Sagarmatha National Park covers 1,148 square kilometres of the high Himalayan Khumbu region, encompassing three of the world's highest peaks — Everest (8,849m), Lhotse (8,516m), and Cho Oyu (8,188m) — as well as dozens of peaks above 6,000m. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for both its extraordinary mountain environment and its cultural significance as the traditional territory of the Sherpa people.
The wildlife of the park is adapted to extreme altitude. Snow leopards are present but very rarely seen; Himalayan tahrs (large wild goats) are more frequently spotted on rocky cliff faces. Red pandas live in the lower rhododendron forest zones. The park is particularly rich in high-altitude birds: the Himalayan monal (Nepal's national bird), blood pheasants, snowcocks, and numerous raptors. The griffon and lammergeier vultures are commonly seen circling on thermals above the valleys.
Environmental pressure on the park is intense — several hundred thousand trekkers and climbers pass through annually, generating enormous quantities of waste and fuel demand. Kerosene must be carried in from outside the park for cooking; wood collection is prohibited. The park authority manages waste disposal points at main villages and requires expeditions to clean up their high-altitude camps, but the environmental situation remains challenging.