- Details
This was our fourth group since 2013 to attempt the 34-day trek along The Great Himalaya Trail (“GHT”) from Makalu Base Camp to Kanchenjunga Base Camp. This year, we had a full group of twelve trekkers coming from the UK and the USA. Our international leader was Ben Walker, and the Nepalese Sirdar was Bhim Sunuwar. Other guides were Sanja Tamang, Suman Tamang, and Tanka Rai. Purna Tamang brought our food resupply from Kathmandu to Hongon village.
Ben sums up his experience leading this group:
“A superb trek overall, successfully accomplishing the trek to the North Kanchenjunga Base Camp, the Nango La, and the Lumba Sumba in excellent weather. After trekking for 18 sunny days in a row, around October 28th, we then felt the impact of a slow-moving cyclone developing across much of Nepal and Bhutan. We had 6 days of heavy rain and snow higher up. Having received weather reports in advance of this, we decided to descend from Hongon instead of taking the higher GHT path to Yangri Kharka. Descending to Barun Dovan, we had a rest day, hoping to sit out the worst of the rain.
We managed to get guests and the whole trek crew on a bus further down to Simma in order ‘cut the corner’ over to Seduwa, taking refuge in a school one night at Ulin. This route was preferable to the much less frequented ‘lower MBC route’ from Barun Dovan, given there is limited habitation and no dry/lodge options for guests or the 39 trek crew. Given that all of the guest tents and mess/porter tents were already wet, this was essential. Fortunately, we sent porters and members of the guide team ahead, and were able to secure basic lodge rooms at Hatiya, Barun Dovan, the school at Ulin, and at a lodge at Seduwa. We had several shorter days hiking to Ulin, Seduwa & Tashigaon, given these were wet, slippery, involving steep jungle trails, allow the porters to re-group and dry things out.
Thankfully, the weather improved for the walk over the Shipton La, and we were successfully able to hike to Makalu Base Camp, with snow on the ground above Langmale Kharka. We also had some light snowfall on the return over the Keke & Shipton La.”
We decided to delay the start of this trek by one week compared to our 2024 group. As discussed in our Trip Report for Kanchenjunga BC to Makalu BC GHT in Autumn 2024, this group had a very heavy monsoonal outburst in late September 2024 that caused landslides and flooding in Kathmandu and East Nepal. Given the trend of later monsoons, we felt delaying by a week would help the weather dry out and allow more time for the monsoon to wind down. In practice, this change worked very well for us, given that a cyclone impacted the Himalayan region on October 4th and 5th, and the group arrived in Kathmandu on the 5th. The next day, we had the team briefing, kit checks, and we processed their trekking permits.
As planned, on October 7th, they flew from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur Airport. Shortly before their departure, we received information from the local authorities that there was a landslide blocking the road to Ilam. So we decided to divert them along a different road to Taplejung/ Suketar via Terhathum, and fortunately this went well for them. We made a few changes to the 2025 itinerary, and one of these is to drive from Suketar to Sekathum. Whereas last year we started the walk from Suketar, taking 2 1/2 days to reach Sekathum. There is now a jeep track up to the new hydroelectric power station currently being constructed at Sekathum, so it makes sense to drive there and start walking above the zone of industrial development.
Fortunately, once the cyclone moved out of Nepal on October 7th, the weather cleared up, and this group enjoyed clear and sunny weather until October 28th. In past years, the weather pattern has been cloudy afternoons through to mid-October and sometimes even later in the month. As discussed in our Trip Report for Lunana Snowman (Bhutan) in October 2025, this group was trekking at the same time and also experienced wonderful weather conditions with great views of the Himalayas. Given the perfect weather conditions, our Kanchenjunga GHT group made good progress, and as Ben mentioned above, they trekked on schedule to North Kanchenjunga Base Camp and crossed Nango La and Lumba Sumba passes.
During this time, as usual, I was based in Kathmandu, and I noticed around October 20th that there was a cyclonic system brewing in the Bay of Bengal. I notified Ben and Bhim via the satellite phone of this risk, although I was hoping that, over time, this system would fizzle out or change direction away from the Himalayan region. I tracked its movement on a daily basis, and as usual, the closer it gets, the better information there is about its likely impact. Given this forecast, we made a decision to divert away from doing the high GHT trail to Makalu Base Camp via Cave Camp to the usual trail over Shipton La. It was certainly a tough six days for the trekkers and the crew as they got very wet, although they were walking at a lower altitude through villages, so they were in a safe area. I sent forecasts to the group that better weather was on its way, although in practice, it took a few more days to clear up than the weather models predicted. As Ben says, the weather improved as they crossed Shipton La, and everyone successfully made it to Makalu Base Camp.
Given the increasing volatility of the weather, it is even more important than ever for trekking operators to carefully monitor the weather forecasts. It was very sad to see the multiple fatalities and rescues in Nepal from both of these cyclones, as it was entirely preventable. Many groups were simply unaware of these storms approaching.
Thanks to Lawrence and Jo from this group for their AITO Traveller Reviews for Kanchenjunga BC to Makalu BC GHT. You can read more about Lawrence’s experience below:
“This was a long and remote trek in the Eastern part of Nepal, close to the Tibetan border. We were fortunate with good weather and fantastic views at either end of the trek, but had to re-route in the middle of the trek following a period of unusually heavy rain and snow as a consequence of a late cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Our sirdar, sherpas, and leader, with assistance and weather forecasts from the Mountain Company team in Kathmandu via satellite phone, were able to adapt the route to enable us to complete the trek and reach Makalu Base Camp. Our porters and kitchen crew also made a huge contribution to allowing us to complete the trek. Overall, a fantastic experience in a remote part of Nepal with a friendly and enthusiastic group of fellow trekkers and great support from our international leader, sirdar, sherpas, cook, kitchen crew, and porters.
This was the third trek that I have done with the Mountain Company. Their focus exclusively on treks in the Himalaya and Karakoram, along with their base in Kathmandu as well as the UK, means that they bring an enormous amount of local knowledge and experience to the organisation of their treks. Their attention to detail and realistic and flexible itineraries attest to this. I would not hesitate to trek with them again or to recommend them to others."
Well done to the group for completing this long and tough trek. It is important to note that GHT treks like this are challenging on a number of levels, such as tough trail conditions compared to the more “groomed” trails on the more popular treks in Nepal. GHT treks are not for everyone, and that is why we carefully screen our trekkers to ensure it is the right objective for them, given their fitness, experience, and any medical issues. You need to be aware that the itinerary could be changed depending on weather conditions or other factors, so you must come with an open and flexible mindset. If you are up for a challenge, then GHT treks offer a rare opportunity to walk on a quiet trail with very few other trekkers and to visit very remote regions of Nepal.
Thanks much to all of our guides, cooks, and porters who worked very hard to support this group. Great job!
We have already received strong interest in Kanchenjunga Base Camp to Makalu Base Camp GHT for Autumn 2026. If you are considering joining this trek, please get in touch with us, and we can discuss further on an online call on Google Meets.
Trek on!
Roland Hunter
The Mountain Company