Jati Pokhari is a perfect getaway destination if you’re looking for a peaceful, rich nature with the view of the valley, less crowded (almost none), and near Kathmandu.
As this place is just around 26.1 KM from Kathmandu, this can be a perfect weekend getaway bike ride, cycling, hiking or camping destination near Kathmandu.
At the top there’s a grassland like Bheda Farm in Chitlang or Bhundole with small ponds. And mostly locals bring their goats and buffaloes to graze in this grass land.
Also the village road from Newarbaari, Shital bazaar (after leaving Kulekhani road) takes you through farmlands, villages, Pear orchards and Pine forests, offering a rich natural, serene and rural vibe.
Since Jati Pokhari is located at an altitude of 2,050m above sea level, it’s colder and offers a majestic top view of Kathmandu valley with Himalayan range on clear weather. And it also gets snowfall sometimes during winter.
Also, most people seem to come for a camping trip as the place is really beautiful and also has a permanent shed for camping (in case of bad weather).
But there are no shops or villages nearby so if you plan to go camping, you’ll have to bring everything on your own (Food, Snacks, Water, etc.). It’s recommended to buy snacks at Dakshinkali as it is the last city where you will get everything. Also bring your trash with yourself (very important).
And by the way Jati Pokhari is pronounced as “Jaati Pokhari” which was originally called “Jaakee (Rice/Chamal) Pokhari”. Jakee means Rice in Newari language.
In Nepali – “जाती पोखरी (ज:ति पुखु)”.
How to reach Jati Pokhari?
To reach Jati Pokhari, you will have to take Balkhu-Kulekhani road and from Newarbaari take the right direction (off-road) to the village. From there, it’s just around 3.3KM to reach the top which can take around 20-30 mins on bike or 1.5 hrs on walking.
On a Bike: On a bike or scooter, you can reach the top at Jati Pokhari though the off-road section after leaving Kulekhani road is a little bit difficult. If you love off-roading, you’ll love the trail.
On a Public Vehicle: You can take a public bus for kulekhani which leaves from Ratnapark (Sundhara) or from Balkhu early in the morning, then get off at Newarbaari (Chiya Chautari Khaja Ghar & Rest House) and walk for around 1.5 hrs to reach Jati Pokhari.
Road Condition to reach Jati Pokhari
Balkhu, Kathmandu – Dakshinkali: Black Topped (Pitched) Road
Dakshinkali – Newarbaari, Shital Chowk: Widened and Graveled (Soon to be black topped) road
Newarbaari, Shital Chowk – Jati Pokhari: Village Off-road
Jati Pokhari Bike Route Map
Click Here for Google Maps Location and Direction.
Why Jati Pokhari?
Some of the major reasons to visit Jati Pokhari are as follows
- Short and nearby destination from Kathmandu (Just 26.1KM, 1.5-2 hrs bike ride one way).
- Lesser known, so less crowded.
- Rich is greenery as the village road passes through farmlands, pear orchards, pine forests and villages giving a rural and serene vibe.
- Better opportunity to taste locally grown fruits, vegetables and home cooked foods.
- Best places to observe Kathmandu valley with mountains from the top as it’s at an altitude of 2,050m above sea level.
- One of the best places for camping is the big grassland at the top and very few people visit here.
Photos By: G. Amrit, Arlesh Maharjan, Prakash Aryal, Kundan Shrestha & Prakash Aryal.
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Hiking Route to Jati Pokhari
According to Hike For Nepal, here’s the hiking route details
Hiking Route: Dakshinkali – Chaukot Devi Mandir – Jati Pokhari – Newar Baari
Hiking Duration: 6 Hours Approx.
Hiking Difficulty: Medium
Hiking Distance: 7-8 KM Approx.
How did we accidentally reach Jati Pokhari?
As a weekend ritual to go on a ride to explore natural and less known places near Kathmandu, we had to find a destination towards Pharping for this Saturday as one of our friends had some work there. And we also had a time constraint as we play futsal every saturday, thus we had to be on the futsal ground at 4:00 P.M.
Thus the destination needed to be short that could be completed in a half day.
After some thoughts and discussions, we decided to ride to Bhundole and then hike to Champadevi.
And on Saturday morning we left Kathmandu quite late at around 10:00 in the morning. Then first we stopped for a short snack break at Dalu, Pharping.
After the break we headed towards Dakshinkali Municipality where our friend had to meet with some locals for work. We met the locals and they took us to a rural village near Udhwalokeshor mahadev temple for a site visit.
Weather’s Bad. Abort The Plan?
By the time we finished our work there, it was around 1:00 P.M. and it seemed like it’s going to rain heavily. So we only had 3 hrs left at max with the chances of heavy rainfall, so our original plan to ride to Bhundole and hike to Champadevi seemed impossible.
And at the same time while we’re talking with the locals they told us about the place “Jati Pokhari” which was less known but popular among campers.
So when we checked the distance of the location it seemed nearby and had a road where bikes could easily go to the top.
Thus we changed our plans and headed towards Jati Pokhari following the google maps direction.
Luckily there was no rain and once we left Kulekhani highway and started riding on village off-road, it gave us the serene, peaceful, natural and authentic vibe as we were riding past the farmlands, pear orchards and pine forests in foggy weather.
Is it Heaven?
It was surreal and felt like we’re riding above the clouds, somewhere magical far from the cities and human settlements. And this was the exact kind of place we’re looking for and really adore. Slowly and carefully we climbed up and reached the top. It was all cloudy and visibility was around 5 meters. In the grassland we parked the bikes and started taking pictures of such moody monsoon weather and enjoyed the time there.
And till now we’re the only visitors there.
After enjoying some time there, we decided to come down and head home as it was already 1:45 P.M.
Also we had to find some place to have lunch as we’re only on breakfast power till now. And since we’re in a rural area we wanted to have local chicken and rice for lunch. So we started looking for a place where we could buy a local chicken and cook it. But unfortunately we couldn’t find any as there were not many villages on the road nor any hotels.
Since not many people visit there, locals have not started any shops there.
So, by leaving the desire to have rice with local chicken for the next time we moved towards Dakshinkali and on the way we found a small shop run by a grandma where we ordered to cook noodles with egg.
After the noodles, we also had a cup of milk tea then headed straight to futsal.
And luckily we reached there just before the game was about to start.
Now we need to look for another destination for next Saturday.
The place can be a rural less known area near Kathmandu that could be explored in a half day before our regular futsal match at 4:00 P.M.
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FAQs
Jati Pokhari lies on the border between Dakshinkali municipality ward 8 and Makwanpur district.
Jati Pokhari is around 26.1 KM from Balkhu, Kathmandu.
You can reach the top at Jati Pokhari on your own bike or scooter. But if you take a public bus then you’ll have to walk from Shital Bazaar, Newarbaari to Jati Pokhari for around 1.5-2hrs.
The altitude of Jati Pokhari is 2,050m above sea level.
Photography at Jati Pokhari (Before & After Edit)
Click Here to download the presets. (All these photos were shot on mobile phone)
