Rara Lake lies in the remote Karnali region, North West of Kathmandu and the area surrounding the lake was declared a National Park in 1976. Rara Lake has the distinction of being the largest lake in Nepal. The lake is the obvious focal point of the park where some well preserved forest and abundance of wildlife are found in the protected area. The lake is situated at 2990 meters above the sea level but within the park area there is a viewpoint called Chuchemara Peak (4039m) gives a spectacular view over the Himalayas on the horizon.