The Himalayas - Great Giants of Nepal

Nepal is blessed with natural beauty and that's a fact! This is also because Nepal lies just on the laps of the mighty Himalayas. Out of the 14 highest mountains in the world - Everest (8848m), K2, Kanchenjunga (8586m), Lhotse (8501m), Makalu (8463m), Cho Oyu (8201m), Dhaulagiri I (8167m), Manaslu (8156m), Nanga Parbat, Annapurna I (8091m), Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Shishapangma; 8 are situated in Nepal either completely or bordering Tibet (China) or India.

Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri I, Manaslu and Annapurna 1 are the world's highest, 3rd to 8th highest and 10th highest in the world respectively.

While trekking in Nepal, it's easy to be enamored by the beauty of these mountains and the landscapes that surround them, from thick emerald valleys with roaring rivers and tropical waterfalls to peaceful alpine meadows and barren deserts - you name it, and it's there!

After hearing all this, you would definitely want to come to Nepal to witness the majestic Himalayas in all its glory! So, wish to know more about these 8 of the world's highest mountains?

1. Everest (World's Highest)

Well, you already know it's the world's highest, towering at 8,848m. What you may not know is that it keeps on inching up towards the sky at 0.1576 inches (about 4mm) every year.

Mt. Everest also goes by the name Chomolungma in Tibetan meaning 'Holy Mother' and Sagarmatha in Nepali, meaning 'Forehead of the Sky'.

Everest is situated in between the border of Nepal and Tibet (China), and on Nepal's side, it lies in the Solukhumbu district, Sagarmatha Zone. The Everest massif is the part of Mahalangur range of the Himalayas. Lhotse (8501m), Nuptse (7861m) and Changtse (7550m) that lies in Tibet (China) make up the massif.

The first successful climb of Everest was on 29 May, 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal.

2. Kanchenjunga (3rd Highest)

The name given to the third highest mountain in the world soaring 8586m into the sky means 'Five Treasure Houses of Snow'. The gigantic massif lies in the eastern part of Nepal bordering Sikkim, India.

The peaks that form the majestic Kanchenjunga are Kanchenjunga Main (8586m), Kanchenjunga West/Yalung Kang (8505m), Kanchenjunga Central (8482m), Kanchenjunga South (8494m) and Kangbachen (7903m).

The first successful attempt to climb Kanchenjunga was by the members of a British expedition, Joe Brown and George Band on May 25, 1955. The first ascent without use of supplemental oxygen was in 1979 by three British men Peter Boardman, Doug Scott and Joe Tasker.

Likewise the first solo ascent was by Pierre Beghin, a Frenchmen in 1983 and the first woman to climb Kanchenjunga was Ginette Harrison, a British in 1998.

3. Lhotse (4th Highest)

One of the peaks close to Everest is the world's 4th highest mountain Lhotse, connected by the ridge South Col. Lhotse in Tibetan means 'South Peak' and lies in between the border of Nepal and Tibet (China).

It stands tall at 8501m and is the least climbed mountain in Nepal. Besides the main peak of Lhotse, there are other two peaks of the mountain Lhotse Middle (East) and Lhotse Shar.

Lhotse was first climbed by Swiss expedition's Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss on 18th May, 1956. The south face of Lhotse is one of the steepest in the world and thus is equally challenging to climb; also there is no flat surface on top of Lhotse to sit down.

4. Makalu (5th Highest)

Mt. Makalu was named after Hindu god 'Maha Kala' a Sanskrit word, which is one of the forms of Lord Shiva, the destroyer. Maha Kala means 'Big Black' and thus, Makalu is referred as 'The Great Black' for its distinct big black rock face.

Mt. Makalu is the 5th highest mountain in the world, located in eastern Nepal bordering Tibet (China). It's also a part of Mahalangur section of the great Himalayas. It's an independent peak standing tall at 8463m and looks like a four-sided pyramid.

The peaks immediate to Makalu are Kangchungtse (Makalu II - 7640m) and Chomo Lonzo (7804m).

Makalu was successfully climbed in 1955 AD by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of a French expedition team.

5. Cho Oyu (6th Highest)

Cho Oyu is a Tibetan name given to the mountain meaning 'Turquoise God'. The mountain is also known as the 'Mighty Head' or the 'God's Head'.

Cho Oyu is the 6th highest mountain in the world at 8201m and lies between the border of Nepal and Tibet (China).

The snowy mountain is considered as more easily accessible and easy to climb among the world's 8 Thousanders. Many climb Cho Oyu to have a practice at climbing an 8 thousander before attempting to summit Everest or other more challenging and technically difficult mountains.

The first mountaineers to successfully ascent Cho Oyu were Austrians Joseph Jöchler, Herbert Tichy and Pasang Dawa Lama from Nepal on October 19, 1954.

6. Dhaulagiri I (7th Highest)

Seventh highest peak in the world, Dhaulagiri I stands tall at 8167m high above the clouds in the north central Nepal. The name Dhaulagiri meaning 'The White Mountain' was given to the mountain for its massive peak covered in snow and ice all year around.

Dhaulagiri massif is the highest mountain entirely situated within the boundary of Nepal. The humongous Dhaulagiri massif consists of four major mountains Dhaulagiri I, II, III, IV, V and VI, Dhaulagiri I being the tallest and coming at number 7 to claim it status as one of the highest mountains in the world.

The other notable peaks that make up the massif are Churen Himal (Main, East and West), Putha Hiunchuli, Gurja Himal, False Junction Peak, Junction Peak, Peak Hawley (Pota) and Hiunchuli Patan.

It was first climbed on May 13, 1960 by the members of Swiss/Austrian expedition led by Max Eiselin - Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, two Sherpas Nyima Dorji and Nawang Dorji.

7. Manaslu (8th Highest)

The name Manaslu was given to the mountain from the Sanskrit word 'Manasa' meaning 'intellect' or 'soul', referring to the snowy peak as 'Mountain of Spirit'.

One of the mountains in the Mansiri Himal of the Himalayas in Nepal, Manaslu is the world's eighth highest mountain in the world towering at 8156m, and is located in Lamjung district of Nepal.

Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu from a Japanese expedition were the first ones to ascent Manaslu on May 9, 1956.



Manaslu is considered one of the most dangerous mountains to climb because of its rough terrain requiring experience in technical climbing and unpredictable weather.

8. Annapurna I (10th Highest)

The name Annapurna comes from a Sanskrit word which translates to 'Goddess of Harvests'.

The Annapurna massif consists of 6 major peaks over 7000m - Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna II (7937m), Annapurna III (7555m), Annapurna IV (7525m), Gangapurna (7455m) and Annapurna South (7219m).