Machhapuchhre Base Camp
3,700m base camp beneath the sacred, unclimbed Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) peak
Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC, 3,700m) sits directly beneath Machhapuchhre (Fishtail Peak, 6,993m), a mountain considered sacred to Shiva and never officially climbed. Most itineraries overnight here before the final push to Annapurna Base Camp the next morning, with MBC's amphitheatre views often rated among the most dramatic on the whole trek.
Machhapuchhre has been closed to climbing since 1957, when Wilfrid Noyce and David Cox stopped roughly 50m below the summit by agreement with the king, and nobody has been permitted on it since, which leaves it one of the few substantial peaks anywhere never officially climbed. The fishtail double summit the name refers to is only visible from the Pokhara side, not from here. MBC is a cluster of lodges rather than a climbing base camp, and the walk on to Annapurna Base Camp takes about two hours.
Highlights
3,700m
Beneath the sacred, unclimbed Machhapuchhre (Fishtail Peak)
Final overnight stop before Annapurna Base Camp
Trips that visit Machhapuchhre Base Camp
Practical Info
Address
Annapurna Sanctuary, Kaski District
In This Destination
Kaski
Pokhara's lakeside bliss and the legendary gateway to Annapurna
On the itinerary