Sagarmatha National Park A UNESCO heritage wonder
Posted in Asia | December 20, 2011 | Comment NowWith a plethora of glaciers, mountains and valleys, the Sagarmatha national Park comes across as a great haven for the wildlife in the region of Nepal. With the background of the majestic Mt. Everest, the species in this national park include the snow leopard and the very rare Panda. This national park located at the highest tip of the surface of the earth is famous for being a great adventure spot and also a reglious hub.
Traversed by the Rivers Dudh Koshi the entire park has the Great Himalayan ranges in the north, with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China also included here, and goes up to Monjo in the south.
With the beautiful landscape which has lovely cut valleys, glaciers and young mountains, the place is a hub for sedimentary rocks and granites. The national park is predominantly made up of six types of altitudinal vegetation, ranging from mosses and lichens to oak forests. There is lot of barren grazing land here and most of the vegetation is as that found in the vegetation areas of Nepal. So you have the subalpine, the upper alpine, lower alpine, and the lower subalpine type of vegetation in the park. Oak trees were the dominating feature here but today there are many more that have taken over. The flora here is predominantly made up of hemlock and pine forest in the lower heights. Then you have the rhododendrons, the birch, juniper, silver fir and other fine vegetation.
The wildlife here does not have many mammals apart from a few like the jackal, langur, wolf and also other wildlife like the yellow throated marten, the masked palm civet, the Himalayan weasel, the Indian Muntjac serow, the Himalayan musk deer, the goral, Himalayan tahr and the Sambar. The other mammals like the Tibetan water shrew, the short tailed mol, the marmot, the Himalayan water shrew, the house mouse, the rat and the woolly hare are also found here.
Then the avifauna includes around 152 types of birds, out of which 36 species are the breeding type. At high heights, the breeding is facilitated so Nepal is famous for protecting such birds. There are small lakes in this national park like the one at Gokyo, and these are great venues for migrant birds. Some six amphibians and seven kinds of reptile species are found here.
The Sherpas dominate the population of the areas in and around the park. The Sagarmatha National Park got recognized as a national park in the year 1979, as World Heritage.
One can take part in activities like nature walk, trekking from the Kala Pathar peak to the valley of Gokyo and Chukung. Around the park you could go and see the beautiful gompas and monasteries that are a feast for the eyes.
Also visit the Park Visitor Centre at Mendalphu, and the heritage museum for natural history. You can also go to the Thame Gomba which is a great religious hub. Festivals like the Mani Rimdu are celebrated here in the month of May.
Visit the Khumjung Gomba which is also a great place to be in and enjoy the Dumje festivals here at the Pangboche and Namche monasteries.
With the pristine surroundings of glaciers and snow clad mountains, the park is a perfect haven for all. One can reach here by taking a flight to Lukla, or Tumlingtar, Phaplu or Syangboche and come here by walk or bus.
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