Rara Lake
Rara Lake
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Paulsir
Pokhara, Nepal74 contributions
May 2022
Beautiful place and the road to it. At the site too much is done to get you to abobinal homestay at city hotelrates. There is one proper hotel but we didn't get to see it. The lake and surroundings beautiful but access and accomodation presently not suited for average western tourists.
Written 23 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Justin L
Turku, Finland65 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
So the lake itself is stunning. The water is so clear that you can see the trout lazily swimming even a few meters out into the lake. I was here when the weather was bad and it was still beautiful. The hike around the leg is especially nice. However I trekked the Rara Lake circuit to get here and because I could not find a single piece of real information about this region or this trek I figured I would review that. So....
The Rara Lake circuit is a completely untouched trek. Yes, you will see the ever present biscuit and instant noodle wrappers that Nepalis love along the trail, but not as much as the other bigger treks. The irony behind the "No Littering" sign in ENGLISH at the national park entrances will probably not escape you....
Getting to Rara is a mission. I traveled in May, unguided, with my girlfriend and my dog. We tried to do it on the cheap so we camped and used the buses to get out here. The whole trek should cost you less than $200 per person, permits included, if you are careful.
Packing List:
- Tent (I strongly suggest bringing one)
- 3 merino shirts
-Fleece
-Water proof nylon shell
- Sleeping pad
- Decent sleeping bag
-Trangia camp stove
- knife (You absolutely should have one)
- hat (nasty sun burn)
- hatchet (optional, we didn't really use it because there was so much free wood around)
- matches
- steripen water purifier
- First Aid kit + antibiotics, tiger balm, insect repellent, sun block, ACE bandage wraps
- Week of food (but you can buy instant noodles on the way)
That is the general list, everything else was pretty much optional but I want to stress that this is a VERY RURAL trek. I would never suggest this trek to someone who has never trekked in Nepal or has little experience in a developing country. We were out for 2 weeks and we did not see a single other foreign trekker. Our names were the only ones in the log books, meaning we were the only people to do this trek in 2016 as of writing this. What I mean to say is, you are pretty much on your own.
The maps for this area are terrible. The guesthouses are few and far between and you will get constantly stared at to the point at which you are uncomfortable. Especially if you have a girl with you. I would absolutely not suggest a girl ever does this trek alone. Even a single guy could be dodgy if you were a foreigner. We had no real problems, but a lot of guys would just come and stare at our camp site, a couple of times they even were looking through our stuff. This is not the Annapurna circuit...this is practically a different country. If you get sick out here, you need to handle it yourself. We saw one health post and it was pretty bare bones. So make sure you have whatever meds you think you will need, plus extra. My girlfriend got Giardia parasite and I sprained my ankle twice, we also both got the flu. So think about what you will bring with you.
So how to get here....you need to first get a permit for Rara National Park. You can get this at the tourism and trekking office in Kathmandu for $40. We then left from Pokhara to Nepalgunj by a 12 hour bus ride for 950 NPR. We then spent the night in Nepalgunj and took the local bus to Jumla the next morning for 1700 NPR each. The bus ride lasted 36 HOURS on terrible roads and the bus refuses to drive at night so everyone disembarked and stayed in some dodgy hotel one night. We chose to sleep inside the locked bus with our gear. I would strongly suggest just flying from Nepalgunj to Jumla if you can afford it. Because it is a truly horrible ride.
Once in Jumla, we spent the night at the Snowland hotel. Again, very basic place. From here we trekked 3 days to Rara lake. We found a guest house for one night and camped the other two nights...once in an abandoned hindu temple. This is why I strongly suggest bringing a good tent with you. You may find yourself outdoors if not.
The Trek itself is really not a bad one. It is exhausting and it is rural...but it is not as challenging as some of the higher altitude treks in Nepal. What makes this a truly difficult trek is just how rural it is. You will meet very very few people who speak even basic English. You will probably see no other foreigners, and you will probably have to completely depend on yourself if anything goes wrong.
Once at Rara, we camped out at the park's camping site. Which is super basic. the guys who run it aren't such bad guys and the food is bearable. However at like 6 am, they still ran horses in around our tent with us still inside. We also had to cope with a bunch of young nepali guys drinking raksi and just creeping on us while we hung around our tent.
We stayed for a couple great days though. Just rested, read, hiked around the lake and enjoyed the scenery. It was definitely worth the crucible to get there.
The trek back was easier, mostly it follows a main road and we were able to hitchhike back for a large part. Once we got back to Jumla though, we discovered that a landslide 5 hours away had frozen all buses leaving for at least a few days. So we opted to fly from Jumla to Nepalgunj on a terrifying 30 year old plane that was held together pretty much with duct tape.
On the upside, I am pretty sure my dog is the first dog to fly domestic in Nepal.
Highly recommended trek for the experienced traveler.
The Rara Lake circuit is a completely untouched trek. Yes, you will see the ever present biscuit and instant noodle wrappers that Nepalis love along the trail, but not as much as the other bigger treks. The irony behind the "No Littering" sign in ENGLISH at the national park entrances will probably not escape you....
Getting to Rara is a mission. I traveled in May, unguided, with my girlfriend and my dog. We tried to do it on the cheap so we camped and used the buses to get out here. The whole trek should cost you less than $200 per person, permits included, if you are careful.
Packing List:
- Tent (I strongly suggest bringing one)
- 3 merino shirts
-Fleece
-Water proof nylon shell
- Sleeping pad
- Decent sleeping bag
-Trangia camp stove
- knife (You absolutely should have one)
- hat (nasty sun burn)
- hatchet (optional, we didn't really use it because there was so much free wood around)
- matches
- steripen water purifier
- First Aid kit + antibiotics, tiger balm, insect repellent, sun block, ACE bandage wraps
- Week of food (but you can buy instant noodles on the way)
That is the general list, everything else was pretty much optional but I want to stress that this is a VERY RURAL trek. I would never suggest this trek to someone who has never trekked in Nepal or has little experience in a developing country. We were out for 2 weeks and we did not see a single other foreign trekker. Our names were the only ones in the log books, meaning we were the only people to do this trek in 2016 as of writing this. What I mean to say is, you are pretty much on your own.
The maps for this area are terrible. The guesthouses are few and far between and you will get constantly stared at to the point at which you are uncomfortable. Especially if you have a girl with you. I would absolutely not suggest a girl ever does this trek alone. Even a single guy could be dodgy if you were a foreigner. We had no real problems, but a lot of guys would just come and stare at our camp site, a couple of times they even were looking through our stuff. This is not the Annapurna circuit...this is practically a different country. If you get sick out here, you need to handle it yourself. We saw one health post and it was pretty bare bones. So make sure you have whatever meds you think you will need, plus extra. My girlfriend got Giardia parasite and I sprained my ankle twice, we also both got the flu. So think about what you will bring with you.
So how to get here....you need to first get a permit for Rara National Park. You can get this at the tourism and trekking office in Kathmandu for $40. We then left from Pokhara to Nepalgunj by a 12 hour bus ride for 950 NPR. We then spent the night in Nepalgunj and took the local bus to Jumla the next morning for 1700 NPR each. The bus ride lasted 36 HOURS on terrible roads and the bus refuses to drive at night so everyone disembarked and stayed in some dodgy hotel one night. We chose to sleep inside the locked bus with our gear. I would strongly suggest just flying from Nepalgunj to Jumla if you can afford it. Because it is a truly horrible ride.
Once in Jumla, we spent the night at the Snowland hotel. Again, very basic place. From here we trekked 3 days to Rara lake. We found a guest house for one night and camped the other two nights...once in an abandoned hindu temple. This is why I strongly suggest bringing a good tent with you. You may find yourself outdoors if not.
The Trek itself is really not a bad one. It is exhausting and it is rural...but it is not as challenging as some of the higher altitude treks in Nepal. What makes this a truly difficult trek is just how rural it is. You will meet very very few people who speak even basic English. You will probably see no other foreigners, and you will probably have to completely depend on yourself if anything goes wrong.
Once at Rara, we camped out at the park's camping site. Which is super basic. the guys who run it aren't such bad guys and the food is bearable. However at like 6 am, they still ran horses in around our tent with us still inside. We also had to cope with a bunch of young nepali guys drinking raksi and just creeping on us while we hung around our tent.
We stayed for a couple great days though. Just rested, read, hiked around the lake and enjoyed the scenery. It was definitely worth the crucible to get there.
The trek back was easier, mostly it follows a main road and we were able to hitchhike back for a large part. Once we got back to Jumla though, we discovered that a landslide 5 hours away had frozen all buses leaving for at least a few days. So we opted to fly from Jumla to Nepalgunj on a terrifying 30 year old plane that was held together pretty much with duct tape.
On the upside, I am pretty sure my dog is the first dog to fly domestic in Nepal.
Highly recommended trek for the experienced traveler.
Written 23 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nirakar420
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal3 contributions
Mar 2014 • Family
i traveled to Rara lake via road from Patan, Lalitpur with my younger brother on the 25th of march. Our plan was to reach Jumla via road n then trek to lake Phoksundo n then to lake Rara. We reached jumla on the 28th. We couldn't make it to Dolpa to see lake Phoksundo but we did make it to lake Rara and it was the most beautiful thing i had ever seen in my life. The trip was really extreme and hard. Mugu, Jumla and Dolpa are the most remote parts of Nepal but also the most beautiful parts of Nepal and even during the end of march it was extremely cold. In fact it started to snow the day we left Rara national park.
The reason for us doing this extreme trip was to see Nepal via road, the landscape, nature and the people. here's a few videos from that trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N59UsTVeiTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q1vOVEgvG4
The reason for us doing this extreme trip was to see Nepal via road, the landscape, nature and the people. here's a few videos from that trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N59UsTVeiTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q1vOVEgvG4
Written 30 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Subikar
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh8 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
One can arrive in Rara in the same evening from Kathmandu by flight. Shortest way to reach Rara (and vice versa) is to take an early flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and with a short transit catch a flight to Talcha airport. With this itinerary you can arrive Nepalgunj before 10 AM then Talcha before 3 PM with 40 min flight. You have to walk for about 3 hrs upon arrival in Talcha to reach the hotel in Rara which is 9 km (half way steep up and half way plain bank of Rara).
There are 2 hotels (Daanfe and Village Heritage Resort). I stayed in second one which has only 2 rooms with attached bathroom. It is said that Daanfe has more rooms with attached bathroom. The rooms in these hotels are not up to international standards. Unless you have pre bookings you can end up in tents or not even that. Temperature is generally cold so pre-booking to ensure rooms and also return flights are recommended. Village resort offers full package from Ktm (@Rs 35-40 k).
If you are going by your 4WD then you can drive very close to Rara and from the last point of road to walk up to 2 hrs to reach the hotels.
Things to do:
-generally 2-3 nights stay is enough. Boating nearly half day including queuing up (1 hr one way + return 1 hr walk 1 way), cycling around, horse riding (it can be done going somewhere),
-to see entire Rara lake & landscape you need to climb to Murma top which is 5 km uphill, takes 3 hrs walk or horse ride one way. My recommendation is to climb riding horse as you won't get tired when you reach there and return fresh later. It cost around Rs 1500-2000 for 1 way horse riding. You should walk when you return as it is difficult and risky riding horse steep downhill. Watching entire Rara lake from this top is mesmerizing as you can see only nature and not any man made structures.
There is no hydroelectricity supply in Rara. Solar power installed in hotels allows mobile charging and lights. Generally mobile network works there.
Another fact - Talcha airport is found to be another very difficult airport for landing and take off due to its unique geographical location. It's small (of course for STOL) a bit slope but not like Lukla. Due to the presence of mountain nose at the north side of the runway, plane should turn right as soon as it takes off and should land same way (Can't go straight to the runway from far away). Our pilot said when I asked 'it's a very difficult runway, even difficult than Lukla'. It was somehow scary flight, but let me say it's adventurous (perhaps better word).
My recommendations to govt and other parties concern: Rara needs more sophisticated hotels with better accommodations (while it's understandable that transportation of any stuff by land and/or air is very difficult and costly). Reliable transportation, esp. by air is must. Stuck at Talcha airport from 1 to a couple of days due to irregular flights for various reasons is usual. It's very easy and time saving if flights are reliable in which case one can reach Rara from Ktm. on the same day and reach Ktm. from Rara on another same day via Nepalgunj.
Rara is a must go place in Nepal. Unforgettable and loved it.
There are 2 hotels (Daanfe and Village Heritage Resort). I stayed in second one which has only 2 rooms with attached bathroom. It is said that Daanfe has more rooms with attached bathroom. The rooms in these hotels are not up to international standards. Unless you have pre bookings you can end up in tents or not even that. Temperature is generally cold so pre-booking to ensure rooms and also return flights are recommended. Village resort offers full package from Ktm (@Rs 35-40 k).
If you are going by your 4WD then you can drive very close to Rara and from the last point of road to walk up to 2 hrs to reach the hotels.
Things to do:
-generally 2-3 nights stay is enough. Boating nearly half day including queuing up (1 hr one way + return 1 hr walk 1 way), cycling around, horse riding (it can be done going somewhere),
-to see entire Rara lake & landscape you need to climb to Murma top which is 5 km uphill, takes 3 hrs walk or horse ride one way. My recommendation is to climb riding horse as you won't get tired when you reach there and return fresh later. It cost around Rs 1500-2000 for 1 way horse riding. You should walk when you return as it is difficult and risky riding horse steep downhill. Watching entire Rara lake from this top is mesmerizing as you can see only nature and not any man made structures.
There is no hydroelectricity supply in Rara. Solar power installed in hotels allows mobile charging and lights. Generally mobile network works there.
Another fact - Talcha airport is found to be another very difficult airport for landing and take off due to its unique geographical location. It's small (of course for STOL) a bit slope but not like Lukla. Due to the presence of mountain nose at the north side of the runway, plane should turn right as soon as it takes off and should land same way (Can't go straight to the runway from far away). Our pilot said when I asked 'it's a very difficult runway, even difficult than Lukla'. It was somehow scary flight, but let me say it's adventurous (perhaps better word).
My recommendations to govt and other parties concern: Rara needs more sophisticated hotels with better accommodations (while it's understandable that transportation of any stuff by land and/or air is very difficult and costly). Reliable transportation, esp. by air is must. Stuck at Talcha airport from 1 to a couple of days due to irregular flights for various reasons is usual. It's very easy and time saving if flights are reliable in which case one can reach Rara from Ktm. on the same day and reach Ktm. from Rara on another same day via Nepalgunj.
Rara is a must go place in Nepal. Unforgettable and loved it.
Written 8 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bibhu T
Kathmandu, Nepal30 contributions
Beautiful trek with excellent natural settings with untouched beauty requires fully organized camping arrangements.
Written 12 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Imona S
Cincinnati, OH26 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
So after a long plannning we decided to head for rara... In a group of seven.. We took night bus from kalanki to surkhet at nrs 1200 ... So sad the bus dint depart at time proposed n we ended up at surkhet at mid day.. Around 2 pm... Then we took a bus to gotijiula.. (a better option would have been a bus to gamdia directly since from there it would have been 4 hrs trek to rara) second night we rested at patale khola... The system here is quite different.. They donot charge for room but only for food (nepali thali for nrs. 120-180)..however the room is bad.. You might also get some mite bites.. Day third spent on bus... All the way from kalikot to nagma ... The road here departs for jumla and mugu.. We took the road to mugu.. And reached gotijiula and spent our third night... Next morning we took a bus to talcha airport at nrs. 15000, more the pple less the share... We met a local at bus (the locals have a different tone... They speak fast and they speak asudha nepali) and as advised we dropped down at jhyarre and walked uphill for around 1.5 hrs.. Then we reaches sallari from where we entered rara national park premises.. Walked our way into the jungle for 45 minutes.. Then we entered rara lake premise... WOW.. the first view of rara was simply WOW... i was awestruck... So big.. So calm.. So clear... So silent... So elegant... All the troubles we had was worth it... We stayed at danfe hotel for two nights.. Nrs. 1500 per night.. An average hotel... Also has tents... And you can also settle your own tent... The tea there os made from jadibutis... A souvenir... Next day we headed to murma top 3 hrs uphill from where we saw the rara lake as a whole... Rara is 10.8 sq km.. 167 m deep... Largest lake of nepal... Beautiful indeed... We relaxed there .. Boating is also available (at morning only) at nrs 500 per person... Then on 6 th day of our trip some of our freinds headed to nepalgunj from flight from talcha aiport (nrs 4200)... We however headed to jumla...
Written 8 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mynepaltrekking
Kathmandu, Nepal4 contributions
Oct 2017
this was last year i did Khaptad to rara lake.the moment after 12 days trekking finally I reach lake.it was just magnificent and beautiful.
Written 2 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
UjjwalNepal
Kathmandu, Nepal80 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
There is probably no way words can explain the serenity of Rara Lake. It's crystal clear water, amazing location of wilderness and mesmerising beauty of the Rara are features you feel at the first sight. Accessible via 4 hours walks from nearby airport, the lake is the gem. It's remote so prepare yourself to basic level of accommodation, but simply it's the unmissable heaven on earth.
Written 31 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SonJoymrzn
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates8 contributions
Jun 2013 • Friends
The water is so clear that you can see a shadow of your shadow.Its a great hike with the mountain terrains. though its the rural that other destinations in Nepal, but you will enjoy .!!!!
Written 5 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kailash Himalay... T
Kathmandu, Nepal53 contributions
Nov 2017
You can fly to Jumla and make 3 days walk or fly to Talcha airport from Nepalgunj and just walk for about 1 hour to reach this spot. It is amazing lake, pristine, pure and great surrounding atmosphere. In winter - it is too fabulous!!!
Written 26 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes, but it will be chilled by snow there because of winter. I would like to recommend you to go this place in spring/monsoon season.I think it will be the best season to travel this kind of high altitude place.
Written 9 March 2020
Mahat42
Jumla, Nepal
Could you tell me about any one company who arrange tours to rara
Written 5 June 2019
Many travel agencies in Kathmandu will happily do that, one of them will be Geo travels
(facebook search geo travels)
tripadvisor wont let me post phone number.
Have fun.
Written 7 June 2019
Mahat42
Jumla, Nepal
How much it will cost if i take a tour guide and how can I get a guide
Written 28 May 2019
Hello. I don’t have any specific ideas about your question. Please try to contact any of the travel agencies in Nepal. They will help to sort out your question.
Written 28 May 2019
Hi everyone ,
Me and my friend want to visit rara lake in 2 weeks i think. I have hured that there are local buses go to rara lake , are there any logde , hotel , hostel or tea houses there ?
We where thinking to spend 4 to 5 days there and do Some hikes wat do you recommand?
Written 20 February 2019
Please don’t visit during this time. It will be so much cold there. There will be snowfall everywhere and even you won’t find good hotels. If you really want to go, go between September to November. Thank you.
Written 21 December 2018
Kanjiruwa V
Jumla, Nepal
I'm planning to go rara. In upcoming October. but I don't know about how to go rara because it is my first trip to rara. Is there any camping or hotel stays facilities available. I'm super excited to go there. But don't know how to get rara. if anyone went there already please tell me about that area.what should I take with me.and if any one started camping there please tell me. I would like to book their tents.I'm basically from Jumla.Nepal. But I am working in northern India.
Written 6 August 2018
you can find rooms in simple guest houses
Written 11 September 2018
Hi! I live in Kathmandu and want to visit someplace from July 15 to 20. Can I visit Rara lake during that time?
Written 25 April 2018
Yes you can viait it with confidence. At the same time you need to be prepared for monsoon as well.
Written 25 April 2018
How much Kilometer was the trek of rara lake for a biker?
We are goig with bikes on 28 march
Is snow was there? So we are prepare like snow..!!
Written 13 March 2018
Kanjiruwa V
Jumla, Nepal
From which part of Nepal you are starting your ride.
Ya I think at that time little bit snow appears there.
Ya and you should prepared for snow.
Written 6 August 2018
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