Nepal information
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The Himalayas
Nepal Himalayas
Brief description of mountain peaks
Some Mountain Peaks Photo Gallery
Mountaineering in Nepal
Nepal Information
Some Mountain Peaks Photo Gallery
The Himalayas
Trekking Information
Mountaineering in Nepal
Brief description of mountain peaks

Along with its many other facets, Nepal is well known for its beautiful high mountain peaks. Many tourists visit Nepal every year attracted by the scenic beauty and the challenge of scaling these mountains. A brief description of these mountain peaks is presented in the following paragraphs.

Mt. Everest
Mt. Everest, lying in the Mahalangur range and known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolongma in Tibet, is the highest mountain peak in the world. Mt. Everest is located in the Solukhumbu District of Sagarmatha Zone at 27° 59' 17" N latitude and 86° 55' 31" E longitude. Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General of India, discovered it in 1852. Everest was then referred to as Peak XV. It was officially named Mt. Everest in 1865 and a Nepali name 'Sagarmatha' was given in 1956.

On 5th May 1999, its elevation was determined to be 8,850 meters by National Geographic Society, which was determined using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite. The new elevation of Mt. Everest has however not been confirmed by Government of Nepal.

The best climbing months are April and May and most expeditions set out for the summit from Namche Bazaar in Solukhumbu.

Kangchenjunga

Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world (8,586 meters) is located at 27° 42' 09'' N latitude and 88° 09' 01" E longitude. From 1838 until 1849, it was believed to be the highest mountain in the world. Kangchenjunga is located on the Indo- Nepal border as part of the Himalayan mountain range. The mountain was first climbed by a British Expedition Team of George Band and Joe Brown in 1955.

The best climbing months are April, September and October. The most feasible way to approach it is from Basantapur.

Kangchenjunga Conservation Area
Lumba Sumba Trek: Kangchenjunga Conservation Area- Makalu Barun National Park
Lhotse

Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world. Located at 27° 57' 45" N latitude and 86° 56' 03" E longitude, the peak has a height of 8,516 meters. Its long east-west crest is located immediately south of Mt. Everest and the summits of the two mountains are connected by the South Col, a vertical ridge that never drops below 8,000 meters.

Lhotse is sometimes mistakenly identified as the south peak of the Everest massif. No serious attention was turned to climb Lhotse until after Everest had finally been ascended. Lhotse was first climbed in 1956 as an alternative route to the summit of Everest by a Swiss team of Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger. In addition to the main summit, there are two subsidiary peaks, Lhotse Shar, which is immediately east of the main summit, and Nuptse, a high peak on the mountain's west ridge. It is also known as Khumbu Lhotse, Lotzu or Lo-tzu Feng.

The best climbing months are April, May, late September and October. The convenient point to start journey to reach Lhotse is Namche Bazaar of Solukhumbu.

Pumori (7'165 m) Lhotse (8'501 m)
Makalu

Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world rising 8,463 meters above sea level. It is an isolated peak, located just 14 miles east of Mt. Everest. Its impressive structure of a perfect pyramid with four sharp ridges makes this mountain all the more spectacular. It is also known as Makalufeng. It is located in 27° 53' 23" N latitude and 87° 56' 35" E longitude. It was first climbed in 1955 by J. Franco of the French expedition team.

April, late September and October are the best climbing months.Expeditions to Makalu starts from Hile of Dhankuta.

Cho Oyu

Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, is located to the west from Everest and Lhotse in the Khumbu region of Eastern Nepal along the Tibetan border. It measures 8,201 meters above sea level and located at 28° 05' 37" N latitude and 86° 39' 43" E longitude. It became a familiar landmark to climbers ascending Everest's north face. Just west of Cho Oyu is the Nangpa La, a glacier pass, the main trade route between Khumbu and Tibet.

Cho Oyu's proximity to the Nangpa La has earned it the distinction among some climbers as being the easiest 8,000 meter peak. It was first climbed on 19 October 1954 by Austrian climber Herbert Tichy with Joseph Joechler and Pasang Dava Lama. The mountain is also called Jobo Uyog.

The best climbing months are April, May, late September and October. The convenient place to start a journey to the mountain is from Namche Bazaar of Solukhumbu.

Himalayas
Dhaulagiri

Dhaulagiri meaning white mountain is the seventh highest mountain in the world. It is located at 28° 41' 46" N latitude and 83° 29' 43" E longitude and is measured at 8,167 meters above sea level. It maintained this standing for nearly 30 years, until the discovery of Kangchenjunga, which was then falsely believed to be the world's highest mountain.

Dhaulagiri's crest stretches for 30 miles, lending structure to an otherwise tangled topography of twisting ridges, glaciers, and ice falls. In 1960, the Swiss/Austrian expedition team first reached the summit, despite their airplane having crashed during the approach and this was the first Himalayan climb supported by an airplane.

The best climbing months for the summit are April, May, late September and October. It can be reached from Pokhara.

Dhaulagiri (left) and the Annapurna Group
Manaslu

Manaslu located at 28° 32' 58" N latitude and 84 ° 33' 43 E longitudes is the eighth highest mountain in the world. It is 8,163 meters high and is located about forty miles east of Annapurna (8091 m), the tenth highest mountain. The mountain's long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions, and it culminates in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape, and is a dominant feature when seen from afar.

The name Manaslu is derived from the Sanskrit word Manasa, which can be roughly translated as 'Mountain of the Spirit'. It was first climbed by Japanese expedition team members T. Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu in 1956.

The best climbing months are April, May, late September and October. It can be approached from Pokhara.

Annapurna

Annapurna range situated in central Nepal has one of the most dominating Himalayan panoramas. Located just north of Pokhara Valley, the range consists of Annapurna I (8,091 m) Annapurna II (7,937 m), Annapurna III (7,555 m), Annapurna IV (7,525 m) Gangapurna (7,455 m) and Annapurna South (7,219 m).

Annapurna I is an enormous Himalayan massif and the tenth highest mountain peak in the world. Located to the east of a great gorge that cuts through the Himalayas by the Kali Gandaki River, this mountain range has glaciers on its western and northwestern slopes, which drain into this gorge. Annapurna is a Sanskrit name that means 'Goddess of the Harvests' or 'The Provider'. Annapurna I is located at 28° 35' 45" N latitude and 83° 49' 20" longitude.

The best climbing months are April, May, late September and October. It can be approached from Pokhara.

The 14 Eight-Thousanders
Himalayas
Information about the Himalayas in Nepal
Himalayas Glaciers Photo Gallery Everest Region
Glaciers in Nepal Geology Topography
in Nepal From Dhaulagiri to Himal Chuli Trekkings
  Description of mountain peaks Glaciers - Glacial Lakes - GLOF
The Himalayas
Charikot Everest Trekkings: Gokyo
Hanumante Trekking
Rolwaling Trekking
Tsho Rolpa Gauri Shankar
Trail Bridges Nepali People
Geology of Mount Everest Everest Region
Bhutan Himalayas: Druk Air flight Paro to Kathmandu
Links
External link
Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)
NASA Earth Observatory
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