Rara through my eyes

After a couple of days’ stay in Nepalgunj in southwest Nepal, I along with a friend of mine flew to Talcha Airport in Mugu district. Following a few hours’ walk from the airport, we reached Rara Lake situated at an altitude of 2,990 metres (9,810 feet) above the sea level. It has a surface area of 10.8 square kilometres, making it the largest lake in Nepal.

According to an unimpeachable source, Rara Lake is 167 metres (548 feet) deep. It has clean and clear water containing various kinds of fish species, which are one of the sources of attractions for tourists.

On the northern side of the lake, there is a village named Rara, from where we can have a spectacular bird’s eye view of Mugu district and the gorgeous mountains beyond. According to the local villagers, the village looks beautiful when its trees are loaded with ripe apples.

The number of domestic visitors visiting the lake has increased of late mainly due to its beautiful surrounding landscape and unpolluted environment. Not only this, the frequent change of the colour of the water of the lake fascinates the visitors greatly.

Actually, the increase in domestic tourists has been a boon for the local tourism industry’s promotion in recent years because foreign tourists are not much interested in visiting this lake due to the lack of essential infrastructure.

Since there is no electricity supply and internet connections at the site, tourists have to use solar power to recharge their mobile phones and cameras. These, undoubtedly, inconvenience them a lot.

Although, there has been an increase in the number of tourists visiting Rara Lake in recent years, most of them do not stay there for more than a couple of days due to the shortage of facilities.

Also, those interested in going overland have to sustain a boring trip over an uncomfortable road.

Some agencies offer air and transport services to tourist wishing to visit Rara Lake. They also arrange trekking services to persons who want to visit Rara on foot. However, due to less publicity, the number of trekkers has not increased as much as one would have liked.

Despite some problems encountered by us during our trip, we were very happy to see the majestic beauty of Rara Lake with its charming surrounding landscape. Actually, our trip was the perfect escape for some much needed refreshment from the humdrum of urban life.