Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu: Will be taken to the Hotel of your choice, a delightful hotel situated away from the bustle of the city centre or a luxurious hotel in the heart of Kathmandu.
Day 2: Kathmandu-Lukla by air: A short drive from hotel to airport, then the great flight to Himalayas with first view of Everest region where you would be stepping your feet, and that is the case if you are lucky enough to get the clear weather on that day. This twin otter aircraft will take us to the hillside village of Lukla, where we start our trek to Mera peak. Here we will meet our camp staff and porters and set off straight away for our first camp at Poyan (2,800m).
Day 3: Hiking to Pangkongma (2,846m): When we crosses the Poyan Khola, we turn off the main trade route coming up from the south and join an older route, which climbs steeply to the ridge-line overlooking the Khare Khola. Descending the other side of the ridge, we then contour along the hillside before climbing steadily up to the attractive farming and trading village of Pangkongma (2,846m). Many expedition members have been made welcome by the villagers here, spending several pleasant hours warming themselves in front of an open fire in the enveloping and welcoming atmosphere of the local's traditional Sherpa homes.
Day 4: Pangkongma to Nashing Dingma (2,600m): Looking at fine views, westward towards Takshindu Monastery and Lamjura, we climb through thick rhododendron forest and bamboo leading to the Pangkongma La. On the way up to the Pangkongma La, it is worth detouring via the Pangkongma Monastery for a guided visit. From the pass, we have good views of the south face of Mera with its twin peaks and of its neighbour Naulekh. We then make a scenic descent with beautiful views looking south across the endless foothills rising each side of the Hinku valley. This steep descent leads down to the wire rope bridge that spans the Hinku Khola. A steep, strenuous climb on the opposite side leads to Nashing Dingma (2,600m). We stay here for the night at the excellent campsite established by the Makalu National Park.
Day 5: Nashing Dinmg to Chalem Kharka (3,600m): Achieving height gradually through pasture and lush greenery, the trail steepens as we climb up to the Surke La. It is possible to take a nice, welcome cup of tea in a lodge just over the pass. Walking on, eventually, we reach an attractive campsite at a Col 1km beyond Chalem Kharka (3,600m), set among fir trees and rhododendron bushes.
Day 6: Chalem Kharka to Chunbu Kharka (4,200m): Hiking the side of a ridge, we emerge from the last traces of rhododendron and the terrain becomes more rugged. Passing through high grazing country and crossing a small pass, we are treated to some excellent views of Kangchenjunga and Jannu to the east. We continue climbing to Panch Pokari and then on to camp at Chunbu Kharka (4,200m).
Day 7: Have a rest day at Chunbu Kharka: This is the seventh day when we may have a well-earned rest day, though for those feeling fit, there is a rewarding walk up to a hanging corrie lake behind the camp. This has good views and helps aid acclimatisation. Today is also a good day for putting in an equipment check session - boots and crampons, harness and knots.
Day 8: Descending from Chunbu Kharka into the Hinku Valley: Setting off from Chunbu Kharka and climbing steeply uphill for 20 minutes or so, before contouring around high above the Hinku Valley. We then make a series of steep descents through scree and then rhododendron to eventually arrive on the valley floor, where we cross to the west bank of Hinku River by a wooden bridge at Khote (3,550m). We'll have had lunch in the forest, during our descent. Khote is now quite a large settlement of lodges that have been built over the past 10 years. We camp on a pleasant grassy patch not far from the river.
Day 9: Khote to Tangnag (4,360m): Now, we follow the west bank of the riverbed up the valley to Tangnag (4,360m). A magnificent, towering mountain, known by its survey name of Peak 39 or on some maps, "Kayashar ", dominates the head of the valley. The trail leads steadily up the side of the valley through open pasture, used for the summer grazing of yaks brought up from the lower reaches of the valley. Finally, we reach Tangnag, which has grown into a small hamlet of tea-shops and lodges since expeditions first started to frequent this region of Nepal.
Day 10: Tangnag to Dig Kharka (4,650m): Today onward we walk towards the mountain as the trail swings to the east. We gain height gradually until we find ourselves at Dig Kharka (4,650m), close to the foot of the Hinku Nup Glacier. This is a pleasant, grassy camp in an impressive situation.
Day 11: Dig Kharka to Khare (5,100m): Depending on how the team are acclimatising, we can spend another night at Dig Kharka, though normally we would head up to Khare (5,100m) today. From Khare, it is possible to do a glacier session to ensure that everyone is happy with the use of ropes and crampons. The views of Mera from our breakfast table at Khare are particularly stunning.
Day 12: Mera Peak base camp (5,300m): On this 12th day we climb up to the Mera La (5,400m). This is an exciting day as we climb onto the Mera Glacier and follow it to the pass. This is in a superb high mountain setting and is a worthwhile objective in itself. We establish our base camp on the far side of the pass, so as to avoid sleeping on ice. The descent from the pass to the campsite is very short and can be done easily using the margin between the moraine and the glacier on its northern side as it descends from the col.
Day 13: Acclimatisation at Mera Peak BC: This is another acclimatisation day (at 5,300m), in final preparation for the climb tomorrow. Not only do we acclimatise further, we use the day to best advantage with another snow and ice training session on the snout of the glacier that descends from the Mera La. This "ecole de glace" provides essential skills training in the use of fixed ropes and abseiling.
Day 14: Move to high camp (5,800m):Today, we make the climb to the high camp. This is located at about 5,800 metres on the Northern slopes of the upper mountain. It provides an excellent launch pad for the final climb to the summit. There is no need to make an early start but we must get our equipment ready so that the Sherpas can help with carrying this and the camp stores to the high camp. Having gained the Mera La, the route turns left (south) and follows easy angled snow slopes. After a short distance an area of crevasses is reached. Under normal conditions these can be walked around very easily, although looking into their deep, dark depths is always impressive. The crevasses soon give way to slightly steeper but open snow slopes that lead without difficulty to the high camp. This camp is in an excellent setting with wonderful views of Everest, Makalu and the Nuptse, Lhotse wall directly ahead. The setting sun casts an unbelievably magic light on these awesome mountains.
Day 15: Mera Peak Ascent (6,476m/21,246ft): The climb to the summit of Mera starts gradually and much will depend on snow and general weather conditions. The central summit will soon appear above the head of a wide glacier flanked by two ridges. We climb the centre of this over open snowfields and avoiding crevasses. The route then swings south-east, skirting below and to the east of the left-hand ridge before turning back rightwards towards the main summit ridge of Mera. Mera actually has three summits; the highest is our objective. We reach this by following a classic snow-ridge to just below the final wall that guards the top. This short steep snow slope is easily climbed but there is a big effort required to climb this last 50 metres. Your reward, however, is a feeling of ecstatic jubilation as you survey the magnificent panorama from the top. After taking pictures and enjoying the view, we descend by the same route back to our campsite below the Mera La.
Day16: This is a spare: Day to allow for bad weather or for additional summit attempts.
Day 17-20: Return to Lukla: The direct route back to Lukla can be comfortably achieved in 4 days. It crosses the exciting Zatrwa La pass (4,600m) before descending steeply into the Dudh Kosi valley and to Lukla. The pass gives plenty of opportunities for photographing the dramatic peaks around Mera. On arrival in Lukla we can relax, visit tea shops and bars, and prepare for tomorrow's flight to Kathmandu.Day 21: Fly back to Kathmandu: The hair-raising take-off is followed by a 45 minute flight back to Kathmandu, where we arrive in the morning. Here we will be taken to the familiar Summit Hotel and its welcoming hospitality. The afternoon is free to get cleaned up and take a trip into Kathmandu, before the group's final evening meal together at one of the restaurants in the city.
Day 22: Sightseeing, shopping and rest in Kathmandu.
Day 23: Fly Back to destination countr. |
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