Makalu Base Camp - Nepal

Nepal is a country I seemingly always want to head to. I hadn’t been in almost 10 years when this opportunity arose, so when an idea to hike on a more secluded trek to Makalu Base Camp came up, I couldn’t say no. It was under the premise that it’s a route less travelled and would be much more adventurous, all of which enticed me further.

Previously I had hiked to Everest Base Camp, which even at that time some 9 years ago was quite busy. However, I hear it’s even more touristy now with numerous trips being led there from companies all over the world, not to mention the apparent ability to connect to wifi practically all along the route which certainly makes it feel more detracting. Don’t get me wrong, the hike in itself is stunning. The views all along the route and the little village you head through and gorgeous. Seeing Ama Dablam, Everest and Nuptse along with numerous other peaks… It’s breath taking. Definitely makes you feel insignificant. Just need to be aware of how popular it is now.

Standing at 8481 meters, Makalu is the world’s 5th highest peak however its Base Camp trek is not exactly a one that is renowned. This is part of what intrigued me about it. Having previously trekked to Everest, I was expecting more of the same. Oh how wrong I would be…

From Kathmandu, we (the group and I) flew to Tumlingtar which is East of Kathmandu for about a 40 minute flight. We arrived at a lower altitude than Kathmandu - 500 metres approximately, whereas heading to Everest you fly higher into the infamously dangerous Tenzing-HIlary airport which is at 2846m. The heat getting off the plane in Tumlingtar felt like a punch to the face. Hot is an understatement! From here, it’s a 4 hour 4x4 ride to a village called Num (1300m appx) where we’d actually start our trek. Suffice to say the road trip was a tad bumpy! Good luck trying to nap on this section…

After spending the night in our pre-erected tents by our support crew, it was time to head upwards. Well, actually downwards in to the valley Num is located on the edge of to head up the other side. Then it would be all uphill as we slowly gain height. Beforehand we had breakfast watching a heli crew ferry in equipment to Makalu Base Camp as Num is the end of the road so to speak. Quite entertaining watching the crew ram in as much equipment as possible whilst the pilot sips tea. For us though, we begin the arduous trek to the valley floor, step after step in searing heat, stopping a little up the other side for for lunch before continuing onwards to the next camp.

From here, we carry on heading upwards stopping over in little villages in various places along the route. We’re making a beeline for the valley that would eventually lead us up to Makalu. In the mean time, we all enjoy the scenery and the conversation that a trek like this with so many new people can bring.

The one thing about this trek that surprised me the most is its variety. You can encounter all sorts of environments. Starting in the hot dry mountainside villages, heading further up through jungle like areas where leeches will literally try and eat you alive, heading up through forest sections before hitting the tree line and continuing on in the mountainous section as you nearer Makalu Base Camp. It’s a stark contrast to the Everest Base Camp trek. Not forgetting the colourful Rhododendrons in full bloom around mid to late April time whilst we were there.

I was a participant on a fully organised trek. There were 20 of us hiking in, with some being heli’d out at Base Camp as an optional extra. Our support crew were the unsung heroes though. They would literally carry everything including the kitchen sink and portable toilets. The cook and chef team more so as they’d pack everything up after breakfast, over take us whilst we walked in the morning, set up up lunch for us to arrive to, and do it all again for the dinner service. These lads would literally fly up the mountainside compared to our unacclimatised pace. Not to mention that some would do it in wellies! (Apparently some would pour water in their wellies to walk in to help keep their feet cool…).

Acclimatisation in itself is something to get used to the higher you get. It’s all well and good lower down where the air is thicker and you just have to worry about your pace. Heading further up above 3500m-ish though is where things start to get harder. Everyone will have a different reaction to it. You could be the fittest person on earth and still suffer from altitude sickness, or smoke 20 a day and feel no effects. You just don’t know until you try it. That’s why it’s recommended to take altitude sickness pills with you in case you need them to help alleviate the symptoms, but altitude sickness is no joke. It can and will kill. Thankfully, I didn’t suffer too much from it. Headaches would occur on some nights, but would be gone by the morning as my body appears to have adjusted during sleep. Hydration is also a major factor. Needing to keep drinking water to help the body adjust to altitude is a necessity. Moreso taking altitude sickness pills as one of the side effects is to make you pee more. And for some reason garlic soup helps with symptoms also… Who knew?!

Makalu in itself is a lone wolf. It’s not joined to any other mountains, however isn’t too far from Everest. I’m certainly more than happy to marvel at it from Base Camp, although there are numerous others who I’m sure would love to summit it. There are some smaller ones I’d like summit, but the 8000ers I must admit are not on my list for the time being (never say never right?!). It’s hard to comprehend how big it is standing at Base Camp, other than knowing it’s BIG, but mountains like Makalu, and even other ones nearby in the same valley, can be stared at for hours. Mountains are one of the the places where I can quite literally watch the world go by, but get me on a beach doing nothing and I’ll be bored in half an hour. I guess it’s part of the attraction. A draw that keeps wanting to take me to the mountains and not the seaside. But I’m certainly not complaining - it’s my happy place.

I also had a stark reminder that it’s nice to take in the views and not always have a camera in my hand. On the day we departed Base Camp, we stopped off for a break. Everyone was relaxing - doing their own thing. I was laying down using my bag as a pillow looking at the mountain in front of me when all of a sudden, a chunk of ice and snow fell off right at the top and an ensuing avalanche erupted in front of us. I was able to casually enjoy every second of it in my relaxed state, compared to others who were rushing around to get their camera out and attempt to record the event. Someone even asked me afterwards if I was able to capture it, to which I replied that I did not - instead, I enjoyed the moment rather than trying to capture it.

There are numerous other treks available in Nepal, some certainly more popular than others. I know I’d still love to go and hike Annapurna. But if you’re looking for an organised trek that’s a bit more off the beaten track with a bit more adventure thrown in, then give the Makalu trek a thought.