Tourists flock to Rara Lake as tourism season starts

The perfect time to visit beautiful Rara Lake has finally arrived. Stretching from March to June, this season offers the most fascinating environment to experience the lake’s natural beauty.

According to the officials at Rara National Park, the period between March and June is the best time to visit the national park. Assistant Officer Mahesh Neupane informed that by the first week of March in the current fiscal year, 7,779 domestic tourists and 186 foreign visitors had visited the lake.

Rara Lake is situated at an altitude of 2,880 metres above sea level. It spans 167 metres in depth, 5.1 kilometres in length and 2.7 kilometres in width, with a shoreline stretching 14.6 kilometres.

Walking around the lake takes around seven hours. Visitors can enjoy cycling or horse riding around the lake, however swimming and bathing in the lake is not allowed.

The Rara area is home to religious sites such as Rara Mahadev, Chhabru Mahadev and Laguda Temple. On the eastern side of the lake lies the Chhayanath Himal, with the snow-covered Rinimoksha Peak visible round the year.

Local Rup Bahadur Malla criticised the lack of government attention toward promoting Rara’s tourism. “There are no regular flights, reliable road access or tourist standard hotels. Marketing efforts for Rara are minimal and the potential for establishing a yoga and meditation centre has been ignored,” he remarked.

Local tourism entrepreneur Krishna Siwakoti underscores the need for infrastructure development and promotion along the trekking route from Jumla to Rara, extending to Khaptad, Dolpa and Humla. 

Bishnu Kumar Bham, Mayor of Chhayanath Rara Municipality, said that various programmes are being prepared to promote Rara’s tourism. He added that the municipality plans to provide training in hospitality, tourist guiding and other tourism-related skills to create employment opportunities for local youth.