Makalu Barun National Park

Makalu Barun National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Landscape in Makalu Barun National Park
Location in Province No. 1 Show map of Koshi Province Makalu Barun National Park (Nepal) Show map of Nepal
Location	Province No. 1, Nepal
Coordinates	27°45′25″N 87°06′49″E / 27.75694°N 87.11361°E / 27.75694; 87.11361
Area	1,500 km2 (580 sq mi)
Established	1992
Governing body	Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

Makalu Barun National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of Nepal that was established in 1992 as the eastern extension of Sagarmatha National Park. It is the world's only protected area with an elevation gain of more than 8,000 m (26,000 ft) enclosing tropical forest as well as snow-capped peaks. It covers an area of 1,500 km² (580 sq mi) in the Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha districts, and is surrounded by a bufferzone to the south and southeast with an area of 830 km² (320 sq mi).^[1]

The rugged summits of Makalu, with 8,463 m (27,766 ft) the fifth highest mountain in the world, Chamalang (7,319 m (24,012 ft)), Baruntse (7,129 m (23,389 ft)) and Mera (6,654 m (21,831 ft)) are included in the national park. The protected area extends to about 66 km (41 mi) from west to east and to about 44 km (27 mi) from north to south. From the Arun river valley in the southeast, located at altitudes of 344–377 m (1,129–1,237 ft), elevation gains about 8,025 m (26,329 ft) to the peak of Makalu.^[2] The national park shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the north.^[3]

The protected area is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.^[4]