Town or village
Gamgadhi
The small headquarters town of Mugu district, on the road below Rara Lake in the Mugu Karnali valley.
Karnali Provinceमुगु
Mugu District
Remote northern district home to Rara Lake, Nepal's largest lake, set in forest within Rara National Park.
- Province
- Karnali
- Headquarters
- Gamgadhi
- Area
- about 3,244 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 3
About Mugu
Mugu lies in the north of Karnali Province, bordering Tibet to the north, with Humla to the west, Dolpa to the east and Jumla and Kalikot to the south. The Mugu Karnali River drains the district, and Gamgadhi, the headquarters, sits in its valley. The land rises from forested valleys to high, open ridges and snow-covered ranges along the Tibetan border, with Rara Lake set close to 3,000 metres among pine and spruce forest.
Most people in the south are Hindu Khas communities, while the northern valleys towards Tibet are home to Buddhist people of Tibetan culture. Livelihoods depend on farming, herding and trade. Rara Lake, within Rara National Park, is the main reason travellers come: they walk around its shore, watch for birds and wildlife, and often combine it with a trek from Jumla.
Places in Mugu
Lake · 2,990 m
Rara Lake
Nepal's largest lake, a deep blue sheet of water ringed by pine forest in the remote Karnali hills.
Valley or region
Upper Mugu Valley
A remote restricted valley of Tibetan Buddhist villages along the upper Mugu Karnali, north of Rara.
Getting there
Most visitors fly to Talcha airport near Rara, usually via Nepalgunj or Surkhet, or fly to Jumla and trek several days to the lake. A rough road now continues from Jumla towards Gamgadhi and Rara, though it is slow and often affected by weather.
Best time to visit
Spring and autumn are best for clear views around Rara, the monsoon brings rain and cloud, and winter is cold with snow often covering the lake area and passes.
Treks in Mugu
A network of high and mid-hill routes about 1,700 km long that crosses Nepal from Kanchenjunga in the east to Humla and the far west, usually walked in sections, or as a through-trek of about four to five months.
- Days
- 160 days
- Maximum altitude
- 6,160 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging
A week-long walk in remote Karnali from Jumla through the Sinja valley to Rara Lake, Nepal's largest lake, at about 2,990 m in Rara National Park, usually ending with a flight from Talcha.
- Days
- 8 days
- Maximum altitude
- 3,630 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Editorial draft: the district overview is being checked. Headquarters and Nepali names: nepal-places dataset (MIT). Area and map position computed from the district boundaries of the Government of Nepal, Survey Department, via OCHA.