By Chandra Pandak, Taplejung, Dec. 16: The number of tourists visiting the Timbung Lake area, a tourist spot in Sidingwa Rural Municipality, Taplejung district, has gone up this year.

The lake, which borders Taplejung and Panchthar districts as well as India’s Sikkim state, is a famous tourist spot in the district.

The increase has been attributed to the publicity campaigns and construction and up-gradation of infrastructure, including footpaths.

Situated at an altitude of 4,380 meters above sea level, the lake is also considered important from a religious point of view.

The number of pilgrims visiting the lake also increased this year. The government has listed the lake, known as Gosaikunda of the East, as a tourist destination to be developed.

Kailash Rai, a local of Sadewa, said that tourist arrivals had increased due to the construction of the footpaths after the lake was listed as a tourist destination two years ago.

According to Rai, who is also the spokesperson for Sidingwa Rural Municipality, the number of tourists has been increasing significantly of late.

Recently, the footpath to the lake has been upgraded under the tourism promotion scheme of the province and federal government, along with the local level.

Jeevan Kumar Tamling, the vice-chairman of the rural municipality, said that the construction of tourist houses had made it easier for the tourists to visit the area, leading to an increase in their number.

According to Tamling, beautification and other works have also attracted tourists to the area.

Before the construction of tourist houses, the tourists had been making good use of the Yak herds as their accommodation. Because of the difficult terrain, it takes three to four days to reach the lake from Kalikhola to the upper settlement of Sadewa and come back, said chairman of the municipality Nar Bahadur Kadariya.

According to spokesperson Rai, most of the visiting tourists are from districts of Eastern Nepal. He informed that tourists from Kathmandu, Pokhara, and other places in western Nepal had also visited the lake this year and that a significant number of tourists had come from Sikkim and Darjeeling as well.

Hindu faithful visit the lake every year during Nag Panchami. It is also said that domestic and foreign tourists visit the area to observe the picturesque scenery, herbs, Yak and Sheep rearing, and Red Panda.