Makalu Base Camp Trek

Makalu Base Camp Trek
Distance
No reliable total distance is published. Allow about 16 trekking days for the return walk from Num, or 18 to 22 days from Kathmandu and back.
Country
Nepal
Difficulty
Very challenging
Type of trip
Hiking trail

This trek goes up the Barun Valley in eastern Nepal to the base camp below Makalu, which at 8,485 m is the world’s fifth-highest mountain. Most people fly from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar and drive about three and a half hours to Num. From there you walk through Seduwa and Tashigaon and up through forest to Khongma Danda. Then come several passes, including the Shipton La at about 4,200 m and the Keke La, before the route drops into the upper Barun Valley. Base camp is at about 4,800 to 4,870 m; sources differ.

Allow about 16 days of walking for the return trip, including days to acclimatise. You sleep in basic teahouses, and there are fewer of them than in the Everest or Annapurna regions. The whole route is inside Makalu Barun National Park, which needs a permit. Since April 2023 Nepal has also required most foreign trekkers to hire a licensed guide. Rules and fees change, so check them before you book. Snow on the passes can block the route early or late in the season.

Highlights along the way

  1. Makalu Barun National Park: the only protected area in the world that spans more than 8,000 m of height, from tropical forest to summit snow.
  2. Shipton La: one of four passes crossed in a single day, three of them over 4,000 m, named after the mountaineer Eric Shipton.
  3. Barun Valley: a glacial valley above the treeline, with the last nights at Yangri Kharka and Langmale.
  4. Makalu Base Camp: the end of the trail, right below the mountain. Many groups climb a ridge above camp to about 5,300 m.
  5. Wildlife: the park is home to red pandas and snow leopards, though you’d be lucky to see either.

Distance

No reliable total distance is published. Allow about 16 trekking days for the return walk from Num, or 18 to 22 days from Kathmandu and back.

Best time to go

April to May and October to November. The monsoon, June to September, makes the lower trail wet and muddy.

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