Mera Peak 2015

Destination – Nepal

Duration – 26 days (probable dates 26th March – 20th April 2015)

Group size – 8 – 12 

Guide land price – £2435

Mera Peak from Base Camp

Mera Peak from Base Camp

Mera Peak, at 6476m, is the highest trekking peak in Nepal and is an excellent, non-technical, challenge to anyone who wants to tackle a Himalayan peak. The views from the Mera Glacier and the summit are stunning with five 8,000m peaks in view – Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Kangchenjunga. Although the itinerary allows 24 days for this trip we are adding a couple of extra days in order to give group members the best possible opportunity to summit, taking into account acclimatisation and the weather.

Flying into Lukla, the trek heads south-east away from the busy Everest trail, through agricultural villages clinging to the terraced hills. It takes several days of pleasant trekking, all helping with the acclimatisation, before we enter the Hinku Valley by which we approach Mera Peak. The Hinku Valley was devastated by a huge wall of water in the late ’90s when a glacial lake broke through the terminal moraine and scoured the valley. Thankfully, there are no permanent settlements in the valley so there was no loss of life, just severe scarring of the valley floor.

The final push to the summit

The final push to the summit

Eventually we reach Khare our base camp where we will make preparations for our climb. Once we are ready and the weather is favourable, we will head for high camp at 5800m, a rocky outcrop protruding above the glacier. Now it is time to tackle the summit. An early start ensures that the glacier is in good condition and gives us the best chance of success. After several hours of toil in the thin atmosphere, and a final scramble up the summit dome, we reach the top and are rewarded with some of the best views in the Himalaya. Having absorbed where we are we head back down, tired but well satisfied.

The trek out is much shorter as we can now return to Lukla via the Zatra La and our return flight to Kathmandu.

To give you an idea of what the climb is like follow this link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3py3uaRN_c

Mera Peak Itinerary