Where is Rara Lake and How can I get there?

Introduction

Rara Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Nepal situated at the heart of Rara National Park in a small district, Mugu. Rara Lake is one of the few pristine and less crowded trekking and tour destinations, surrounded by hills in all sides and beautiful mountain ranges behind those hills. The Lake lies at elevation of 2990 meters from the sea level, distributed to the area of 10.8 square km (almost 13 km around the lake), with the depth of 548 ft. The Lake drains into the Mugu Karnali River via the Nijar River. It was declared Ramsar Site (an Intergovernmental Environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO) on September 2007.

Rara National Park is the home to three endemic fishes, the rare and endangered Red Panda, Himalayan Black Bears, Leopards, Foxes that howl early in the morning around the lakes and many other animals inside it. The Lake being surrounded by National Park, it has unique flora and fauna importance with rare and vulnerable species and some endangered animals too. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people living around this area. People are also engaged in animal rearing like goats and also in selling extracted medicinal herbs. Rara Lake has been a popular destination for trekkers with a very rough route in Western Nepal. The glimpses of culture of the people here and scenery on the way is quite different from the rest of Nepal. Situated at high elevation, we find the mighty Rara Lake in the heart of Rara National Park with alpine vegetation. The view of snow-capped mountains enhances the beauty and attraction of the trek. 

Reasons to visit the Rara Lake

1. The biggest freshwater Lake of Nepal

Rara Lake is the biggest freshwater Lake of Nepal extended to the total area of 10.8 sq. km at an elevation of 2990 m. The depth of the lake is 548 ft. Naturally, the lake is very beautiful as it lies on the heart of Rara National Park and worth visiting once. The Karnali River of Mugu receives the drained water from this Lake.

2. Hiking on Nearby Hills

The entire lake is surrounded by the green hills and mountains beside the hills. So, if the trekkers are interested on such hike they can go to the hills for hike. Since Rara lake is huge so you can observe the spectacular view of entire lake from top of those hills and also you can explore different kinds of floras and faunas while walking through the hills.

3. The Town of Jumla

You can have the amazing experience exploring through the Jumla Town. Jumla town lies on the banks of Tila River. It is the district headquarter of Jumla District and the largest town in the entire Karnali zone at an elevation of 2514m. Although it is not verified but Jumla is claimed to be one of the highest rice growing areas in the world. It is said that in the ancient times the royal King’s family of Nepal used to import the red rice from this town for themselves. You should definitely try local red rice of this town with ghee which has a special taste.

4. Less crowded area

The lake is unspoiled and unaffected by the human civilization as it lies inside National Park. So, it’s free and can be visited without any disturbance from outer world. The features like Hotels, Boats, Airport etc. are the facilities for the trekking trips.

5. Meditation in the Rara Lake

As the lake is untouched and unspoiled by the human civilization, it is the perfect place for meditation. You can feel the nature and tune your body towards nature. It is believed that some saints have devoted their whole life in meditation on this side. Meditation in this type of places gives you a spiritual energy.

How to reach Rara Lake?

You have many options to reach Rara Lake. The options are described below:

1. Easiest option is a direct flight to Rara Lake

This is the shortest and easiest way to reach the Lake. You can fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj then from Nepalgunj to Talcha {and even Jumla} or you get another way from Surkhet airport to Talcha. From Talcha, it’s an easy way to reach the Lake.

2. Another is through a jeep, a bus or a private vehicle to the Lake

It’s another easy way to get to the Lake. You get a bus from the Kathmandu valley to Nepalgunj. You reach there in about 16-20 hours. From Nepalgunj, you can take the local jeep to Rara Lake. Another way, you can have a direct way drive, private one towards Rara Lake from Kathmandu. Taking the private vehicle takes you much closer to the lake. Last one is, taking the local jeeps from Jumla or Surkhet once you’re there by plane or overland drive. But it’s not a local thing. So, you might have to reserve it, either from Nepalgunj or Surkhet or Jumla. With the vehicles other than bus after getting off at the last point, you need to walk for about 25 minutes to reach the Lake.

3. This is quite hard but very enjoyable and proper way to the Lake, Trekking

If you love trek and adventure in the pristine Himalayan land of Nepal, then it’s the best way to enjoy the way to Rara Lake. You can have the most beautiful and awesome way to enjoy the Karnali through the blended landscape of the region exploring the beautiful and unique culture of the western Nepal.

How much does it cost for a full trek to Rara Lake?

The overall cost of the trip can vary depending upon the size of your group, the accommodation choice, how much you spend on the trip, the country you are from, etc. It all depends on your spending habits or your traveling standards.

Accommodation at Rara Lake

The homestays are available in the nearby villages from the Rara Lake. If you wish to stay at Rara Lake, then there are few Hotels or lodges available. You need to book it beforehand most of the time but they also provide tents and other feasible ways to serve customers. With only few numbers of hotels, you might want to carry your own tents in case your group is big and you haven’t booked the rooms.

About the Phone Networks and charging the batteries

Throughout the journey, charging the phones and camera batteries won’t be a problem at all. The solar energy is available in Jumla as well as in all areas of the Mugu district. But the phone networks are not available everywhere. Both NTC and Nell Sim networks can’t be found in the Rara Lake area but Sky phone Sim network is available as their network is available almost everywhere.

Thank you for reading. Cheers, take care and see you.