Summer beckons tourists to Rara Lake

BY HARI KRISHNA AIDI,Mugu, Feb. 22: With the arrival of summer, tourist season has begun in Rara, one of the beautiful tourist destinations in Karnali Province. 

Bishwa Babu Shrestha, Conservation Officer of Rara National Park Office, informed that since the tourist season has started, flow of tourists and tourism activities had increased in the area. 

Rara Lake, the biggest and deepest fresh water lake in Nepal, is surrounded by the Rara National Park and is a home to a diverse variety of flora and fauna along with some vulnerable species. The Lake changes to three different forms in a day and is surrounded by a mesmerizing mountain range. 

Tourists visiting Rara can enjoy horse riding around the Lake. There are around 150 horses ready for the tourists. Similarly, one can also enjoy boating there and roam around Murmatop, Milichaur, Majhghatta and places nearby the Lake. The ideal time to visit the Lake would be February through May and August through November. At this time, the weather is mild, the rhododendrons are in bloom everywhere making the mountain trails colourful, the sky is clear and the Lake is crystal blue.

Raju Karki, Karnali Province Domestic Tourism Promotion Advisor, said that one should visit Rara, which is known as the diamond of the Himalayas, at least once in their lifetime. He said that Rara is also a religious tourist spot as one can visit Chayannath shrine there. 

Route to Rara

The easiest way to travel to Rara Lake is to take a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and take another domestic flight from Nepalgunj to Rara airport and walk for around one hour all the way to Rara Lake or reach the Lake by road within half an hour. Beside air, tourists can travel to Rara Lake all the way from Kathmandu and Nepalgunj via road using jeep, motorcycle and other means. 

Ramchand Bham, managing director of Rara Karnali Pvt. Ltd., said that tourists could easily travel to Rara by air and road compared to the past. They could find hotels easily and proper food and lodging on the way, he added. One could also reach Rara via Kolti of Bajura district.

Food in Rara

In this region, food is quite basic, but enough to satisfy a tourist’s appetite. Food are prepared here based on local production. Red marsi rice, split black lentil, bean lentil, millet, buckwheat and wheat bread are the popular dishes found in Rara. 

Meanwhile, tourists visiting here take back the locally grown and made products like apples, honey, murma, jhayari, kotila and others to their loved ones and families as gift. 

Attraction of Rara

Rara Lake in Mugu district is 2,990 metres above sea level. Its depth is 167 metres. Rara is spread over an area of ​​10.8 square kilometres. It was included as a part of Rara National Park 

which stretches over 106 square kilometres in 1976. 

According to the office of Rara National Park, three types of mountain fish, 240 types of plants and 272 types of birds are found there. Similarly, there are 51 species of mammals in the park along with various types of herbs.