Bini Dahal

As the aircraft we were flying in neared the Talcha Airport in Mugu district, I could not help but exclaim: “This place is better than Switzerland!” The geographical beauty of Rara Lake and its surroundings is unique and astounding for the eyes. So, throughout the journey, anyone can feel as if they have landed in a completely different country by mistake. After all, it is a different world of its own.

Our adventurous trip was swiftly spontaneous. It was an all-female trekkers' trip consisting of my mother, her elder sister and me. For the first time, we were embarking on a journey to Rara, a very remote part of the country. Visiting Rara had always been a top priority on my bucket list. However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic about two years ago, I was very disappointed for failing to materialise my dream of experiencing the unparalleled scenic beauty of Rara. However, as it is said, what is meant to happen, will happen. And within one week, we had created a rough travel itinerary and plucked the courage to stop thinking and just go.

A Virgin Destination
Rara Lake, also known as Mahendra Tal, is the biggest freshwater lake in Nepal. Situated at an elevation of 2,990 metres above sea level, the oval-shaped lake lies right at the heart of the country's smallest national park-- Rara National Park which covers an area of 106 square kilometres. Being a far-flung area with very few settlements, the national park is intact and virgin to date. There exists rich alpine vegetation with numerous beautiful floral and faunal species.

Interested visitors also can extend their trip to several other tourist spots such as Jumla and Surkhet either on foot or by vehicle. However, the roads in the entire region are not so good.
Currently, Tara Air is the only airline to operate regular flights on the Nepalgunj-Talcha route throughout the year. Nepal Airlines Corporation has recently resumed its services to Mugu, Summit Air and Sita Air are other carriers to fly to the region.

The air services have, to some extent, helped local people and other travellers travel to Rara and neighbouring areas. The majority of visitors are domestic tourists, mostly youngsters and those who visit there to enjoy their vacation time with friends and families. The best season to visit is September-October and April-May. Daily, the national park hosts more than 500 visitors during the tourist season.

The Journey
As I sit down to articulate all of my beautiful memories into words, I feel overjoyed and excited for being able to reach such a place. My eyes clearly remember the clean water of Rara Lake presenting different shades of blue throughout the day.

On October 29 this year, our spectacular journey commenced from Kathmandu from where we flew to Nepalgunj. Having reached Nepalgunj in the evening, we spent our night at a hotel. The very next morning, we flew to Talcha. A locally hired jeep took us from Talcha Airport up until a place called Millichour. However, the ride was not an easy one. The road was badly damaged. So, after half an hour's bumpy ride, we were able to begin our real trek to the amazing lake surrounded by dense alpine forests.

We were walking at a slow pace, trying to take in whatever nature had to offer. And for someone who enjoyed walking, this trekking was a piece of cake for us. But, it was difficult for us to ignore the uncomfortable trails. With horse riding becoming a prominent business activity for locals, many visitors were found hiring horses to create an easy journey for themselves. Nonetheless, this business has made the whole path difficult to commute to and fro. A horrible experience was that both of my shoes along with socks got stuck in marshy land. It was so hard mentally for me to take out the shoes from the muddy path that I was once planning to walk the remaining two to three hours on foot. For a cleanliness freak like me, adapting to walking in muddy shoes was a new experience and learning that I should adapt to any situation.

Despite a rising inflow of domestic travellers into the Rara Lake area, we were lucky enough to have a room in the only hotel inside the park. But we missed having electricity. The locals were generating electricity through solar panels. But the electricity produced is not enough for more and more visitors there. So, we were forced to stay in complete darkness, without getting a chance even to charge our smartphones.

The only telecommunication service provider in the region is Nepal Telecom. Other network providers are completely inaccessible there.
Many travellers were seen spending their night on the hotel's premises under the tented camps. The monopoly of a single hotel in the area is just making a certain group of individuals richer. The government should immediately step up measures to relocate the hotel. Considering the increased inflow of tourists into the area, the government needs to allow eco-friendly hotels and homestays within the national park. But it must ensure that the fragile local ecology remains protected well.

Delicious Food
One of the best parts of the trip was the delicious local food. Having been used to feeding on mouth-watering food containing tonnes of additives, the local food cooked in Rara can seem bland to us. However, taste-wise, the simple set of dal, bhat, tarkari (pulses, rice and vegetable curry) all cooked in firewood wins any five-star dishes easily. Since we were at a higher elevation, the food was made hot and spicy to keep our bodies warm. But, the spices were completely tolerable and also to our taste.

Leisure Activity
Rara Lake is extremely photogenic. Its beauty is so much so that it can convert even a low-quality click into a high-quality one. Besides, the horse ride, the lake management committee offers boat riding facilities for visitors. It is used as a means of transportation since a 45-minute ride can take us to the next end of the lake. With prices ranging different according to location, the journey from the hotel to the other side of the lake is priced at Rs. 500 per person. Locals with proper training have been assigned to row the boats. Thus, it is a major source of income for them. The boat riding facility is not available throughout the day. It is because, after 12 pm sharp, the wind in the lake gets stronger, making it risky to keep the boat sailing.

Prospect
Observing the growing tendency of people’s craze towards reaching Rara, it would not be wrong to say that Rara Lake is a destination with huge tourism potential. If only better physical infrastructure had been developed in the region, social and economic development would easily be achieved. That could also lead the tourism sector to boom.
While trekking, we saw a sick woman being carried by a group of people to take her to the airport. They were planning to fly her from Talcha Airport to Nepalgunj for medical treatment. The distance between the Rara Lake and Talcha Airport is long. So the hardship everyone is facing there is quite evident. With little and infrequent flight connectivity and a lack of basic services like education and health, the locals face many hardships.

Broader Horizon
For someone who has always imagined travelling abroad and getting immersed in new cultures, languages and places, the Rara trip was a big reminder to me that I should in no way underestimate my own country. A trip that I had made after two years of staying at home has given me much exposure and broadened my horizon of knowledge and ideas. It has also motivated me to see Nepal's tourism sector from a broader perspective.

The problems that we faced were all a part of a travelling experience that helps us grow physically as well as mentally. Being able to adapt to the new environment and face challenges require greater courage. With the growing domestic tourism industry, Rara Lake is surely becoming a leading travel destination for most people. Its scenic beauty, unique culture and lifestyle are something even the people within the country are not aware of. Hopefully, the authorities and the locals will be more mindful of a variety of actions and their possible ecological impacts on the lake as well as the national park.

It is time for us to remain conscious of our actions to prevent any misfortunes. We have always cashed out from nature. Without utilising the variety of natural resources available, survival has become very difficult. This is more so for the people living in the remote western region of Nepal. Natural resources are a lifeline for them and their families. Efforts should be made for developing Rara as a sustainable tourism destination. Overpopulation should not destroy its natural beauty.
Penning a beautiful poem called “Rara ki Apsara" under a juniper tree that still exists, the late King Mahendra's comparison of Rara to heaven is quite precise. Now, if we continue preserving its heavenly existence or degrade it to hell, it all depends on us.

(Dahal is a fifth-semester student of BDevs at National College, Kathmandu.
dahalbini024@gmail.com)