
Climb the last stretch before sunrise to the shrine and ponds, with Dhaulagiri, the Annapurnas, Machapuchare and Manaslu in a line.
Descend east through forest and villages to the far shore of Phewa Lake and catch a boat back to Lakeside.
Simple community lodges and homestays: dal bhat dinners, shared bathrooms, blankets provided. Carry a sleeping-bag liner.
Arrange a pickup from the far shore with a Lakeside boatman, or find one at the village landing.
In and just after the monsoon, the forest is full of leeches: salt, long socks and gaiters help.
Pokhara practical notes →
The classic short teahouse trek.
A ridge straight at the Fishtail.
Into the Sanctuary.
Community lodges facing Dhaulagiri.
A boat, a forest and a stupa.
A ridge between two lakes.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their licences; Pexels photographs under the Pexels licence.
