Mera Peak Trek, Nepal

We rest for most of the day and unpack. We visit Adventure World Trails and Travels office in the afternoon. Our climbing leaders will check our set of climbing equipment to make sure that they are in good condition for our coming journey. We also get introduced to fellow participants, and discuss our trip.

Overnight at Hotel.

We catch an early morning flight to Lukla and begin our trek to Paiya after landing at the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla. We walk on a jungle trail, cross a bridge over the Handi Khola and reach Surke Village. From here we continue moving south and cross the Chutok La pass before reaching the small settlement of Paiyan, also known as Chutok.

Overnight at Hotel.

We descend for a while and reach a small bridge. From here the trail is slippery until we cross the Kari La pass. We walk through rhododendron and bamboo forests on a narrow mountain trail. On today’s trip we also get to be in awe of the Dudhkoshi Valley. We continue our trek to Pangkongma Village whose settlers are dependent on farming and trading.

Overnight at Hotel.

We begin our trek after breakfast. After trekking out of Pangkongma, we cross the Pangkongma La pass. Then we ascend, walk on a steady path, pass a mani and reach Shibuche. We have lunch here. We continue our trek on a downhill path before crossing a bridge over the Hinku Khola. We pass through Gai Kharka or a grazing area and reach Nashing Dinga after a while.

Overnight at Hotel.

We descend to Surkie La pass and cross it and continue walking downhill for a while. Then we begin ascending. Our trail then passes through Phokte Village, Chalem Kharka and Danda Kharka. We also pass through bamboo forests. After Danda Kharka, it is an uphill walk until we reach Panch Pokhari.  Next, we walk on a zigzag path before reaching Chhatra Khola.

Overnight at Hotel

We walk towards the north on the main trail to Mera Peak. After walking on a trail next to the the Majang Khola, we merge with another trail which moves alongside the Hinku Khola. Our trail moves straight ahead towards Tashing Ongma which has seasonal tea shops. We continue our trek and cross the bridge over the Sanu Khola before reaching Kothe.

Overnight at Hotel.

We trek along the ridge of the Hinku Khola in the shadow of Mera Peak. We take lunch at Gondishung, the summer herders' settlement in the west bank of the Hinku Drangka. Beyond Gondishung, we pass a 200-year-old Lungsumgba Gompa where we can find Mera Peak scripted in rock along with its route to reach Mera. A short walk takes us to Thaknak, which is a summer grazing area with primitive lodges and shops.

Overnight at Hotel.

Leaving Thaknak, we follow the lateral moraine of Dig Glacier to Dig Kharka, which offers spectacular views of Charpate Himal. The trail climbs through moraines to the snout of the Hinku Nup and Shar glaciers, and then climbs more steeply to Khare. From here, we can see the northern face of Mera Peak which will be an amazing experience. After lunch we can hike in and around Khare.

Overnight at Hotel.

We have a separate day set aside solely for acclimatization and basic training just to prepare ourselves better for the Mera Peak climb. Our climbing leader will help us polish our basic climbing techniques and demonstrate the best ways to use our climbing gears like the ice axe, harness, ascender climbing boots and crampons. The training will also include learning the best climbing technique with the rope.

Overnight at Hotel.

We walk through a boulder-strewn course on a steep trail to reach the Mera Peak Base Camp. From here, we continue further through the Mera La pass to reach the Mera High Camp. Our path is along a rocky trail, which can be hazardous if it has recently snowed, as there are a number of crevasses here. We make our way to the top of the rock band, which is marked by a large cairn. Then we set up a high camp while enjoying excellent views of Mt. Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, the south face of Lhotse, Nuptse, Chamlang and Baruntse.

Overnight at Hotel.

This is a really important day for the expedition. We wake up around 2 in the morning for breakfast. It’s going to be very cold in the beginning but soon we warm up as we continue up the glacier and onto a peculiar ridge. The first rays of the sun hit the big peaks in an amazing red glow. The route is still non-technical as we slowly climb higher into the ever-thinning air. The slope steepens for a section behind the ridge and the summit comes back into view. At the foot of the final steep summit cone, we may use a fixed rope if the climbing leader believes it’s required. The summit is only a few meters away. From the summit, we take in spectacular views of the mighty Himalayas including Mt. Everest (8,848m), Cho-Oyu (8,210m), Lhotse (8,516m), Makalu (8,463m), Kangchenjunga (8,586m), Nuptse (7,855m), Chamlang (7,319m), Baruntse (7 ,129m) and others. Later, we retrace our steps back to the high camp where we rest for a while before descending to Khare.

Overnight at Hotel.

There is no guarantee that we will have favorable weather on our planned day for the summit. Therefore, this day is set aside as a contingency in case we are unable to summit the Mera on the desired day due to bad weather conditions or any other unanticipated reason. However, if the trip goes smoothly, this day will not be required.

Overnight at Hotel.

We trek from Khare to Kothe along the same trail used previously. After reaching Kothe, we celebrate our success by trying out local delicacies and wines.

Overnight at Hotel.

We walk on a trail next to the Inkhu Khola. After walking a little further away from Mosom Kharka, we cross a bridge over the Inkhu Khola. Shortly, we cross another bridge over Sanu Khola. We pass through Tashing Dingma and Thuli Kharka before reaching Zatrwa La pass. We spend the night near the pass.

Overnight at Hotel.

We cross the Zatrwa-La pass at 4,600. As soon as we cross the pass, we are welcomed by the sight of the beautiful Lukla Valley which is surrounded by Cho Oyu, Kongde Peak, Numbur Himal, Kusum Khangru and other Himalayan peaks. From Zatrwa La pass we walk all the way down to Chutanga and then straight forward to the Lukla village. In the evening we enjoy dinner in the Himalayas of Nepal with our crew.

Overnight at Hotel.

We catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu. After reaching Kathmandu, we can take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. If we want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, we may do that today.

Overnight at Hotel.