The Dhaulagiri Himal lies south of the Tibet/Nepal border and the culminating high point at its eastern end is Dhaulagiri l, the seventh highest mountain in the world which towers in solitary splendor. This magnificent peak rises as a giant shoulder of shining ice and snow. It got its name from the Sanskrit word "Dhavala" which means 'white' and 'giri' which means mountain. It was first climbed by K. Diemberger, P. Diener, M. Dorji, E. Forrer, A. Schelbert & N. Dorji in 1960.

This mountain was first sighted by the British surveyors in India in the early 1800s but remained virtually unknown until a Swiss aerial survey in 1949. This White Mountain was first climbed in 1960 by the Swiss following the Northeast ridge. Dhaulagiri l is buttressed by five ridges and even up until the early 1980's only the Northeast ridge had been successfully climbed. Dhaulagiri is considered the most interesting peak among the eight thousanders'.