The Road to Bhairav Kunda

The Night Before: One Reel, One Idea, One Road

It had been a while since my brother, one of my friends and I had properly gone somewhere just to travel. Not for work. Not because we had to. Just because we wanted a change of air, a road to follow and a place we had not seen before.

Then, almost by accident, my friend was scrolling through Instagram Reels when a video about Bhairav Kunda stopped us. The lake looked remote, cold and unreal. It was the kind of place that makes you say, “How have we not been there yet?”

We spent the evening going through whatever information we could find: how to get there, where the road went, what the weather might be like, and whether we could make the trip work without turning it into a huge expedition.

By the time the night was over, the plan was simple: leave early the next morning, reach Jorpati, find the bus, head towards Sindhupalchok, and see where the road took us.

Some journeys begin with a carefully written itinerary. Ours began with an Instagram reel and the feeling that we had been sitting still for too long.

What Makes Bhairav Kunda Special?

Bhairav Kunda is a sacred high-altitude lake in Sindhupalchok, near Nepal’s northern frontier. It sits at roughly 4,250 metres above sea level and is regarded as a spiritual destination by both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims. The lake is associated with Bhairav, a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva.

Current trek references place the lake at around 4,250 metres and describe the route as a high-altitude journey with strong cultural and pilgrimage significance. Different trekking itineraries use different approaches, including routes through Jalbire, Listikot, Bagam and Chokarmokar. (current trekking references)

That variety is important: there is not just one way to experience Bhairav Kunda. Our trip followed a more road-accessible approach through the Sindhupalchok side, with an overnight stay at Chhagam and a pre-dawn vehicle ride toward the upper trail.

Packing for Falgun: We Were Not Taking Any Chances

We were travelling in Falgun, so we knew the higher elevations could be brutally cold. I packed with the assumption that Kathmandu weather would tell us almost nothing about the temperature we would actually face higher up.

• 2 pairs of warm socks, gloves
• 1 pair of trekking shoes
• 2 track pants
• A North Face jacket rated for severe cold
• A warm fleece hoodie
• 1 pair of sandals
• A few half-sleeve shirts for layering at lower elevations
• · Basic personal supplies, snacks and water

The lesson from the trip was simple: at high altitude, being slightly over-prepared is far better than discovering at night that the jacket you brought was never warm enough.

Jorpati to Sindhupalchok: The Journey Begins

Early the next morning we reached Jorpati to catch our bus. The fare was around Rs. 800 per person according to our trip memory. The departure time was in the morning, around 9:00 AM as best as I can recall, but this is one of those details I would tell future travellers to verify directly with the bus operator because schedules can change.

The first part of the journey felt like a normal road trip. We followed the Araniko Highway, watching Kathmandu slowly disappear behind us.

Then the road changed.

As the bus turned towards Listikot, the comfortable highway gave way to narrower, rougher roads. The further we went, the more the trip began to feel like the adventure we had hoped for. We laughed at the bumps, joked about Nepali roads and, in the slightly foolish way that travel companions sometimes do, enjoyed the dangerous-looking sections far more than we probably should have.

The road itself became part of the attraction. We had come looking for a lake, but somewhere along the way the journey became the story.

Sukute Beach: An Unexpected Stop on the Way
Before reaching Chhagam, we stopped at Sukute Beach for lunch. Sukute is known for river-based recreation, particularly rafting and kayaking, and it made a pleasant contrast to what was waiting for us in the high hills.

It was a reminder that Sindhupalchok changes character dramatically over relatively short distances: river valleys and recreation at lower elevations, then village roads, forests, ridges and eventually the cold alpine landscape around Bhairav Kunda.

Listi Mai Temple: A Stop Worth Making

On the way towards Listikot, we also stopped to visit Listi Mai Temple. What caught our attention was not simply the temple itself, but the feeling that the place carried stories that were much older than our trip.

It was the kind of stop that makes a road journey feel less like transportation and more like exploration. Instead of thinking only about how many kilometres were left, we were already collecting places, people and small moments.

Arrival at Chhagam: Darkness, Cold and Good Luck

We reached Chhagam in the evening at around 6:30 PM. It was already dark, the air was cold and windy, and we were more than ready to stop travelling for the night.

We got lucky. Our bus dropped us almost next to a homestay, only a few steps away from where we got off. After a long ride, it felt like the kind of small luck that travellers remember.

We settled into the homestay and had a simple local dinner: rice, lentils, boiled eggs and fresh vegetables. Nothing elaborate. Nothing needed.

The Plan Changes at Dinner

Our original plan had been to hike towards Bhairav Kunda. But as often happens in the mountains, the plan changed after one conversation.

We spoke with our homestay owner, who told us that a jeep could take us much closer to the trail. The idea was simple: instead of spending all our energy on the road approach, we could use a Bolero to reach the upper section and walk from there.

The price we paid for the Bolero journey up and down was around Rs. 1,500 per person.

It was a practical decision, but it also turned the next morning into something I had not expected: a pre-dawn 4WD adventure through freezing mountain roads.

The 3:30 AM Wake-Up Call
At around 3:30 in the morning, our driver called us and told us to get ready.

There was road construction on the route towards Bagam, which meant we had to walk a section before reaching the point where the Bolero could pick us up.

So, still half-asleep and carrying our warmest layers, we walked through the dark for roughly thirty minutes.

Once we reached the vehicle, we climbed into the back of the Bolero.

It was freezing. It was dark. It was uncomfortable. And it was exactly the kind of adventure we had hoped for.

The road was rough and the darkness made every turn feel more dramatic. But slowly the black sky began to soften. The first hint of morning appeared in the east. Gold began to mix with blue. The landscape that had been invisible a few minutes earlier started revealing itself one ridge at a time.

The Final Approach: When the Night Started Turning Gold

After roughly an hour and fifteen minutes of travel towards the upper trail area, we began to experience the transition from night to morning properly.

We stopped to take photographs along the way. Every few minutes the light changed. The mountains were no longer silhouettes. They were becoming shapes, then ridges, then walls of rock and snow.

That was probably my favourite part of the entire journey.

There are some moments you photograph because you want proof that they happened. There are others you photograph even though you already know the photograph will never be enough.

Bhairav Kunda: The Lake in the Cold

When we reached Bhairav Kunda, the cold was immediate. The lake was partially frozen around its edges, the kind of winter scene that makes you instinctively pull your jacket tighter.

At one side of the lake stood the temple associated with the sacred site. The surroundings were stark and beautiful: a high mountain basin, rocky slopes, cold air and a silence very different from the noise of Kathmandu.

Bhairav Kunda is generally described at around 4,250 metres, and the high altitude is not something to take lightly. Modern trekking itineraries treat the lake as a genuine high-altitude destination rather than an ordinary day hike. (current trekking references)

We spent around two to three hours around the lake. We walked, took photographs, watched the mountain light change, and tried to absorb the scale of the landscape.

Why the Lake Feels Different

Part of Bhairav Kunda’s appeal is that it is not simply a scenic lake. Its religious identity is woven into the experience. Pilgrims travel there for spiritual reasons, and the lake is revered in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Some trekking sources specifically connect pilgrimage activity with Janai Purnima and the full-moon period in Bhadra. (current trekking references)

That means visitors are not arriving at an empty viewpoint. They are arriving at a sacred landscape. The right mindset is therefore not “How much can I photograph?” but “How respectfully can I experience this place?”

Back Down Through the Mountains

Eventually our driver called and it was time to leave.

We climbed back into the Bolero and began the descent. Going down was a very different experience from going up. In the morning darkness had made the road feel mysterious. Now we could actually see the drops, slopes and bends we had crossed without being able to see them.

We returned to the lower settlement and had a proper meal: chapati, vegetables and chicken. After the cold morning, it tasted better than almost anything could have.

We then walked around Chhagam and its surroundings, taking in the village more slowly than we had the previous evening. The trip was no longer about reaching the lake. We were simply enjoying being there.

Two Nights, Simple Food and a Different Kind of Luxury

Our homestay arranged the morning bus for our return. The total cost of our two-night stay and food was around Rs. 2,500 per person according to our trip notes. The total trip cost, including transport and other expenses, came to roughly Rs. 5,500 per person.

For the amount of landscape, adventure and memory packed into those two days, it felt like one of the best-value trips we had taken.

The Journey Home
We left Chhagam at around 7:30 AM. The road back felt longer than the road going in, perhaps because the excitement of discovery had been replaced by the pleasant fatigue of finishing a trip.

We eventually reached our flat in Kathmandu around 7:00 PM.

Two days earlier, we had been sitting around deciding where to go. Now we were back home with cold memories, thousands of photographs, inside jokes, a new list of places to visit, and the feeling that we had actually gone somewhere.

What the Journey Taught Me
The biggest lesson was that travel rarely follows the plan you make at home.

We started with an Instagram reel. We expected a straightforward journey. The road changed. Our transport changed. Our hiking plan changed. We ended up using a Bolero because local knowledge gave us a better option.

And that was not a failure of planning. It was the journey working exactly as journeys often do.

I also learned that local knowledge can be more valuable than an itinerary. Our homestay owner knew the road, the vehicle options and the practical reality better than any reel could have shown us.

I learned to respect altitude. Bhairav Kunda is beautiful, but 4,250 metres is not an ordinary elevation. The cold, thinner air and long road journey require preparation. Current Nepal Tourism Board guidance lists the Panchpokhari Bhairabkunda area among routes where trekkers are subject to the revised TIMS/guide rules, so anyone planning a formal trek should verify the current requirement before departure. (Nepal Tourism Board, current TIMS/guide guidance)

Most importantly, I learned that a trip does not have to be expensive to be meaningful.

The best part of Bhairav Kunda was not the number on the altitude sign. It was the moment the first sunlight touched the mountains and three tired friends realized they had made it.