20-Day Mera Peak Climbing Nepal

Twenty Days from Kathmandu to 6,476 Meters and Back

Days 1 to 3  |  Kathmandu

Three days in Kathmandu for the expedition briefing and the valley’s cultural sites. The Day 1 briefing covers the full twenty-day itinerary: the altitude profile from Lukla to the Mera high base camp, the acclimatization plan for the Hinku approach, the technical gear you need for summit day, and the practical arrangements for permits, flights, and logistics. Day 2 covers the Buddhist and Hindu sacred sites: Swayambhunath, the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu and the Kumari Ghar, and Pashupatinath. Day 3 is for Bhaktapur: the Nyatapola Temple, Pottery Square, the National Art Gallery, and the medieval lanes of the best-preserved Newari city in the valley.

Days 4 to 5  |  Lukla and the High Ridges

The thirty-five-minute flight to Lukla (2,840 meters) comes in steeply over the mountains, and you can see the airstrip at the edge of the valley as the plane descends. The trek starts right after the mountain briefing: the trail drops from Lukla through the valley to Surkhe, then climbs toward Puiyan. Day 5 crosses Chutok La at 2,945 meters and Khari La at 3,080 meters through forest and ridge country above the Dudh Kosi to the remote settlement of Pangum, where the Hinku approach begins in earnest.

Days 6 to 8  |  The Hinku Valley

These three days from Pangum cover the most distinctive ground of the approach. Pangum La, at 3,175 meters, is the gateway to the valley, and the trail drops from the pass through undisturbed temperate forest, full of birdsong and much quieter than the busier Khumbu routes. Next come Najing Dingma and then Panch Pokhari, five sacred lakes that are a pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Hindus from the Hinku and beyond. The descent from Panch Pokhari to Chalem Kharka, through rocks and shrubs with the river audible below, starts the change from forest to alpine terrain.

Days 9 to 10  |  Kothe and Thangnak

Above Chalem Kharka the trail enters juniper scrub and then crosses the rivers below Kothe, where the valley starts to feel much more remote. A small rock-walled gompa above Kothe, filled with tiny Buddha statues left by passing pilgrims over generations, marks the change from the lower valley to the glaciers above. At Thangnak, reached the next day, the Mera Glacier comes into full view for the first time and stays in sight while camp is set up.

Days 11 to 12  |  Khahare Acclimatization

The Dig Glacier trail to Khahare passes directly below Peak 35, a huge unclimbed peak that few trekking routes in Nepal pass this closely. Khahare is the acclimatization base for the summit. Two full days here, with acclimatization walks above camp and a final technical gear check and briefing, prepare you physically and logistically for summit day. The team checks the medical oxygen, fits crampons, goes through the route in detail, and sets the summit-day timing.

Days 13 to 14  |  High Base Camp and Summit

The trek from Khahare to the Mera high base camp at 5,800 meters is the last approach before the summit push. The camp sits on the glacier, where the air is noticeably thin and the mountain is silent, for the last night before the alpine start. Summit day begins before dawn: the south-east ridge from high base camp to the summit at 6,476 meters is glacier terrain at moderate angles, with manageable technical demands and a clear line. From the top, Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga are all in one view: five of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks from a single spot.

Days 15 to 20  |  Return through the Hinku and Farewell

From the summit you descend to Khahare, then retrace the Hinku approach through Kothe and Chetarbu Kharka to Lukla. Ground that took eight days on the way up takes three on the way down, on legs now used to the altitude. The last night in Lukla is a celebration with the full Sherpa team before the flight back to Kathmandu. The farewell dinner in Kathmandu on Day 19, with traditional Nepali food and folk dances, closes the twenty days.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 3  Kathmandu  Briefing and Sightseeing

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, where our team meets you with a traditional Sherpa welcome and takes you to your luxury boutique hotel. That first evening, the expedition briefing covers the full twenty-day program: the flight to Lukla, the Hinku Valley route and its three high passes, the altitude profile from Lukla to the Mera high base camp at 5,800 meters, the acclimatization plan at Khahare, the technical requirements for summit day, and the practical arrangements for permits, meals, and logistics. Your trekking and climbing permits are confirmed on the first day.

Day 2 covers the cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa on the western edge of the city, gives you a first view over the valley and a first look at the Buddhist tradition you will see again in the gompas and prayer flags of the Hinku. The Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, with the Kumari Ghar and the Hanuman Dhoka palace complex, and Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River, the most sacred Hindu site in Nepal, round out the day before the mountains take over. The permit briefing with the guide team follows in the afternoon.

Day 3 is for Bhaktapur, the best preserved of the three medieval Newari cities and the one most worth your time. The 30-meter Nyatapola Temple is the tallest temple in Nepal, a five-story pagoda above Taumadhi Square in the center of the old city. In the afternoon, visit Pottery Square, where Bhaktapur’s potters still work in the open air, and the National Art Gallery in the Palace of Fifty-Five Windows, with thangka paintings and religious metalwork covering six centuries of Newari art. This is your last evening in Kathmandu before the Lukla flight.

Stay: Luxury Boutique Hotel in Kathmandu

Days 4 to 5  Lukla to Pangum  The High Ridges

The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,840 meters) takes about thirty-five minutes and ends with a steep descent to the uphill runway at the valley wall, with mountains in view from the cabin windows from takeoff. Lukla is the busiest high-altitude airstrip in Nepal and the starting point for most Khumbu expeditions, but the Mera route through the Hinku leaves the main trail almost at once. Instead of following the Dudh Kosi upstream toward Namche, it drops through the valley to Surkhe and then climbs to Puiyan, the first camp, away from the main trekking corridor and into the quieter southern ridges.

Day 5 is the first hard day of the approach: the trail climbs from Puiyan over Chutok La at 2,945 meters and then Khari La at 3,080 meters, through forest and open ridges above the Dudh Kosi. Two passes in one day bring altitude, views across the Khumbu, and the start of the expedition’s daily rhythm. Pangum, the remote settlement where the day ends, sits on the ridge above the Hinku, the last stop before the trail drops into the valley. You will already notice that there are no other trekking groups on this part of the route.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp

Days 6 to 8  The Hinku Valley  Forests, Passes, and Sacred Lakes

From Pangum the trail crosses Pangum La at 3,175 meters, the gateway to the Hinku Valley, and descends through upper temperate forest: rhododendron, oak, and magnolia lower down, opening out as the trail follows the valley floor toward Najing Dingma. With birdsong, no engine noise, and deep quiet in the forest, this is one of the most distinctive sections of the Hinku approach. Red pandas live in the upper forest, though sightings are uncommon. The scattered settlements you see from the trail are Rai and Sherpa communities whose main link to the outside world is the trail itself.

From Najing Dingma the trail to Panch Pokhari climbs through rocks and shrubs, rougher than the lower sections, and opens above the treeline onto the high meadows where the five sacred lakes sit. Panch Pokhari is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Hindus: each of the five lakes is associated with a particular deity in the local tradition, and pilgrims come from across the Hinku and farther afield during the festival season. The lakes sit in open mountain country, with the peaks of the Hinku Himal above and the valley in shadow below. The descent from Panch Pokhari to Chalem Kharka completes the approach to the lower Hinku.

From Chalem Kharka to Kothe the trail winds through juniper and forest as the valley narrows and the river gets louder. At Kothe the trail crosses a bridge over the main torrent into the village, and the most remote part of the Hinku begins: above Kothe, almost no one but Mera expeditions comes up the valley.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp

Days 9 to 10  Kothe to Khahare  Up to the Glacier

Above Kothe, a small rock-walled gompa is filled with tiny Buddha statues left by passing pilgrims and shepherds over generations. It is one of the most distinctive religious sites on the Hinku approach: a simple high stone enclosure rather than a formal monastery, with statues ranging from carefully carved to roughly shaped from local rock, and incense sticks and dried flowers that show people still visit regularly. Above the gompa the trail heads east toward the Mera Glacier, which stays in view as you climb to Thangnak. From Thangnak you get the first full view of the glacier, the ice running up toward the summit slopes, and you see the full size of the mountain you have come to climb.

From Thangnak the trail to Khahare follows the lateral moraine of the Dig Glacier through ice and rock, with clear views of Peak 35, the huge unclimbed peak rising above the glacier to the north. Peak 35 is one of the few significant unclimbed summits left in the Khumbu region, and no other established route gives you such a close view of it. A final steep section above the glacier brings you to Khahare, the acclimatization base for the Mera summit, with the high base camp and the summit slopes in view above.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp

Days 11 to 12  Khahare  Acclimatization and Technical Preparation

Two full days at Khahare are set aside for acclimatization and final technical preparation. The reason is simple: you have gained a lot of altitude since Lukla, summit day will add more above base camp, and your body needs time to adapt to the thinner air. Cutting that time short raises the risk of altitude illness on summit day. On the acclimatization walks you climb above camp and come back down to sleep, the climb-high, sleep-low pattern that helps the body adapt fastest.

The technical gear check and briefing at Khahare cover everything the summit route requires: crampon fitting and technique, ice axe use, harness and rope systems, the route from high base camp to the summit via the south-east ridge, the timing of the alpine start, the conditions to expect up high, and the backup plans for weather and for each climber’s fitness. The medical oxygen bottles are checked and the high-altitude first aid plan is reviewed. High-altitude travel can cause serious illness, even in fit travelers. Acclimatization reduces risk but cannot eliminate it. Tell your guide promptly about symptoms. Your guide may stop an ascent, change the route or arrange descent. Rescue and medical treatment depend on location, weather, access and available resources and cannot be guaranteed.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp in Khahare

Day 13  Mera High Base Camp 5,800m  The Final Approach

From Khahare the route crosses the glacier terrain below the summit, climbing through icefall and moraine to the camp on the glacier at 5,800 meters. At this height the air is noticeably thin, and everyone’s pace and breathing show it. The camp is silent, with the summit slopes in view above and the Hinku Valley out of sight below, and this is the last night before the alpine start. In the evening the team goes over the final summit-day plan: start time, team order, turnaround time, the weather, and the route to the top.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp at Mera High Base Camp

Day 14  Mera Peak 6,476m  The Summit

Summit day starts before dawn. The team leaves high base camp in the dark, headlamps moving across the glacier in the cold, with the stars very bright at this altitude. The south-east ridge route to the summit at 6,476 meters follows glacier terrain at moderate angles, well established by earlier expeditions, with fixed lines where it steepens. The technical demands are manageable for climbers who have prepared well and are properly acclimatized; the main challenges on summit day are the exposure and the altitude.

Mera’s 6,476-meter summit is the highest point a trekking climber can reach in Nepal. Everest, at 8,849 meters, is directly north, with Lhotse beside it and Makalu to the northeast. Cho Oyu is to the northwest and Kanchenjunga to the east: five of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks in view from one spot. The cold and the thin air limit your time on top, so take in the view before the descent begins. You are back in Khahare by mid-afternoon.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp in Khahare

Days 15 to 17  The Hinku Return to Lukla  The Homeward Trail

The descent from Khahare reverses the approach, but ground that took eight days on the way up takes three on the way down, on legs that are now stronger at altitude. Kothe, the juniper scrub, and the lower forest pass by again in the opposite direction, and you hear the same birdsong in the forest below Pangum La.

The last night is in Lukla, either in the final tented camp of the expedition or in your first lodge bed since the Kathmandu boutique hotel three weeks earlier, and the whole team gathers to celebrate. The Sherpa guides, climbing staff, kitchen crew, and porters who carried the expedition’s equipment through twenty days of remote valley and glacier terrain are all there, and stories of the summit and the approach go around the tea houses on Lukla’s main street. The flight to Kathmandu the next morning takes about thirty-five minutes.

Stay: Professional Tented Camps and Mountain Lodges

Days 18 to 20  Kathmandu  Return and Farewell

Back in Kathmandu, you have the comforts of the boutique hotel and the city after three weeks in the Hinku. A free day gives you time for last-minute shopping in Thamel or a return visit to any of the valley’s heritage sites. Pack away the gear you needed up high, look through your summit photos, and let your body settle in the lower air of the valley after two weeks at altitude.

The farewell dinner on Day 19, with traditional Nepali food and a folk dance program at one of the old city’s cultural restaurants, formally closes the expedition. It is also a chance to thank the Sherpa team (the lead climbing Sherpa, the trekking guide, the kitchen crew, and the porters who carried the group equipment through twenty days of remote terrain), whose knowledge, skill, and hard work made the summit possible. Departure from Tribhuvan International Airport on Day 20.

Stay: Luxury Boutique Hotel in Kathmandu

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays trip is fully supported from arrival to departure. Here is what that means on this twenty-day expedition.

Accommodation and Meals

• Kathmandu Hotel: 5 nights in a luxury boutique hotel in twin-sharing rooms, with gourmet breakfast daily.
• Wilderness Camping: 13 nights of full-service expedition camping on the Hinku approach and summit section, with premium double-size tents, waterproof sleeping mattresses, and heated dining tents. The last night, in Lukla, is in camp or a lodge.
• Full Board Nutrition: All meals during the trek and climb: every breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Lukla to the return flight.
• Expedition Kitchen: A dedicated professional expedition cook and full kitchen crew making fresh meals at every camp, with coffee, fruit juices, and hot drinks throughout, for groups of 2 or more.

Leadership and Support

• Lead Climbing Sherpa: A dedicated lead climbing Sherpa with long experience on Mera Peak and the Hinku approach, handling all technical rope work, route preparation, and high-altitude safety.
• Trekking Guide: One English-speaking Sherpa trekking guide who specializes in the history, culture, and natural history of the Hinku Valley and the Khumbu region.
• Porter Team: Professional porters carry all group equipment and luggage throughout the trek, so you walk with only a light daypack.
• Medical Safety: Medical-grade oxygen bottles and a comprehensive high-altitude first-aid kit carried at all times during the summit section, with trained staff to use both.

Transport and Permits

• Private Transfers: All ground transportation in Kathmandu by private, air-conditioned vehicle, including airport pickup, sightseeing transfers, and the drive to the domestic airport for the Lukla flight.
• Domestic Flights: Round-trip flights between Kathmandu and Lukla for the full team, including all domestic airport departure taxes.
• All Permits: All domestic airport taxes, Makalu-Barun National Park entry fees, and Mera Peak climbing permits, paid and arranged before you leave Kathmandu.

What Is Not Included

• International airfare to and from Kathmandu and Nepal entry visa fees
• Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu during the city days
• Personal technical climbing equipment: crampons, ice axe, harness, helmet, high-altitude sleeping bag, and warm layers
• Comprehensive travel insurance, which is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, emergency evacuation (including helicopter rescue at high altitude), trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation.
• Personal altitude foods, extra snacks, and any other personal expenses not listed above
• Tips for lead climbing Sherpa, trekking guide, kitchen crew, and porters
• Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Highlights

The Summit of Mera Peak at 6,476 Meters

Mera Peak is the highest trekking peak in Nepal, and its summit has one of the widest views a non-technical climber can reach anywhere in the Himalaya. Five of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks are in view at once: Everest directly to the north, Lhotse beside it and Makalu to the northeast, Cho Oyu to the northwest, and Kanchenjunga to the east. The route follows the south-east ridge from the high base camp at 5,800 meters, on glacier at moderate angles that climbers can manage if they have prepared well and are properly acclimatized. The whole twenty days are built around this summit and this view.

The Hinku Valley: Nepal’s Remote Approach

The Hinku Valley is one of the least-visited trekking corridors in the Everest region, and the approach through it is what sets this expedition apart. Instead of following the main Dudh Kosi trail from Lukla toward Namche, the Hinku route crosses three high passes, drops through undisturbed temperate forest, and enters a valley that sees only a fraction of the traffic on the standard Khumbu routes. Expect birdsong in the forest below Pangum La, no other trekking groups, and wilder country the higher the valley climbs.

The Sacred Lakes of Panch Pokhari

The five lakes of Panch Pokhari, high in the meadows above Najing Dingma, are one of the most important pilgrimage sites on the Hinku approach, and one of the least expected. Buddhists and Hindus have visited them for generations. Each lake is associated with a different deity in the local tradition, and people still come here to worship. With the peaks of the Hinku Himal above and the valley in shadow below, the lakes give a summit expedition a spiritual side that the mountain alone does not.

Peak 35 and the Dig Glacier

The trail to Khahare along the Dig Glacier passes directly below Peak 35, one of the few significant unclimbed summits left in the Khumbu region. Most major unclimbed peaks can only be seen from approach routes that trekking groups cannot use, so a close view of one from an established trekking route is rare, and at this range you get a real sense of its size. The ice pinnacles, moraine, and silence of the high valley above Thangnak are the terrain you move through on the way to the summit.

Full-Service Expedition Camping

For the thirteen nights of camping on the Hinku approach and summit section, the SherpaHolidays expedition team runs full-service camps: premium double-size tents, waterproof sleeping mattresses, a heated dining tent, and a professional expedition cook and kitchen crew making fresh food for every meal. The camp food, the warm dining tent in the evenings, and the kitchen crew’s care with high-altitude cooking are what guests on this route mention first when they get home. After hard days on the approach and the summit, that support helps you recover as well as conditions allow.