Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) is home of scenic mountains, snow covered peaks, gorges and glaciers, beautiful Sherpa cultures and dominated by the highest mountain on Earth Mount Everest / Sagarmatha. The park is home to three 8,000 meters and above mountains in the world “Everest”, Lhotse” and “Cho Oyu”, five 7,000 meters and above mountains “Gyachung Kang”, “Nuptse”, “Pumori”, “Baruntse” and “Nangpai Gosum” and more than twenty 6000 meters and above mountains. There are many small and big rivers flowing in this zone but the most famous are Bhote Kosi, Dudh Kosi and Imja Khola rivers. And there are many glaciers like Nangpa Glacier, Ngozumpa Glacier, Khumbu Glacier, Imja Glacier and more.
Sagarmatha national park declared in 1976 is situated in north-east Nepal and covers 1148 square kilometers of the Himalayan zone in the Khumbu region. The park declared as natural world heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. Gokyo and Associated Lakes in Sagarmatha National Park designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2007. The altitude in SNP ranges from 2,845m at Monjo to 8,848m (Mount Everest / Sagarmatha).
Climate in Sagarmatha National Park
SNP started with Temperate zone and goes up to Nival Zone (Covered in snow throughout most of the year). Between Monjo and Namche the climate is Temperate, Namche, Khumjung, Thamo, Thame, Tengboche, Pangboche and few other villages in this zone comes under Alpine zone, Shomare, Dingboche, Pheriche comes under Sub-Nival and Lobuche and above comes under Nival zone and same as in Gokyo.
Flora and Fauna in Sagarmatha National Park
69 percent of the Park is barren land above 5,000 meters. The vegetation found at the lower altitude of the park includes the Himalayan blue pine, sliver fir, Juniper, Birch, Rhododendron, Scrub and other alpine plant species which are common in higher altitude.
The SNP has a comparatively low number of mammals as compared to other parts of the Nepal Himalaya. The park is home to Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Himalayan Tahr, Marten, Wolf, Himalyan black Bear, Himalayan mouse hare and few others. The park is also home of few species of reptiles, amphibians and butterflies. There’s also significant number of bird species found in the park like Himalayan Monal, Snow Cock, Blood Pheasant, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-Billed Chough, Griffin and more.
People in Sagarmatha National Park
Major caste groups in this area are Sherpa, Tamang and Rai, and mostly dominated by Sherpa’s. The Sherpa people are Tibetan decent and practice Buddhism. The famous Tengboche, Thame, Khumjung, Pangboche and other monasteries are common gathering place where people celebrate festivals such as Dumje and Mani Rimdu.
Major Attractions in Sagarmatha National Park
Three of world’s highest mountain peak including number 1, 4 and 6 the Mt. Everest (8, 848 meters), Mt. Lhotse (8,516 meters) and Cho Oyu (8,201 meters).
Most beautiful mountains like Pumory and Ama Dablam.
Mount Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.
Gokyo Lakes.
Khumbu and other Glaciers.
Mountain passes like Renjo la, Cho La and Kongma la.
Chukung and Thame valley.
Sherpa villages and beautiful monasteries.
How to get in to Sagarmatha National Park
Fly to Lukla and 1 day trek to Monjo.
Bus to Jiri and 6 days trek.
Flight to Tumlingtar and 10 days trek.
Flight to Phaplu and 5 days trek.
Safety, during your stay in Sagaramatha National Park
High altitude sickness(AMS- Acute Mountain Sickness ) can affect you if elevation is gained too rapidly and without proper acclimatization. The major symptoms are headache, difficulty in sleeping, breathlessness, loss of appetite and general fatigue. If someone develops these symptoms stop ascending immediately. If symptoms persist, the only cure is to descend to a lower altitude.
Medical facilities can find in Kunde Hospital Khumjung or Pheriche health post. Telephone network almost available everywhere in the zone and Helicopter rescue services are really punctual in this zone.
Conserve forest and Stop pollution
Don’t use firewood as it is prohibited, don’t light campfire, choose tea houses or lodges, carry out what you carried in, drink water after purifying it and always avoid packaged water bottles, minimize use of polythene and plastic materials, for normal garbage always use dustbins, use toilets wherever possible and in the wild stay at least 150 meters away from the water source and bury the waste.
Entry Fee of Sagarmatha National Park
An entry fee of Nepali rupees 3, 000 (non SAARC nationals) and Rs. 1, 500(SAARC) plus tax, must be paid at the designated ticket counter per person. The entry permit is non refundable, non transferable and valid for single entry only. Entering to park without a permit is illegal you need to show it to several check posts inside the national park.
