Rara Lake Trekking

Trekking from Jumla to Rara Lake in the mid western region of Nepal is known as Rara Lake trekking in Nepal. Trekking in Rara Lake provides excellent exploration opportunities to Napal’s finest Rara National park and famous Rara Lake situated at an altitude of 2,990 meter. Considered to be off the beaten path Rara lake treks Nepal is a non technical journey and is suitable for average trekkers. Rara trekking area is an adequate habitat for rare and endangered wildlife. Popular for unique communial hospitality, Rara trekking Nepal offers Rara Nepal treks and Rara treks Nepal itineraries. Camping arrangements are appropriate for Rara lake trek programme

Jomsom & Muktinath Trek Information

The Jomsom trek is probably the single most popular trek in Nepal. The diverse landscapes and cultures to be found along the trek route give a marvelous insight into the way of life of rural Nepalese people. The main feature of trek is the walk through the George craved by the kali Gandaki River, which carries water from the Tibetan plateau to eventually join the Ganges in India.

Normally trekkers continue on above Jomsom to Muktinath, the famous pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. To Hindus, Muktinath is sacred as the place of salvation. They believe that to wash in the waters here guarantees salvation after death. The Hindu god, Brahma, is thought to have lit the eternal flames that still burn at Muktinath. To the Buddhists it is a place that the great sage guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) meditated at, and to all, it is the source of fossilized ammonites, known locally as shaligrams, which are found all along the upper reaches of kali Gandaki. The people of this part of Nepal are a mixture of Gurung and Magar in the lower stretches of the kali Gandaki, Thakali people around Jomsom and people with obvious Tibetan roots, the Lopa, around Muktinath and up into mustang. Their customs and dress are all quite distinct and this trek gives a chance to see those differences. The religions seen range from Hinduism in the lower parts to the Tibetan style Buddhism as you travel further north. Should you be in Muktinath In early September you will be able to see one of Nepal unique festivals, the annual horse races known as Yartung. This is a week of some serious horse racing, Tibetan style, and some equally serious merrymaking.

Most of the route for the Jomsom trek has been described as part of the Annapurna circuit and Annapurna foothills treks. The normal standing point is Naya Pul on the Pokhara to Baglung road and fro there, via Ghorepani and Tatopani, into the gorge of kali Gandaki.

Between Tatopani and Lete khola the scenery changes dramatically. Pine forests crowd in on the trial and the villages take on a quite different appearance. The layout of the villages and the design of the houses are both quite unique to this area. They are designed to protect their inhabitants from the strong winds that blow up the valley everyday from late morning onwards. These winds are caused by differences in atmospheric pressure between the Tibetan plateau and the lower reaches of the valley. The best example of this unique architecture is to be found at the village of Marpha which is a two hour walk below Jomsom. The stone flagged streets with an efficient underground drainage system and the flat roofed houses all with a central courtyard make an attractive spot to spend an extra rest day. Sample the apple products from the prolific orchards that have been set up in the valley.

Jomsom is best known for its airport that offers a quick entry or exit to the valley with regular daily flights from Pokhara. Remember that the winds that blow up the valley normally mean that no flights can arrive or depart from Jomsom after 11 am. Jomsom can also be considered as a place to use as a base for exploring the upper part of the kali Gandaki. There are numerous accommodation options including a new high-class resort complex.

An alternative to Jomsom as a final base for the trek is the village of Kagbeni; a further two hours up the valley. Kagbeni is much less commercialized than Jomsom and certainly much quieter. This is as far as trekkers are allowed to go towards upper Mustang without having a special trek permit and an accompanying environmental officer. For details see the upper mustang treks description. From Kagbeni to Muktinath takes three to four and trekkers can choose to do this as a day trip or to stay at one of the many teahouses available at Muktinath.

International Airport Vital for Pokhara

For three decades the people of Pokhara in Nepal have been asking for an international airport, but it has yet to be built.

Politicians campaigning for positions of power, such as parliamentary seats and posts within NGOs, have been promoting an international airport in order to win votes, but they have not been following through.

There are 47 airports in Nepal but only one, Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, is international. Nepal has no alternative international airport and generally Indian airports are being used in cases of emergency landings.

Considering an alternative international airport, the Nepalese government acquired 3106 ropanis (1 ropani = 5476 sq. feet) of land in BS 2032 in Pokhara sub metropolitan, and provided compensation to the farmers. However, the farmers are still using that land for paddy farming due to the government's passiveness. Yet, the Pokharali people are still optimistic about the international airport.



Paddy farming at proposed international airport in Pokhara.

©2006 Rup Narayan Dhakal


There is only one local airport in Pokhara, an internationally renowned tourist destination and second largest town of Nepal. According to Mr. Devendra KC, chief of Pokhara Airport, the airport feels congested due to the pressure of the high number of passengers and an increment in the number of flights.

Between 300,000 and 400,000 foreign tourists come to Nepal each year and more than 20 percent visit Pokhara. There is also a huge number of internal passengers who come and go to Pokhara by air. Though they use twin otter planes now, if there is an international airport they can have the opportunity of traveling in high capacity planes at lower prices. More than 100,000 passengers land in Pokhara Airport and the same number of passengers take off from there annually.

According to Ananda Raj Mulmi, former President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), German and Japanese teams of experts have already recommended Pokhara as a suitable place for an international airport.

Though there is already acquired land in Pokhara, the government is now trying to extend the Gautam Buddha Airport in Lumbini as an international airport and has already allocated the budget to give compensation to the land owners. But the culture, tourism and civil aviation minister Pradeep Gyaneli said that the government was committed to building an international airport in Pokhara.

"The only problem is funds," he said in a recent program held in Pokhara, we are going to negotiate with Indian companies to raise funds for the airport.

According to him the government needs an alternative airport and Pokhara will be given higher priority for that.

Mr. Ganga Dhar Parajuli, vice president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists and an inhabitant of Pokhara, said that the government had withdrawn the 50 millions rupees though it had allocated that fund for the basic development of proposed international airport in Pokhara. "That was very bad decision of the government," Mr. Parajuli said.

Since the government has not got enough funds for an international airport it has to depend upon foreign aid. A former member of the Nepal Tourism Board, Mr. Bishow Shanker Palikhe said that a Japanese bank and some other companies were ready to build an airport in Pokhara but that the government has failed to follow the issue.

The government and even the Pokharali people are still unclear about the airport and whether it will be a SARC base regional international airport or a fully international airport. Most people are agreed for a SARC level international airport in Pokhara.