Babar Ali becomes first Bangladeshi to summit Mount Makalu

In a historic milestone for Bangladesh’s mountaineering community, Babar Ali has become the first Bangladeshi to summit Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak.

He reached the 8,485-metre summit at 5:45am Bangladesh time on Saturday (May 2) after an arduous eight-and-a-half-hour climb, expedition sources confirmed.

With this achievement, Babar Ali has now successfully climbed five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 metres—setting a new national record. He was accompanied during the summit push by Sherpa climber Ang Kami.

Expedition officials said the summit success has been confirmed, but Babar is still on his descent toward base camp. Fellow climbers emphasised that returning safely remains equally critical and urged well-wishers to keep him in their thoughts.

Located in Nepal’s Mahalangur Himal region, Mount Makalu is known as the “Great Black One” due to its steep, pyramid-like structure and exposed dark rock faces shaped by strong winds. The expedition was titled “Makalu: The Fifth Frontier.”

Babar’s latest success adds to an impressive list of achievements. In 2022, he became the first Bangladeshi to summit Ama Dablam. In 2024, he climbed both Mount Everest and Lhotse in a single expedition. He went on to summit Annapurna I in 2025 and later climbed Manaslu without supplemental oxygen.

The expedition was organised by Vertical Dreamers, with support from partner organisations.

His achievement marks a new chapter for Bangladesh in high-altitude mountaineering, drawing widespread praise at home and abroad.