Overview
Rara Lake undoubtedly is one of world’s most picturesque and serene lake. This biggest and deepest fresh water lake of the Himalayans is a major attraction of the Rara National Park. Rara Lake Trekking is an incredible and heavenly trekking route in all of the Himalayans, lying northwest of Kathmandu in the secluded “poverty capital” of the country, Karnali region.
If you are looking for a more isolated trek route, far from the tourist-packed mainstream trek routes of Nepal, Rara Lake Trekking is ideal for you. This off-beaten-track gratifies you with beautiful scenery of spellbinding mountains, ponds and sighting of rare animals.
Considered to be one of the finest national parks in the world, Rara National Park is covered in striking coniferous forests is home to the Musk Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Red Panda, Ghorals, Wild Boar and Thar, and Danphe, the national bird of Nepal to name a few.
Lying in the altitude of 2,290m Rara Lake, also known as Mahendra Daha is our ultimate destination of the trek. The glimpses of scenery and cultural practices are bit peculiar than what you will see in the rest of the trekking routes. Located in a high altitude, the cobalt blue lake is surrounded by Juniper, Pine and Spruce forests. The spectacular mountain scenes from there is a major attraction for trekkers. In one sentence, the scenery can be described as, “a sparkling blue jewel set in a ring of snowy mounts”.
Nepal Eco Adventure arranges Rara Lake Trekking which is approximately 16 days long. October-November and April-May is regarded as the best months for Rara Lake Trekking. One can enjoy the terrific views of northwestern Trans-Himalayan terrace of Nepal. Northern viewpoint Chuchemara Peak (4,039m) provides stunning of western Himalayans and the deep Mugu Karnali Gorge.
Parallel to the matchless beauty of nature, you will be able to witness and be the part of the distinctive culture of the different ethnic groups which have sustained even in this harsh terrain and adversity. Religiously important Thakur Baba’s Temple is situated here, along with countless other pagoda styled temples and monasteries.
Rara Lake Trekking with Nepal Eco Adventure to this smallest yet most vibrant National Park of the Himalayan country will present to you once-in-a-lifetime memories to treasure forever.
Highlights of Rara Lake Trekking
- Rara Lake, Biggest fresh water Lake of Nepal
- Karnali River, Nepal’s longest river and Najir River
- Rara National Park, finest in the world
- Himalayan Black Bear, Black Panther, Leopard, Rhesus and Langur, Red Panda, Ghoral, and Thar
- Impeyan Pheasant (Danphe)
- Chuchemara Peak (4,039m)
- Distinctive local culture
Rara Lake Trek 16 Days Altitude Chart
Itinerary
Once you land at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), our airport representatives will kindly receive you and take you to your hotel, in a private car or a high-end tourist bus. Our representatives will brief you about the trek. After checking in, you can either explore this vibrant and exciting city on your own, or, take a cozy rest at your hotel.
Your sightseeing of this ancient city begins at around 8:30 am, after breakfast. A specialized tour guide and a comfy private vehicle will be available for your assistance. First we will visit the biggest Hindu temple of Nepal, Pashupati Nath, which predates to Lichhavi period. Then, to Boudha Nath, and Swayambhu Nath, shrines of lord Buddha, uniquely built in Shikhara style. The evening will be spent at Kathmandu Durbar Square, testimonial of middle age architecture. We will brief you about the journey that starts tomorrow. You can do some last minute shopping for Rara Lake Trek in Thamel or New Road.
After a wholesome breakfast in the capital, we will take a plane to Nepalgunj. Lying in the southwestern part of the country, Nepalgunj is the hottest place in Nepal. The flight will be an hour long during which you can enjoy the beautiful view of lush hills with mountains in the backdrop and finally green meadows of Terai.
We will fly to Jumla on fourth day after spending the night in the hot city. It is practically impossible to reach Jumla by roads as it is under construction. It will take us around 30 minutes to reach the scenic town of Jumla. On reaching Jumla, we will meet up with the trekking crew and shortly after lunch start our journey. After an hour walk, we will come across the small village named Micha bearing a fenced enclosure and numerous Buddhist Stupas. Most of these stupas were erected during the 15th century and are of great religious and anthropological importance. After walking through the rocky path we will stop for the day at Uthugaon (2,530m), where we will get some dinner and sleep at a local guest house.
Today we will continue our trek through a slender canyon to the village of Padmara at 2,900m. We will then slowly climb uphill to the Khali Lagna Pas at 3,550m through the gorgeous forests of Pines, Firs and Spruces. After that, we will slowly descend once again through mixed forests of Rhododendron, Birches and Spruces to arrive at Danphe Lagna. If you keep a watchful eye (and, if you’re lucky enough) you will catch glimpses of the Impeyan Pheasant (Danphe), the national bird of Nepal.
From here, the trail slowly descends alongside a clear stream. We will walk across the Fir, Birch, Walnut and Bamboo Forests. After crossing an exciting suspension bridge we will go along the river. After that, we will start moderately hard climb to reach Kabra. You can see a huge overhanging rock here, named “Silajit” which is believed to have healing properties for all kinds of diseases. Our steep ascend will lead us to Bhara, a typical mountain village. Here, you can see the traditional life of people oblivious to modernization. From there, we will descend to the Chauro Khola River which will take us to the village of Chautha.
On the seventh day, we will continue our trek to reach the village of Dhotu. We will continue our trail along the stream to reach BhuBule, gateway to Rara National Park at 3,130m. We will go on uphill to Ghuchi Lagna Pass (3,450m) decorated with a beautiful prayer flags and Chortens. From here, we will descend before dropping swiftly through Spruce Forests. From here, we will walk along the path, tentatively at an attitude of 2,900m to reach the small settlement of Dhotu.
Today we will walk, a pleasant distance towards our beautiful destination. The scenery of the sunlight reflecting on the silver mountains will keep up refreshed throughout the trek. From the village of Dhotu we will hike towards steep terrain northward across green fields and small stream. After crossing a suspension bridge, we will ascend to the Thakuri village of Jhyari (2,630m) occupied by the Thakuri people. From there, we climb gradually up the Cedar Forests to reach a beautiful meadow over a great 3,050m ridge with great overhead scenery of the Rara Lake.
We have allocated the whole day to explore our beautiful destination. We will walk around the lake which will take around 8 hours and rest for some time. We will visit the old village of Rara and climb up the observation tower behind the postal office for even more beautiful view of the serene lake and surrounding peaks and hills.
Crossing the bridge at the western end of the 170m deep lake, we will follow the trail to the Khatyar Khola River. We will slowly descend along the river and then climb uphill to cross the Pine, Spruce and Rhododendron forests. We will then descend further through the Ghatta Valley to reach the clustered settlement of Ghorasingha.
Today we will climb, downhill to reach Sinja. We will follow the Sinja Khola is heading down from the Ghatta Valley. Sinja is a historical town as it was the capital city of the Malla Kings of the west in the 14th and 15th century. Once a capital of prosperity, Sinja now is a far cry from prosperity and development. We can visit the ruins of the old palaces in the river bank and a temple dedicated to Durga, Hindu goddess.
We will cross the dwindling Sinja Khola on a wooden plank bridge. After travelling across small villages, the trail continues uphill and sometimes downhill across the river on log bridges. We will walk through the forests of Pine, Birch and Oak trees in fields of Barley and Corn. We will climb steeply for some time to reach Jaljala Chaur, a vast meadow occupied by horses.
On our last day of trek leaving the mountains in the backdrop, we will walk through the meadows and forests. We will continue to the ridge at 3,510m and continue descend to Jumla. We will spend the night in a local hotel and prepare for our flight next morning.
We will board two planes on the 14th day. We will fly from Jumla to Nepalgunj (30 minutes) and from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu (60 minutes). After a tiring day, you can spend the evening in your hotel or explore this vibrant city.
You can spend the day further exploring this historic city. You can also go travel to the outskirts of the valley. Buy souvenirs at Thamel, Basantapur and old towns of Patan and Bhaktapur to take back home.
The day has come to leave this remarkable country. Our representatives will transfer you to the airport from where you’ll board a flight to your next destination. Bid farewell to this country of Himalayans with plans to visit next time. Because, once is never enough!
What is Included
- All the ground transportation by car, van or bus depends on group size.
- Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu four nights on Bed and breakfast (B/B) plan.
- Guided city tour as per above program with private vehicle and included entry fee.
- Twin sharing tented accommodation and other equipment during the camping trek. We will provide fully water proof two men tent, dining tent, kitchen tent, table with chairs, kitchen utensils, toilet tents, shower tent etc.
- Full board meal (veg / non veg) during camping, prepared by our expert cook with tea & coffee.
- Expert government licensed English speaking Guide during the trek, cook, kitchen helper, required number of porters, their food, accommodation, salary, insurance, equipment and medicine.
- Special Trekking permit for Rara National Park and other required paper documents.
- Flight tickets Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Jumla and Jumla -Nepalgunj-Kathmandu with airport pickup and drop by car, domestic airport tax.
- Medical supplies (first aid kit will be available).
- Arrangement of Emergency Helicopter service which will be paid by your Travel Insurance Company.
- Down Sleeping Bags/Jackets, Walking Pole, and other necessary equipments during the trek. (If you don`t have you own).
- Boiled and purified drinking water for the trek.
- All the government taxes and official expenses.
What is Excluded
- Food while you are in Kathmandu (Lunch and Dinner).
- Nepal entry visa fees (you may easily issue the visa upon your arrival at International Airport – Kathmandu). You need 2 passport size photos.
- Your Travel Insurance (compulsory)
- International airfare.
- Your personal expenses.
- Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, cold drinks, laundry, telephone.
- Tips for the guide, porter and driver (Tipping is expected).
Departures
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