Makalu Base Camp Trek

Your Makalu Base Camp Trek begins with your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. A representative from Top Trail Nepal will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

After checking in, you can rest after your international journey or spend some time exploring the surrounding area. Later, you will meet the trekking team for a briefing covering the route, permits, accommodation, transportation, weather, altitude and trail conditions.

This is also a good time to check your trekking equipment and arrange any last-minute items before travelling toward eastern Nepal.

After breakfast, you take a scenic domestic flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar, the main air gateway to the Makalu region. On a clear morning, the flight can provide broad Himalayan views as you travel east toward the Arun Valley.

After landing in Tumlingtar, you continue by jeep toward Khandbari and the hill settlements above the Arun Valley. The road winds through terraced farmland, forests and rural communities as it gradually climbs toward Num.

Num sits on a ridge overlooking the deep river valleys below and marks the starting point of the trekking section. After reaching the village, you settle into your teahouse and prepare for the first walking day.

Distance: Around 45 to 60 km by road after the flight
Flight Time: Around 35 to 45 min
Drive Hours: 5 to 7 hrs

The first trekking day begins with a steep descent from Num through terraced farmland toward the Arun River.

After losing considerable elevation, you cross the river by suspension bridge and begin the long climb toward Seduwa. The temperature can feel noticeably warmer down near the river before the trail returns to the shade of forest and cultivated hillsides.

The ascent to Seduwa is demanding, with sections passing through small settlements, farmland and woodland. Seduwa is an important gateway into Makalu Barun National Park, where trekking documentation may be checked.

Compared with the steep descent and climb of the previous day, today’s route feels more gradual as you move through farmland, bamboo forest and rhododendron woodland.

The trail crosses several streams and passes through small settlements before reaching the area around Chyaksa Danda, between the Ipsuwa and Kasuwa river valleys.

From here, the trail continues through forest and cultivated land toward Tashigaon, one of the major permanent settlements on the route and the last large village before the higher mountain country.

Today is one of the toughest climbing days of the lower trek. From Tashigaon, the trail rises steadily through dense rhododendron, bamboo and oak forest.

The route passes grazing areas and smaller resting points as it gains almost 1,400 m in elevation. Stone steps and steep forest trails make the final part of the ascent particularly demanding.

Eventually, the trees begin to thin and you reach Khongma Danda, where the landscape feels noticeably more alpine. This is the final main stop before crossing the high passes into the Barun Valley.

This is one of the most memorable and physically demanding days of the Makalu Base Camp Trek.

Leaving Khongma, you climb toward Khongma La at around 3,890 m before continuing across a succession of high ridges. The trail passes Sano Pokhari Danda, where a small alpine lake lies below the ridge, before reaching Shipton La at around 4,200 m.

From Shipton La, you descend toward Kalo Pokhari, a dark mountain lake surrounded by prayer flags, before climbing again toward Keke La at around 4,170 m.

When the weather is clear, the high ridges offer views toward Makalu, Chamlang and the surrounding eastern Himalaya. After crossing the final pass, you descend through alpine terrain and forest to Dobate.

From Dobate, the trail descends steeply through rhododendron and fir forest toward the Barun River.

Some sections can be slippery or uneven, particularly when snow or rain has affected the trail. As you descend, the high ridges gradually disappear behind you and the route enters the impressive Barun Valley.

After reaching the river corridor, the walking becomes more gradual. Waterfalls, forested slopes and huge valley walls surround the route as you continue toward Yangle Kharka, a traditional grazing area beside the river.

The trail now moves deeper into the upper Barun Valley, gradually leaving the forest behind.

Following the river, you pass high grazing areas including Yak Kharka and Merek, while juniper shrubs and open alpine meadows replace the thicker vegetation of the lower valley.

As you climb toward Langmale Kharka, the scale of the surrounding mountains becomes much more dramatic. Rock walls, boulder fields and high Himalayan peaks dominate the scenery as you move above 4,000 m.

Because of the substantial altitude gain, a slow and steady pace is especially important today.

Today you reach the main destination of the journey, Makalu Base Camp at 4,870 m.

Leaving Langmale Kharka, the trail continues through increasingly barren alpine terrain toward Shershong. Vegetation becomes sparse as moraine, glaciers and rocky slopes take over the landscape.

From Shershong, you continue gradually toward Base Camp beneath the enormous south face of Mount Makalu (8,485 m), the fifth-highest mountain in the world.

As you approach Base Camp, the upper Barun Valley opens into a remarkable high-mountain landscape of glaciers, ice-covered slopes and surrounding peaks including Baruntse, Chamlang and Peak 4.

Today is set aside for exploration around Makalu Base Camp and gives you time to experience the upper Barun Valley without carrying your full trekking load.

One option is to explore toward the Barun Glacier, where the scale of the surrounding ice, moraine and mountain walls becomes even clearer.

When weather, trail conditions and the group’s acclimatization allow, the guide may continue toward the ridge above Base Camp at around 5,250 m. From this higher viewpoint, clear conditions can reveal a rare perspective toward Everest, Lhotse and Lhotse Shar, along with the immense south face of Makalu.

The exact hiking objective is decided according to conditions on the day before returning to Base Camp for another night.

After your time at Base Camp, the return journey begins with a long descent through the Barun Valley.

You retrace the trail through Shershong, Langmale Kharka and Merek, gradually leaving the glacial landscape behind. As elevation drops, alpine grasses and juniper return before the route eventually enters greener terrain.

Although much of the day is downhill, the distance makes this a demanding stage. By late afternoon, you return to Yangle Kharka beside the Barun River.

The route leaves Yangle Kharka and follows the Barun River back toward the forested slopes below the high passes.

You cross wooden bridges and walk through rhododendron and fir woodland, with several climbs and descents along the way. Unlike the previous day’s overall descent, today’s route involves regaining some elevation.

Eventually, you climb back toward Dobate, where you spend the night before crossing the Shipton La section once again.

Today you retrace the most demanding high-pass section of the trek.

From Dobate, the trail climbs back toward Keke La, descends toward Kalo Pokhari and then continues across Shipton La, Sano Pokhari Danda and Khongma La.

The same high ridges experienced on the outward journey now provide a different perspective over the Makalu region. After crossing the final pass, you descend through Khongma Danda and return to increasingly dense rhododendron and bamboo forest.

The long descent eventually brings you back to Tashigaon, where cultivated fields and permanent village life return after several days in the wilderness.

After breakfast, you begin the long return toward Num, retracing the lower valley route.

The trail descends through farmland and forest toward Seduwa, then continues steeply down toward the Arun River.

After crossing the suspension bridge, one final uphill section waits on the opposite side. The climb back toward Num can feel demanding at the end of the day, but reaching the ridge marks the completion of the trekking section

The walking portion of the journey is now complete, and today you return to the lower Arun Valley by road.

The jeep journey descends from Num through forested hills, terraced farmland and rural settlements before passing through the Khandbari area and continuing toward Tumlingtar.

The road can be rough and winding in places, so travel time varies according to weather and road conditions. After reaching Tumlingtar, you check into your accommodation and prepare for the flight to Kathmandu.

Distance: Around 45 to 60 km by road
Drive Hours: 5 to 7 hrs

After breakfast, you take the morning flight from Tumlingtar back to Kathmandu, subject to weather and operating conditions.

The flight brings you from the low Arun Valley back toward the Kathmandu Valley, with Himalayan views possible when the weather is clear.

After landing, a Top Trail Nepal representative will transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax, enjoy a hot shower or explore Kathmandu after completing the Makalu Base Camp Trek.

Flight Time: Around 35 to 45 min

Your Makalu Base Camp Trek officially comes to an end today.

Depending on your international flight schedule, you may have some free time in Kathmandu before departure. A representative from Top Trail Nepal will transfer you to Tribhuvan International Airport for your onward journey.

After travelling from the Arun Valley through rhododendron forests, high passes and the wild Barun Valley to Makalu Base Camp, you leave Nepal after completing one of the country’s most remote high-altitude trekking journeys.