Trip Overview

Makalu base camp is located in the eastern Himalayas, seven valleys radiate from mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak. These valleys, particularly the Barun valley, treasure some of the last remaining pristine forests and alpine meadows of Nepal. From the bottom of the Arun valley, at just 435m above sea level, the Himalayas rise to the snow-capped tip of Makalu 8.463 m within a 40 km distance. Within this wide range of altitudes and climates, the Makalu Barun area contains some of the richest and most diverse pockets of plants and animals in Nepal, elsewhere lost to spreading human habitation.

Nestled in the lower reaches of these valleys are communities of Rai, Sherpa, and Shingsawa (Bhotia) farmers. Though economically poor and isolated, they retain a rich cultural heritage. They hold the key to the preservation of the unique biological and cultural treasures of the Makalu Barun area.

Covering 2.330 sq km, Makalu-Barun is a vital component of the greater Mount Everest ecosystem which includes Nepal’s 1.148 sq km Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park to the west and the 35.000 sq km Qomolangma Nature Preserve in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north. The Makalu-Barun area is little known to most tourists due to its relative inaccessibility. But those few hundred trekkers and mountaineers who visit each year come away with an unforgettable experience.

For the naturalist, there are spectacular displays of wildflowers and exotic plants. More than 3.000 species of flowering plants, with hundreds of orchid varieties, 48. primroses and 25 of Nepal’s 30 rhododendrons splash the hillsides with color. The forests shelter abundant wildlife, including the endangered red panda and musk deer as well as the Ghoral, Himalayan tahr, and leopard. Ornithologists have identified 400 bird species, at least 16 of which are extremely rare. Most trekkers and mountaineers visit the Makalu-Barun area during October-November and March-April when high passes are less likely to be snowed over. Lower elevations are temperate throughout winter and hot during April and May. Heavy monsoon rains occur throughout the region from June through September, with occasional showers from April-May. For the hardy botanist, the monsoon season is bursting with life, including the Pestly leech. Trekkers carry only day packs and walk at their own pace.

Average hiking per day in Kanchengunga trek 6-7 hrs.