Visiting Nepal .com

Sagarmatha National Park was gazetted in 1976 and located in the Solu Khumbu district in the northeastern Nepal. In 2002 the park's buffer region was declared.

The park is a stunning mountainous area with three peaks above 8000m, including Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), the highest peak in the world. Sagarmatha ("Mother of Universe") and its surrounding are of international importance due to its evolutionary history, scenic and the wilderness values. In 1979 UNESCO designated the park as world Heritage Site recognition of the culture importance of the Sherpa people.

The vegetation at the lower elevation is dominated by pine and hemlock forest, while above 3,500 meters the forest is dominated with silver fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper trees. During spring and monsoon the varieties of rhododendron flowers are seen. The common wildlife in the park are Himalayan Tahr, ghoral, musk deer, pikka (mouse hare) wasel, jackal, Other rarely seen animals are Himalayan black bear, wolf, lynx, and snow leopard. Birds inhabiting the parks are of over 118 species. Common ones among them are the impeyan pheasant (Danphe), blood pheasant, red billed cough, yellow-billed chough, snow-cock, snow pigeon, Himalayan griffon, and lammergeyer. The area also provides warm Sherpa hospitality and has many monasteries and cultural landmarks. Tourism activities and farming are the main activities of the area. Growing barleys and potatoes and raising Yaks are some of the notable occupation. The majority of the youth are engaged as mountaineering and trekking guides in the seasons.A total of 194 bird species has been recorded in the park (Basnet 2004). It hold globally endangered Wood Snipe that may breed in alpine meadows. During 1959-1961 invasion of Tibetan refugees, growth of trekking and mountaineering from 1963 the obliteration increases rapidly. Heavy pressure from tourism and mountaineering expeditions has placed great demands on forests. (Green 1993). Deforestation has been forbidden after the prohibition on tree cutting within the park. Due to mountaineers and trekkers the high scale use of fire wood is consumed.

The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a local NGO, run by sherpas and supported by WWF to address garbage disposal and sanitation problems as well as cleaning campaigns. To make the trail clean, rubbish bins are kept for the collection of the garbage.