 |
Mera Peak Climbing
|
|
 |
|
The Mera peak trek (6476m) is famed for the being the
biggest trekking peak in Nepal, though there is little
technical difficulty required to climb. Mera Peak rises
to the South of Everest and dominates the beautiful and
remote valleys of Hinku and Hongu. The ascent of Mera
Peak is made from the Mera La pass (5415m) on the
Northern Face, which connects the unpopulated valley of
Hongu to the Hinku valley. The late Jimmy Roberts and
Sen Tensing were the first climbers to do the Mera Peak
Trek, following this very route on 20th May 1953. The
Mera Peak Trek begins in Lukla (after a short flight
from Kathmandu). From Lukla six days of trekking will
see you through fascinating Sherpa Villages to Mera Base
Camp (5099m) situated at the base of an immense glacier
leading to the Mera La Pass.
As the ascent of Mera Peak continues two more High Base
Camps are set up at 5385m (a little below Mera La) and a
higher one at 5800m, from where the summit ascent can be
attempted. Mera Peak has two distinct summits, the main
one being the Northern Summit (6476m), which is reached
by skirting the Central Summit (6461m) and following a
classic snow ridge to the top. Even though the Mera Peak
climb is technically straightforward, there are some
crevasses to manoeuvre around, and the route can be long
and demanding after a fresh snowfall. The climb from
Mera La to the Summit is gradual with an outstanding
mountain panorama of the Eastern Nepal Himalayas always
in sight. The peaks visible include Mt. Everest (8848m),
Cho-Oyu (8201m), Lhotse (8516m), Makalu (8463m),
Kangchenjunga (8586m), Nuptse (7855m) and Chamlang
(7319m) amongst many others.
Facts of the Trek
|
|
Duration: 17 Days
Trek type: Camping
Max Altitude: 6654 m.
|
Minimum Pax: 1 +
Mode of travel: Flight
Grade: Strenuous
|
|
|
 |
 |
Itinerary in Detail
|
|
Day 01 : |
Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla (2800m.). Trek Lukla
to Chutanga (3050m.), and you camp. This morning
we take the short but spectacular flight to
Lukla where we meet our crew. We then begin
walking for 3 to 4 hours due east from Lukla,
passing through a number of tiny hamlets before
entering thick forest on the hillside below the
Kalo Himal Ridge. Be careful to stay with the
group on this section as there are many trails
leading away from the main path. There are many
streams with numerous places for the first camp,
all of which are loosely referred to as Chutanga.
|
|
Day 02 : |
Trek from Chutanga to Zatrawala Pass (4610m.) to
Zatrabok (4704m.) and you camp here. You trek
steep ascent path to cross Zatrawala Pass. From
here you can enjoy the spectacular views of
Numbur Himal, Kongdi Ri, Karyolang peak and many
other mountains and peaks. Now you walk along
the leveled trail for almost one and half hours
and then the trail turns downhill and you trek
through this descent path all the way to
Zatrabok. This is campsite surrounded by hills.
|
|
Day 03 : |
Trek from Zatrabok to Kothe (m.) and you camp
here.
To reach Kothe you trek steep descent path all
the way. En route, you pass forests of juniper,
rhododendron and other local vegetation. The
views you can enjoy are of Mera peak, Nauleku
peak and many other mountains and peaks.
|
|
Day 04 : |
Trek from Kothe to Tangnang (4356m.) (Sabal Tsho-Lake)
following Hinku Valley (4600m.) You trek along
the bank of river and find bush on both sides.
The path is gradual ascent and you can enjoy the
views of Kusum Kanguru peak and many more.
|
|
Day 05 : |
Rest day at Thangnang.
This is an acclimatization Day at Tangnag. This
will be a rest day to let your bodies recover
from the past days of hiking. You will relax and
soak up the beautiful views of peaks and
glaciers surrounding the head of the Hinku
Valley.
|
|
Day 06 : |
Trek from Tangnang to Dig Kharka (4659m.) and
you camp here.
We now 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 07 : |
Trek from Dig Kharka to Khare (5045m.) and you
camp.
Today we will climb above 5,000 m (16,400ft) for
the first time. Our hike up to Khare (5,100m,
16,728ft) is short, but we will take it slowly,
with frequent stops to soak up the incredible
surroundings. The trails heads eastward out of
Tangnag, along with the lateral moraine of the
Dig Glacier. We will pause to climb up the
moraine for a view of the pristine Sabai Tso
glacial lake. A drop in lake level, caused by a
recent rupture of the natural dam the held the
lake, is clearly visible. We will arrive at
Khare in the early afternoon and have lunch.
From Khare, the beautiful north face of Mera
Peak is in plain view and Mera glacier spills
steeply down into the valley.
|
|
Day 08 : |
Rest day at Khare.
This is an acclimatization day as you can
prepare yourself for the Mera Peak climb.
|
|
Day 09 : |
Trek from Khare to Mera La (Pass) (5350m.) and
you camp.
Today you will travel a short distance, slowly
ascending up onto Mera glacier. The climb is
initially steep, but flattens out as you reach
the crest of the glacier. You will traverse a
long flat on top of the glacier as you make your
way to the pass, called Mera La (5,400m,
17,710ft). From here, the views are stunning.
Crevasse fields gently stretch out in front of
the pass and you are literally enclosed by a
ring of jagged peaks and blue-green glaciers.
The remaining route up to the summit of Mera
Peak is clearly visible.
|
|
Day 10 : |
Trek from Mera La (Pass) to Mera Peak High Camp.
This day you trek gradual ascent path all the
way. This area is quite covered by ice glacier.
The views make you speechless as you can enjoy
the Everest, Makalu, Baruntse, Kusum Kanguru and
many other mountains and peaks in panorama.
Moreover you feel chill by the magnificent views
of Mera Glacier.
|
|
Day 11 : |
Climb High Camp (5780m.).
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 12 : |
Climb Mera Peak and return to Khare and you camp
at Khare.
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.
|
|
Day 13 : |
Trek from Khare to Kothe and it takes about
eight hours.
This day you walk along the gradual descent path
passing through Tangnang. This is a small
village and you find yak settlement here. To
reach Kothe you follow the same kind of path. On
the way you pass forests covered with fir,
rhododendron and local vegetation.
|
|
Day 14 : |
Trek from Kothe to Zatrabok which takes about
six hours.
The trail goes steep up all the way to Zatrabok.
On the way you pass forests and green hills.
|
|
Day 15 : |
Trek from Zatrabok to Chutanga and it takes
approximately five hours.
Till Zatrawala Pass the trail is ascent and then
you trek descent path to reach Chutanga. En
route, you walk through rocky path.
|
|
Day 16 : |
Trek from Chutanga to Lukla and it takes about
four hours.
You trek through forests of fir, rhododendron,
oak, juniper and local vegetation. The trail you
walk along moves downhill all the way to Lukla.
You can enjoy the views of Numbur Himal, Kongdi
Ri, Karyolang peak and many other mountains and
peaks.
|
|
Day 17 : |
Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu and it takes about
35 minutes.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
Special Packages
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Join our Mailing list for FREE annual special
offer & about special packages.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|