The largest fresh water lake in the Nepalese Himalayas. It is the main feature of Rara National Park, located in Jumla and Mugu Districts of Karnali Province. Rara National Park stretches over 106 km2 (41 sq mi) & Rara Lake was included as part of Rara National Park in 1976. Currently, this area along with the national park is being protected by the Nepali Army. Rara Lake lies at an elevation of 2,975 m (9,760 ft), has a water surface of 10.8 sq km (4.2 sq mi), a maximum depth of 167 m (548 ft), is 5.1 km (3.2 mi) long and 2.7 km (1.7 mi) wide. It drains into the Mugu Karnali River via the Nijar River. The lake changes its colour up to 5 times a day depending on the climate. Rara Lake is surrounded by thickly forested hills named Chuchemara Danda at 4,087 m (13,409 ft) and Murma at 3,630 m (11,910 ft). Behind the hills, the beautiful view of Saipal Mountain of Himalayan Range can be seen from the lake. One revolution of the lake by foot takes almost five hours. During, summer season, birds as far as Siberia can be found migrating to this area.