Nepal identifies 6 more mountains over 8,000 meters high, awaiting international recognition

Kathmandu - There are currently only 14 mountains in the world that are higher than 8,000 meters. Eight of them are in Nepal.

Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho-Yu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna are the mountains above 8,000 meters in Nepal. The remaining 6 are in the Tibet region of Pakistan and China. Ketu, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum are the first in Pakistan, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum are the second, and Shisapangma is in the China-Tibet region.

But in recent years, Nepal has expanded the list of traditional eight 8,000 meter mountains by identifying and including six new peaks above 8,000 meters in the official list.

The Department of Tourism officially recognized these new mountains by adding them to its peak profile about 10 months ago.

The new six mountains have not yet been recognized by the international community. Among these new mountains are two major subsidiary peaks of the Lhotse range in the Khumbu region. Lhotse Sar (8,400 meters) and Lhotse Center (8,410 meters). Similarly, four new peaks have been identified in the Kanchenjunga region in Taplejung. These include Kanchenjunga Center (8,473 meters), Kanchenjunga South (8,476 meters), Yalungkhang (8,505 meters) and Yalungkhang West (8,077 meters).

Because all of these peaks are above 8,000 meters, Nepal now claims to be a country with a total of 14 8,000 meter high mountains.

However, these mountains are classified as subsidiary peaks. After technicians identified these mountains a few years ago, the Nepal Mountaineering Association had formed a special study team. The team has been carrying out a technical assessment of these subsidiary mountains, gathering GIS data and analysing the climbing routes, according to Nepal Mountaineering Association President Fur Gelje Sherpa. "Nepal has included these mountains in the official list, now the association is active in getting international recognition. In a few days, we will discuss with Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and take the further process forward."

He says that first the Nepal government should fully recognize these mountains. Only then will the International Union of Mountaineering and Climbing (UIAA) give its approval. Only after the UIAA recognizes them will Nepal be officially recognized in the world as a country with 14 8,000 meter mountains.

The IAA is a recognized federation of 94 alpine and mountaineering organizations from 73 countries around the world. The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) is organizing an international conference in Nepal on October 25-26, 2026. Nepal's mountain tourism entrepreneurs say that the six new 8,000 meter high mountains identified by Nepal should be officially recognized at the international level.

According to associations and entrepreneurs, the recognition of these mountains will open up new opportunities in climbing tourism in Nepal. It is expected that the attraction of climbers seeking new challenges will increase, and the income from tourism will increase significantly.