Makalu Base Camp Trek guide: route, camping and permits

What the Makalu Base Camp Trek is

Makalu is 8,485m, the fifth-highest mountain in the world, and its base camp sits at 4,870m at the head of the Barun valley in far eastern Nepal. Our trek there takes 18 days from Kathmandu and back, with 15 days of walking.

It's the least built-up route we run. Teahouses reach as far as Tashi Gaon, the last village. After that the Makalu-Barun National Park never grew a lodge network, so our cook, kitchen staff and porters carry the camp with us. So this is a real camping trek, in a national park most trekkers have never heard of.

At the end you stand in the base camp cirque with Makalu's southwest face straight above you and Chomo Lonzo and Baruntse across the glacier. Very few people see that view in person.

The route at a glance

The approach is short in the air and long on foot. A 40-minute flight puts you in the Arun valley at Tumlingtar, and then you walk: a steep drop to the Arun River and a steep climb to Seduwa, where the national park checkpoint is, then forest to Tashi Gaon. We've written that stretch up in the walk from Tumlingtar to Tashi Gaon.

Day 6 is the one people remember from the approach. You climb 1,460m from Tashi Gaon to Khongma Danda in about 6km, through rhododendron forest. It's one of the steepest single days on any route we run, and the rest day that follows is there because of it.

The Shipton La complex

The hardest day is Day 8. You cross three linked high points, the Shipton La, the Keke La and the Tutu La, in one push of about 10km and 8 to 9 hours, around 4,170m, and come down to camp at Dobato. There's no rope work and no crampons on the standard route, but the ground is rocky and exposed, and finding the line gets hard if cloud comes in. We only go with a clear forecast.

You cross the complex again on Day 16 on the way out. Our Shipton La crossing post goes through both days in detail.

Camping above Tashi Gaon

From Khongma Danda to base camp and back, you sleep in tents that the crew pitches each afternoon, and the cook makes every meal: dal bhat, soups, pasta and hot drinks. Meals are included the same as on a teahouse trek. You carry a daypack and the crew carries the rest.

It's more comfortable than it sounds. You arrive at a camp that's already going up, and there's hot tea before your boots are off. What you do need is a warmer sleeping bag than on a teahouse route, rated to at least -20°C, because several camp nights are above 4,000m. What camping on Makalu is like covers a camp day from start to finish.

Permits and group rules

Two permits. Makalu is a restricted area. You need a Restricted Area Permit, which is logged at Seduwa, and Makalu-Barun National Park entry. The park fee replaces the conservation-area permit you'd carry on Manaslu or Kanchanjunga, because Makalu-Barun is a national park. Only a licensed agency can arrange the RAP, so we file both before you land. Our permits explainer compares the stacks on all our routes.

Two trekkers minimum. The RAP needs at least two trekkers in the group. We cap Makalu groups at 6, which is what one camp crew supports comfortably above Khongma Danda.

A licensed guide. Your guide walks the whole trip, with a first aid kit, a pulse oximeter and an evacuation plan.

Acclimatization and pacing

The itinerary has two full rest days, at Khongma Danda (3,560m) and Langmale Kharka (4,410m), plus a day at base camp itself. The Langmale-to-Merek day is only 160m of gain on purpose, and the final walk to base camp is about 4 hours. On the way down you cover in one day what took two going up.

Who Makalu suits

We grade it Strenuous. You don't need climbing skills, but you do need to be fine with back-to-back long days and sustained camping at altitude. We'd point you to Makalu as a second or third high-altitude trek, ideally after at least one trek above 4,000m. If you've done Everest Base Camp, Annapurna or even Manaslu and want the route that asks the most of you, this is it.

As for timing, autumn (September to November) gives the clearest, most stable weather for the Shipton La and the best visibility at base camp. Spring (March to May) brings rhododendron to the forest around Tashi Gaon. Our own photos are from April 2026, and we found it in flower in red, white and purple.

On cost, our current estimate is $2,100 to $2,600 per person for a group of 2 to 4, including permits, the flights, the crew and all trek meals. It's a placeholder until we confirm this season's permit fees and crew rates, so ask us for a firm quote.

Every day of the route, with altitudes, is on our Makalu Base Camp itinerary. If you're still choosing between routes, Manaslu, Kanchanjunga or Makalu lays the three side by side.

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