Babar Ali: First Bangladeshi to Climb Mount Makalu

The dawn light had not yet fully dispersed. The snow-covered slopes of the Himalayas stood tall, carving a strange boundary between light and shadow. In that silent, unforgiving altitude, at 5:45 AM Bangladesh time, a man stood quietly atop the summit of the world's fifth-highest peak.

His name is Babar Ali. And that peak is Mount Makalu.

This achievement is more than just a personal success; it is a story of a new height for Bangladesh. At an altitude of 8,485 meters, this marks the first time a Bangladeshi has set foot on this summit.

There are only fourteen mountains in the world that exceed an altitude of 8,000 meters. Babar Ali has now touched five peaks from this prestigious and perilous list. No other Bangladeshi has ever ventured this far. Makalu is his fifth conquest—and each victory represents a story of making the impossible possible.

Known as the "Great Black One," the name itself carries an aura of fear and mystery. Makalu is a nightmare for mountaineers due to its steep inclines, sharp ridges, and treacherous weather. Babar pushed forward right through the heart of that nightmare.

He left the country on April 7. After extensive preparations, he reached Tumlingtar, Nepal, on April 9, and then traveled by road to Sedua village. From there, the trek began on foot. It was a slow battle, step by step, fighting for breath and acclimatizing his body to the altitude.

He reached the High Base Camp on April 18. However, there is no room for haste in such expeditions. On April 21, he reached Camp-1, and the next day, Camp-2, touching 7,000 meters before descending again. Climbing up and coming back down—this cycle is how the body learns to survive in the brutal, oxygen-depleted heights.

On April 27, during the second phase of the expedition, he reached Camp-2 again before returning to Base Camp. Then came the wait. A wait for just one thing: favorable weather.

Finally, that opportunity arrived on April 30.

On that day, he climbed directly to Camp-2 at 6,600 meters. The following day, he reached Camp-3 at 7,400 meters. The afternoon was spent waiting, and as night fell, the final struggle began.

He set out for the summit at midnight. Ahead lay a continuous, terrifying 1,100-meter vertical climb. Every step was a battle against his own breath, an attempt to break the limits of the human body. Piercing through the darkness, fighting against ice and wind—he finally reached the summit at dawn. Beside him was Ang Kami Sherpa, his silent comrade-in-arms.
The expedition was titled "Expedition Makalu: The Fifth Frontier." It was organized by the Chattogram-based mountaineering club "Vertical Dreamers." The news was confirmed by Farhan Zaman, the club's president, through Mohan Lamsal of the Nepalese outfitter "Makalu Adventure." However, Babar Ali’s success did not happen overnight.

His journey began with trekking in 2010. While walking through the hills of the Chattogram Hill Tracts, the mountains called out to him. He started mountaineering in 2014 and received formal training from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, India, in 2017.

Then, he began making history, one step at a time:

2022: He became the first Bangladeshi to conquer Ama Dablam, one of the most difficult technical peaks in the Himalayas.

2024: He conquered two 8,000-meter peaks, Everest and Lhotse, in a single expedition—a feat achieved by no other Bangladeshi.

April 2025: He reached the summit of Annapurna-I, the 10th highest mountain in the world.

September 2025: He scaled Manaslu—this time without supplemental oxygen, another first for Bangladesh.

And now: Makalu.

Each peak is a mark on the map of his dreams. This is the fifth step toward his ultimate goal of touching all fourteen of the world's 8,000-meter peaks.

But the story does not end here. Reaching the summit is difficult, but descending safely is often even harder. According to the plan, he will descend to Camp-2 today and reach Base Camp tomorrow.

This is not just the story of a mountaineer; it is a story of patience, preparation, conquering fear, and challenging the impossible.