Mera Peak Climbing & Amphu Lapcha Pass-Itinerary, Cost, Distance, In Nepal

You are cordially invited to visit Nepal, the Himalayan country. The experience of flying to Nepal is always unique, as it feels like you're on an adventure journey with panoramic views of snow-capped mountains beneath your plane. After clearing immigration and customs, a representative will show your name on the firm signboard at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu's exit airport terminals. Then, in a private conveyance, you will be welcomed, greeted, and guided to the hotel in the heart of Thamel, which is a really delightful area in the heart of the city. Thamel is a wonderful neighborhood with excellent restaurants and stores. Following check-in at the hotel, there will be a meeting and travel briefing orientation session later that evening. Then it's up to you to settle in and take in your new surroundings. Our helpful staff is here to offer any guidance or assistance.

Today, after breakfast, we will go on a full-day sightseeing tour of the Kathmandu Valley, taking in the most important cultural, religious, and historic monuments as well as world heritage sites. The tour guide leads us to the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, one of the world's largest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the famous "Monkey Temple" Swyambhunath, an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu valley, and the Buddhist shrine Buddhanath, the world's largest Buddhist Stupa, which dominates the skyline. Following the trip, a trekking briefing orientation, guide introduction, and final check of climbing equipment for hike will ensure that you are fully prepared for the thrilling journey ahead.

We arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIAdomestic )'s terminal in Kathmandu for an early-morning flight to Lukla, a dramatic mountain airfield and the starting point for one of the most magnificent flights over the green and white Nepali Himalayas. One of the world's most picturesque aviation routes ends with a landing on a hillside surrounded by tall mountains. After a quick 40-minute flight, we arrive in Lula, the starting point for our adventure to Mera. Our remaining crews for Mera Peak will be waiting for us when we get here, and we'll start our trailhead traveling east from high above the breathtaking Dudh Khosi, departing for the congested trail to Everest Base Camp. Until we get to a thick forest of Silver fir, birch fields, and rhododendron and pine forests, the trek continues through hamlets and wood yards. There are various little streams along the way, and the entire area is known as Chutanga, which is a summer pasture. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, acclimating, and exploring the surrounding communities.

Today's trek involves a challenging ascent up the Kalo Himal Ridge in the Nau Lekh range. From here, we leave the Khumbu valley and join the Hinku valley, where there is a sense of unspoiled isolation. An ancient group of Buddhist chortens marks the start of a hard uphill trail. We continue on to Zatrwa La pass (4610m), where we are greeted in traditional Buddhist style with prayer flags. The views across the Dudh Kosi towards Karyolung and the Lumding Himal appear quite stunning on a clear day after celebrating our first pass. Furthermore, we receive our first look at the panorama across the Hinku River Valley's rolling hillsides. We traveled less than an hour from here to Thuli Karkha, where we rested for the night.

Another magnificent day awaits, with gorgeous hills dotted with rhododendrons, Nepal's national flower. Short and mostly downhill, the trek. The trail follows hills above the Hinku Valley, providing spectacular views of Mera Peak's South Face. Up to Kothe, a nice stroll follows a crest of the Hinku River through lovely forests of Himalayan pine, rhododendron, and bamboo.

When we continue walking along the Ridge of Hinku, the first time viewing and enjoying River stream view on the destination surrounded by towering view of Mera Peak and other mountains, we understand we have entered the high Himalayan mountains. The views of Kyashar (6,769m) and Kusum Karguru are spectacular (6,367m). The walk is a steady and gradual ascent up the valley, with the first half taking us along a rocky track beside the river. Then rise above the river level to green yak pastures (kharka). We travel through the Gondishung, and on the west bank of the Hinku Drangka, there is a summer herders' community worth visiting. We hike for a while to get to Thagnang, a summer grazing region with a few rustic hotels and small shops.

We proceed east toward Khare and steadily ascend to our target as we stroll to acclimate and take in the surroundings. The magnificent views of the surrounding peaks continue to open up after a two-and-a-half-hour hike up the daring lateral moraine of Dig Glacier to walk on the big pasture of Dig Khraka. Following a difficult ascent across moraines, the trip ends at the terminus of the Hinku Nup and Shar Glaciers. For just over an hour, we cross the stream and follow the track across the boulder-strewn mountainside. The difficult ascent leads us to Khare, which offers a spectacular view of Mera Peak.

Before continuing, we'll take today off to acclimate, explore, and practice for the necessary ice-climbing course with the help of our professional climbing guide. After breakfast, we climb a steep ridge to the beginnings of the Mera Glacier, which we will later follow to the Mera La pass. We will use this chance to practice glacial travel skills and organize a session on the glacier. First, we teach you how to use crampons, rope, and an ice axe, among other things. Following that, we will provide instruction on peak climbing skills as well as the right use of climbing equipment such as the ice ax, climbing boots and crampons, harness, ascender, and so on. The course will also cover how to ascend and descend using the ropes. This aids in our summit preparation for Mera. Although prior training or expertise is not required for this hike to Mera Peak Base Camp, we believe that having past climbing experience will strengthen your confidence and climbing skills, increasing your chances of reaching the summit and allowing you to completely enjoy the experience. We return to Khare later in the day for an overnight stay.

Today will be an exhilarating day, as if it were your first day of mountaineering, with three hours of climbing up a boulder-strewn path to the glacier, which leads to Mera La. After arriving at the glacier's snout, we completely equip ourselves with crampons, harnesses, mountaineering boots, and ice axes. Crampon and ice ax tactics that we just learned will come in handy as we climb into the glacier. The night is spent camped here before the next day's ascent to Mera's high camp. The views from the past, as well as your first mountaineering experience, are breathtaking. We first climb to the Mera La (5,410m), then back up the ridge to the back of the Mera base camp, where we will rest for the night.

Today, we travel from base camp to high camp through Mera la pass, a difficult rocky trail that leads to the high camp at a height of 5,800 meters. It serves as a great starting point for the last ascent to the peak. After crossing the Mera La, the trail bears left (south) and follows gentle angled snow slopes. After a short distance, a crevasse-filled terrain appears. These can readily be walked around in normal conditions, however seeing into their deep, black depths is always striking. The crevasses eventually give way to slightly steeper but open snow slopes that lead to the summit camp without trouble. When we arrive at the High Camp, we are greeted with spectacular views of Everest, Makalu, and the Nuptse, with the Lhotse wall immediately ahead. These magnificent mountains are bathed in a magical light as the sun sets. We can also see the majority of the summit route. We have a good night's rest in order to get ready for the summit bid tomorrow.

We get up early with warming cups of tea and set out into the cold on our way to Mera Peak's peak. As we make our way up the Mera glacier at a moderate, steady pace, the climbing is rather straightforward. As we slowly but steadily climb higher into the ever-thinning air, the course remains non-technical. Early in the morning, a summit bid will be launched from the high camp, and it will take 4 to 6 hours to reach the top. The sun's early rays cast a stunning red hue across the peaks. Depending on the weather, we may attach to a fixed rope at the base of the final steep summit cone. Only a few meters separate you from the summit. The summit, which we've all been working so hard to reach, is just around the corner. The slope steepens behind the ridge for a length, and the summit reappears. The 360 panorama is one of the most beautiful and magnificent views of Baruntse (7129m), Haling (7319m), and NauLekh (6360m), with Makalu (8481m) rising in the background. We're far enough back that the smaller peaks don't impede the view, yet we're still right in the middle of this spectacular alpine panorama. We take our time taking it all in before returning to Khare for our overnight stay at the lodge, which is roughly a 2-hour descent. This has been a long but rewarding day.

We've set aside an extra day as a spare or contingency day in case of weather or acclimatization issues. This extra day provides some flexibility and can be put to good use for a second summit attempt. This is also a backup day in case there are any other delays along the road, such as the Lukla flight. If all goes well and you reach the top on the first day, this day is utilized to prepare for the next day's hike. This day will be used as a free day in Kathmandu if it is not used as a contingency day.

We trek today across the secluded valley of the top yak pastures of this after a successful expedition to Mera summit. We will have breathtaking views of the Himalayan valley along the way. Realizing that Everest and Lhotse are the two magnificent mountains we are moving directly towards is almost shocking.

Reach Amphu Laptsa base camp via trekking over the uninhabited high-altitude Himalayas. Even during peak tourist season, we rarely see other hikers on this route because it is off the usual path. Just past White Lake, the first in a sequence of lakes in the upper Honku Basin, we begin a difficult ascent. The Honku Valley's wilderness is a must-see. The Honku Valley is pure mountain wildness, with Chamlang (7321m) on the right and hanging glaciers on its South-West and North-West faces.

We begin ascending early in the morning from the south base camp of Amphu Laptsa to the north base camp of Amphu Laptsa, traversing steep stretches of rock and ice to reach the pass when the snow is stable and before the sun melts it. Wherever it seems essential, climbing ropes will likely be used. The last ascent to Amphu Laptsa goes across shelves of snow. On the other side, a hard fall on fixed lines leads down to the moraine, which must be attempted.

The path that leads to Chukkung, the starting site for the Island Peak hike, today is downhill and winding. We are now introduced to Khumbu Region civilization from the wilderness of the isolated Hinku Valley. A little above Pangboche Village, the Imja Khola enters the Dudh Koshi river. At Pangboche, there is a well-known monastery that is thought to be the oldest in the Khumbu region. It's a joy to arrive in Pangboche after a few days of strenuous mountaineering and hiking. Spending the night in the coziness of one of the occupied village's lodges is a warm welcome that we believe is well deserved.

We're leaving the alpine desert today and walking back down into the greenery of pine trees. The path leads to Tengboche, which requires a difficult ascent. We descend steeply and follow the trail back along the Dudh Kosi river after paying a quick visit to the Tengboche Monastery. While traveling through the forest by the trail, we keep an eye out for wildlife like mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc. We arrive at the army camp in Namche Bazaar after passing a chorten, and we want to take one more, extended look back at Lhotse, the very top of Everest, and Tengboche. Our journey to Namche Bazaar ends with a challenging climb across a hillside. In our Namche Bazaar room, we take a good hot shower and sleep soundly.

This will be our final day on the trekking routes, and as we return down the Dudh Kosi valley, it will be a long but satisfying day. The views will look very different coming from this angle. We eventually arrive in Lukla, a huge town with an airport where we will fly back to Kathmandu the next day.

If everything goes according to plan, the flight to Kathmandu is usually scheduled for the morning. The magnificent morning flight back to Kathmandu provides us one more opportunity to have a close look at the mighty snow-capped Himalayas in the distance and bid the mountains farewell. Your guide will meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel in Kathmandu. You have the remainder of the day free to relax, rejuvenate, and perhaps take an excursion to see more of the city before the group's last evening celebration, which will include a special supper.

We really hope that your trip with us to trek across the lovely highlands of Nepal was enjoyable. There is nothing more for you to do but get ready and eager to get home. Because of this, you may use your free time up until your departure flight—roughly three hours before it—to shop for last-minute gifts for your loved ones or to buy souvenirs. Our personal representative will drive you to the international airport for your final trip home in a private vehicle. You say your goodbyes to Kathmandu and Nepal until your next visit. On the journey back to your home, you'll reminisce about the fantastic adventures and make plans for your next adventure in Nepal's beautiful country.