About Mt. Makalu in Nepal
Mt. Makalu lies in North-eastern Nepal’s Khumbu region. There are two subsidiary peaks to Mt Makalu. The Kangchungtse or Makalu II is north-northwest of the main mountain, while the other peak, Chomo Lonzo, lies north of it. The summit of Mt Makalu was reached on 15 May 1955 by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy, members of a French expedition led by Jean Franco. Franco, G. Magnone and Sherpa GyaltsenNorbu also presented the following day.
The north face and the north-eastern ridge through which they climbed became the standard route for climbers who followed. This trek is one of the hardest-to-try mountain climbing in the world.
Mountaineers ascended the south-east slope, the path from the West Pillar, over the years that followed. Makalu is regarded as one of the most difficult mountains to climb. Despite the fact that many Sherpas climbed the mountain in the 1950s, they were Indian nationals and it was only on 1 May 1978 that AngChepal Sherpa became the first citizen of Nepal to peak. Today, Nepal’s relatively less sought after peak.
The number of individual climbers who attempted Makalu up to now is only about 300+. So, if you’re going to try the Makalu, you’ll need a lot of mountaineering experience including one attempt at an 8,000 meter earlier.
Makalu Expedition
Mt. Makalu was first assembled in 1955 by a French team. The British Everest expedition in 1921 surveyed this mountain first and took photographs of it from the Tibetan side. Hillary and Shipton took that Mt. Makalu photograph on their 1951 Everest reconnaissance. The first attempt at Mt. Makalu was made in 1954 by a California-based U.S. team, who trekked all the way from the Indian border near Biratnagar.
At the same time a British team had reached the summit, but when Hillary got seriously ill and had to be rescued, this Makalu Expedition was abandoned.A French team tried the peak in the autumn of 1954. In the following spring, three teams of French climbers successfully made ascents on consecutive days. The Japanese also climbed Mt. Makalu in 1970, it was climbed by another French team in 1971 and a Yugoslav expedition reached the summit in 1975.
Mt. Makalu Expedition is a very risky climbing route in Nepal as it is on its west face. This Mt. Makalu is likewise a little dangerous. Before climbing this Mt. Makalu the 5 attempts were made then only succeeded in the final.
Mt. Makalu’s West Face was scaled in 1997 with success. The Russian expedition, led by Sergey Efimov, had taken the route of this West Face and reached the top on the most difficult route on 21 May 1997.
Trekking Routes of Makalu Mountain
Makalu has a lot of interesting routes leading to the top via west ridge, west facing, south facing, southwest facing and northwest buttress. Past the Southeast Peak and along the Southeast ridge is the normal commercial path.
The climb on the SE Ridge is straight but moderately technical, with exposure; it requires some fixed rope set-up.
Traditionally there are 3 camps at the bottom of the Southeast Peak range, high camp C1 (6,500 m), C2 (7,300 m), and C3 (7,900 m) at the top of the SE peak. The ABC is set up at 5500 m with very low Base Camp. The terrain encountered on the ascents ranges from glacier crossings to steep snow fields and requires a good understanding of the basic techniques of alpine climbing.
Alpine style has been climbed to Makalu, but typically all commercial operators practice expedition style to boost the clients ‘ chances of success at the top. The bottom part begins at 5,800 meters from the West Face base and climbs up to the hanging ice-fall at 6,100 meters to the right of the ice-fall.
The second part reaches up to 6,500 meters high from the plateau over the ice-fall with 35 to 45 degree elevation soil. The next section is an ice-rock wall, steep between 50 and 55 degrees & extending to 7,400 meters in height.
The final section begins the rock pillar of 70 to 75 degrees elevation, which leads to the 8,000-meter-high western ridge up to the top of the summit. Ropes are usually fixed between 5800 m and 6100 m, and between 6500 m and 7500 m. Camps set up by the Russian Team were at the locations below. The French Route on the West Pillar is an aesthetically spectacular route, seldom attempted. It is an extremely difficult pillar, a very steep one which was first successfully climbed in 1971. The line’s crux comes in the Seignior Wall area at about 7,600 m.
Camping at Mount Makalu Trekking
There are mostly 3 camps at the bottom of the Southeast Peak ridge, high camp C1 (6,500 m), C2 (7,300 m), and C3 (7,900 m) at the beginning of the SE ridge during Mount Makalu trekking.
The ABC is set up at 5500 m with very low Base Camp. The terrain found on the ascents ranges from glacier crossings to steep snowfields and requires a good understanding of the basic techniques of alpine climbing.
Throughout Mount Makalu trekking you see that Mount Makalu has been climbed in the Alpine style but usually all commercial operators practice expedition style to increase the clients ‘ chances of peak success.
Climate of Makalu
Especially spring in March-May and fall i.e. Trekking seasons are the best time for the Makalu Base Camp trek September-November, because the weather is likely to be the finest and the temperatures are good. This trek can be done in the winter months, but the cold temperatures could be a downside, especially as the lodges in this area aren’t particularly well equipped.
How difficult to trek Mount Makalu?
Another remote area, and a challenging Himalayan trekking trip, Makalu Base Camp Trek takes you to Mt. Makalu base (8,481 m). The world’s fifth-highest mountain, Mt. Makalu is a majestic Himalayan mountain peak. Trekking in the Makalu region will set off on one of Nepal’s remote trekking adventures.
While Makalu is the world’s fifth-highest mountain, the area has only fewer trekkers crossing the trail. Yet, during the trip, you won’t believe the magnificence of the mountain and the environment you get to see. It’s pristine nature, untouched atmosphere and stunning mountain views make the adventure a beautiful journey.
The trek is a long one that is often strenuous about 20 days, and as long as the trek is. The base camp height at 5,100 meters which takes us to the extreme climatic region, so apart from the difficulty, the altitude sickness is another thing to be cautious about in Makalu Base Camp trek.
In almost every trekker the long days of the trek may result for symptoms of altitude sickness, but the slow pace with acclimatization will help you cope with the situation.
Makalu Base Camp Trek is only for seasoned trekkers and adventure-junkies, so it’s best to avoid this trek for beginners.
Makalu Barun National park
Makalu Barun National Park and Conservation Area is located in the districts of Sankhuwasabha and Solukhumbu, bordered to the east by the Arun River, to the west by Sagarmatha National Park, to the north by Nepal-Tibet border, and to the south by SauneDanda. The park covers 2,330 sq. Kilometre. This is the only protected area in Nepal to have a Strict Nature Reserve status. It has some of Nepal’s richest and most special pockets of plants and animals, lost to expanding human dwelling elsewhere. Stepping up the slopes is a sequence of vegetation zones beginning with under 1,000 m of tropical salt forest.
Subtropical elevation of the Schema castanopsis forest at 1,000-2000 m. subalpine forests of fir, birch, rhododendron, herbs, grasses and rhododendron, shrubs in alpine pas trues.
There are 47 orchid varieties, 67 bamboo species, 15 oak species including Arkhoulo, 86 fodder trees and 48 primrose species. In the Makalu-Barun district, more than 400 species of birds have been sighted, including two species never before seen in Nepal, the spotted wren babbler and the olive ground warbler.
Wildlife includes the endangered red panda, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, clouded leopard and possibly snow leopard, as well as more large populations of ghoral, thar, wild boar, barking deer, Himalayan marmot and weasel, common langur monkey and escrow. The Arun river system is composed of 84 fish varieties.
CLIMATE
Makalu-Barun region falls into the eastern Himalayan climate system, where monsoon starts early (i.e. June) and stays longer than in western Nepal. The climate is generally described as monsoon type, where between June and September more than 70 percent of precipitation occurs. Pre-monsoon rain is common during April and May, which is an important factor in the growth of biomes.
Not accurate climatic data records cover all of the world. Great temperature and precipitation variations can be expected due to the extreme altitude, slope and aspect differences within the area.
What are the facilities in Barun Region for Visitors?
Makalu Barun are located remotely, and therefore the facilities are limited. Whatever food supplies you may need, after Tumlingtar, do not count on finding supplies on the way, so be sure to carry enough with you.
Six campsites have been designated throughout the Park to protect and preserve the environment. These are: Khongma, Dobato, Yangle, Neghe, Shersong and Langmale. Do not forget to take a well-equipped first aid kit with you as there are virtually none of the medical facilities.
