Nepal houses some of the highest peaks around the world; 14 out of highest 20 to be exact. While visiting Nepal, the one thing you would not want to miss is to at least get a glimpse of these beautiful giant peaks like Mount Machhapuchhre, the Ama Dablam Himal, Annapurna massif and the mighty Everest itself. For this purpose, Nepal has view points from where the sights of the mountains and their panorama can be seen in a relatively close proximity. For a wonderful viewing of the Himalayas, here is a list of some of the best view points in Nepal.
Kalapatthar
Kalapatthar is considered the most famous view point in the Everest region among the many other view points. The word “Kalapatthar” translates to “Black Rock” in Nepali. It is a notable landmark located on the southern ridge of the Pumori in the Himalayas above Gorekshep. Although not a proper mountain, with a prominence of only 10 meters (33 ft.), the ascent of Kalapatthar is very popular with trekkers in the region of Mount Everest since it provides the most accessible close up view of the Everest Peak. Due to the structure of the Everest Massif, its high summit is blocked by Nuptse from much of the surrounding region. The views of Everest, Nuptse and Changtse are spectacular from Kala Patthar and there are glimpses of the northern flank and summit of Mount Lhotse as well. The world's highest webcam, the Mount Everest webcam, is also located here. The ascent of Kalapatthar begins at Gorakshep (5,164 m or 16,942 ft.), the original Base Camp for Mount Everest. After a brief dip to an ancient lake bed (which now contains a small lake and a helipad), the ascend makes its way up a series of steep switchbacks before leveling off somewhat as it traverses to the eastern side of the mountain. The trail then becomes steep once again until it reaches the wind-swept summit ridge. From there, a five-to-ten minute scramble over boulders takes one to the top, which is marked with prayer flags. The full ascent usually takes between 1 to 2 hours. In December 2009, Madhav Kumar Nepal- the former Prime Minister of the country- and the Nepali Cabinet held a short cabinet meeting at the base of Kalapatthar as a response to climate change as well.
Khopra Ridge
Khopra Ridge as one of the view points, also known as the Khopra Danda, (3,660m) offers spectacular views of Mount Dhaulagiri (8,167m) - the world's 7th highest mountain. The Khopra Ridge is located away from the busier trails of Annapurna region but provides equally remarkable views of the Himalayas including Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna South, the Fang Himal and Nilgiri. The Khopra Ridge deters from the usual route of Ghorepani and Poon Hill and goes into an acreage that presents views of the world’s deepest gorge- the Kali Gandaki.
Gokyo RI
The Gokyo RI, also known as the Gokyo Peak, is a peak in the Khumbu region and one of the elusive view points of Khumbu. A rocky peak at 5,357meters- Gokyo RI is the slightly lesser known, and a farther away view point at Everest compared to its more famous neighboring vantage point of Kalapatthar. The views of Everest are amazing from Gokyo RI- some consider it even better than Kalapatthar since more of the surrounding mountains can be observed from here, including 3 additional 8,000 meter Peaks- Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. It is located on the west side of the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest glacier in Nepal; also reputed to be the largest in the whole Himalayas. Gokyo (4,750 m), at the base of Gokyo RI, is a small hamlet of a few stone houses and one of the highest settlements in the world. The Gokyo Lakes are in the area as well.
Pikey Peak
Pikey Peak (4,065m) offers views of Everest and the surrounding mountains in a spectacular fashion. Among all of the other view points- it was declared as the best by Sir Edmund Hillary as well. In addition to Everest, you can also see the Dhaulagiri Peak in the west and Mount Kanchenjunga to the east from here. The advantage of being slightly further away from the big peaks allows the view from Pikey Peak to stretch further and encompass more. The views are truly breathtaking from here- countless giant peaks to the north adorn the sight and deep valleys dropping away into the clouds to the south present a marvelous picture.
Tengboche
A spiritual hub of the Khumbu region- Tengboche also holds the famous holy Tengboche Monastery in its view points. It lies at an altitude of 3,867 meters. Tengboche offers amazing views of Mount Ama Dablam- considered by many as the world's most beautiful mountain. Tengboche offers panoramic view of the Himalayan Mountains like the peaks of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Thamserku as well. Tenzing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, was born in the area in the village of Thani and was once sent to the Tengboche Monastery to be a monk. Tengboche and the Tengboche Monastery complex built around the village are considered the oldest Sherpa celibate monastery in the region. Tengboche is a midway station on the trail to the base camp for the mountain climbers of Mount Everest and other peaks of over 8,000 meters (26,000 ft) of elevation; all these areas form part of the entire Khumbu region up to the Tibet border with an area of 1,148 square kilometers (443 sq mi) encompassing Sagarmatha National Park as well. In the region, the monastery is strategically placed on the way to the Everest Base Camp and thus attracts large number of tourists from all parts of the world. During spring, hill slopes around Tengboche are covered with blossoming rhododendrons.
Nagarkot
Nagarkot is located 32 kilometers east of Kathmandu. At an elevation of 2,195 meters, it is considered one of the most scenic spots in the Bhaktapur district. The view point at Nagarkot is known for sunrise views amidst the Himalayas- including Mount Everest as well as other peaks of the Himalayan ranges of eastern Nepal. Nagarkot Day Hike also offers a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley. The scenic beauty of the place makes it a very popular hiking route for tourists. It is located approximately 7000 ft (2000 meters) above sea level and 28 kilometers from the Kathmandu International Airport. Nagarkot presents one of the broadest views of the Himalayas in the Kathmandu valley; 8 Himalayan ranges of Nepal out of 13 can be viewed from here. The ranges include the Annapurna range, Manaslu range, Ganesh Himal range, Langtang range, Jugal range, Rolwaling range, Mahalangur range (Everest range) and the Numbur range with views of the Kathmandu valley and the Shivapuri National Park. Situated at a strategic location, Nagarkot was an ancient fort of the Kathmandu valley built to monitor the external activities of other kingdoms in ancient times. Later, it became a summer retreat for the royal family of the country before becoming popular as an international hill station.
Poon Hill
Located above the village of Ghorepani in the Annapurna region- Poon Hill is the most famous and most visited vantage point in the country. It lies at the elevation of 3,210 meters and offers spectacular views of the Annapurna massif and many of its surrounding peaks. Trekkers describe the sight of the rising sun from amidst the Annapurna Mountains from Poon Hill to be an out-of-this-world experience as the rays of the sun tend to change the tincture of the ivory mountains from cerulean to a cascade of molten gold and burning embers. Spectacular views of Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Gangapurna, Nilgiri, Hiunchuli and many other peaks can be viewed from Poon Hill.
Sarangkot
Sarangkot lies west of the lake-side city of Pokhara. The village is located on Sarangkot Mountain at an altitude of 1,600 meters and is renowned for its panoramic Himalayan views of peaks like Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu as well as the city of Pokhara and the Phewa Lake. In recent years, Sarangkot has become a hotspot for paragliding as well.
