Rara welcomes over 4,500 tourists in four months

MUGU, DECEMBER 10: More than 4,500 tourists visited the Rara National Park, a famous destination of Karnali Province, from July 17 to November 16, 2023. According to the Rara National Park, a total of 4,611 tourists—4,490 domestic tourists and 96 foreign tourists including 24 SAARC countries visited there in the four months.

Information officer at Rara National Park, Jay Hari Dhital, said the number of tourists visiting the park is increasing this year. It recorded a huge number of domestic tourists during the Dashain-Tihar vacation, thereby earning Rs 1.2 million in revenue during this period, he shared.

A total of 11,000 domestic tourists- 26 from SAARC countries and 183 other foreigners had visited Nepal in the year 2079 BS.

The park has determined a Rs 100- entry fee for each domestic tourist, while Rs 1,500 to tourists from SAARC countries and Rs 3,000 to other foreigners, mentioned Dhimal. Around 75 per cent of tourists reach Rara via air route and 25 per cent via land route. It is expected that the number of tourists visiting Rara will increase sharply once there are more reliable and quality roads.

Rara National Park is a protected area of which almost 90% area is situated in the Mugu district and the rest 10% in the Jumla district. With an area of 106 sq km, its altitude ranges from 2800 m to 4039 m. The park was established in 1976 while a buffer zone of 198 sp km was declared in 2006.  It is the smallest national park in Nepal yet an important nature conservation site.

The main highlight of the park is Rara Lake, located at an altitude of 2900 m. It is the largest lake in Nepal with a surface of 10.8 sq km and a depth of 167 m. The lake was declared a Ramsar Site in 2007.