Makalu Base Camp Trek

The capital city of the country offers you an exploration of the diverse culture, Nepalese history, and architecture. You will be taken on a guided tour of the city showcasing the UNESCO enlisted world heritage sites. The visit takes you to the ancient Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Hindu holy temple Pashupatinath, famous Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath, and Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple). Later, you will be introduced with the detail itineraries of the trek.

After having breakfast, we take a flight to Tumlingtar. Then, we take a drive to the small Gurung village of Chichila. First, the drive continues along the Arun River and heads to Khandbari. From here, we pass Mane Bhanjyang and Arunthan to reach Bhotebas. Chichila is a short distance away from Bhotebas. We will be resting the day here and prepare for the trek.

We begin our first day of the walk towards Num. We will pass through the green forests and have a moderate walking as we head towards the beautiful village of Num. The trail passes Kuwapani to reach Satbaini. As we continue along the motor-able road, we go past Hururu and Mudhe. Feel the cold and relaxing air of Num as we will have our stay for the night in this village.

After having breakfast at Num, we start the second day of our trek. We will meet the Barun River as we descend through the forests of Num. The region upwards marks the starting line of Makalu Barun National Park. The forests of the national park may offer you a glimpse of rare species like red panda, musk deer, and snow leopard if you get lucky enough. After crossing the forests, we reach Seduwa village.

The day will be extremely fascinating as you will get to see the majestic panorama of the eastern Himalayas from Tashigaon. For this, we will pass the fresh water of Isuwa Khola and Kasuwa Khola, beautiful paddy fields, lavishing forests and serene villages. The gorgeous mountains of Makalu and Everest ranges will welcome you in Tashigaon.

On this day, we start a bit tougher part of the trek. We will ascend the steep altitude through the rhododendron forests. We will walk the steeper stone roads to reach a Kharka (grazing land).  Continuing along the meadows, the trail crosses Dhara Kharka to reach Khongma Danda. The tiredness of the trek is compensated by the wonderful scenery we observe along the trek.

As we get to the higher elevations and also need to pass the high mountainous passes, we take a rest day at Khongma Danda. Relax your muscles and body and acclimatize with the beautiful village of Khongma Danda. You may also explore the surrounding area and prepare for the trek on the next day.

The morning begins and we begin our walk towards the summit of the Keke La Pass (4127m). We explore the stunning Kalo Pokhari Lake (3930 m) and parade our way towards the Shipton La Pass (4170 m). The exquisite vista of Chamlang (7312m), Peak 6 (6524m), and Peak 7 (6758m) keep us company as we head to another pass of Tutu La (4080m). The way after the pass is quite easier as we descend to the gorgeous valley of Dobate.

From Dobate, we walk through the rhododendron forests and pass the Barun River. The walk is moderate with an impressive landscape. The upper region of the Barun valley is extremely beautiful and will impart a feeling of paradise in your soul. We will be guided throughout with the smiling mountains as we approach the Yangri Kharka which lies at the base of the valley.

The Barun valley will keep fascinating us as we move further upwards in the heart of the valley. We will have a pleasant walk along the delightful grasslands and forests of the valley. We pass the pristine valleys of Merek, Riphuk, and Nghe, as the mountains start to expand their grin. We rest our backpacks for the day at Langmale Kharka.

Finally, we trek to the Makalu Base Camp on this day. We take the trail to base camp from Langmale Kharka passing Shershon. We will be accompanied today with the icy glaciers and the mighty mount Makalu (8485m). While we approach the base camp, the panoramic vista of the Himalayas will embrace us. The Mt. Everest (8848m), Baruntse (7152m), Honku Chuli (6833m) are a few of the mountains that are available for the viewing. We spend the night in the base camp.

The Makalu Base Camp displays us the breathtaking south face of Makalu (8463m) and the incredible view of the Mount Everest (8848m) and Lhotse (8516m). We can also time our hike early in the morning to witness the sunrise decorating these mountains. We will be awarded the view of the glorious Barun glacier beyond the rocky land of the base camp. We can explore the lakes, glaciers and mark our victory of successfully reaching the base camp.

We wave our farewell to the base camp and make our way back to Yangri Kharka. We pass through the pristine beauty of Shershon, Merek, Riphuk, Nghe, and Langmale Kharka. The grasslands and fresh air below the mountains accompany the trip for today. We then make our night stay at Yangri Kharka.

After the breakfast today, we descend from Yangri Kharka through the rhododendron forests. We leave the splendid landscapes of the upper Barun region and make our way towards the Barun River. We then cross the cold and refreshing water of the Barun River and climb a small hill for some time. Lastly, we trek past Jhyate Odar to reach Dobate.

Today, we take a steeper trail from Dobate to Mumbuk and cross the Tutu La (4080m), Shipton La (4170m), and Keke La (4127m). The uphill climb will give us a gorgeous view of the Chamlang, Makalu, and Hongu Himal ranges. We then cross the pine forests and descend to Khongma Danda.

After breakfast, we continue descending the hills and old forests and make our entry in the Sherpa village of Tashigaon. The trail is mainly downhill and through the relaxing and pleasant grasslands and Kharka. The altitude goes on decreasing and we will have a warmer stay.

Today, we take the trail leading downwards and meet the Barun River at the end of the forests. We cross the paddy fields, Isuwa Khola, and Kasuwa Khola. We make our exit from the outstanding Makalu Barun National Park through the luscious forests and make our stop at Seduwa.

After having breakfast at Seduwa, we join the route of dense forests and hills. We exit the Makalu Barun National Park and pass through the pine forests. We walk the trail that passes through numerous villages to reach Num. We can explore the incredibly rich cultural heritage of this Sherpa village.

Today is the last day of the trekking. We make our exit of the trek as we catch the glance of the Mount Makalu (8485m) for the last time from Chichila. We take the way to Tumlingtar through the dark green forests and Gurung villages. We enjoy the night in the kind and comfortable hospitality of the Gurung community.

We take the early morning flight to Kathmandu and wave goodbyes to the mountains from the plane window. You will be taken to the hotel after reaching Kathmandu and you may spend the day with the memories and relaxation. You can also choose to explore the city and shop for gifts and souvenirs.

Today, we make your arrangements for the return flight and take you to the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). We take you to the airport in the private vehicle before the scheduled flight time. With waving the goodbyes and farewell, we wish you a safe flight and good days ahead.