Rara Lake trek: route, days, season, permits and cost

The Rara Lake trek has two shapes. One flies to Talcha and spends a few days at the shore¹. The other walks in from Jumla over several days^4,7. The stages, the high point, the season, the permits and the costs of both are below. The district is covered in Mugu, and the other long routes are in the treks hub.

Route and days

Nepal Vision Treks sells Rara Lake as an 8-day trip that starts and ends in Kathmandu¹. Its stages:

Accommodation on that trip is teahouse, lodge or tent¹. A road version also exists. A May 2018 Buddha Air 6-day package flies Kathmandu to Surkhet, drives 20 km by jeep to Guranshe, reaches Kalikot headquarters about 7 hours later, then takes 9 hours by jeep from Manma to Salleri, where the lake is a 40-minute walk from the park entrance⁴. That route is by jeep, not on foot, and it is covered in Mugu’s road section.

Short Rara Lake trek: 4 days from Kathmandu

The short Rara Lake trek needs two domestic flights from Kathmandu⁸. Nepal Guide Trekking flies Nepalgunj to Talcha Airport, which it gives as 2,735 m, in 40 to 45 minutes, then hikes to the lake at 2,990 m in 2 to 3 hours⁸. The same itinerary adds a hike to Murma Viewpoint at 3,630 m, which takes 3 to 4 hours⁸. In October 2026 the operator priced the 4-day package from USD 550 per person⁸. On the operator’s account the walk is less demanding than Nepal’s other famous lake treks, because the days are not long⁸.

Nepal Vision Treks puts the same airport at 2,950 m¹, so the two operators disagree. The stage tables here use 2,950 m. A May 2018 Buddha Air page called flights from Nepalgunj to Talcha irregular⁴.

Walking in from Jumla

Jumla is the main gateway to the Rara Lake trekking route⁷. Action Nepal Treks gives the usual walk from Jumla as 7 to 10 days⁷. Its 12-day itinerary reaches the lake on day 6 from Jhyari, after trekking from Jumla to Patmara on day 3⁷. The return leg runs from the lake to Gorusinha on day 8⁷.

Buddha Air’s May 2018 page gives a shorter figure: trekking to Rara takes about 3 days from Jumla⁴. The two figures conflict, and neither page explains the gap. Buddha Air called the route well facilitated with homestays and restaurants⁴.

Start with Jumla to Rara on foot and the Jumla district page.

Choosing between the three versions

Three versions of the trip appear in the sources. They differ in walking time and price.

The 4-day version has a 2 to 3 hour walk⁸. The 8-day version adds excursions around the lake and the Chhuchemara day hike¹. Only the Jumla version crosses country on foot⁷.

About the lake

Rara Lake is the biggest lake in Nepal⁷. It is also known as Mahendra Daha⁸. It lies in Mugu district, inside Rara National Park¹. The park is the smallest protected area in the country⁶.

Wikipedia gives the lake no connection to the national road network and a trekking-only approach from Jumla³. Buddha Air’s May 2018 itinerary conflicts: it drives to the park entrance at Salleri, then walks 40 minutes to the lake⁴. The flight-in route walks 3 to 4 hours from Talcha¹.

Highest point

The high point of the Nepal Vision Treks route is Chhuchemara Hilltop at 4,090 m, reached as a day hike on day 4 from the lake¹. The operator gives 4,090 m as the maximum altitude of the trip¹. The Key Biodiversity Areas factsheet for Rara National Park and its buffer zone puts the site elevation at 1,800 to 4,087 m⁶.

The lake sits at 2,990 m on the operator’s figure¹; the Rara Lake encyclopaedia entry gives 2,975 m³. The route stages above use the operator’s 2,990 m. Talcha airport, where the walk starts, is at 2,950 m¹.

Murma Top, south-west of the lake at 3,726 m, is a 3-hour hike⁴. Walkers must plan a night inside the park for it⁴. The lake itself is 5.1 km long, 2.7 km wide and up to 167 m deep³; its surface area is roughly 10.8 km2⁷.

Altitude sickness

Nepal Guide Trekking calls the lake’s 2,990 m low next to Tilicho Lake so altitude sickness is less of a concern here⁸. The Chhuchemara day hike to 4,090 m is the one point where the trip climbs higher, and it is a day hike from the shore¹.

Season

The best time to visit Rara Lake is September to November and May to June on Nepal Vision Treks’ FAQ¹; the trip header on the same page gives March to May and September to November¹. Action Nepal Treks recommends spring, March to May, or autumn, September to November⁷. Nepal Guide Trekking puts the short trek in March to May and late September to November⁸.

From December to March temperatures are below freezing, and heavy snowfall blocks the way to the lake³. Snowfall is common from December to February⁷. April to June is warm in the region³. In the summer months wildflowers carpet the forest floor on the path to the lake⁴.

The wider picture for the far west is in best time to visit west Nepal.

Permits

The Department of Immigration publishes trekking-area permit fees and the Nepal Tourism Board publishes park fees.

In October 2026 the Department of Immigration’s trekking route and permit fee table priced Mugu at USD 100 per person per week, with USD 15 per day beyond 1 week⁵. The row covers Mugumakarmarong Rural Municipality, wards 1 to 9 only⁵. The table does not name Rara Lake or the park, so it does not say whether the walk to the lake needs this permit.

The park fee is separate. In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board’s park entry-fee table set Rara National Park fees as follows, with children under 10 free²:

Nepal Vision Treks’ package includes entry fees, permits and a TIMS card¹. For how each system works, read restricted-area permits, national park fees and the TIMS card.

The park and what it protects

Rara National Park is the smallest protected area in Nepal, in the north-west across Mugu and Jumla districts⁶. The park and its buffer zone together cover 30,400 ha⁶. The factsheet lists 296 bird species for the park and buffer zone⁶, and it names increasing sedimentation in Rara Lake as a threat to the site⁶.

Buddha Air’s May 2018 page says vehicles are not allowed inside the park without permission⁴.

Costs

In October 2026 Nepal Vision Treks priced the 8-day trip at USD 2,390 per person¹. The same page showed open-group departures on 21 to 28 October 2026 and 26 October to 2 November 2026 at that price¹.

The package covers airport and hotel transfers in Kathmandu, deluxe twin-share accommodation there with breakfast, full board during the trek, a government-registered guide and one porter for every two trekkers, permits, entry fees and a TIMS card¹. It excludes visa fees, international airfare, most lunches and dinners in Kathmandu, and travel and rescue insurance¹.

Other operators quote lower figures. In October 2026 the 4-day short package started from USD 550 per person⁸, and Action Nepal Treks quoted USD 800 to USD 1,500 or more for a guided package that includes flights, guides, porters and meals⁷. A May 2018 Buddha Air page priced a horse ride from Salleri toward the lake at Rs 1,200⁴. Domestic flight fares to Talcha are covered in flights to Talcha.

Getting to the trailhead

The flight-in trailhead is Talcha airport. Buddha Air’s May 2018 page says flights from Nepalgunj or Surkhet land there⁴, and Nepal Vision Treks’ 25-minute flight leaves from Nepalgunj¹. The nearest airports are Talcha Airport in Mugu and Jumla Airport³.

On foot, the way in is from Jumla⁴. The lake has no connection to the national road network and can only be reached from the nearest town, Jumla, by trekking³.

By road, the May 2018 itinerary drives to Salleri, where the park entrance is a 40-minute walk from the lake⁴.