The Sagarmatha National Park with its rugged mountains, glaciers, valleys and crowned by the highest peak on earth Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters lies in Northeast Nepal. The 1,148 sq. kilometers of Sagarmatha National Park extends across the region's river areas and the famous Sherpas' home front Khumbu. Forests of rhododendron, birch, blue pine, juniper and silver fir are found up to an altitude of 4,000 meters. Rare species of animals like the snow leopard, pandas, lynx are seen in the region. Rare bird varieties like snow cock, snow pegion and different species of pheasant are also to be seen here. The park was declared a Natural Heritage Site in 1979.