Rara Lake is situated at just over 3000m, lies in the Rara National Park in Mugu district west of Dolpa region and is the largest lake in Nepal. Establishing as a protected National Park in 1976 has helped to preserve many varieties of unique and rare species of plants and animals. The lake is surrounded by high ridge of green middle hills covered with spruce, pine, juniper forest and to the north by snow capped mountains. The forest is home to rare Himalayan black bear, red panda, musk deer, and goral. District of Mugu was part of Malla kingdom of Karnali basin and people here are mostly Hindu Bhramins, Chhetris and Thakurs. There are also scattered Tibetan Buddhist settlements at higher altitude.
Rara lake trekking is fairly easy and only takes about 4 days from the airstrip at Jumla. Rara lake trek is a circuit lasting 8 days and the highest altitude you will be traversing is just over 3200m. Mostly off the beaten track, you will be walking past cultivated terraced fields, through pristine forest and valleys with beautiful meadows and clear streams. A day in Rara Lake can be spent exploring the shores of the lake or looking for rare flowers or birds in the surrounding forest and may be even a hike up the 4040m Chuchemera peak for an unforgettable view of the mountains including Dhaulagiri. Rara lake is an excellent trek with abundant natural beauty will delight any trekkers.
