|
Makalu
Base Camp/Trekking around Makalu Base Camp
Introduction
The Makalu region is an absolutely amazing
still very untouched area in the northwestern corner
of the Sankhuwasabha district. To the west, it is
bordered by the Everest region, to the north by
Tibet, to the east by the Arun river and to the
south by the Sabha river. It just so happens that
this very pristine area was dedicated into a
national park and conservation area in the early
1990's. The park is still at its beginning stages.
Though struggling to make its mark, it has done
fairly well. Unlike the Annapurna Conservation Area
Project (ACAP), the Makalu Barun Conservation
Project (MBCP) is set up a little differently. It is
definitely heading down its own unique path. MBCP is
trying, The Park hopes to put off that burden as
long as possible knowing that it will affect the
area drastically if promoted without mediation and
direction. But the district of Sankhuwasabha is huge
and the park makes up about only one-third of the
total area. The region is very close to the Everest
region, but drastically different in many ways. Most
of the people in this district live in the lower
hills with the highest concentrations in the most
southern third of the district. A blanket statement
could be made that most people live fairly close to
the Arun river. The major castes in this area
include Gurung, Rai, Tamang, Chetri, Brahmin, Limbu,
and Sherpa (Bota), almost numerically in that order.
There are many
ways into the Makalu region but the primary route is
to fly into Tumlingtar (the only airport in
Sankhuwasabha) and hike the trail from Khandbari to
Num, then cross over the Arun River into the
conservation area. The traditional way is to hike in
from the roadhead (Hile), but the bus from Kathmandu
takes close to 18 hours and the walk to Tumlingtar
takes at least two full days. There is also the
Salpa Pass route between Tumlingtar and the Everest
region hitting the trail there about a day from
Lukla. This "backdoor" to Everest from Tumlingtar to
Lukla takes at least seven days.
The Arun Valley
is an incredible area, but one drawback is the heat.
Since the average elevation between Hile and
Tumlingtar is around 1000 ft, it is hot all year
around. The Hile roadhead is about 6000 ft but
quickly drops down to about 1000 ft in a 4-6 hour
downhill jaunt. Once one reaches the Arun's level,
the trail follows the river all the way to
Tumlingtar. A remarkable area for those who have the
time and don't mind the heat. From Tumlingtar, the
trail mounts another ridge and continues on to
Khandbari (3600), Chichila (6500), and Num (6000).
The trail then takes a steep two-hour decent to the
Arun River before again starting up a very steep
trail to Sedua and Tashigaon and on to Makalu base
camp (15,800).
|
TREKKING ITINERARIES
