Mera Peak
The bulk of Mera, officially the highest of Nepal's
permitted trekking peaks, ries to the south of Everest
and dominates the watershed between the wild and heavily
woded valleys of the Hinku and Hongu Drangkas . Mera
(Peak) is a chance to venture into a little visited and
as yet unspoilt region of Nepal where the hillsides are
still densely forested and a need to be self-sufficient
is essential. There is also, of course, the pleasure of
going above 21,000 feet.・Both the Hongu and Hinku
valleys remain uninhabited although there are Kharka in
the Upper Hinku basin where Sherpa from the South, near
Pangkongma, graze their animals during the grass-
growing monsoon. The upper Hongu Basin is truly a
mountain wilderness, a place of massive moraines,
glacial lakes and spectacular peaks that include
Charmlang and Baruntse.
Additionally, it offers some of the most spectacular
mountain scenery, pristine forest, and high altitude
climbing in the world. We start this climb with a
hair-raising flight into the small town of Lukla at
2,800 m (9,184 ft). From there it is a six-day trek,
with plenty of acclimatization days to keep us healthy
at our ever-increasing altitude, through some of Nepal's
most pristine Rhododendron, oak, silver fir and birch
forests, past beautiful alpine lakes, and finally up to
the foot of Mera Glacier where well establish base camp.
We will set up two more high camps, the first over 300 m
above B.C. on the Mera Glacier, and the second after we
cross the Mera crevasse field at 5,800 m. From here it
is a steady and steep climb to reach the summit, with
awe-inspiring views of Kanchenjunga and Makalu to the
east, Everest and Lhotse to the north, and Ama Dablam
and Cho Oyu to the west.
Itinerary of Mera Peak
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