Sagarmatha National Park

Sagarmatha National Park is home to the highest peak in the world Mt. Everest (8,848 m).The area was designated a national park in 1976 and got recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It encompasses an area of 1,148 km2 in the Solukhumbu District and the altitude ranges from 2,845m to 8,848m at the summit of Mount Everest. Other peaks above six thousand are Mt. Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Thamserku, Nuptse, Amadablam and Pumori. It is bordered with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of Tibet in the north, in the east is the Makalu Barun National Park and to the south it extends up to the Dudh Koshi river. It is largely composed of rugged terrain and gorges of the high Himalayas. The park has a diverse flora and fauna with dense forest of pine, silver fir, juniper, oak and rhododendrons found up to 4,000 m above sea level. The Park boasts of a wide variety of wildlife including more than 108 species of birds including Impeyan pheasant, bearded vulture, snowcock, and alpine chough and mammals such as musk deer, the Himalayan tahr, the ghoral, the serow, the wolf, and the Himalayan black. Endangered species which are rarely seen include: snow leopard, red panda, and two kinds of dazzling pheasants – the crimson-horned and the Impeyan pheasant, Nepal’s national bird. Smaller animals like marmots, pikas and martens are also found in the park. There are several trekking trails within the National park, the most popular trek, the Everest Base Camp Trek and the Kala Patthar trek goes through the Sagarmatha National Park. Other popular treks are the Gokyo lakes trek, Everest three high pass trek, Everest view panorama trek, Pikey peak trek etc.