Mountaineer Babar Ali targets Makalu as his next 8,000m challenge

Bangladeshi mountaineer Babar Ali has set his sights on Mount Makalu in Nepal, aiming to scale the world’s fifth-highest peak as part of his long-term goal of conquering all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres.

At a press conference held at the Chattogram Press Club today, expedition organisers shared details of the initiative titled “Expedition Makalu: The Fifth Frontier”, organised by mountaineering club Vertical Dreamers.

Standing at 8,485 metres (27,838 feet), Makalu lies in Nepal’s Mahalangur Himal and is widely known among climbers as the “Great Black One” for its steep slopes, exposed ridges, and strong winds.

Babar, who has already summited four of the world’s 8,000m peaks -- a feat unmatched by any other Bangladeshi -- described Makalu as another “firm step” towards fulfilling his long-cherished ambition.

“I have long nurtured the dream of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks. I have made some progress, and Makalu will be another strong step in that direction,” he said.

Originally, Babar had planned to attempt Nanga Parbat this year. However, he shifted his focus due to funding constraints and regional security concerns near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

“Makalu is undoubtedly a challenging mountain. Its distinct four-sided pyramid shape and steep faces test even experienced climbers. I am ready to take on that challenge,” Babar added.

Babar began trekking in 2010 in the hills of the Chattogram Hill Tracts and transitioned to mountaineering in 2014. A founding member and current general secretary of Vertical Dreamers, he has spent over a decade climbing peaks across the Himalayas.

He completed his basic mountaineering training at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2017.

In 2022, Babar became the first Bangladeshi to summit Ama Dablam, one of the Himalayas’ most technical peaks. He achieved a major milestone in 2024 by summiting both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse during the same expedition -- a rare feat among Bangladeshi climbers.

In April 2025, he became the first Bangladeshi to climb Annapurna I. Later that year, in September, he scaled Mount Manaslu without supplemental oxygen -- another first for a Bangladeshi on an 8,000m peak.

Makalu will mark his fifth expedition to an 8,000m peak.

According to expedition manager and Vertical Dreamers President Farhan Zaman, Babar is scheduled to leave Bangladesh on April 7. After completing the necessary permits and logistics in Kathmandu, he will travel to Tumlingtar before trekking for several days to reach the base camp.

From there, he will undergo acclimatisation by moving between higher camps before making the summit push. The entire expedition is expected to take around 50 days, with a possible summit window in the second or third week of May, depending on weather conditions.

Several organisations, including Sam-Bond, My Health, Chandrabindu Prokashan, and Rahman’s Groceries, are supporting the expedition.

The event concluded with Babar receiving the national flag, which he aims to carry to the summit of Makalu.