Spanning 1,148 square kilometres of deep valleys, soaring peaks and sprawling glaciers in north-east Nepal is Sagarmatha National Park.
Roughly the size of Hong Kong, this majestic Himalayan landscape comprises some of the world’s loftiest mountains, including Pumori (7,161m), Nuptse (7,861m), Lhotse (8,516m) and Sagarmatha (8,849m) – the Nepali name for Mount Everest.
The upper headwaters of the Bhote Koshi, Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers carve through the landscape, and at lower altitudes, forests of blue pine, east Himalayan fir and drooping juniper trees grow.
The national park was established in 1976, before being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 “for its superlative natural characteristics”.
It’s a wild place, home to wild creatures, including 28 species of mammal, over 150 birds, six amphibians and seven reptiles. Musk deer, red pandas, bar-headed geese, woolly hares and a goat-like mammal known as the Himalayan tahr can all be found within the park.
Snow leopards live here, too. There are thought to be around 4,000 of these large, spotty cats left in the wild, making them one of the rarest cats in the world. Measuring 75–150cm from the head to the base of the tail, and weighing up to 75kg, these impressive carnivores can take down sizeable prey, including Himalayan tahr and deer.
- When India's grumpiest cat moved into a house in the Himalayas, the family who lived there moved out
Sagarmatha National Park wildlife
Top image: Ivica Gulija/Getty Images
More wildlife stories from around the world
- Snow leopards are killing enormous ibex in Mongolia's mountains. Researchers just found out why
- Siberia’s ‘Gateway to Hell’ is getting bigger. And it’s spewing out prehistoric animals
- “It’s so dry that NASA has used parts of it to test Mars rovers.” 6 extreme places on Earth where you can still find life
- A carnivore has moved into Florida's Everglades – and it's threatening native crocodiles and alligators
