Makalu Expedition was first climbed by a French party in 1955. The peak was first mapped and photographed from the Tibetan side by the 1921 British Everest reconnaissance. Hillary and Shipton photographed mount Makalu on the 1951 Everest reconnaissance. Hillary and others approached the peak a year later after the failure of their mount Cho Oyu expedition. The first attempt on mount Makalu was in 1954 by a US team, mostly from California, who trekked all the way from the Indian border near Biratnagar.

At the same time a British team approached the mountain, but this expedition was abandoned when Hillary became seriously ill and had to be evacuated. In the autumn of 1954 a French team attempted the peak. In the following spring, successfully ascents were made by three teams of French climbers on successive days. The Japanese climbed mount Makalu in 1970, another French team climbed it in 1971 and a Yugoslav expedition reached the summit in 1975.

Group Size:	2-12 people
Season:	Spring & Autumn
Airport:	Lukla
Permit Fee:	US $10,000 PP
Climbing Sherpa:	US $2,500 Per Sherpa
Expedition Type:	Full logistic support
Min. Altitude:	2800 meters
Max. Altitude:	8848 meters
Average walk:	7-8 Hrs
Expedition trial:	Alpine
Satellite Phone:	US $750
Start / End Point:	Lukla & Lukla
Trip Cost From:	US $7500 Per Person