Among the eight mountains in Nepal above 8000m, Mt. Makalu is the fourth tallest in Nepal and the fifth-highest Peak on the Earth with its height of 8,463m. Mt. Makalu resides in the eastern Himalayas range just 19Km southeast of the giant Mt. Everest on the border of Nepal and China. At the base of Mt. Makalu, there lies a natural wonder: The Barun Valley. This valley facilitates stunning elevated waterfalls falling inside the deep gorges, diverse species of flora and fauna with rich cultures of ethnic communities like Sherpa and Kirat. Although this area is somewhat isolated, it is for sure that, every visitor who every step here will take a memorable reminiscence with them for their lifetime.
It was in 1955 when the expedition led by the French team reached the top of Mt. Makalu for the first time. Only five of the first sixteen attempts were successful. Sir Edmund Hilary took the photograph of Mt. Makalu in 1951 while he was on a route survey of Mt. Everest. Since the first climb to the top, several successful attempts had been made to the top of the peak. Makalu bears a pyramid shape. South East and the North West Ridges being the most prominent compared to other. Among these two, the North-Western ridge route is used by most mountaineers to reach the top of the peak. Mt. Makalu Expedition in Nepal is full of adventures as well as dangers too. The Russian team scaled the west route, which is considered the most dangerous route, in 1997. They reach the top on 21st May 1997 following the most challenging route. Climbing Makalu is the test of the sheer endurance of a climber.
The base camp is normally set at around 5,600m, and then four camps follow before reaching the top. The first camp is at 6,100m, camp 2 is at 6500m, the third camp is at 7400m and the last camp is at 7800m.
You can also climb Mt Mera Peak just before the Makalu climbing for the training and acclimatization.