Makalu Trekking
Established in 1992, Makalu Barun National Park and Conservation Area in the eastern part of Nepal protects the 2330 square kilometers of land. The national park houses various wildlife species, orchids and more than 3000 species of flowering plants. Red panda, spotted leopard, musk deer are some of the endangered wildlife species that are protected here.. Along with many threatened species, the park is home to the 16 mountains including the fifth largest mountain, Mt. Makalu (8463m/ 27,755 ft). It was a restricted area for a long time but now, one can get a special permit pass to enter this conservation area. The area is covered by dense forests of rhododendron, fir and alpine meadows of the tropical Arun Valley. As you move up, you can find glaciers and slopes leading to the mountains. At places, there are terraced slopes farmed by the local villagers. Arun River that flows from Tibet passes through this region between the mountain massifs of Makalu and Kanchenjunga. This makes almost 5000 meters deep valley, which is considered as one of the world’s deepest valleys.
This trekking takes you next to the mountains such as Makalu, Everest, Lhotse and Chamlang. You will pass through the valley crossing the villages where ethnic communities of Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa and Newar reside. We have planned this 24-day tour package that allows you to make the most out of your limited time. For the details, please have a look at our itinerary.
|
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu Upon your arrival at the International Airport in Kathmandu, our representative will be ready to pick you up. With warm greetings, you will be transferred to a hotel nearby. You will be informed about the whole trip that will start the next day. Depending on the remaining time on that day, you can either have a walk in the city or rest in the hotel. Day 02:Kathmandu - Tumlingtar (Flight) Today we will be taking a flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar. The flight will take less than an hour. Tumlingtar is a city in the Eastern Region of Nepal that lies between the two rivers Arun and Sabha. You will stay at a hotel in Tumlingtar. Day 03: Trek to Khandbari (1020m) We follow a trail starting with a gradual ascent enjoying the view of Chamlang massif. After reaching to the top, we move further for some time to reach Khandbari. It will be a 4-hour walk. Khandbari is the district headquarter of Sankhuwasabha. It is the main departure point for trekkers going for Mt. Makalu. We will spend the night there in a tented camp. Day 04: Trek to to Chichila (1840m) From Khandbari, our journey continues through small villages, fields, bamboo and rhododendron forests. As we reach up, we can get the view of Chamlang, Makalu and Jaljale peaks. Finally, we go downhill and reach a Gurung village called Chilchila after about five hours of walking. We are staying there in our tented camp for the night. Day 05: Trek to Num (1500m) Today’s trek will first proceed with ups and downs through the rhododendron forests then descend down into oak forests and rocky trails finally reaching Num. It will take about five hours to reach Num. It sits on the ridge above an S-shaped bend made by the Arun River. From there, you can enjoy the views of Makalu and other surrounding peaks. Overnight stay will be in a tented camp. Day 06: Trek to Sedua (1540m) From Num, first we descend further along the corn fields of Lumbang. We will be slowly gaining altitude as we cross a suspension bridge over Arun Kosi. From there, a steep climb takes us through rocky terraces of rice, corn and barley fields to Sedua. It will take us about 5 to 6 hours to reach Sedua. Tented camps will be set up there for the night stay. Day 07: Trek to Tashi Gaon We continue our trek as we climb again through the forests crossing meadows and streams. After walking for 4-5 hours, we reach Tashi Gaon. It is a Sherpa village, the last village we will be encountering on this way. We will be spending the night there in our tents. Day 08: Trek to Khongma (3560m) Today’s trek will perhaps be the most difficult one. We will be ascending for most of today’s journey through a thin forest over a steep trail for 6-7 hours. A slight descent at the end will take us to Khongma, a high altitude meadow. We will stay in our tents in Khongma. Day 09: Trek to Mumbuk (3550m) From Khongma, a steep climb continues passing through rhododendron forests. This time, you will be able to enjoy the spectacular views of peaks like Chamlang (7290m), Peak 6 (6739m) and Peak 7 (6105m). A small descent will take you to Mumbuk, today’s destination. It will take five hours to reach Mumbuk from Khongma. Tented camp will be arranged for night stay. Day 10: Trek to Yangle Kharka (3600m) Today’s walk will be relatively easier. It will take 5-6 hours but there won’t be many steep uphills today. We will cross several streams and then the Barun River by a long bridge before reaching Yangle Kharka. It is a large meadow situated at the base of the valley. We will be spending the night nearby in tented camp. Day 11: Trek to Merek (4570m) From Yangle Kharka, we climb steadily, finally crossing the 4500 meters mark. It’s a very high altitude and we should take some rest to acclimatize. After five to six hours of walk from Yangle Kharka,, we reach Merek village that sits on a hillside. We will be resting in Merek during the night. Day 12: Trek to Shersong (4615m) On the 12th day, we climb up the valley along Yak pastures and boulder fields. After six to seven hours, we will reach Shersong. As we reach this altitude of 4615 meters, south ridge of magnificent Makalu comes into view. Day 13: Day Trip to Makalu Base Camp (5000m) From Shersong, we will have a four-hour trip to Makalu Base Camp while enjoying the south face views of Makalu. At an altitude of almost 5000 meters, this will be the highest point of our journey and closest to Mt. Makalu. Besides, we can enjoy the panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse and other peaks. If the weather is good, we can stay at the base camp, otherwise we return back to Shersong to spend the night. Day 14: Trek to Yangle Kharka (3600) From now onwards, we will be returning back descending from Shersong tracing the path backwards. On this day, we will walk for 8-9 hours to reach back to Yangle Kharka. Overnight stay will be in tented camp. Day 15: Trek to Mumbuk (3550m) From Yangle Kharka, we will go down for sometime then climb up towards Mumbuk. As we approach Mumbuk, we will see the greenery appearing once again as sparse forest is seen. Today, we would have walked for about seven hours. We will stay in our tented camp in Mumbuk during the night time. Day 16: Trek to Khongma (3560m) There will be a steep climb at the beginning as we head for Khongma. Passing through the forests of Fir and Rhododendron, we will again descend down. Before descending down, we will cross the three passes - Keke La, Shipton La and Ghungru La. After walking for six to seven hours, we will stop at Khongma and stay there during the night. Day 17: Trek to Tashi Gaon From Khongma, we will trace back our route that leads to Tashi Gaon. It will be five to six hours long steep descent. Tashigaon, the Sherpa village that we had visited earlier will be our stopping point for today. We still pass the night in tented camp. Day 18: Trek to Num (1500m) Again from Tashi Gaon, we have a long steep descent until we reach Arun River. After crossing the bridge, we reach the opposite side of the valley. Then we climb again to reach Num. There we will prepare our tents for the night stay. Day 19: Trek to Chichila (1840m) While tracing our way back, today's destination will be Chilchila. We had stopped here on the 4th day of our trip. 5 hours of walk from Num will bring us to this beautiful village again. Day 20: Trek to Mani Bhanjyang From Chilchila, we will head towards Mani Bhanjyang. At an altitude of 1100 meters, Mani Bhanjyang is very close to Khandbari, the district headquarter of Sankhuwasabha where we had stayed earlier. This time, we will be camping at Mani Bhanjyang. Day 21: Trek to Tumlingtar Finally, on this day, we will have a short trek to Tumlingtar and this will be the end of our trekking expedition. We will camp for the last time in Tumlingtar. Day 22: Fly back to Kathmandu From Tumlingtar, we will take a flight back to Kathmandu. As you know, the flight will take less than an hour to reach Kathmandu. You may either rest at the hotel or walk around the streets of Kathmandu during the afternoon. In the evening, you get back to the hotel and rest there overnight. Day 23: Leisure day in Kathmandu. This will be your last full day in Nepal, as per this trekking program. So you may want to finish some last-day shopping or visit nearby places of your interest. Thamel is a nice place to buy some handicrafts and other souvenirs. It’s a leisure day and you may spend it in your own way. Day 24: Transfer to International Airport After being together for almost a month, it’s now time to separate. You will soon be on your onward destination. We will be offering our last service by dropping you to the International Airport. Wishing for your comfortable journey, we bid farewell with the hope that someday we may meet again. |
Trip Fact
Price:USD 2380.00 Per Person
Country:Nepal
Grade:Strenuous
TYPE:1
Height:5000m
Group Size:Min.1 - Max.12
Transportation:Private Vehicle/Plane
Accomodation:Hotel/Tented Camp
