Shankar Khanal of Kathmandu purchased two ropanies of apple orchard  for Rs4.2 million in the Rara region recently.

Similarly, Padam Neupane, also from Kathmandu, acquired four ropanies of land. Another tourism entrepreneur from Pokhara bought 12 ropanies, while Bhaktapur based Om Timilsena went ahead with 52 ropanies.

With a gradual rise in the number of domestic as well as foreign tourists, the Rara region has witnessed a significant jump in real estate investment. Especially, areas such as Talcha, Murma, Jhyari, Topla, MathiTum, Murma Top, and Maitu, among others, are attracting a significant number of investors.

Land prices range from Rs300,000 to Rs500,000 per ropani, according to Birkha Bahadur Rokaya of Murma village.

Most of the buyers, especially from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepaljung, Butwal and Biratnagar, are investing in the region considering its future prospects. The situation is such that it is difficult to find a plot of land now, Rokaya said.

People from adjoining district of Jumla too are buying land around Rara.

More than 120 plots around Rara National Conservation Park were sold in the last three years. “Rara has a bright future and that is why people are attracted to this region,” Rokaya said. Most of the buyers want to build hotels and resorts, set up apple orchards and industries. People are not just acquiring private property, but also leasing land within the national park for operating hotels and resorts.

Jagat Bahadur Rokaya, officer at District Land Revenue Office, said the demand for land around Rara Lake is high.

Locals of Murma have started to set up hotels and shops, besides buying goats and sheep, using the money earned from land sales. Some of them have bought land in Surkhet and Nepaljung, two major towns in the Mid-western Region.

“People from across the country are investing in the Rara region. Locals of Mugu too should get involved in tourism business and reap the benefits,” Devi Krishna Rokaya, President of Rara Tourism Development Committee said.