Visit NepalHimal · Pahad · Teraiनेपाली

Himal — the mountains

The Himal (mountain) belt covers the northern third of Nepal, above roughly 3,000 m in its inhabited valleys and rising to the highest peaks on earth. Eight of the fourteen 8,000 m mountains stand on or inside Nepal's border, including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna.

Sixteen districts are officially classed as Himal. Life here is shaped by altitude and snow: Sherpa, Thakali, Manangi, Lhomi, Dolpo and other Tibetan-Buddhist peoples farm barley and potatoes, herd yaks and once carried the trans-Himalayan salt trade. North of the main range lie rain-shadow valleys like Mustang, Manang and Dolpo that look more like Tibet than the rest of Nepal.

Taplejung Sankhuwasabha Solukhumbu Dolakha Sindhupalchok Rasuwa Manang Mustang Dolpa Mugu Humla Jumla Kalikot Bajura Bajhang Darchula

Hidden gems only

59 places

Kanchenjunga

Kanchenjunga

Taplejung, Koshi Province

The world's third-highest mountain, on the Nepal–Sikkim border, sacred to the Limbu people as Sewalungma.

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

Taplejung, Koshi Province

A remote circuit to Pangpema and Oktang through Ghunsa's Sherpa village and some of Nepal's wildest valleys.

Pathibhara Devi

Temple & shrine

Pathibhara Devi

Taplejung, Koshi Province

A hilltop shrine at 3,794 m above Phungling, one of the most visited pilgrimages in eastern Nepal, with a sweep of Kanchenjunga views.

Timbung Pokhari

Taplejung, Koshi Province

A sacred high-altitude lake near the Sikkim border, walked to by Limbu pilgrims for the Janai Purnima full moon.

Olangchung Gola

Village & culture

Olangchung Gola

Taplejung, Koshi Province

An old trading village near the Tibetan border, with a 17th-century monastery and stone houses of the Walung people.

Makalu Barun National Park

Park & wildlife

Makalu Barun National Park

Sankhuwasabha, Koshi Province

Wild forests and glaciers from 435 m to the summit of Makalu, and a demanding trek to Makalu Base Camp.

Makalu

Makalu

Sankhuwasabha, Koshi Province

The fifth-highest mountain in the world: an isolated four-sided pyramid 19 km south-east of Everest.

Chainpur Bazaar

Village & culture

Chainpur Bazaar

Sankhuwasabha, Koshi Province

A 19th-century Newar bazaar on a ridge above the Arun, known for its brass and bell-metal craftsmen.

Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)

Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The highest point on earth at 8,848.86 m, first climbed by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary in 1953.

Everest Base Camp Trek

Everest Base Camp Trek

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Nepal's most famous trek: about 12 days from Lukla through Sherpa villages to the foot of the Khumbu Icefall.

Namche Bazaar

Village & culture

Namche Bazaar

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The Sherpa capital of the Khumbu: a horseshoe of lodges, bakeries and gear shops on a steep slope at 3,440 m.

Tengboche Monastery

Tengboche Monastery

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The largest monastery of the Khumbu, on a ridge facing Ama Dablam and Everest, home of the Mani Rimdu festival.

Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri

Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Six turquoise glacial lakes beside the Ngozumpa glacier, and a summit view of four 8,000 m peaks.

Kala Patthar

Hill & viewpoint

Kala Patthar

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

A dark rocky hump above Gorak Shep and the classic close-up viewpoint for the summit of Everest.

Lukla

Lukla

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Gateway to Everest, with the famous short, sloping runway of Tenzing–Hillary Airport.

Ama Dablam

Ama Dablam

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Perhaps the most beautiful mountain in the Khumbu: 'mother's necklace', a soaring ridge with a hanging glacier like a pendant.

Lhotse

Lhotse

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The world's fourth-highest mountain, joined to Everest by the South Col, with a colossal 3,000 m south face.

Cho Oyu

Cho Oyu

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The sixth-highest mountain, a broad white dome at the head of the Gokyo valley on the Tibetan border.

Khumjung and Khunde

Village & culture

Khumjung and Khunde

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Twin Sherpa villages in a quiet bowl above Namche, with Hillary's first school and a monastery that keeps a 'yeti scalp'.

Thame

Village & culture

Thame

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

A peaceful Sherpa village west of Namche where Tenzing Norgay grew up, with a cliff-side monastery that hosts Mani Rimdu in spring.

Mera Peak

Mera Peak

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

Nepal's highest 'trekking peak' at 6,476 m, a glacier climb with a view of five 8,000 m mountains.

Island Peak (Imja Tse)

Island Peak (Imja Tse)

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

A popular 6,189 m climbing peak in the Chhukung valley, rising like an island in a sea of ice.

Pikey Peak

Hill & viewpoint

Pikey Peak

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

A sacred Sherpa hilltop in lower Solu with a sunrise view from Kanchenjunga to Annapurna — Hillary's favourite Everest view.

Salleri, Phaplu and Chiwong

Salleri, Phaplu and Chiwong

Solukhumbu, Koshi Province

The green Solu valley below the Khumbu: the district headquarters, an airstrip, apple orchards and the clifftop Chiwong monastery.

Langtang Valley Trek

Langtang Valley Trek

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A week-long walk up a glacier valley close to Kathmandu, to the yak pastures and monastery of Kyanjin Gompa.

Gosaikunda

Gosaikunda

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A sacred alpine lake at 4,380 m, believed created by Shiva's trident, where thousands bathe at Janai Purnima.

Tamang Heritage Trail

Tamang Heritage Trail

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A short circuit through stone Tamang villages like Gatlang and Briddim, with homestays, hot springs and Tibetan border views.

Rasuwagadhi Fort

Heritage & palace

Rasuwagadhi Fort

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A 19th-century stone fort on the Tibetan border, guarding the old Kathmandu–Kyirong trade route.

Helambu Trek

Helambu Trek

Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province

A gentle trek from Kathmandu's rim into Hyolmo villages with monasteries, apple orchards and forest ridges.

Panch Pokhari

Panch Pokhari

Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province

Five sacred glacial lakes at about 4,100 m below Jugal Himal, a quiet trek and a Janai Purnima pilgrimage.

Bhote Koshi

Bhote Koshi

Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province

A steep, powerful river on the road to Tibet: Nepal's best short white-water rafting, canyoning and a 160 m bungee jump.

Kalinchowk Bhagawati

Temple & shrine

Kalinchowk Bhagawati

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

A goddess shrine on a 3,842 m summit reached by cable car, Nepal's most popular place to play in the snow.

Dolakha Bhimsen

Temple & shrine

Dolakha Bhimsen

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

A roofless shrine in an old Newar town, whose stone image of Bhimsen is said to 'sweat' before national disasters.

Gaurishankar

Gaurishankar

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

A twin-summited sacred mountain seen from Kathmandu, representing Shiva and his consort Gauri.

Tsho Rolpa and Rolwaling

Tsho Rolpa and Rolwaling

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

One of Nepal's largest glacial lakes, at the head of the hidden Rolwaling valley under Gaurishankar.

Jiri

Village & culture

Jiri

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

The 'Switzerland of Nepal' and the old starting point of the walk to Everest used by the 1953 expedition.

Annapurna Circuit

Annapurna Circuit

Manang, Gandaki Province

A classic 2–3 week loop around the Annapurna massif, from rice terraces to the 5,416 m Thorong La and down to Muktinath.

Manang village

Village & culture

Manang village

Manang, Gandaki Province

A stone village at 3,519 m under Annapurna III and Gangapurna, where trekkers rest before the Thorong La.

Tilicho Lake

Tilicho Lake

Manang, Gandaki Province

One of the highest lakes of its size in the world, at 4,919 m below the icy walls of Tilicho Peak.

Nar–Phu valley

Village & culture

Nar–Phu valley

Manang, Gandaki Province

A hidden valley off the Annapurna Circuit, with medieval stone villages, gorges and monasteries; opened to trekkers only in 2003.

Muktinath

Temple & shrine

Muktinath

Mustang, Gandaki Province

A temple at 3,710 m sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, with 108 water spouts and an eternal natural gas flame.

Jomsom and Marpha

Village & culture

Jomsom and Marpha

Mustang, Gandaki Province

Mustang's windy headquarters and, nearby, the whitewashed Thakali village famous for apples and apple brandy.

Kagbeni

Village & culture

Kagbeni

Mustang, Gandaki Province

A fortress-like medieval village at the gateway to Upper Mustang, with a red monastery and a sacred river confluence.

Lo Manthang and Upper Mustang

Heritage & palace

Lo Manthang and Upper Mustang

Mustang, Gandaki Province

The walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo, in a desert of red cliffs and cave dwellings north of the Himalaya.

Tukuche

Village & culture

Tukuche

Mustang, Gandaki Province

The old salt-trade capital of the Thakali, with grand merchant houses, a distillery and Dhaulagiri towering above.

Kali Gandaki Gorge

Kali Gandaki Gorge

Mustang, Gandaki Province

By some measures the deepest gorge on earth, where the river runs between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I, both over 8,000 m.

Rara Lake

Rara Lake

Mugu, Karnali Province

Nepal's largest lake, a deep blue sheet of water at 2,990 m ringed by pine, spruce and juniper forest.

Shey Phoksundo Lake

Shey Phoksundo Lake

Dolpa, Karnali Province

Nepal's deepest lake, an unreal turquoise, with a 167 m waterfall and the Bon village of Ringmo on its shore.

Shey Gompa and Upper Dolpo

Dolpa, Karnali Province

An 11th-century monastery below the sacred Crystal Mountain, in the high, remote world of Upper Dolpo.

Dho Tarap

Village & culture

Dho Tarap

Dolpa, Karnali Province

A high valley village of Dolpo with stone houses, chortens and one of the highest schools in the world.

Simikot and the Kailash route

Simikot and the Kailash route

Humla, Karnali Province

Humla's airstrip town, starting point of the walk to the Tibetan border at Hilsa and on to Mount Kailash.

Limi Valley

Village & culture

Limi Valley

Humla, Karnali Province

A hidden Tibetan Buddhist valley in far north-west Humla, with the ancient Rinchenling monastery at Halji.

Chandannath and Jumla

Temple & shrine

Chandannath and Jumla

Jumla, Karnali Province

Jumla's temple town among apple orchards and fields of red Marshi rice, the highest-growing rice in the world.

Sinja Valley

Heritage & palace

Sinja Valley

Jumla, Karnali Province

The capital of the medieval Khasa Malla empire and the cradle of the Nepali language, with ruins and ancient inscriptions.

Pachal Jharana

Kalikot, Karnali Province

A waterfall pouring off a cliff in the Karnali gorge country of Kalikot, which gives its name to the local municipality.

Badimalika

Temple & shrine

Badimalika

Bajura, Sudurpashchim Province

A high grassland shrine at over 4,000 m above Martadi, reached on a pilgrimage at the Janai Purnima full moon.

Surma Sarovar

Surma Sarovar

Bajhang, Sudurpashchim Province

A sacred glacial lake below Surma Devi peak in Bajhang, a remote pilgrimage in the shadow of the Saipal range.

Saipal Himal

Saipal Himal

Bajhang, Sudurpashchim Province

The highest mountain of the far west at 7,031 m, rising above the remote valleys of Bajhang and Humla.

Api Nampa and the Byas valley

Park & wildlife

Api Nampa and the Byas valley

Darchula, Sudurpashchim Province

The far north-west corner of Nepal: Api Himal, and the Byas valley of the Byansi people on the old route to Tibet.