The construction of Karnali Province’s first four-star resort began on Monday in Murma Top, Rara. The project, backed by investment from NRN Australia, commenced with a land-worship ceremony following Hindu traditions.

Although the province has had hotels up to three stars, this marks the first time a four-star resort is being built, said Arun Chand, project manager of Rara Holding Resort Pvt. Ltd. The initiative stems from a commitment made by a team led by Nepali NRN Abhishek Bikram Shah, who is based in Australia, during the third investment summit held in Kathmandu last year. Rara Holding Resort Pvt. Ltd. has signed an agreement with the federal government to complete the construction within 18 months.

The resort will span 73 ropanis, with an initial investment of Rs 1 billion. Once operational, the resort will cater to 100 domestic and international tourists daily. Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi is scheduled to formally lay the foundation stone on February 12.

Tourists visiting Rara have long raised concerns over the lack of well-equipped hotels in the region. The resort aims to promote tourism by linking religious and natural sites such as Sinja Valley, Rara, Chhayanath, and Khaptad. Infrastructure construction, set to begin in mid-March, will be at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. Upon completion, the project is expected to provide direct employment to 120 people and create over 1,000 indirect jobs, said resort representative Prem Shahi. The resort also seeks to attract Indian religious tourists.

Designed in the style of traditional local homes, the resort will feature 55 rooms with a total of 98 beds, a seminar hall with a capacity of 100, and offer panoramic views of Rara and the Himalayas from every room. From Murma Top, located half an hour above the resort, visitors will be able to see the terrain of seven districts. Chand stated that the resort’s construction is a response to the frequent complaints from tourists about inadequate food and lodging facilities in Rara.

Currently, more than a dozen hotels operate in Ghatta and Salleri within the Rara region, but they struggle to meet demand during peak seasons. Birkh Rokaya, a hotelier from Chhayanath Rara Municipality-8, expressed optimism that the new four-star resort in Murma Top will significantly improve accommodations for visitors to Rara. -- RSS