Makalu Barun National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of Nepal that was established in 1992 as eastern extension of Sagarmatha National Park. It is the world's only protected area with an elevation gain of more than 8000m enclosing tropical forest as well as snow-capped peaks. It covers an area of 1500km2 in the Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha Districts, and is surrounded by a bufferzone to the south and southeast with an area of 830km2. The rugged summits of Makalu, with 8463m the fifth highest mountain of the world, Chamalang (7319m), Baruntse (7129m) and Mera (6654m) are included in the national park. The protected area extends to about 66km from west to east and to about 44km from north to south. From the Arun river valley in the southeast, located at altitudes of 344 – 377m, elevation gains about 8025m to the peak of Makalu. The national park shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the north. The protected area is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.
