Mera Peak Climbing Itinerary - 14 days

Upon your arrival, make your way to the airport terminal after completing the immigration formalities. Our representative will be holding a placard with your name or our company's name written on it. He will greet you and drive you to your hotel. Check-in and get some rest. Later in the evening, you will meet your guide, and a short briefing will follow.

Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.

We take a morning flight to Lukla. If we are lucky enough to get a ticket for the first flight, we get to fly directly from Kathmandu to Lukla. If not, we drive to Rammechhap and proceed to Lukla by flight.

After reaching Lukla, we meet the rest of the crew, sort our luggage, and trek to Chatunga. The trail goes through up through forests and fields. Chatunga, with a couple of stone houses, lies surrounded by cliffs and mountains. We spend the night at a local teahouse.

Overnight at a teahouse in Chatunga.

From Chatunga, we head to our next destination Thuli Kharka via the Zatra La Pass. We walk past rhododendron forests and grazing pastures of yaks. It is a tough crossing, and we can feel the altitude. We climb the Kalo Himal ridge covered with stones and prayer flags. A couple of minutes later, we come to Zatrwa La Pass. The pass separates the Khumbu Valley and Hinku Valley. We stop for a while to take pictures and soak in the views.

Later we walk on a stony path to Thuli Kharka. Thuli Kharka, which means 'big meadow,' is surrounded by big boulders and stubby grass and shrubs. Used as a camp by yak herders, Thuli Kharka only has a couple of teahouses. On reaching Thuli Kharka, we head to a teahouse and take a well-deserved rest.

Overnight at a teahouse in Thuli Kharka.

We take the downhill trail to Kothe. En route, we enjoy outstanding views of the Hinku Valley, Kusum Kanguru, Peak 43, and the south face of Mera Peak. The trail goes through a beautiful forest of pine and rhododendron. If you are making this trip in spring, the rhododendrons will be in full bloom and the trail will look heavenly. At Kothe, you are in Hinku Valley. Make your way to a local teahouse and have a goodnight's sleep.

Overnight at a teahouse in Kothe.

Head on to the Upper Hinku valley. As we get higher, the treeline disappears. There are no major villages at this altitude, only kharkas or grazing meadows for yaks. On the way, we stop at Gondishung for tea and refreshments. Stunning views of Mera Peak, Charpati Himal, Kusum Kanguru, and Thamserku delight us.

We also visit Lungsumgba Gompa, a 200-year old Buddhist shrine. The local crew will pray for the well-being of the team and a successful ascent at the shrine. After an hour of walking, we reach Thaknak. From our teahouse, we savor a close-up view of Charpati Himal.

Overnight at a teahouse in Thaknak.

Today's trek takes us to Khare. It is a short but difficult hike as we are steadily gaining altitude. We ascend the Dig Glacier and weave past the glacial lake of Charpati Tal. We slowly descend to Dig Kharka. From here, we get magnificent views of Kyeshar Glacier, Mera Peak, and Charpati Himal. Climb up the Hinku Nup and Shar glaciers before finally making your way to Khare.

Khare, also called the Mera Peak Base Camp, lies at the foot of Mera Peak. There are a couple of teahouses and climbing gear and equipment outlets. After checking in at a lodge, enjoy the incredible view of Mera Peak's north face.

Overnight at a teahouse in Khare.

An acclimatization day before your climb lets you take part in pre-climb training conducted by our guides. You will get to try out your climbing skills before making it to the mountain. Ascend and descend on the rocky slope using harness and climbing equipment. Learn to make knots and the correct way to belay and rappel. If this is your first Himalayan peak, this training will be helpful for you as our experienced climbing guides will share some practical knowledge and really helpful tips that will help you do a safe climb.

There will be a final gear and equipment check, and you will pack for your summit push. There are gear and equipment rental outlets, and you rent out personal gear and equipment if you wish.

Please note that size 12 and above climbing boots are not available in Nepal. If you wear boots of that size, you need to bring them from home.

Overnight at a teahouse in Khare.

A steep and rocky path leads us to Mera La. We can enjoy splendid views of Mera Peak's three summits – Mera South (6,065m), Mera North (6,476m), and Mera Central (6,461m) and. The summit we are trying to reach is Mera Central. A straightforward ascent up the Mera Glacier brings us to Mera Peak high camp, and It is an easy hike with a gradual incline. Up to this point, there is no technical climbing. The only issue is high altitude and cold, which makes taking each step a struggle.

At Mera High Camp, comforting hot drinks and soup will be waiting for us prepared by our local crew. Mount Everest (8,848m), Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Lhotse (8,516m), Cho Oyu (8,188m), and Makalu (8,485m) - five of the 14 eight-thousanders are visible from the high camp. You can also enjoy amazing views of Chamlang (7,319m), Baruntse (7,129m), and Gaurishanker (7,134m).

Tonight we will be camping in tents - 1 tent per climber. Have an early night as we have a long day tomorrow.

Overnight at tented camp in Mera High Camp.

We get ready and hit the slopes at 2 AM. Our headlights are lighting the way we rope up and walk secured by man-rope. We cross the Mera glacier and climb gradually. The terrain is not that difficult to maneuver, but the cold air and low oxygen level slow us down. The last 40-50 meters to the summit is the hardest and the most challenging climb. On a steep incline, we use fixed rope and jumars to climb to the snowy dome of the Mera Peak summit.

By 9-10 AM, we reach the summit. We celebrate our conquest while enjoying the close-up views of Mount Everest (8,848m), Makalu (8,481m, Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Lhotse (8,516m), and Cho Oyu (8,201m). After capturing this historic moment in our cameras and leaving mementos (if you brought any) at the summit, we head down to High Camp. We only spend 5 to 10 minutes at the summit.

At the camp, the local crew will greet us with a hot brew (tea/coffee) or soup. We rest for a while and make a quick descent after lunch. We trek down to Khare and head to a teahouse. I the evening, we celebrate our achievement and later have a good night's rest.

Overnight at a teahouse in Khare.

This is a reserved day for the summit if our summit bid on Day 9 gets canceled due to bad weather or member health problem. If everything goes smoothly, this day can also be used for emergencies like flight delays or unforeseen events that may lead us to cancel a day during our trip. If everything rolls out as planned, this extra day can be used to go a little bit slow and explore some more places on the trail. Or you can take this extra day in sightseeing in Kathmandu.

We will be retracing our steps back to Kothe. The majestic mountains are now hidden, obscured by the towering rocky cliffs. It’s going to be an extended day, however, if we haven’t utilized the contingency day on the 10th day, we have the option to use it on this day.

We make an ascent to the west of Hinku Valley, walking down a trail covered with rhododendron trees. It is an up and down trail. We arrive at Thuli Kharka, a summer camp of local yak herders, a final hike up a path.

Overnight at a teahouse in Thuli Kharka.

Leaving Thuli Kharka, we once again cross the Zatrwa La pass (4,600m) pass. In about 2 hours we reach the pass. The view is incredible, and we can view part of the trail that we crossed. Hinku Valley, Numbur Himal, Kongde, Dudh Kunda, and Khumbila look amazing. We walk to Lukla taking a downward trail.

At Lukla, we enjoy a hot shower and a good meal. In the evening we have a small party to celebrate the success of our trip. Our local crew join us and make our last evening in the mountains memorable.

Overnight at a teahouse in Lukla.

We return to Kathmandu by flight. After reaching the city, we head to our hotel and take a rest. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing at the hotel or exploring the city. You can walk down Thamel and shop for souvenirs. Local markets also lie within walking distance from Thamel.

Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.

Our representative will drive you to the international airport 3 hours before your flight departs. If you want to explore more of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, or India, do let us know.