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Mera Peak CLimb
ITINERARY
TREKKING
ALTITUDE
2024 & 2025
This classic, yet exhilarating Himalayan ascent takes you through quiet and remote valleys, and over high passes to the breath-taking summit of Mera Peak at 6461m. Over 15 days of trekking, you will see the mighty peaks of the Himalayas, experience the incredible
Sherpa culture, and will finish with a chance to explore the bustling Kathmandu and enjoy a traditional Nepali celebration. If you’ve summited Kilimanjaro and caught the mountaineering bug, then Mera Peak is the ideal next mountain for you – amazing cultures, stunning scenery & a new challenge at over 6,000m – make Mera your next goal!
We will meet our group and Action Challenge staff at the airport and check in together before boarding our flight to Kathmandu.
On arrival, we will be met at the airport by our local guides, and will start our journey to our overnight destination of Mulkot. This should take approximately 3 and a half hours. We will stop en route at the Mountain Lodge of Dhulikhel for a spot of lunch. Our expected arrival at our hotel is late afternoon/ early evening. Once we are all checked into the hotel, we will have a briefing from our Action Challenge Leader and local head guide who will be leading us on the challenge. In the evening, we will enjoy a welcome meal together and relax, before our early departure in the morning.
We will leave our hotel early straight after breakfast, and transfer to Manthali airport (this will take approximately one hour) for our exhilarating flight to Lukla. On arrival at Lukla airport, we will meet our trekking crew with all the equipment needed for our trek. From Lukla, we will immediately begin our trek and head south away from Everest. After a few hours, our day will end in the Sherpa village of Phuiyan (2,796m) where we will rest for the night.
After another early breakfast, we will set off for Pangkongma. Our first climb will take us off the main route leading south, instead we will ascend steadily to the Khari La Pass (2,990m). Views from here are stunning and stretch all the way to the majestic Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth highest mountain. Among this picturesque scenery, we will stop at a suitable point for a picnic lunch break. Afterwards, we will make our way through rhododendron forest, bamboo thickets and terraced farmland before arriving at the village of Pangkongma, an attractive farming and trading village, almost 3,000m above sea level. The trail then continues through gorgeous forests with many high waterfalls visible before reaching the stopping point for the day. The views from here are spectacular; sometimes it really feels like a village in the clouds, far away from the rest of the world. The evening will then conclude with dinner before getting some much needed sleep.
Following breakfast, the morning’s steep route takes us to the Pangkongma La Pass (3,180m) which marks our entry into the remote Hinku valley with fantastic views to the south and the Himalayas to the North. It is also marked by several ancient chortens. After the pass, as we descend towards Shibuje, we will catch our first glimpse of the triple summit of Mera Peak. It is extremely impressive, especially from this angle as it towers above the valley. We will stop for lunch before a steep descent down to the Hinku river. After crossing using a suspension bridge, and a few hours uphill trekking through the rainforest, we will arrive at Narjing Dingma hamlet where we have dinner and an overnight stay.
After a fuelling breakfast, we will enter the rhododendron forest as our trail steepens again for our climb up to Surkie La (3,085m). The view from here is incredible with the whole of Eastern Nepal opening out in front of us. We should be able to see Kangchenjunga from here and below us stretches the remote Hongu valley. At midday, we will stop for a picnic lunch and short rest, before continuing with our strenuous day of trekking. The tough ascent is worth it as we take in spectacular views, before making our way north to the green meadows of Chalem Kharka. This is where we will be spending the night. The evening will conclude with a group dinner before we get some well deserved rest.
A shorter day takes us through wilder terrains, however it is still tough as we ascend stone steps to a high pass at 4,330m. The day will commence with breakfast before we begin our trek. There are great views of Kanchenjunga throughout today. After lunch at the top of the pass, we will start to descend over rugged terrain. From there we drop to the five holy lakes at Panch Pokhari, a pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. We will then continue with our trek until we reach our overnight camp at Khula Kharka, just a short trek past the lakes. Here, we will have dinner before going to bed.
After breakfast, we will trek towards the village of Khote, set among the Hinku Khola’s boulders and huge high altitude conifers. After ascending out of Khula Karka, we descend and pass through forests, following the contours of the hillside. We should be able to catch glimpses of the magnificent Mera Peak’s summit at the end of the valley head. Stopping for breaks along the way, we will arrive early into the village. We will then have a free afternoon after lunch, where we will have the opportunity to wash or explore this remote Himalayan community. In the evening we will have a group dinner before getting some much needed sleep.
Today’s trek will once again commence, following a fuelling group breakfast. As we approach the tiny village of Tagnak, the valley walls steepen and rise to reveal more picturesque snow covered 6,500m high peaks. The famous Kusum Kanguru and fortress-like Kyashar mountains constantly draw the eye, with their stunning glaciers and icefalls. We are now clear of the trees but small alpine plants, including dwarf rhododendrons and juniper provide us with some greenery. We will have time to sit in and enjoy the views over lunch, before resuming our trek into the afternoon. By early afternoon we’ll reach the summer settlement of Tagnak (4,140m), a growing village deep in the valley with towering walls of the high peaks surrounding us. This is where we will spend the night, with the imposing Mera ridge dominating the skyline. The evening will conclude with a group dinner before bed.
We will spend a day here in Tagnak village acclimatising our bodies to the altitude. This spectacular place is surrounded by dramatic peaks including Kussum Kangu (6,200m) and the unclimbed spire of Peak 35 (6,100m). Following breakfast, we have a difficult walk up on the flanks of Kusum Kanguru (6,200m) to help our bodies acclimatise. Its name, Kusum Kanguru, means “Three Snow-White Gods” in the Sherpa language, which refers to the triple summit of the mountain. We will stop at a suitable time for lunch, before continuing with our acclimatisation into the afternoon. We will also use the opportunity to take it easy and get some rest, before having dinner and spending a second night in Tagnak.
Today is a shorter, easier trekking day past the impressive Dig Kharka glacier onwards to Khare which is our Mera Peak base camp. We will make our way past some stunning views. The trail over the river from Lake Sabai Tsho leads us to yak pastures and up to Khare. From here rocky outcrops, moraine ridges and stunning side valleys allow us more acclimatisation time, at this higher altitude at almost 5000m. When we arrive, we will have lunch before spending the rest of the afternoon acclimatising, checking equipment, and practicing some rope skills. The evening will then be spent relaxing and will conclude with dinner before an early night.
Following breakfast, we will head over the ridge and follow the trail to Mera La camp. Along the route, we will stop for a rest and lunch before continuing our trek into the afternoon. When we arrive at Mera La camp, we will be rewarded with spectacular views of the valley below and the summit peaks above as the sun sets. We will then have a group dinner, filled with excitement for our main trekking day tomorrow. We will settle in to our tents for a good night’s sleep before taking our first steps on the glacier up to high camp the next day, using our newly-learned ice axe and crampon techniques. It will be a difficult, yet extremely fulfilling day.
The day will begin early in the morning with breakfast, before we start our slow but difficult trek. As we climb steadily towards Mera high camp, the fantastic views stretch out across the highest peaks: Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Chamlang to the East, Kantega and Cho Oyu to the West and incredible Everest rising up to the north. The climb isn’t too steep as we make our way to high camp, however it will be steady as we cope with the altitude. The slopes are gently angled and the snow is usually in firm condition, but as the altitude increases it will be breathless work to reach the high camp. High camp is on a rock outcrop (5,800m) which separates the Mera from the Naulekh Glacier sweeping down from the peaks along the continuous ridge to the south. Warm layers are essential, as strong winds may be encountered as we go higher up. We will stop during the climb to recuperate over lunch before we continue on towards High Camp. As evening approaches, we will arrive into the shelter of high camp, with some time to prepare for the next day’s summit and retire early after dinner to the warmth of our sleeping bags. The conditions on the mountain will determine the structure of the summit day and we build flexibility into the itinerary to allow for bad weather or delays to maximise your chance of success.
We will start this extremely long day with a hot cup of tea at around 2am, before roping up together and heading out into the cold air with our ice axes and crampons ready. The Mera Peak glacier is like an ice cap and proves an exhilarating summit day. The going is slow with the altitude as you traverse the wide, open glacier. At a suitable point, we will take a break and enjoy some lunch before continuing with our difficult climb. We then reach a snow ridge before the slope steepens just before dawn and the peak comes into view. At the base of the summit, we may attach to a fixed rope depending on conditions. The summit is only a few metres away, we make the final ascent and take in an unforgettable moment. We have a panorama across 5 of the 6 highest Himalayan peaks visible, which is a spectacle that can only be seen from Mera. We take our time to soak up the momentous achievement and stunning views, before we begin our descent. We will then start our climb back down to arrive in Khare late afternoon. Here, we can finally celebrate our achievement over a group dinner and get a good nights sleep at this lower altitude.
With the summit behind us, we head back down the valley after breakfast, crossing the Chetra La high pass, which seems easy with the increased oxygen levels. At a suitable point along the trek, we will take a break for some lunch before we continue to descent into the afternoon. We retrace our steps and stop overnight at Khote (3,840m) for some much-needed rest. The evening will conclude with a warming group dinner, before bed.
Following breakfast, we will continue back through the mountains, taking a quicker route back to Lukla keeping high above the river. From this height, we will have beautiful views of the mountains and river below. We will stop at a suitable point of the day for lunch and a short rest break. We can still glance back at the stunning Mera Peak from a different angle. As evening approaches, we will make our camp at Chetera (4,100m) for the night. Once comfortable, we will enjoy a group dinner before we get some much needed sleep.
Today will be another rather long day of trekking. After breakfast, we will begin by following the trail which climbs further to cross the high pass at Zatrwa La (4600m), before taking a steep descent into the valley, stopping for lunch at Chutanga, marked by terraced fields and huts. We will then continue onto the bustling town of Lukla, which can often feel very busy after our time out in the remote mountains! When we arrive, we will have the opportunity to have a relaxing hot shower before we can begin our celebrations. In the evening, we will have a group meal and reflect on our incredible achievements! We will then get some well-earnt sleep.
With an early morning departure after breakfast (weather permitting) we take the short 30 minute flight back to Manthali airport. Upon arrival, we depart the airport together to make the journey back to our hotel in Kathmandu, with a lunch stop en route. We will then check into the hotel late afternoon/ early evening to rest. Tonight we will all dine together one final time with a celebration dinner at a traditional Nepalese restaurant. This will be our final opportunity as a group to reflect on our amazing shared experience.
Today is a spare day and has been added to the itinerary as contingency in case of weather delays earlier in the challenge. Kathmandu is bouncing back after the earthquake in 2015 and it is a great time to visit. The day is yours to enjoy some last minute exploring and soaking up the city of Kathmandu. You can take the opportunity to shop for fascinating souvenirs, visit the palaces and markets, or simply enjoy some down time in this vibrant city. Other recommendations we suggest are to visit traditional temples, including the Monkey Temple for fantastic views of the city or the Pashupatinath Temple, one of the most famous Hindu temples in Nepal. You can also take the opportunity to try some traditional Nepalese Cuisine from markets and local cafes. You can otherwise use this time to rest and chill out after the momentous challenge you have just completed. You will also have the evening free to go where you want and independently purchase your own evening meal.
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