Base camp at 4,870 m is a flat area of stone huts and tent platforms beside the Barun Glacier. On the rest day, when the group is well, we walk up the ridge of moraine behind camp, climbing slowly towards the area known as the Swiss base camp. Some groups reach a viewpoint at around 5,200 m; others turn back lower. Distance and height are decided by your guide on the day.
The view grows with every step. Makalu's south face towers overhead, and further west the eastern walls of Lhotse and the summit of Everest appear on clear mornings, with Baruntse and the peaks of the upper Barun closing the valley. The glacier below is grey with rock and dotted with turquoise melt pools.
The ground is loose and the air thin, so this is a slow walk with long pauses. We aim to be back at base camp for lunch before the wind and cloud pick up. Anyone with a headache or poor sleep the night before rests in camp instead.
Good for
- Photographers
- Solo
- Groups
Questions travellers ask
Can you see Everest from Makalu Base Camp?
Not from the lodges themselves, but from the moraine ridge above base camp, on clear mornings, you can see the top of Everest and the eastern side of Lhotse to the west.
How high is the viewpoint above Makalu Base Camp?
Many trekkers reach around 5,000–5,200 m on the moraine above camp. The exact point depends on conditions and how the group is acclimatising.
Is the moraine walk dangerous?
It is not technical, but the ground is loose and the altitude is high. We go slowly with a guide, keep away from glacier edges and turn back if anyone feels unwell.
