RaraLakeis the largest lake of Nepal,
situated in Mugu district in the far western region of Nepal,
near Gam Ghadi (district-headquarters of Mugu) and Talcha airstrip. It takes
around 3 to 4 days of walking to reach Rara from Jumla.
The surface is around 8 square kilometer and the perimeter 9
kilometer. The length of the lake is 5 kilometers and it is 2 kilometers wide,
the altitude around 3060 meter and the max. depth is 167 meter.
Unique place
Rara is an unique spot in Nepal.
The lake is situated in the RaraNational
Park and because of its remote location and the
violence/threat of a revolutionary communist group (Maoists)the lake has been visited by only few
tourists in the past. Only in the second half of 2006 the situation improved and
foreign visitors do not need to pay the high fee of around $100 per person to
these Maoists anymore.
Rara lake view from Murma Top (3630m) -Nepal,
2007 (around 1,5 hours walk from Murma village & two hours from the lake)
Conservation
Due to its remoteness the surroundings of RaraLake are both poor and quite
unspoiled, which, for such a beautiful place, is very unusual in an era of
extensive traveling and booming tourist business world wide. We hope the Nepali
government, local residents, travel agencies and tourists will make efforts to
conserve this area.Attention for the
conservation is especially important at this very moment (year 2007/2008),
since Rara might face a rise inthe
number of visitors now the region is more accessible and tourists will start
searching for alternatives to the Annapurna region now roads are (being) build
on both sides of the famous Thorong La pass, making the Annapurna Circuit
Trekking and the Jomsom-Muktinath trekking less attractive.
Preservation measures
Below you'll find some suggested measures to preserve to
beauty of this region
For the Nepali government:
- of course maintaining Rara as a National Park, further
increasing the budget for preservation
- prohibiting the construction of houses, hotels and other
accommodations within 3 to 5 kilometer from the lake
- high fines for littering, illegal logging of trees and
poaching
- develop several (not just one) trekking routes from Jumla
to Rara
- training locals on eco friendly tourism
- allowing lodges in only a few designated spots
The Nepali government might take the Northern part of
"Parque Nacional Los Glaciares" in Argentinaas an excellent example of how to combine tourism with conservation of natural
beauty. (In the surroundings of f.e. Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre there is
only one small village called "El Chalten" with accommodation and
restaurants for tourist. There are several (multiple day) trekking routes with
free camp sites. Tourist need to bring all there equipment and food and carry
out all their waste as well. Clear drinking water is available from the lakes
and the rivers. The system works very well. The park is extremely clean and all
tourists seem to respect the prescription, probably partly because the
environment is extremely clean.)
For local residents:
- creating awareness of the importance of preserving such a
beautiful area and the possibility of enhancing tourism without sacrificing the
beauty of the area
- prohibiting the construction of houses, hotels and other
accommodations within 3 to 5 kilometer from the lake
- high fines for littering, illegal logging of treesand poaching
For tourists:
- high fines for littering. Prescriptions to carry out all
waste from the area, just like in "Parque Nacional Los Glaciares" in Argentina
- awareness of the fact that every visitor to the area is
responsible for preserving it, also when not enforced by the government. Of
course this item applies to the environment / the earth as a whole.
- demanding eco-friendliness of the trekking agency
- book a tour through one of the eco members of TAAN
(Trekking Agents Association of Nepal)
For travel agencies:
- creating awareness amongst their clients
- carrying out all the waste from the area
- focus on long term responsible eco-tourism, instead of
short-term profit
- use of local food as much as possible instead of bringing
from Kathmandu / Nepalgunj
- use of local porters
- eat in local lodges with their clients where lodges are
available
