Free day to explore Kathmandu City and final packing for the trek.

Overnight at hotel.

After an early breakfast transfer to domestic terminal of Kathmandu Airport for the 45 minute flight to Paphlu in the Solu Khumbu region. After meeting with our crew and organising the porters loads we set off heading north through the foothills of the Himalaya. Our trail is undulating as we cross several side valleys and we pass through the villages of Chewang and Beni before reaching Ringmo. Here we join the Everest trail coming from Jiri and we now follow this over the Thaksindo La (3070m) which gives access to the Dudh Kosi Valley, the main drainage of the Everest region. We stay tonight in the village of Thaksindo (2960m) located just below the pass.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

The day starts with a long downhill leg as we descend 1300 metres to the Dudh Kosi. We pass through the large village of Nuntalla (2194m) before reaching the foaming river. In Nepali, Dudh means milk and Koshi is
a river, so this is the ‘Milk River’, which brings the melt from the snows of Everest down to the plains of India. We cross on a long suspension bridge and on the other side; we reach the small settlement of Jubhing (1680m). Now heading north we follow the river gradually climbing above it and entering the side valley of the Khari Khola (Khola = River).

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Straight from the door we have a steep climb to get out of the confines of the side valley of the Khari Khola. The trail is well graded in a series of switch backs and a steady approach will make the going easier.

After an hour or so we reach the village of Bupsa (2360m) at the crest of the ridge. Here we turn off the Everest trail and climb up to the Khari La (3080m) which we should reach in a further 2 hours. From the pass we trek mostly downhill to reach our overnight halt at the village of Pangkongma.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

A great day of trekking which begins with a climb up to the Pangkongma La (3174m) on the main watershed seperating the valleys of the Dudh Kosi and Hinku Khola. We have our first sight of Mea Peak before making a steep descent to the village of Sibuje (2770 m). From here the trail is undulating as we make our way through the forested river valley to Ning So (2850m).

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

We have a steep climb up to a tea house at 3280 metres, which affords tremendous views. We then continue to climb to our high point of the day at 3350 metres before a steep descent back to the river and a welcome lunch stop. After lunch we have a roller coaster afternoon through the forest with some steep sections of trail. At the end of the day we cross the river on a remarkable bridge made from a huge tree trunk to reach our accommodation at ‘Jungle Camp’ (3160m).

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Following the west bank of the Hinku Drangka northwards, the forest eventually disappears and the valley widens and becomes much more open. There are no villages in the Upper Hinku, only small kharkas used for grazing goats, sheep and yaks. The twin summits of Kusum Kanguru appear on the left while the valley is bounded on the right by the steep rock face of Mera’s satellite peak. Ahead framed in the sharp “V” of the valley is the imaginatively named Peak 43. We will take lunch at Gondishung, a summer herders’ settlement consisting of a few roofless huts and stone-walled enclosures, as well as a long ancient ‘mani’ wall of intricately carved prayer stones.

Beyond Gondishung we pass nearby a fascinating 200 year-old gompa built beneath a massive boulder, and a number of crude mani walls. It is well worth visiting this gompa to burn some juniper at the shrine, an offering that just might ensure a successful ascent of Mera Peak. From the gompa it is an hour’s walk over moraines to the Yak herders settlement of Tagnag. Once similar in appearance to Gondishung, nowadays there are several teahouses here. The group will spend at least two nights at Tagnag (4350m) before moving up to Mera Basecamp.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

A day for acclimatization. One option for an acclimatisation walk is to trek up the nearby ridge coming down from Kusum Kanguru, where we can reach an altitude of nearly 5000 metres and gain a spectacular view of our route onto the Mera La. At the leader’s discretion, part of today may also be used to run through various techniques and safety procedures to be used during the climbs.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Heading up from Tagnag towards the Mera Basecamp at Khare, a good trail leads up and across the moraine which dams Charpatti Tal, and reaches a high point lined with cairns overlooking this glacial lake in about 30 minutes. From here the trail descends slightly to cross a sandy bowl and then climbs alongside a khola or stream to the large pasture of Dig Kharka. Here we cross the khola on stepping stones and then climb for a further hour and a half to Khare, the basecamp for Mera Peak at an altitude of approximately 5000 meters.

Overnight at Tea house Lodge.

Another day for acclimatization. At the leader’s discretion, part of today may also be used to practice techniques and safety procedures to be used on our climbs. There are some interesting day hikes from Khare. Above camp it is possible to climb to a high moraine ridge, from where there are good views of the Mera La and the route up the mountain. This will also be a time for final preparation of our equipment and packing of our mountain bags.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Leaving basecamp we first climb to the crest of the moraine above Khare and then up a steep slope of scree or snow to reach a boulder strewn bowl below the lower tongue of the Mera Glacier. We should reach this point in one and a half hours from Khare.

The route crosses the bowl and climbs the ground to the right of the tongue to a large rock platform beside the glacier. Here we will put on our crampons and climb 30 – 35 degree snow or ice for 10 or 15 minutes to reach the plateau leading to the Mera La. Unless there has been recent snowfall, there will be a good trail which weaves its way around and between the crevasses toward the Mera La. It is about an hour’s walk across the plateau to reach the pass itself.

It is possible to camp in many places on the wide expanse of the Mera La or the trek leader may opt to drop down a short way on the Hongu side to a good, sheltered site that enjoys the early morning sun. Altitude at the Mera La is 5415 metres. Once the camp is established, our porters will descend back to Khare with instructions to return the following day to help carry to high camp. The climbing group will spend the afternoon drinking as much tea and soup as possible to help with acclimatization.

Overnight at Camp.

There are several options for a high camp on the mountain but the best by far is behind the pinnacles at approximately 5800 metres. Here there is shelter from the wind, usually no snow, and well constructed platforms for several tents. It takes 3 to 4 hours to reach this site from the Mera La. After the first half an hour’s climb, the view north into the main Himalaya opens out. First of the 8000 metre giants in view is the red pyramid of Makalu, then Everest with its cloud plume peeking over the impressive black wall of Lhotse. Later you can see to the north-west the large white girth of Cho Oyu. Arriving at high camp, if the weather has been kind, the beautiful massif of Kangchenjunga comes into view, far to the East. Five of the World’s six highest mountains.

Overnight at Camp.

Early start around 3:00 Am after the breakfast. We have to put on Crampons and Rope up before setting out for the summit. One of the great advantages of using our high camp, as well as making for a shorter summit day, is that we will have only around an hour of walking with head torches before dawn breaks.

Climbing mostly easy angled snow slopes to the foot of the dome of the central summit, we will place
a fixed rope for the last 30 to 40 meters. Which steepens to an angle of 45 – 50 degrees? Note that in certain snow conditions an ascent of the Central summit may be beyond the technical grade for this trek and in this case the group will make an ascent of the easier and slightly lower South summit. The trip leader will make this decision.

From either top, the panorama of the Himalaya including five of the world’s highest peaks is unforgettable. From our high camp a well acclimatised party will take 3 – 4 hours to the summit. From the summit we will descend first to our high camp for some tea or soup and from here down to the Mera La and all the way back down to our advance base camp at Khare. A long but inspirational day!

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

After breakfast, leave Khare and descent to the beautiful Hinku Valley as fast the forest camp at Gotay.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Today we climb up through the lush forest on the west side of the Hinku Valley to Tuli Kharka below the Zatrawa La.

Overnight at Camp.

The last 300 – 400 meters to the Zatrwa La will be our last climb of the trip. From the top we trek downhill for almost 2000 meters to Lukla.

Eve: Bid farewell to Sherpa Team.

Overnight at Tea house lodge.

Early morning walk to the nearby Lukla Airport to board the 30 minutes flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival meet, greet and transfer to hotel.

Rest of the day is free for most deserved rest.

Overnight at hotel.

This is a contingency day in case of delays to the Lukla flight. There is an optional complimentary guided sightseeing tour of the city’s main attractions. Alternatively, you may prefer to do your own thing, especially if you have visited Kathmandu before.

The city tour includes visit to the Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu Durbar Square) – an ancient durbar (palace) with its numerous old palaces, temples and pagodas, the Temple of Living Goddess “Kumari”, and the Kasthamandap Temple, which is believed to be constructed from the wood of a single tree from which Kathmandu derives its name. In addition also visit   the Boudhanath Stupa – an ancient colossal stupa and the center of Tibetan Buddhism in the world and the Pashupatinath Temple- the Temple of Lord Shiva situated on the bank of the holy Bagmati River. 

Pm: After lunch drive up to the Swayambhunath Stupa situated atop a hill from where you could get a bird’s eye view of Kathmandu Valley. The Swayambhunath Stupa is also known as the “Monkey Temple”!!

 Eve: Group farewell dinner at nice restaurant in Thamel.

Overnight at hotel.

Free until final departure to Kathmandu’s International Airport.