Rara lake, Nepal

Rara is an unique spot in Nepal. The lake is situated in the Rara National Park and because of its remote location and the violence/threat of the Maoists the lake has been visited by only few tourist in the last couple of years. Only in the second half of 2006 the situation improved and foreign visitors do not need to pay the high fee of around $100 per person to the Maoist anymore.
Rara was declared a National Park in 1975 following the order to protect the lake by King Mahendra after his 1964 visit.

Rara's serenity and splendour is so lovely it makes your heart ache to think how vulnerable it has become. As the sound of diesel engines gets closer, you wonder how long this wilderness will remain a wonder.
In 1964 King Mahendra sat under a juniper tree here and penned his famous poem 'Rara ki Apsara', ordering his government to protect the lake. The juniper tree still stands at Mili Chaur today as hundreds of water fowl make a brief stopover before they head off north to the lakes in Tibet. 
Rara was declared a National Park in 1975 after more than 1,500 households living in three villages along the shores were translocated to the Tarai, something that would be impossible to do today. In 2007, the lake was declared a Ramsar Site, a wetland of international importance. 

The lake has three endemic species of trout found nowhere else in the world. Nearly 270 out of the 867 species of birds found in Nepal nest here. The pine, juniper and spruce forests are a treasure trove for medicinal herbs, and abound in musk deer, red panda and mountain goats. 
The surface of Rara Lake is around 8 square kilometer and the perimeter 9 kilometer. The length of the lake is 5 kilometers and it is 2 kilometers wide, the altitude around 3060 meter and the max. depth is 167 meter.