Nepal 2015, "Mahalangur Himal, aerial view" These stamps were issued in the miniature sheet to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the 1955 summit ascents of Makalu and Kangchenjunga[/caption] Everest is the jewel of the Mahalangur Himal that sits astride the Nepalese-Tibetan border ~70km east northeast of Kathmandu. The range is ~80km long, ~65km wide (straddling the border) and covers an area of ~5 200km2. Cho Oyu crowns the western flank, Makalu its eastern ridge. Lhotse is the eastern arm of Everest’s South Col. Thus, four of the 14 eight thousand metre peaks – together with 20 peaks over 7 000m and 63 over 6 000m rise within this range. [The stamps show two peaks, east of Cho Oyu: Tenzing and Hilary Peaks proposed by the Nepalese Government in September 2014. Some have suggested the peaks may be on the Nuptse Ridge?] The towering ice walls that cloak the high peaks created glaciers that, over aeons, cut the Himal’s major valleys. Four of these valleys (Bhote, Gokyo, Khumbu and Imja; first settled by the Tibetan Sherpa people some 500 years ago) lie in the Sagarmatha National Park. To the southeast the valleys of the Hinku, Hongu and Barun rivers lie in the Barun NP (with Baruntse, Ama Dablam and Kangtega) while the Makalu section is north of the Barun Nadi. The Sagarmatha NP Most trekkers enter the Everest region via Lukla’s daring airstrip. Drop into the Dudh Khosi Valley that rises to the region’s largest, Ngozumpa, glacier beneath the towering walls of the Cho Oyu – Ngozumpa – Ghyachung Kang ice wall beyond Gokyo (5 days trek to the north) – and head north, surrounded constantly by dramatic peaks. On the second day, at Larja Dobhan (confluence) before Namche Bazaar, the Dudh Khosi is joined from the west by the Bhote Khosi. Its valley carries water from Mahalangur’s north western border and Nangpa glaciers. (Here, a trail to the north crosses into Tibet via the Nangpa La. Trek with trader caravans on this route if heading for the Renjo La crossing to the Gokyo Lakes on the Three Passes Trek.) After an acclimatisation day at Namche, trek to Sanasa where a fork leads north up the quieter Dudh Khosi Valley to Gokyo, or north northeast for Everest. Drop to Phunki Thenga and the confluence of the Khumbu Khola from the Everest glaciers and the northeast Imja Tse Khola from the combined glacier fields beneath the Nuptse – Lhotse ridge, Imja Tse and the north facing glaciers of Amphu Lapcha and Ama Dablam. (Our 13 day Everest Trek includes an exploration of this region on the acclimatisation Day 6.) On all trails, as altitude rises, vegetation gradually diminishes to scrub alpine growth that gives way to pure rock and ice. The scenery is everywhere spectacular. The Makalu Barun NP East of Lhotse, from Shar Tse II, a high ridge meanders south of the Himalayan chain to link Kali, Amphu Lapcha Hinku and other ranges that separate the Khumbu and Barun valleys. Melt waters from these ‘boundary ridge’ glaciers flow southwards as the Hinku Khola. Further east, the Hongu Khola flows south from the Hongu Basin and adjacent glaciers. The Mera Peaks rise between these rivers, its glaciers feeding both. They join the Dudh Khosi further south. (Mera is a trekking peak that can be safely tackled by fit trekkers (as against ‘mountaineers’) and is accessed from Lukla. From its summit, the panoramic views, include the four 8 000m Mahalangur peaks rising above the extensive glacier system as well as Kangchenjunga away to the east.) The bulk of Makalu towers above the border ridge. Melt waters from the Barun and adjacent glaciers flow southeast as the Barun Nadi to meet the Arun Nadi that has cut through the Himalaya from Tibet: and separates the Makalu and mighty Kangchenjunga regions. The Makalu-Barun NP is prized for its rich diversity of flora and fauna. It is most easily accessed from the airport at Tumlingtar.