Overview
Makalu is 8,485 metres, the fifth-highest mountain on earth, and one of the hardest of the fourteen. Fifty days, six of them just walking into the Barun — a valley so little visited that the approach alone would be a serious trek.
The crux
Above camp four the French Couloir leads to the base of Makalu's summit pyramid: steep rock and mixed ground, climbed on fixed rope at over 8,400 metres.
That is the whole story of the mountain. It asks for technical climbing at an altitude where most people can barely think, and it is why the summit rate here is among the lowest of the eight-thousanders. Plenty of expeditions reach the couloir and turn round.
The approach
Fly to Tumlingtar at 400 m, jeep to Num, then six days over the Shipton La into the Barun valley — no lodges past Yangle Kharka, and nothing at all above it. Base camp is at 4,870 m.
Who it is for
Experienced eight-thousander climbers who are genuinely competent on technical ground. It is a poor first and an unforgiving second.
What it costs
USD 20,000 to 45,000. Royalty USD 1,800 — the rest is a long unsupported approach, four camps, oxygen, and a helicopter out of one of the remotest valleys in the country.
Day by day
The 50 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu — briefing and load-out
Ministry briefing, permits, packing
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,400 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Day 2
Kathmandu to Num
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Tumlingtar (400 m) → Num (1,560 m)
- Walking
- 45 minutes by air, then 5 hours by jeep
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,560 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Num
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 3
Num to Yangle Kharka
Num (1,560 m) → Seduwa → Tashigaon → Shipton La → Yangle Kharka (3,600 m)
- Walking
- 6 days
- Altitude
- 1,560 m → 3,600 m
- Elevation
- +3500 m / −1400 m
- Sleep
- Basic lodges and camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
A hard walk-in over the Shipton La and into the Barun — one of the least visited valleys in Nepal, and the reason a Makalu expedition feels genuinely expeditionary before the climbing starts.
- The Shipton La
- Entering the Barun valley
- Day 4
Yangle Kharka to Makalu base camp
Yangle Kharka (3,600 m) → Langmale → base camp (4,870 m)
- Walking
- 3 days
- Altitude
- 3,600 m → 4,870 m
- Elevation
- +1270 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 5
Base camp — puja, skills, rest
Base camp (4,870 m)
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 4,870 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 6
First rotation — advanced base and camp one
Base camp (4,870 m) → ABC (5,700 m) → camp one (6,400 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 4,870 m
- Elevation
- +1530 m / −1530 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 7
Second rotation — camp two
Base camp → camp one → camp two (6,700 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 5 days
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 4,870 m
- Elevation
- +1830 m / −1830 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 8
Third rotation — camp three
Base camp → camp two → camp three (7,400 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 6 days
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 4,870 m
- Elevation
- +2530 m / −2530 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 9
Base camp — rest and weather window
Base camp (4,870 m)
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 4,870 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 10
Summit push to camp four
Base camp (4,870 m) → camp three → camp four (7,800 m)
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 7,800 m
- Elevation
- +2930 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp four
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Summit day — the French Couloir and the summit pyramid
Camp four (7,800 m) → French Couloir → Makalu (8,485 m) → camp three
- Walking
- 14–18 hours
- Altitude
- 7,800 m → 7,400 m
- Elevation
- +685 m / −1085 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp three
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The couloir leads to the base of a steep rock and mixed pyramid, climbed on fixed rope at over 8,400 metres. This is the crux and it is why Makalu's summit rate is among the lowest of the eight-thousanders — technical ground where you are least able to deal with it.
- The French Couloir
- The rock summit pyramid
- Everest and Lhotse to the west
- Day 12
Descent and clear-up
Camp three (7,400 m) → base camp (4,870 m)
- Walking
- 2–3 days
- Altitude
- 7,400 m → 4,870 m
- Elevation
- −2530 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 13
Base camp out, and reserve days
Base camp (4,870 m) → Tumlingtar, on foot or by helicopter
- Walking
- 7 days on foot
- Altitude
- 4,870 m → 400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Route map
Where the trail goes
Route line, start and end points, and every overnight stop. Locations are shared entities — the same record powers the destination and itinerary pages.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Makalu's summit rate so low?
How does it compare with Everest?
How remote is the approach?
Who should attempt it?
When should you go?
About the author
Tom Eriksen
Gear editor & photographer
Tom tests trekking equipment the only way that produces honest answers: by carrying it for weeks at a time above 4,000 metres. He shoots most of the photography on this site and writes the gear reviews, comparison tables and packing lists.
Writes about: Trekking gear · Photography · Packing and weight
