KATHMANDU: The beauty of Nepal’s largest freshwater lake, Rara, attracts tourists from all over the world to the hidden gem of Mugu.

As they say, the lake is beautiful, clean and untouched with shades of blue bursting differently under different lights and corners. However, the roads leading to it are a whole different story.

We reached Rara via the Jumla-Rara road, which was under construction in several places.

Most terrifying was the bend at Saatghumti where a JCB was digging rocks on the roadside hill.

The huge boulders were then either loaded onto a truck or dumped from above into the conservation area of ​​the national park.

The responsible private company, which had apparently received the tender from the Nepalese government, did not have an environmental engineer or a civil engineer, and was being built under the sole supervision of supervisors.

As a result, half of the tree roots could be seen hanging over the edge of the road ready to fall at any moment.

The random removal of trees, soil and rocks intensifies the likelihood of landslides and rockfalls in the area, endangering the life and biodiversity of the national park.

Rara was a top destination advertised in the Visit Nepal 2020 brochure. Although it is a beautiful sight, there is still a long way to go to make people want to visit it again!

The ongoing route extension in several areas made the route even more dangerous with accumulated elevations of rocks and slippery mud.

Our four-wheeled vehicle slipped and changed direction several times in such conditions, leaving us to sing the name of the gods.

The six-hour journey lacked public restrooms, there were no health posts, pharmacies, gas stations, or mechanics in sight, and there was no place we could buy food or water, in addition to bends and rocky roads. Basically, you had to be prepared in advance for any emergencies.

The beautiful scenes of the Khali Patan, Sano Patan, the lush greenery and the Silajit overflowing from the hills, herds of grazing sheep, horses and cattle however somewhat compensate for the lack of amenities available in the area.

Once you reach Rara, the beauty compensates for any problems you encounter on your way. The lake is fascinating.

You can travel the lake by boat and admire the beauty from all sides. If you decide to stay the night, plenty of houseflies and moths will greet you during your stay!

Bring anti-allergens if needed. We then hiked to Murmu village, a rural civilization, the peak of Murmu, where you will have a bird’s eye view of Rara, then we walked around Rara soaking in its beauty.

There are 5 Lord Shiva temples in this place, with Chavinaath at a height where the view is breathtaking.

Upon our return, we were also able to witness a rainbow at the top of the lake!

After the night in Rara, we booked a flight from Talcha airport to Nepalgunj the other day, rode the local horses for three hours from our hotel to the airport and waited outside all day from the airport just for the flight to be cancelled.

There were mothers with babies waiting with us. People usually traveled from the district headquarters, Gamgadi, taking 45 minutes by bicycle to get to the airport, and locals usually walked.

Local transport here is scarce and expensive. The area outside the airport is infested with flies.

Luckily the area had a hotel where we stayed for three more nights as our flights were canceled everyday.

We walked to the airport with our bags every day, waited for planes and sometimes even had our bags weighed and checked, then came back disappointed with canceled flights.

Many chose not to take air travel and traveled by road to Nepalgunj and then flew via Nepalgunj airport.

With our hopes dwindling and the hotel bills piling up every day, we decided to go by road to Nepalgunj.

After learning that the road was dire, we decided to divert from Jumla and then try our luck from Jumla airport.

Reserve vehicle from Talcha Airport to Jumla Bazaar costs NPR 25,000 after bargain.

We took the route we had taken earlier to return to Jumla.

Rara was a top destination advertised in the Visit Nepal 2020 brochure. Although it is a beautiful sight, there is still a long way to go to make people want to visit it again!