Best time for Rara Lake Jeep Tour
Rara Lake jeep tour is most favourable during dry seasons, i.e. Autumn and Spring.
The route from Nagma to Rara Lake is completely rough. And these roads are risky and troublesome during the non-dry seasons like Summer and Winter. The rainfall and snowfall makes the road travel a bit hazardous. There are high chances of road blocks due to the landslides and snowfall. So, Rara tour via jeep is risky during Summer and Winter and best during Autumn and Spring. Let’s talk about each of the peak seasons for Rara jeep tour:
Autumn season
Autumn is the best time for any of the natural adventures. September, October, and November are the months of Autumn. Throughout these months, you will experience the warm and ideal temperature. The skies are also clear with no clouds and overcasts. With clear blue skies, you can enjoy the clear visibility of Rara Lake and surrounding during Autumn season. It is one of the dry seasons so there is no chance of any rainfall and snowfall. The Rara Lake adventure during Autumn is a memorable experience.
Spring Season
Spring is another peak season for the Rara lake tour. Spring starts from the month of April and lasts till May in Nepal. Spring is also the season of flowers which means you can enjoy the view of Rara Lake and blossoming flowers. There is no rainfall during Spring season nor snowfall. This means a jeep tour is a safe and feasible thing to do in the Spring season.
The temperature of Spring is more or less similar to Autumn season. The view of Rara Lake is unbeatable during the Spring season. The surroundings of Rara lake are decorated with blossoming flowers and green forests. If you want to experience Rara Lake like never then do the Rara tour during Spring season.
Best Things to do while in Rara
The Rara lake jeep tour is not only about enjoying the lake view and return. It is not just that simple, there are several things you can do while strolling in Rara Lake. Here are the overviews of those things that you can try after reaching Rara:
Boating
Boating is probably the first thing that you think of when it comes to lake tours. And, Rara Lake tour is incomplete without a boat ride. As you have already known, Rara Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Nepal. You just can’t view the proper beauty of the lake from the bank, the boat ride over the lake is a perfect way to explore the beauty of Rara Lake.
Renting a boat ride will take you to the centre of the Lake where you can see a panoramic view of the Rara. You will feel like sitting in the middle of the lake. The eyeshot from the boat is just wow with surrounding hills and mountains reflecting on the water. You’ll never get tired of taking pictures.
Also, you can observe some water animals clearly as the lake is crystal clear. Rara Lake is home to some species that can be only seen here, nowhere else. Rara Snowtrout (Schizothorax Raraensis) and Rara Lake frog(Nanorana Rarica) are the two species that are only found here. The boat service is operated in cooperation of both Nepal Army’s officials and locals. The boating charge is around 7USD(NPR700) per pax. Price is reasonable, just go hop in the boat and enjoy the ride.
Horse Riding
You might be wondering “What other than boating”. Don’t worry, there is an option of Horse riding for you. Horse riding is the most popular activity to do in Rara. Rara lake’s round length is around 14 km, if you wish to complete the round hike in feet it will take a lot of time. So, the quicker option is the horse riding on which you can cover the extra area of Rara to enjoy the view.
You also have an option to take the horse ride to reach the closest and popular viewpoint, Murma top. The horse ride to the top will be led by the horse guide.
If you are a horse rider then there is enough space near Rara lake where you can speed up the horse and enjoy the cool breeze. In overall, horse riding is a must-do activity in Rara.
Murma Top hiking
Murma Top(3,726m) is the best viewpoint of Rara Lake. And it is a short hike of 2 to 3 hours through the dense pine forest. The hike is exciting as you will approach the top by walking in green trails. Along the hike, you will also see some birds well flying here and there. The sound of birds and peaceful forest will enchant you.
Upon reaching the top, you can enjoy the broad vision of colorful Rara lake. The top provides panorama of the whole western Nepal’s landscape. Far-staying snow covered peaks also can be seen from the Murma viewpoint.
Some near settlements also can be seen from the top. Also, the vast forest of Rara National Park is observable from there. If you want to observe the entire Rara lake region then Murma top is the place you should hike.
Murma Village tour
If you are an explorer of cultures and lifestyle then you got the option here in Rara Lake jeep tour. Murma village is the nearest village from the Rara lake. It is inhabited by some of the old civilization of Nepal. This village has some 80 houses of Rokaya tribes of Nepal.
The houses are mainly made of either stones or woods. And the lifestyle and culture of people living in this village is quite explorable. Walking through the yards and farm fields gives the overview of their lifestyle. There are also some homestays available for the tourists. So, Murma village tour is also a worthy thing to do while in Rara.
Packing list for Rara Lake Jeep Tour
Rara Jeep tour does not involve long trekking so no need to carry numbers of gears. Just a few basic clothing and equipment are enough for the jeep tour. The checklist for the jeep tour is as below:
Headwear
- Sunhat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen and moisturizer
- Lip Balm
Feet
- Thin and warm socks
- Sandals or loafers
- Trekking Shoes
- Comfortable Shoes for cities
Body
- Warm and light gloves
- T-shirts
- Light jackets
- Pullovers
- Wind-stopper jacket
- Undergarments
- Hiking shorts
- Cotton pants or joggers
Accessories
- Earplug
- Electronics gadgets like camera, speaker
- Extra Batteries
- Notebook, pen, map
- Tour/Trekking Bag
- Sleeping Bag
- Down jacket
- Toiletries items like toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, etc.
