Makalu Barun National Park section of the Great Himalaya Trail

Fast facts

• The region is named after Mt Makalu, which at 8463m is the world’s 5th highest mountain (see map)
• It’s home to more than 3000 species of flowering plants, including 25 species of rhododendron and hundreds of varieties of orchids
• You need to be prepared for some serious mountaineering to cross the high passes of Sherpani Col, West Col and the Amphu Labsta into the Everest region
• Remote valleys little visited by foreign travellers
• Lots of rain and stunning, immense glaciers