Makalu Expedition (8,481 M) | 5th Highest Mountain |

Upon your arrival at the airport, you will need to obtain the Entry Visa (if you have not obtained it from your country). At the arrivals gate, one of our representatives shall be waiting to receive you. Then, s/he will drive you to the hotel for you to rest and relax.

The next day, we will complete all the necessary procedures like obtaining permits and other documentation. We will also prepare for our expedition. A short briefing will be conducted to inform you about the technical aspects of the Expedition. You may go sightseeing and shopping in the evening.

After the early morning breakfast, we will drive to the airport and take a short flight to Tumlingtar, the deepest valley in Nepal. Tumlingtar, in Sankhuwasabha district, is the gateway to Makalu Barun National Park. From there, we will meet our crew members and take a 4-5 hour drive to Num, a small village in the Koshi region of Nepal. There we will stay overnight in a tented camp.

After a night's stay in Num, we set our feet on the trail towards  Sheduwa. First, we descend steeply for 2 and a half hours to reach the Neguwa River with a suspension bridge, crossing which leads us to ascend the dense forests and small settlements. We get to witness the picturesque crop plantation in terraced fields. Later, we reach a check post at Makalu Conservation Area where we will need to take some entry passes.

The trail from Sheduwa to Tashi Gaon is easy as we need to walk through flat surfaces through the bushes and occasional ascents. After walking for almost 4 hours, we reach Tashigaon, a huge Sherpa village, decorated with prayer flags. We will set up our camp to rest overnight.

The trail from Tashi Gaon to Khongma is an uphill climb through the forests of Rhododendron and pine trees. Kongma La is a ridge with a single tea house. So, we set up a tented camp and rest overnight. Enjoy the meals prepared by our chefs and cooks.

From Khongma, we head towards Mumbuk on a trail that ascends initially until we reach a beautiful lake, “Kalo Pokhari” meaning “a black lake” at 4004 m, and then descends to reach Mumbuk.

The trek gets a bit difficult as well as adventurous from Mumbuk as the trail passes through a section prone to landslides. The latter parts of the trails ascend through the grasslands and forests. The majestic views of Mt Tutse, Peak 7 (6185 m), Isuwa La (5340 m), and many other peaks. The Kharka is pasture land and an exceptional spot for Camping.

From Nehe Kharka, we ascend towards the Lower Base Camp of Mt. Makalu. The views of Mt. Makalu (8481 m), Baruntse (7152 m), Kali Himal (6985 m), Chamlang (7390 m), Makalu II (7640 m) are spellbinding from the Base camp. We will spend two more days in the lower base camp for acclimatization and expedition preparation.

After acclimatizing at the lower base camp, we hike up to the higher base camp at around 5600 m. 

We will then start our expedition to the legendary Mt. Makalu. We will conduct multiple rotations around the higher camps before the Summit Push. Our team of Sherpas will set up the fixed ropes throughout the route. We will set up higher camps and rotate back and forth to consecutive camps for training as well as acclimatization. Eventually, when the weather is favorable and everyone is good to go, we head for the Summit Push. On Summit Day, we start early so that we reach the top at Dawn to witness the glorious Sunrise. After spending some quality time at the Summit, we then descend to the lower camps and finally to the Base Camp by the end of Day 42.

8K strictly follows eco-travel and responsible tourism. So, before we return we make sure we clean up all the trash and garbage that we produced during our stay at the Camp and higher camps. After cleaning up the Base Camp, we prepare to return to Yangle Kharka. 

We retrace our path back to Yangle Kharka through the adventurous trail. We will then rest overnight in a tented camp in Yangle Kharka.

From Yangle Kharka, we retrace the path with the landscapes of landslides.  After 4-5 hours we finally reach Khongma to camp overnight.

During our return, we cover more distance as we descend on major parts. So, we trek to Sheduwa through Tashigaon upon our return.

The trail from Sheduwa to Num descends steeply at the start and later ascends to reach Num. After passing a small forest of bamboo and small villages, we finally reach Num. from Num, we will meet our crew and drive to Khandbari and rest overnight in a hotel.

After a night’s stay in Khandbari, we have our breakfast and drive to Tumlingtar airport. Then, we will fly back to Kathmandu and rest at the hotel.

In Kathmandu, you can relax in Thamel, a popular street for tourists where you can get anything you want. You may do some shopping, eat in a nice restaurant, get some spa, do some laundry and many other things. There are also many different attractions in Kathmandu including but not limited to Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath Stupa, Basantapur, Bhaktapur, Patan, and so on. You may go sightseeing around these areas with one of our city guides. We will join for the farewell dinner in the evening.

If you have not signed up for any other Add-ons Adventure packages, it’s time to bid you farewell. One of our representatives will drop you off at the airport 3 hours prior to your scheduled departure.