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UpToWhere · Can you see it?

Can you see Mount Everest from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling?

Yes — you can

175 km line of sight toward the northwest (bearing -50°), computed on 30 m Copernicus terrain with Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction.

Since the days of the Raj, crowds have climbed Tiger Hill before dawn to watch the sun rise on Kangchenjunga — and, on the best mornings, to spot a smaller triangle far to the west that happens to be the highest point on Earth.

3D terrain view from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling toward Mount Everest
Straight-line distance175 km
Direction-50° northwest
Observer eye level2,575 m
Target elevation8,738 m
Curvature drop at the target2,088 m
Clearance margin+5 m

From Tiger Hill, Darjeeling, at an eye level of 2,575 m, the sightline to Mount Everest runs 175 km and clears every ridge in between. Over that distance Earth's curvature drops the target 2,088 m below a flat-earth line — but at 8,738 m, it still rises above the horizon. The view is geometrically real: whether you actually get it depends on haze, not terrain. The tightest squeeze is mid-path, where the sightline passes just 5 m above the terrain at km 175.

The line on the map

Satellite map with the sightline from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling to Mount Everest drawn in red
The 175 km sightline over satellite imagery, drawn as the great-circle path light would follow.

The terrain profile

5,000 m10,000 m sightlineTiger HillMount Everest 0 km175 km50100150
Elevation profile from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling to Mount Everest. Like every elevation profile, the vertical axis is stretched (≈5× here) — but the geometry is real: mid-path, Earth's surface genuinely stands 600 m above the straight line between the two points. Light bends only slightly around that bulge, so whatever it covers stays hidden.
Check your own two points with the calculator →

Frequently asked questions

Can you see Mount Everest from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling?

Yes. The terrain-limited line of sight is clear across 175 km, accounting for Earth's curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. Atmospheric haze is the only thing that can hide the view.

How far is Mount Everest from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling in a straight line?

175 km great-circle distance, on a bearing of -50° (northwest).

How much does Earth's curvature hide over 175 km?

At the target's distance the curvature drop is about 2,088 m: anything lower than that (relative to the observer's horizon plane) is hidden behind the bulge of the Earth. Mount Everest is tall enough to rise above it.

How was this calculated?

UpToWhere walks the full terrain profile between the two points on 30 m-resolution Copernicus GLO-30 elevation data, applying Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction (k = 0.13) — the same physics surveyors use. You can run the same point-to-point check between any two places on Earth.

More famous sightlines

Wondering about a different pair?

The free calculator shows how far you can see from any point on Earth. Pro adds point-to-point checks — this exact analysis, between any two places you choose.

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