Mugu मुगु

Mugu is a high, largely roadless district in the north-western Karnali whose centrepiece is Rara Lake — at 2,990 metres and covering just under ten square kilometres, Nepal's largest lake — set in pine and juniper forest inside the country's smallest national park. The lake changes colour through the day from deep blue to silver-grey, and its shore is one of Nepal's most atmospheric places; the surrounding Rara National Park holds musk deer, Himalayan black bear and over 200 bird species. A short trek from Talcha Airport, or a longer walk from Jumla, brings you to the lakeshore.

The district beyond the park is high, poor and barely visited: Gamgadhi, the headquarters, is a small town connected by seasonal road to Jumla and by the Talcha airstrip. The communities of Mugu — Tibetan-speaking groups — depend on subsistence agriculture and livestock at extreme altitude, and the district has among the lowest development indicators in Nepal. Flights to Talcha are weather-dependent and cancel frequently; build contingency days into any itinerary and carry enough cash for a longer stay.