Makalu Base Camp Trek

After breakfast, you meet with the tour guide in the hotel lobby. One of our friendly tour guides who can talk in your language will accompany you during the sightseeing of historical sites in Kathmandu. You will visit the Monkey Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhnath Stupa, and Kathmandu Durbar Square during the tour. The guide will explain to you about the sites and all the major events behind them. 

In the late afternoon, we’ll meet in our office. The trek guide will say hello to you and brief you about the Makalu base camp trekking. We'll then go ahead with the final packing and double-check all the gear. We do last-minute shopping too (if needed).

The team will drop you at the domestic airport. We'll fly to Tumlingtar. The flight offers a great landscape. From here, load all the luggage in a jeep and drive to Num. The ride will be somewhat bumpy and goes along the foothills, offering beautiful scenery.

The trek begins from Num. We leave the village and cross a wooden bridge over the Barun river and enter the Makalu Barun Conservation Area. We'll register our permits at the police check post and trek through dense forests of rhododendron & juniper. The trail passes by a few small settlement areas before reaching Seduwa.

Following the Isuwa Khola and Kusuwa Khola, we cross a wooden bridge. The trail passes through small remote villages and lush forests. After walking for two hours, we cross another bridge and reach Tashigaon. It is a Sherpa village with excellent views of the snow-capped mountains.

The trail is tough today. Leaving Tashigaon, we follow a steep uphill route to Khongma Danda. On the way, we walk on stone stairs and pass by a few lakes. The trail goes through pastures with yaks and blue sheep. From Unshisa, we enter Makalu Barun National Park and soon reach Khongma Danda. 

Today, we spend a rest day in Khongma Danda to acclimatize. We'll hike to nearby places and visit some ancient monasteries. It is one of the less trekked routes in the Himalayas, so you'll be less likely to see any other fellow trekkers. This gives you the opportunity to have close interaction with the locals and mingle with them.

Leaving Khongma Danda, we begin trekking toward Dobate. We have a long day ahead of us. The trail crosses four passes today. The first one we tackle is the Kauma La pass (3,603 m) and then head towards the Keke La pass (4,127 m). The trail then gradually follows a steep, rugged path to Shipton La pass (4,170 m). We'll come across Kalo Pokhari Lake and walk for another couple of hours from here to reach Tutu La pass (4,080 m). The trail then descends to Dobate. We get to see tempting views of Chamlang, Peak 6, and Peak 7.

After having breakfast, we’ll continue trekking through dense forests of rhododendron. The trail crosses the Barun River and ascends towards Yangri Kharka. Along the way, we'll come across yaks and mules grazing on pastures. Locals mainly use yaks to transport goods throughout the Makalu region.

The trail today follows an immersive route through alpine forests and crosses a couple of old wooden bridges on small streams. We reach Merek, and enjoying the views of the snow-capped mountains, we pass by moraines and remote villages to Langmale Kharka for a night's stay.

The trail steeply ascends along the Barun river. We walk on a glacial path and ridges to Shershong. On the way, we can see breathtaking views of Mt. Makalu and many other peaks. Soon, the trail takes to Makalu base camp, the lap fifth-highest mountain in the world. The scenery at the base camp is surreal.

We’ll spend the second rest day in Makalu base camp. To acclimatize, we hike to glacial lakes and glaciers. There is also an option to hike a little up to Barun Glacier and visit Barun Pokhari. During the hike, we get to see views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, etc. It'll be an amazing day in the mountains.

From today onwards, it's time to retrace the trail and reach back to the starting point of the trek. Leaving Makalu Base Camp, we descend to Yangri Kharka. The trail goes through rocky paths and forests. Passing by small settlement areas, we reach Shershong and trek through Langmale Kharka and Merek before reaching Yangri Kharka.

After a filling breakfast, we’ll begin trekking, following the Barun River. On the way, we pass by alpine forests and gradually make our way to Dobate. We may get to see animals like yaks, blue sheep, and snow pigeons on the way, along with superb landscapes.

The trail from Khingma Danda descends through rhododendron, fir, and juniper forests. We reach Mumbuk and cross all four passes once again to reach Kongma Danda. The mountain views are phenomenal from the top of all passes. 

The trail heads back to Tashigaon today. We walk past lush forests and a few lakes. We'll be following a rugged downhill route. The trail comes out of Makalu Barun National Park, and we trek for a few hours to reach Tashigaon.

Walking along small streams, we cross the isolated Barun River Valley. On the way, we'll come across small settlement areas. The trail crosses a bridge over Isuwa Khola and goes alongside Hingsa Khola to Seduwa.

After having a warm breakfast, we begin our last day of the trek. Trekking through dense forests of rhododendrons and bamboo, we cross the Arun river and exit the Makalu Barun Conservation Area. The trail passes through small villages to Num where we'll be spending the night.

After breakfast, we'll load our luggage on the jeep and drive back to Tumlingtar. The ride offers wonderful scenery and fantastic views of Mt. Makalu. It's a long drive to Tumlingtar.

We'll take the first flight back to Kathmandu. The remaining day is free in Kathmandu. You can go on a shopping spree and explore the local market. We see you in the late evening over a farewell dinner and end the trip by sharing the memories from the trek.

Your trip ends here today Our airport team will assist you with check-out of the hotel and drop you at the international airport.