Makalu Base Camp Trek is an opportunity to walk into the eastern region of Nepal to appreciate the glory of Mt. Makalu along with other neighbouring peaks in the region. Mt. Makalu is the fifth highest peak of the world that stands tall at the height of 8463 meters amidst the Makalu Barun National Park. The trail to the base camp of Mt. Makalu goes through the Makalu Barun National Park which is enriched with varieties of floras, faunas, animals, birds and butterflies in the ecosystem. The park extends to two districts – Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha and covers an area of 1500 km square. It conservation area extends to different geographical region and climatic conditions. No wonder is home many rare species of plants, birds, and animals found in different geographical regions and climatic conditions.
The Makalu trekking area that comprises of tropical Arun valley, dense forests, alpine meadows, Barun glacier and Mt. Makalu used to be a restricted trekking area. But owing to its charm for trekking, it was opened for trekkers afterwards. Makalu Base Camp Trek is an awesome combo of the isolated trail, pristine nature, forests, stunning mountains, local people and Himalayan lifestyle. Arun valley, Barun valley, Mt. Makalu and conservation area are the major highlights of this journey. You can walk into the secluded trail, enjoying the richness of biodiversity in the backdrop of beautiful Himalayas. You will be rewarded with some stunning views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Baruntse, Mt. Chamlang, etc.
Nestled in the foothills of Barun and Arun valley are the local people from mixed ethnic groups. The place is mostly inhabited by the people of Rai and Sherpa communities. They live a simple and traditional life. They are mostly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry for livelihood. Nevertheless, they are very calm and hostile. Their warm natured heart will add live to your solitary trekking journey.
The Makalu Base Camp Trek is generally a camping trek. For best trekking experience, make sure that you chose a time in between March to May and September to November. World Alpine Treks organizes a comfortable and hassle-free journey to the Makalu region of Nepal. If you are interested in this off beaten natured trek, do not forget to contact us for an instance support.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are considered as the best trekking season in Nepal. During these seasons, Nepal receives the maximum number of travelers.
Makalu Base Camp trek is the challenging treks that require some level of physical fitness and endurance capacity. Some of the features of the difficult trek are as follows:
General items :
Duffel pack, day pack, down jacket, sleeping bag (rated to zero degrees F *)
For head :
Hat, scarf, light balaclava, warm fleece hat, Sunglasses
For Feet :
Thin lightweight inner socks, Thick woolen hiking socks, Hiking boots, spare laces, Camp shoes (sneakers/ sandals), Gaiters
For hands :
Thin lightweight gloves, Warm gloves, waterproof shell outer
Lower body :
Undergarments, hiking shorts, lightweight cotton long pants, light and expedition weight thermal bottoms, fleece or wool pants, waterproof shell pants
Upper body :
T-shirts, Light and expedition weight thermal tops, fleece jacket, fleece windproof jacket, waterproof shell jacket
The first day marks your arrival day in Kathmandu. Clear all the visa requirements and customs clearance if any at the arrival section of the airport. As you come out, you will find a representative from World Alpine Treks waiting for you holding a board with your name. You will then be transferred to your hotel at Kathmandu. The representative will shortly inform you about the plans ahead.
The second day is a day tour just to warm up prior to your trekking journey. Kathmandu is a city enriched with artistic palaces, beautiful monuments, ancient temples and other constructions of historical and cultural importance. No wonder, the city has seven out of ten UNESCO listed world heritage sites. Today, you will be guided to the UNESCO listed heritage sites in Kathmandu. These heritages are perfect examples of rich history, fine culture and architectural treasures of Nepal. At first, you will be taken to Kathmandu Durbar Square. The art, crafts, and carvings in the palaces, temples and other monuments of the durbar square are excellent. After that, you will be escorted to Swayambhunath stupa (Monkey temple), Pashupatinath temple and Boudhanath stupa respectively. (Inclusive of breakfast)
Early in the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the domestic terminal of Tribhuwan International Airport to catch a flight to Tumlingtar. It’s around 50-minute flight up on the airstrip to Tumlingtar. Upon arrival, we jump into a jeep waiting for us. We take a scenic drive along with the lush forests and charming villages on the way to Num. Tonight, at a guesthouse in Num (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Heading forward with our journey, we drop down steep, almost 800 meters down, through the terraced slope to Arun River. As we drop down the slope, we pass a narrow valley that is densely forested; paths being quite slippery. As we reach the bank of Arun river, we cross a long suspension bridge over the river and climb up a rain forest. The trail goes steep to the village of Seduwa. There are a small primary school and health post in the village. We set up our tents somewhere nearby. Tonight we stay at Seduwa (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Early in the morning, we wake up and start our day with a delicious breakfast. Energizing ourselves with breakfast, we continue through the trail. We walk for around three to four hours along the countryside farmlands. It’s an easy and pleasant walk for the first few hours. Then we climb up gradually through the field of rice and millet to the village of Tashigaon. Tonight we stay at Tashigaon (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Leaving Tahigaon, we walk through the beautiful forests of oak and rhododendron. We traverse through the forests and open up to the wide pastures with few summer settlements. From here, we climb uphill, on to the ridge. We notice a slow change in the atmosphere that becomes treeless at a point. We continue our walk until we reach Kauma where we stay for the night (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Our day starts with the stunning views of mountain peaks along with a relishing pristine landscape around. We follow a trail that undulates up and down to Thulo pokhari and then to Sano pokhari. We further continue through the trail to the mountain passes - Keke La and Tutu La. After crossing the pass, we descend down to the vegetation area in between the woods. Tonight, we stay at Mumbuk (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
We start our day with breakfast in Mumbuk. We then begin our walking journey with a sharp descent down the narrow valley. We then open up to Tamatan kharka and cross Barun Khola ahead. It is around six to seven hours walk from Mumbuk to Nghe Kharka. The trail will get a bit challenging at the end part of today’s journey. The trail becomes uneven and slippery. We come across that section of trail when rockfall continuously. We have to be very careful here, further, we follow the trail until we reach the summer settlement of Nghe Kharka. Tonight, we stay at Nghe Kharka (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Leaving Nghe Kharka, we cross a wooden bridge over the Barun River and continue through the trail to Sherson. We come across a path with huge rocks. We step forwards on the rock boulders with a beautiful view of large prayer walls on sight. We walk for around two to three hours to reach an area where the vegetation starts getting thin and we can only get sneak peek of rhododendron and juniper bushes sparsely on the way. It’s a wonderful day walk to the Sherson with astonishing views of Barun glacier and Mt. Makalu on sight. Sherson is also popular as the lower Makalu base camp. The place offers some astonishing views of Mt. Makalu and Mt. Baruntse. Tonight, we stay at Sherson (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we make our way to Makalu base camp. After breakfast, we start walking up to the Makalu Base Camp. It’s a wonderful day full of scenic views. You can relish the captivating beauties of icy glaciers and snow-clad mountains. As we reach the base camp, we will be rewarded with the majestic views of Himalayan panorama all around us. It’s really a heavenly experience. Upon arrival, your guide will set up tents for the night. Meanwhile, you can explore the peripheral areas. Tonight at Makalu Base Camp (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
We wake in the lap of beautiful Mt. Makalu. Enjoy your tea and breakfast in the backdrop of beautiful Himalayas. The base camp is actually a rocky and barren place with a large glacier i.e. Barun glacier just beyond it. We walk to the glacier from where we can enjoy the south face view of Mt. Makalu. Even the entire panoramic views of Everest and Lhotse are visible from here. We celebrate our day in the base camp by exploring lakes, glaciers and surrounding places. Tonight, at the Makalu Base Camp (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
After a wonderful day in the Makalu Base Camp, we set out for a return journey. We descend down the base camp with wonderful views of mountains, glaciers, and lakes on sight. We walk pass the places like Sherson, Langmale Kharka and Merek on the way to Nghe Kharka. Tonight, we stay at Nghe Kharka (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Leaving Nghe Kharka, we descend down via same path and pass rock falls, green forests, and valleys on the way to Mumbuk. We come across the Thulopkhari and Sanopokhari once again. We had crossed these places earlier. We continue through the trail and descend down until we reach Mumbuk. Tonight, we stay at Mumbuk (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
From Kauma, we drop down steep through the forests of fir and rhododendron. We cross Keke La, Tutu La and Kauma La on the route to Kauma. We descend down through the trail until we reach Kauma. Tonight, we stay at Kauma (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
We are in the descending phase of our journey. We further drop down steep through the hillside and traverse through the thick forests to Tashigaon. As we reach Tashigaon, the villages come to sight. We enjoy our day walking through the charming Sherpa village. Tonight, we stay at a guesthouse in Tashigaon (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we descend down to exit out of the Makalu Barun National Park. We walk down to the bank of the Barun River and cross the river to come across the village and human settlement areas. We continue through the trail until we reach Balung, our halting station for the day. Tonight, we stay at a guesthouse in Balung (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
We further retrace our steps back to Pukuwa. We pass the villages, farmlands and forested area on the way to Pukuwa. We are close towards the end days of our trekking journey. Our walk is pleasing and does downwards. Tonight, we stay at a guesthouse in Pukuwa (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Further, we drop down to Bumling. We pass the beautiful lush hills, forests, villages, and farmlands on the way to the village of Bumling. Our walk for the day is easy and delightful. Tonight, we stay at a guesthouse in Bumling (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today is our last walking day of the trek. After breakfast in Bumling, we walk downhill for around three to four hours to Tumlingtar. We pass beautiful lush hills, villages, and trees on the way to Tumlingtar. We stay at a guesthouse in Tumlingtar for the night and enjoy the celebration for the successful accomplishment of the trek. (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we take a flight back to Kathmandu. Upon your arrival in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to your hotel. Check-in the hotel and relax. The rest of the time is on your own. Tonight, at a hotel in Kathmandu (Inclusive of breakfast)
After twenty days long journey, today is a free day in Kathmandu. You have two options for the day – you can either explore some unexplored UNESCO listed heritage sites around Kathmandu or go to the shopping malls for shopping. You can also collect some souvenirs for your family and friends back home. (Inclusive of Breakfast)
Before a few hours of your scheduled flight, you will be transferred to the international terminal of Tribhuwan International airport. (Inclusive of Breakfast)