KATHMANDU: Nepal has a new entry on its trekking map — and it is remarkably close to home.

A new high-altitude viewpoint at 5,570 metres in the Jugal Himalayan range of Sindhupalchok, just five days from Kathmandu, has been successfully reached and is being positioned as a year-round destination for both domestic and international trekkers. From a single vantage point, visitors can take in Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Lhotse, and Shishapangma — five of the world's fourteen 8,000-metre peaks — in one unobstructed panorama.

The Jugal Everest View Point was identified and first summited on Baisakh 3, 2083 by a four-member team under the Jugal Rural Municipality's exploration project. The team was led by Milan Tamang and included record-holding Everest climber Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, 15-year-old Ngima Wangchu Sherpa, and local resident Pema Sherpa. A documentary of the ascent was screened at the announcement event held at the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu on Monday.

The trail runs from Kathmandu via Jugal's Dipu to Nepemasal — a site of both religious and natural significance — and on to the viewpoint, returning by the same route. The round trip takes five days. No technical climbing equipment is needed; team leader Tamang described it plainly: "This is a point anyone can climb."

At roughly Rs 40,000 for Nepali trekkers and USD 1,000 for foreign visitors, the destination is priced to attract a wide range of visitors — a significant advantage at a time when Nepal is actively working to grow domestic tourism and diversify its high-altitude product beyond established circuits.

Jugal Rural Municipality Chair Resham Syangbo confirmed that the local government will develop facilitation infrastructure for incoming visitors. NTB Vice-Chair Kamal Sapkota and other officials expressed confidence that the site will become a catalyst for Sindhupalchok's local economy. Industry voices at the event highlighted both the commercial opportunity and the need to establish clear safety protocols before large-scale promotion begins.

The Jugal range has been gradually opening to climbers since its first successful ascent in Chaitra 2075, following a long closure period. Several peaks have been progressively permitted since then. The destination's proximity to the capital — combined with its low cost, technical accessibility, and dramatic Himalayan panorama — gives it a profile unlike almost anything else in Nepal's current trekking portfolio.

One note of caution was raised at Monday's event: concern over bulldozers reaching the Jugal glacier under the guise of hydropower development, a reminder that the site's natural integrity will need active protection if its tourism value is to be sustained.