Kathmandu

Welcome to Kathmandu! As you land at Kathmandu airport, reclaim your luggage and finish your custom formalities (visa, etc.) and get to the airport waiting terminal. You will find a representative from Accessible Adventure holding the Accessible Adventure Treks & Tours signboard and your nameplate. You will be then transferred to your hotel. You can rest at your hotel to recover from jet lag or if you have plenty of time you can visit Thamel market for shopping for your Mera Peak Climbing Trip. Stay overnight at Kathmandu Accommodation: Hotel

Patan Durbar Square

Patan Durbar Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lalitpur, Nepal, known for its stunning Newari architecture, intricate wood carvings, and rich history. Once the royal palace of the Malla kings, the square features ancient temples, courtyards, and the famous Krishna Mandir, built from stone. Visitors can explore the Patan Museum, showcasing Nepalese art and culture. The area is vibrant with local artisans, traditional shops, and lively festivals, making it a must-visit destination for history and culture enthusiasts.

Swoyambhu Mahachaitya

Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as the Monkey Temple, is one of Nepal’s oldest and most sacred Buddhist sites. Perched atop a hill in Kathmandu, it offers panoramic views of the city. The stupa’s iconic white dome and golden spire are adorned with Buddha’s all-seeing eyes, symbolizing wisdom and compassion. A mix of Buddhist and Hindu shrines, fluttering prayer flags, and playful monkeys add to its spiritual and cultural charm. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Swayambhu is a must-visit for those seeking history, spirituality, and breathtaking scenery.

Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is one of the largest and most sacred Buddhist stupas in the world, located in Kathmandu, Nepal. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a major center of Tibetan Buddhism, surrounded by monasteries, prayer wheels, and colorful prayer flags. The massive white dome and golden spire, adorned with Buddha’s all-seeing eyes, create a peaceful and spiritual atmosphere. Pilgrims and visitors walk around the stupa in a meditative clockwise motion, soaking in its serenity and cultural richness.

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple is Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located on the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major pilgrimage destination. The temple's golden pagoda-style roof and intricate wood carvings showcase Nepalese craftsmanship. The site is also known for its open-air cremation ghats, where Hindu funeral rites are performed. Visitors can witness vibrant spiritual rituals, chanting sadhus (holy men), and a deeply sacred atmosphere, making it a profound cultural and religious experience.

Lukla

Wake up at dawn and be ready for the adventure. We escort you to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight. After an adventurous 35 minutes flight above the array of beautiful green and white mountains, we arrive at the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), an entry town from where your trek begins. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world concluding with a dramatic landing site on a hillside surrounded by high mountain peaks. In Lukla, we meet our additional crew members and do some packing and arrangements. You will walk through the jungle down to Surke then a bit ahead you will have lunch near Pakhapani or so. Continuing ahead through many traditional villages, jungles, and hills and gradually reach the vicinity of Paiya for the first overnight rest in the mountain. Overnight in a local teahouse.

After breakfast, we march a little down until we reach the wooden bridge and then carefully we go ahead through the slippery trail to cross Kari La pass. We relish enjoying the panorama of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Thamserku, Mera Peak, and many other peaks of the Mahalangur Himalayan range from the top of Kari La. We will have your lunch in the village ahead and will start up walking through the rhododendron and bamboo forests in the narrow mountain trail. Make your camera ready with full charge to catch the outstanding views of Dudkoshi River valley and Shorong Himal before reaching the farming and trading village of Pangom (Pangkongama) for a night’s rest.

The trail descends the rock-strewn path leading to the rhododendron forest. You will come across a lot of Mani walls through the trail. Passing again through hills, ridges, and teahouses you start downwards and have lunch around there in a village nearby. You will find mesmerizing views of the south face of Mera Peak and Naulekh Peak awaiting your insight. The trail zigzags through forested areas and then descends steeply. You experience the most interesting and charming feelings as you walk past forests of pine and rhododendron to reach Narjing Dingma where we stay today. Overnight in a local teahouse.

After breakfast, you start up and being though a hill and through narrow and complicated way ahead through rhododendron and bamboo forests you pass in the course of landslides. From the Surkie La (3,085m) we head north along the ridge, and the whole of eastern Nepal opens out in front of us, over the wildly remote Hongu valley, with the solitary bulk of the Kangchenjunga massive marking the Sikkim border. By the side of the crystal clear stream, you will have your lunch today. Straight ahead and up through the rhododendron and bamboo forests you may encounter wild animals if you are lucky enough. Overnight in a teahouse in Chalem Kharka.

We climb up the pass above Chalem Kharka from where we see snow-capped peaks. Here as we are walking through higher elevation, we only see scrubby, rocky, and grassy surroundings. We reach hovering outcrop of the lakes of Panch Pokhari - five lakes, the sacred number. This is a place of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus, a very potent, evocative site. A short descent beyond brings us into the wide cwm of Khola Kharka (4,120m). Further, a steep climb leads out of the valley before the trail contours along and around towards the main Hinku Valley. This is followed by a series of steep descents first westwards down scree then northwest through scrub rhododendron and on into fir. A scrambling descent of around brings us down near the valley floor where we cross the Mojang Khola and on through a boulder-strewn forest we finally reach Tashing Ongma. We can see three summits of Mera Peak from the village of Tashing Ongma. There is also a National park permit check post at village.

Starting after breakfast we will reach a fine vantage point of the Hinku valley where you line around in the splendor of nature surrounding us from the Hinku Valley. Straight through the bamboo forest in the narrow trails enjoying the view of Mera, Kusum Kangguru and Kyashar Himal (6770m) and the Hinku Valley. At this place, we have the possibility of encountering mountain wild animals like sloth bears, jungle cats, etc. among the tall pine trees.

The walk today continues along the Inku Khola filled with spectacular views of Mera Peak, Charpati Himal, Kusum Kanguru, and Thamserku. Leaving Kothe we move ahead to the Upper Hinku valley. The vegetation starts to become sparse and shrubby. Filled with nomadic meadows (kharkas), today's tail has no major village along. We cross the Sanu Khola and Inkhu Khola over the bridges and reach Gondishung, where there is a teahouse and we have lunch here. We also visit the ancient 200-year old Lungsumgba Gompa, a Buddhist shrine that shelters by a huge rock. Climbers burn incense and pray for good weather and a successful ascent to Mera Peak at the gompa. An hour’s walk from Gondishung takes us to Thangnak, a place that used to be a summer camp for yak herders but now has been developed as the hamlet of teashops and lodges for climbers on the trail. Charpate Himal looks very near from here and we see the whole mountain, from the base to the summit. The trail continues to Thangnak (4366m).

Today we head towards Khare following the lateral moraine of Dig Glacier. We relish the beautiful views of Charpate Himal. We walk past The trail climbs through moraines and to the snout of the Hinku Nup and Hinku Shar Glaciers and then climbs more steeply to Khare. A beautiful stay at Khare is something that we would cherish throughout our life. It is pleasure to watch the spectacular view of the North face of Mera Peak from Khare.

Mera Peak

Today after breakfast, we will prepare our gear for ice climbing just above the Khare or towards Mera peak base camp. We walk a couple of hours from where there are good views of the Mera La and the route up the mountain. We will practice the usage of climbing gears and techniques of ice climbing for few hours following the instruction of our climbing guide. Our climbing guide will also share some practical tips on how you can keep yourself safe in the mountains. This training is significant and helpful, particularly if you are a novice climber. After few hours of practicing at the glacier, we stroll back to camp and after the final preparation of our equipment and packing of our mountain bags, you will have overnight rest in our teahouse in Khare. We do not spend nights at Mera Peak base camp because it is felt unnecessary lately due to many climbers. So, we spend time at higher altitudes for a long time today and sleep back at Khare.

We keep in mind to keep very slow speed to allow better acclimatization. First, we climb to the crest of the moraine above Khare and then up a steep slope of snow to reach a boulder-strewn bowl below the lower tongue of the Mera Glacier. The trek becomes strenuous and challenging because of the altitude and cold. When we are walking above 5000 meters, every step comes with a struggle. Although no technical climb today, making your way to Mera High Camp 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. We set up a high camp and from here the views are outstanding. From Mera High Camp, see stirring views of the five highest peaks in the world piercing the skyline- Mount Everest (8848m), Lhotse (8516m), Cho Oyu (8188m), Makalu (8485m), and Kanchenjunga (8586m). We also get good views of Mt. Baruntse (7129m), Mt. Gaurishanker (7134m), and Chamlang (7319m.

Today is the day we reach our target, the summit of Mera peak. We wake up very early around 1-2 pm to get prepared. We will put on crampons, headlights, and rope up before setting out for the summit push. Following our climbing guide, we walk through the gradual uphill, non-technical trail- the only things that slow us is the thin air and chilly conditions. From the high camp, a well-acclimatized party will take 3 - 4 hours to get to the central summit of Mera peak. So, by 8-9 am we will be at the summit of Mera central. From the summit we take pleasure in the splendid views of Mt. Everest (8,848.8m/29,032ft), Cho-Oyu (8,201m/27,825ft), Nuptse (7,855m/25,770ft), Lhotse (8,516m/27,940ft), Makalu (8,463m/27,766ft), Shishapagma (8,027m/26,335ft), Kangchenjunga (8,586m/28,169ft), Lobuche East (6,145m/20,160ft), Chamlang (7,319m/24,013ft) are spectacular from the summit. We click plenty of pictures and exchange the joy of summit before retracing our steps back. A long but most satisf day!

This day we use to keep as a spare day, set aside in case we have to postpone the summit attempt on the peak because of bad weather or because some of us have not acclimatized well enough to make the ascent. If we are successful in making the summit on day 14, we use this day for another Ice climbing day or spent one more night at the village of Lukla or just return back to Kathmandu early.

After a great success of Mera peak climbing, we descend through Hinku valley to Kothe for our overnight stop in a local teahouse. We are very happy about our successful trip and enjoy the evening with local food and drinks and relax at Kothe.

Today, we again climb up through the lush forest on the west side of the Hinku Valley to Thuli Kharka below the Zatwra La. It's nice to walk through the Red Rhododendron forest. If the weather is clear, we can enjoy the views of Mera peak can and remote valleys leading up to its south side throughout our walk today.

Thuli Kharka to Lukla (2,800 m/9,184 ft) 11km/7-8 hours Leaving Thuli Kharka we reach Zatrwa La pass in about two hours. From the top of the pass, Lukla valley seems beautiful with the background of many snow-capped peaks like Cho Oyu, Kusum Khangru, Kongde peak, Numbur Himal, and so on. From Zatrwa La we walk all the way down to Chutanga and then straight forward easy walk takes us to Lukla where we conclude the trekking and this evening we again celebrate our successful trek and climb with good food and drinks with our crew.

The early morning flight drops us in Kathmandu. Flights to Kathmandu are usually scheduled for the morning because wind can create problems to fly the aircraft in the afternoons. But sometimes the flight can be delayed and even canceled due to bad weather and other reasons that are beyond our control. So, it's wise to have a buffer day at the end of the trip if we are taking Lukla flights. You will be transferred to a hotel in Kathmandu after your arrival in Kathmandu. You can rest in your hotel, could do some last-minute shopping and packing, or stroll around Thamel.

Today your Mera peak climbing trip comes to an end. If you have more time you can do some shopping or sightseeing. Approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight staff from Icicles Adventure Treks and Tour will take you to the airport for your flight back home. Hope you are overtaken by Nepal, a country of hospitable people, beautiful scenery, and a large variety of cultural traditions and you will come back again for the next Himalayan adventure!