The Makalu region is an absolutly amazing still very untouched area in the northwestern corner of Nepal near the Everest Region, to the north by Tibet , to the east by the Arun river and to the south by the Sabha river. It just so happens that this very pristine area was dedicated into a national park and conservation area in the early 1990's. The region is very close to the Everest region, but drastically different in many ways. Most of the people in numerically in that order. this district live in the lower hills with the highest concentrations in the most southern third of the district. A blanket statement could be made that most people live fairly close to the Arun river. The major castes in this area include Gurung, Rai, Tamang, Chetri, Brahmin, Limbu, and Sherpa (Bota). There are many ways into the Makalu Region but the primary route is to fly into Tumlingtar (the only airport in Sankhuwasabha) and hike the trail from Khandbari to Num, then cross over the Arun River into the conservation area. There is also the Salpa Pass route between Tumlingtar and the Everest Region hitting the trail there about a day from Lukla.