Rara Lake Trek

Lying in Mugu District, Rara is the largest and the deepest lake in Nepal lying within the smallest National Park. Surrounded by alpine forests and the hills the isolation and remoteness of Rara makes it more beautiful. Although it can be reached by 3 hours hike from the Talcha Airport at Mugu, it is better to take 2 days trek from Jumla crossing the mountain passes in between.


The glimse of the lake from the Hotel

1. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR

1. Rara Lake

Rara lies at an altitude of 2980m [some records show it upto 3062m] and covers the area of 10.8 sq.km making it the largest lake in Nepal. It is almost 13km around the lake. To give you the idea of the size of the Lake, it takes around at least 5 hours to go around the lake which is possible as there are trails and view towers all around the lake. Rara also happens to be the deepest lake in Nepal with maximum depth of 160m. The lake is surrounded by pine, spruce and juniper forest. The snow capped Mountain range is of course visible. Given its size it is little inconvenient to capture photo of the whole lake.

There is a single Danfe Hotel alongside the military camp providing the lodging facilities. It is said that there were once settlements around the lake. King Mahendra after his visit in 1964, in order to preserve lake and the surrounding vegetation, moved and resettled the people to Chisapani.

2. The Scenic High Passes

For information, passes are generally the lowest point in the mountain range and the highest point on the route, from which one can travel from one side of the range to the other side. The passes are usually the only flat ground in the area. As the winds escapes from one side to other side of the pass, wind speeds are expected to be high at the passes usually after 12pm.

The trek includes following passes

Daphe Langa [3691m]

Ghuchi Langa [3480m]

All the passes are almost always marked by Chorten and Prayer flags.

5. The town of Jumla

Jumla town lying on the on the banks of the Tila River is the district headquarter of Jumla District and the largest town in the Karnali zone. At 2514m height, Jumla is claimed as one of the highest rice growing areas in the world. Although that can’t be verified, you should definitely try local red rice with ghee which has a special taste.

7. Experiencing Karnali

Karnali is the largest but one of the poorest and most remote regions of Nepal partly because of absence of road connection and low agricultural production. Planes are the main means of transport. The life in Karnali is difficult so don’t expect good lodging and sanitary facilities except in Jumla. Most part of Karnali is still undeveloped which mean no electricity, difficult trails. The lodging, fooding and sanitary facilities are at best basic. For more details of what is available and what is not check the ‘Facilities and Expenses’ section

2. BEST TIME

We made the journey in October when the weather was fine. The Wikipedia page suggests the best visiting time to the Rara Lake to be September/October and April/May. From December to March, the temperature goes below the freezing point, and heavy snowfall occurs, blocking the way to the lake. Monsoon season is short in this region occurring between the months of July to October.

3. TREKKING ADVISES

These are some of the trekking rules we tend to follow, many of which are just obvious. Although it is not mandatory, it has proved to be useful.

1. Trek yourself

Going through trekking agencies are absolutely not required. You can save that money and hire a local guide midway if you really want to, instead of paying for the trekking agencies. All bus tickets can be brought at ‘Gongabu bus Park’ where the counters are clearly labeled.

Things are little difficult for plane tickets. Generally for Jumla most airlines fly there but for Juphal in Dolpo and Talcha in Mugu, the airlines that operated more frequently were ‘Sita Air’ and ‘Goma Air’.

2. Starting early

Start as early as possible in the morning. Usually 5am-6:30am but not late than that. It’s because the morning time is most comfortable for walking so the more distance we can cover in morning the better. It is better to have breakfast at next station or settlement. We tend to have Dal bhat at around 10-2pm. That way the meal will cover the whole day.

3. Knowing about next point.

Before going to next point, try to know about the next point or settlement by asking the local people. For estimating time to next location, it is IMPORTANT to add at least 1 hour extra to the time specified by the locals. It is not their fault; it’s just that the local people tend to travel faster nor do they stop for photograph or rest.

When possible, we can ask for the contact no of hotel or dining place at the next station and make a phone call beforehand to prepare the food. It saves a lot of time by ordering the food earlier. As a bonus, the contact no is useful if we happen to get lost midway. However don’t expect it to work every time as mobile network is extremely unreliable in remote locations. As a note, the Karnali region is most covered by ‘Hello Nepal’ mobile service.

4. Stay on same path

If going in large group [5 or more], there is no use trying to stay together. Some will be fast and some may be slow. But whenever path divides or is confusing, we tend to wait or make an arrow mark [ à ] on the trail with our trekking sticks so that all of us stay in one path [even if that is not the right path]. The fastest of us would order the food at the next station saving time for others.

5. Avoiding night travel

The average distance from 1 settlement to the other is 3 hours, so it is advised not to travel further if you reach a settlement at 4pm or later unless you are sure that the next point is nearby.

6. Hospitality rule

It is considered rude to sleep in one and dine at other in these places. So you are to accommodate both in one place as far as possible.

4. TOUR ITINERARY

The tour Itinerary is based on the travel done on October 2012. Note that this Itinerary gives you how you should travel based on our experience and not how we travelled. As we tend to travel faster to save time, the Itinerary tends to be the shortest you can manage so you may add a day to the schedule. The other itineraries of the circuit on Internet are usually longer than this. Those itineraries are guided treks intended for foreigners who tend to have time.

All the location name and heights are taken from the Map published by Himalayan Map House.

Day 1

Kathmandu to Nepalgunj

The bus from Kathmandu takes us to Nepalgunj, which is the main city in mid west region of Nepal. The tickets are easily available at Gongabu Bus stop counter. It is better to book the plane ticket a few days earlier either thorough an agent or through airlines office. Generally for Jumla most airlines fly there but for Juphal in Dolpo and Talcha in Mugu, the airlines that flies there are mostly ‘Sita Air’ and ‘Goma Air’. The ticket to Juphal cost us Rs 10,000 per person.

We stayed at our friend’s home which is at Nepalgunj but hotels are readily available. Check the ‘Necessary Items’ list and buy all the items here. Except at Jumla, it may be difficult to buy the items elsewhere in Karnali.

Day 2

Nepalgunj – Jumla [2475m] – Chhepka [2720m]

From Nepalgunj we fly to Jumla airport. The flights are always scheduled for morning. It is normal for planes to get delayed or even postponed due to weather. You can stay for a day in Jumla or start as early as possible towards North for Rara. The hill we have to cross is visible from Jumla town. The road climbs gently up to Chauriyachaur which is a large field on the hill. The whole Jumla town can be seen from here. It is then a steep climb to the top of 3691m high Daphe Langa Pass. The DapheLanga pass is scenic. From here we descend through thick forest to the Bridge over river locally referred as ‘Lete Gad’. We cross the log bridge to north side after which it is short climb to NauriGhat or Bumra. If you are able to reach NauriGhat [2755] by 3pm you can try to reach Chautha. As we had started late we had to settle in NauriGhat. Just don’t expect good rooms and toilets.

Day 3

Chautha – Ghuchi Langa [3480m] – Rara Lake [2980m]

From Chautha, we again ascend to GhuchiLanga pass at 3480m. This pass is greener surrounded by pine forest. After 30 minutes of descend the road can be confusing. We take the left path through pine forest on the left which takes directly to the Rara. [The other way descends steeply and takes you to Pina and to Gamgadhi which is the headquarter of the Mugu District which is the longer route.].

After some steep descend we then cross river and move ahead to small hamlet of Dhuir from which it is a steep climb of 30-60 minutes toJhyari which is a small village. After Jhyari the trails ascends and crosses the Park boundary marked by stone and reaches an open pasture. The map and other guide indicate a point from where the lake can be viewed but we weren’t able to find one. So you may as well hire a local person to guide the way to Rara. In the end the trail descend through forest to the Rara Lake on the wet land side.

The Danfe hotel is on the other side and is the only option there is. I have not mentioned any time because you will be able reach Rara from Chautha at around 3pm.

Day 4

Rara Lake – Talcha

You can view the sunrise and explore around rara even stay an extra day here. It started snowing during our visit so we couldn’t stay for long anticipating bad weather. If you plan to stay a day more it is said that you can visit an old village of Rara and a point from which to view the whole lake although we couldn’t do that.

If you want to catch the plane at Talcha the following day, you have to move at around 1-2 as it is 3 hours walk to the Talcha Airport and you have to book the ticket for the next day. We move towards east through a jungle following the ridge. It is again easy to get lost here but all the way lead to main road which ultimately lead to Talcha.

At Talcha there are few hotels to stay but before that try to book your plane ticket. Ask the local people for ‘Goma Air’ and ‘Sita Air’ office which were the most frequent ones during the time we visited. Book the ticket for Sirgari or Nepalgunj whichever is available for the next day because there is nothing much to see in Talcha so it would be boring if you are stuck here. The return tickets were cheaper and cost us only Rs 3400.

If you want to extend the tour you can return to Jumla through Sinja which is said to be historical capital of Malla Civilization but you will have to figure that out yourself.

Day 5

Talcha- Surkhet or Nepalgunj

Weather is unpredictable here. For us it was snowing a day earlier and the next day it was clear without clouds. The airport is as basic as it can get with only one flight control tower and nothing else. It is normal for flights to get delayed. Fortunately your plane will arrive in time and you can leave.

From Surkhet or Nepalgunj take a night bus to Kathmandu

About the Schedule

Currently there is a direct bus service to Jumla from Kathmandu but the ride through Karnali Highway can be bumpy.

5. PHOTO GALLERY

6. NECESSARY ITEMS

GEAR

Water Proof shoes [Rs 3000 & above]Water proof moderately thick jacketsFew extra T-shirt [as at the end of the day it will be wet with sweat]Sleeping Bags

MEDICAL

Band Aid, Tube BetadineSancho, Paracetamol, Pain killerMove, Bandage, Knee bandsMetrodazole tablet, Electolyte Solution like Nava jeevanSunscreens

ACCESSORIES

Trekking Stick [Rs 350]Map [Rs 300]Toilet paper, Brush/pasteA torch, Match or LighterA 500ml transparent pet bottleKnife and whistle for survival in emergency

FOOD

None specific but you shouldn’t miss Nuts, beaten rice, Candies and some pre-cooked noodles

7. FACILITIES & EXPENSES

  • Electricity is available in most places.
  • The Karnali zone is covered mostly by Hello Nepal network. You can buy the sim at Nepalgunj if you want to stay connected. NTC signal is available around Rara, Jumla and Juphal.
  • ATMs are available at Jumla only.
  • Drinking water was not a problem. We drank water directly from the streams without any problem.
  • The meal [Dal, Bhat] costs higher as we go up. It was highest at Ringmogaon at Rs 200 per meal. Elsewhere below, it was generally between Rs 100-150 for plain meal
  • Accommodation costs are normally free with the meal except in Jumla.
  • We incurred in total about Rs. 22000 per person for the whole Phoksundo to Rara trek including air fare and bus transportation cost but it depends on how you travel. It is recommended to skip meat. All the costs are of 2012, you may consider 10% inflation rate for estimate
  • As mentioned earlier, guides and going through trekking agencies are absolutely not required. You can save money and give a tip to the local people, hire a local guide midway instead of paying for the trekking agencies. All the people we met were friendly and helpful. However don’t trust them on time required to reach next point as our walking pace is slower than the locals.

8. LEAVE NO TRACE

Follow the basic rule of Trekking

Take nothing but pictures.

Leave nothing but footprints

Kill nothing but time

Carry all your plastic waste like wrappers, bags and bottles with you and dispose them when you reach a settlement. Where traditional stoves or improved smokeless metal stoves are used they can be used as a fuel.

9. REFERENCES AND USEFUL LINKS

All the location name and heights are taken from the Map published by Himalayan Map House

www.himalayan-maphouse.com