* Preserve Rara Lake - Nepal *

Introduction

Rara Lake is 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 Rara National 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 Rara Lake 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 in the 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 Argentina as 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 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

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 trees and 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 all visitors of this website:

Besides the items mentioned above, all visitors of this website can contribute by creating awareness about (the importance of) conservation by linking to this website: www.raralake.com and refer other people to this text, aimed at the conservation of this beautiful area.

If you have any comments or other suggestions, please send us an e-mail


Full moon rising above Rara Tal	Sunrise at Rara lake

Preserve Rara Lake - Nepal

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