Bangladeshi mountaineer Babar Ali has made history by becoming the first person from Bangladesh to summit Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak.
He reached the 8,485-metre summit at approximately 5:45 AM Bangladesh time on Saturday, marking his fifth successful ascent of an 8,000-metre mountain; an unmatched record among Bangladeshi climbers.
Located in Nepal’s Mahalangur Himal range, Makalu is widely regarded as one of the most technically challenging among the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres. Its steep, pyramid-like structure has earned it the nickname “Great Black One.”
The expedition, titled “Makalu: The Fifth Frontier,” was organised by Vertical Dreamers. Club president Farhan Zaman confirmed the successful summit, citing expedition outfitter Mohan Lamsal. Babar was accompanied by Ang Kami Sherpa during the final ascent.
Babar began his expedition on April 7, travelling to Nepal before trekking to base camp via Tumlingtar and Seduwa. After multiple acclimatisation rotations, he made his final summit push on 30 April during a brief window of favourable weather. Starting from Camp 3 at around 7,400 metres, he climbed more than 1,100 metres overnight to reach the summit at dawn.
He is expected to descend to lower camps before returning to base camp by May 3.
This latest feat adds to a series of remarkable achievements.
In 2024, Babar summited both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in a single expedition; the first Bangladeshi to do so. In 2025, he climbed Annapurna I and Mount Manaslu without supplemental oxygen, another national first.
Babar began his mountaineering journey in 2014 after earlier trekking experience in the Chattogram hills. A founding member and current general secretary of Vertical Dreamers, he received formal training from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2017.
With the Makalu summit, he moves closer to his goal of climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres; a feat achieved by only a handful of climbers worldwide.
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