Barun Valley

The valley was created by the Barun River which becomes a glacier in winter. The river is known as Chukchuwa in the local Limbu language. The study has shown that this place was originally inhabited by Yakkha and Limbu centuries ago.

In the ancient religious Buddhist books, seven Beyul ( Nghe-Beyul Khimpalung) situated in the Himalayan region are described as mystical and spectacularly beautiful evergreen places where no one gets old. It is told that, in case of great cataclysm, life will remain only in these seven areas of the world. In those books, one of the Beyul is mentioned to be situated somewhere at this Makalu-Barun region.[1]

This is a place called Ripuk within the Barun Valley. Centuries ago, Barun used to be a glacier here, flowing to the north composing these lush green valleys of today.

All of this valley is uninhabited. It is mostly covered by grassland (Kharka). In the summer, some temporary camps are made. Listed below are the names of these camping regions.

• Mumbuk
• Yangle Kharka
• Nghe
• Ripuk
• Tadaso
• Yak Kharka
• Langmale
• Shershon

The Barun Valley climbs from Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests at low elevations through Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and into Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.

Recognized for its tremendous diversity of plants, animals, and people, the area contains over 3,000 species of flowering plants, including 25 species of rhododendron, 47 types of orchids, and 56 rare plants. 440 species of birds, and 75 species of mammals, including the endangered clouded leopard (snow leopard), red panda, musk deer, wild boar, have been recorded.

This remarkable biodiversity is considered to be of global significance and provides a living laboratory for international scientific research. The Barun Valley is part of a huge international protected area under an agreement between Nepal and China.

Plants like Swertia Barunensis (4200m) and Potentilla Makaluensis (4000 m) nomenclature under the name of river Barun and Mt. Makalu are found only in this area in the entire world. 87 Himalayan medical herbs including Yasrha Gumba and Panch Aule are found here. Panch Aule is a fingered root plant (five fingers max) where fingers indicate the age of the plant in a year.

This valley lies along the trekking route to Makalu Base Camp. This somewhat difficult yet extremely rewarding trek offers a true wilderness experience in the rugged uninhabited terrain of Makalu-Barun National Park. These days there are lodges above Tashigaon till the Base Camp, so one does not need to take camping gear, food and fuel further on. However, the lodges may not have enough blankets for visitors, so it is advisable to take a sleeping bag along. The use of a local guide is strongly recommended, as the trails are difficult to follow in some places.

• Makalu
• Makalu Barun National Park

• Makalu Barun National Park and Conservation Area (Government of Nepal)
• Down to Barun Valley - Travel log
• makalu base camp trek

27°46′N 87°09′E