Visitors to Rara face lack of adequate hotels

By Our Correspondent,Mugu, Nov 16: Visitors to Rara Lake, a famous tourist destination in Karnali Province, are now unable to get food because of a lack of competitive hotels in the area. In recent years, visitors of the famous lake have increased, However, the number of hotels and eateries has not increased to meet the demands of rising visitors.

The Rara National Park Office, Rara Hutu, has allowed the operation of only two hotels-Danfe Chamena Griha and Village Heritage Resort near the lake and they cannot feed all visitors.

 Narendra Malla, who has come to Rara from Kalikot, said that domestic tourists are suffering from the lack of food and accommodation due to the absence of other competitive hotels around Rara Lake.

He said that the two hotels are often booked in advance, and there is a problem with food and accommodation due to the high number of tourists.

He had planned to stay three days, but he had to return in a single day due to food problems, he said.

He demanded that more hotels should be allowed to operate for the convenience of tourists Birsh Bahadur Rokaya, a local, said that the visitors do not visit dozens of hotels operating outside Rara as the Ministry of Forest and Environment has given permission only to Danfe and Heritage hotels to run their business near the lake.

He suggested that other hotels should be opened in the Rara Lake area maintaining pollution to provide food and accommodation facilities to the tourists visiting the Rara.

According to Mahesh Neupane. Chief of Rara National Park Office, Gopal Bam, owner of Danfe Hotel and Chamena Griha, has been allowed to operate for 10 years with a monthly revenue of Rs. 2,000 as per the agreement inked in 2009.

Similarly, Raj Bahadur Karki, owner of another Village Heritage Resort, was allowed to operate the resort up to Janurary 2024 by paying a monthly revenue of Rs 5,000, according to the National Park Office.

Neupane further said that the Ministry has the right to allow the operation of Danfe and Village Heritage Resort or terminate their agreement. " It is only the ministry that has the right to allow to operate hotels in the Rara Lake area," he said.