Island and Mera Peak Climbing - 27 Days

After your arrival at the airport in Kathmandu you will be greeted by one of our representatives who will later escort you to the hotel. After hotel check in you can decide whether you would like to have a relaxing rest at the hotel or hang around city depending upon the availability of time. O/N you stay at the hotel.

Today after breakfast we will set out for a guided city tour where you get to discover several historical and spiritual attractions of Kathmandu. You will be seeing the world heritage sites like historical Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of lord Pashupatinath, Buddhist pilgrimage Swoyambhunath (famous by the name of Monkey temple among tourists), Boudhanath Shrine and many more cultural and natural monuments. The Kathmandu City tour will more or less familiarize you with Nepalese urban lifestyle. Later we will have a discussion session where we discuss about our trek plan and climbing preparation. Our trek leader would be obliged to brief you about our expedition and answer your queries. O/N you stay at the hotel.

After breakfast you will be escorted to the airport (Domestic Terminal) to board a flight to Lukla, a gateway for our trekking expedition. The scenic flight to Lukla is surely going to be a once in a lifetime experience for you. The air route to Lukla is one the most beautiful air route in the world. Guess what the airfield is at high evaluation and the difference between the two ends of the runway is about 60 m eters! The 40 minutes flight above the majestic mountains will land you at Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla. Upon reaching Lukla we meet with our other crew members and prepare to trek to Paiya. We start our trek down from Lukla via forest all the way down to Surke. We continue our trek passing through many traditional villages, Jungles, and hills to reach Paiya. We can see number of peaks like Mt. Kongde Ri, Mt. Khatang, etc from Paiya. Overnight, we stay in a camp at Paiya.

We have our breakfast in Paiya and set off to Pangkoma today. We take a take short descend until we reach a wooden bridge, we cross the bridge and follow the slippery trail to cross Kari La Hill. We need to be precarious because the slippery trail can create trouble during the trek. We walk through the narrow trail via forest filled with Bamboos, Pine and Rhododendron trees. We will have a magnificent view of Dudh Koshi River and Dudh Koshi Himal en route. We halt in some places to capture the scenic views in our cameras. Upon reaching the traditional village of Pangkoma

We set off for Shibuche today. We descend down the rocky trail and pass through a forest, walking further we cross lot of Mani walls. We continue to trek through the hills and ridges to reach a village that offers a great view of south face Mera Peak (6064m) and Naulekh Peak. The trail takes few twist and turn and descends down steeply through the forest. We eventually reach Nigmsa where we camp for the night.

Today we trek through narrow trail filled with rhododendron and bamboo trees. We pass in the course of landslides to reach a beautiful stream. We trek further via the forest and we may see some wildlife of Himalayan region in the forest. We then trek a little downwards through the forest reaching a nice stone cave in the back of the river. We fix our camp and stay overnight at Chhatra Khola.

We will be trekking all the way to Kothe today. We start early in the morning after breakfast and reach a vantage point of the Hinku valley. We enjoy the mind blowing beauty of nature around us. We trek further through the forest filled with bamboo and pine enjoying the scenic view of Mera and Hinku valley at a distance. We may see some Himalayan wild animals like sloth bear, jungle cat, snow leopard etc during the trek. As we trek further we reach Tashing Dingma and further continuing by the ridge of the river in the Hinku valley, we reach Kothe. Overnight we stay in Kothe

We trek along the ridge of the Hinku Khola and reach Gondishung. Gondishung is a summer herders’ settlement in the west back of Hinku Drangla. We then pass a 200 year old Lungsumba monastery were we find Mera peak scripted in rock showing the path to reach Mera. We pay our visit to Gompa and light some incense sticks if interested. A short walk from the monastery takes us to Thangnag. We can find some lodges and shops at Thangnag. Overnight, we stay in Thangnag at the camp.

Today is our first scheduled day for acclimatization. Trekking experts suggest us to walk for few hours instead of staying idle even during the rest day. We hike for approximately three hours all the way up to Charpate Himal Glacier. Charpate Himal is considered sacred by the Sherpa community and is worshipped by traditional Sherpas’ living in the Himalayas. The view of Mera peak (north) is superb from here and appears quite close. We then hike downwards and get back to the camp at Thangnag for the overnight stay.

Today we trek to Mera Peak base camp at Khare. We trek via lateral moraine of Dig Glacier to Dig Khare. The trail offers a great view of Charpate Himal. The trail further ascends through the moraines and to the snout of the Hinku Nup and Shar Glacier. Hiking further we reach at Khare where we camp for the night. We can witness the beautiful north face of Mera peak from our Campsite.

We set off to the Base camp of Mera peak today. We walk through boulder strewn course to reach the base camp. It will take us approximately three hours to reach the base camp. Upon reaching the base camp we have our lunch and spend the day on training. Our guide with train you on ice climbing techniques, handling climbing gears and rope climbing. It is very beneficial for amateur climbers to take the training regarding peak climbing. We may choose to hang around the base camp later in the afternoon. Overnight, we stay at the base camp.

We will be trekking to High camp today. We walk through Mera La to reach the high camp. Walking in the rocky trail for about two hours on the way to high camp is really challenging. The trail could be troublesome if it has recently snowed. We should be cautious while making our way through the slippery crevasses. Upon reaching the high camp we set up our camp for the overnight stay. We spend the day in rejoicing the breathtaking views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Baruntse etc. The eye popping view from the High camp is really amazing and we cannot resist capturing the sceneries in our cameras.

Summiting the Mera peak is the ultimate goal of our entire expedition. Today is a big day for us as we would be ascending the Mera peak situated at an elevation of 6461m. You will be asked to wake up early around 2 AM and gear up for summiting the peak. The group will put on crampons and rope and set off for summiting the peak. Our guide will help you to fix the rope wherever necessary. It will take approximately 4-6 hours to reach the summit of Mera peak. The peak offers eye popping views of mountains rising above six thousand meters. We can see mountains like Mt. Everest (8,848m), Mt. Cho-Oyu (8,210m), Mt. Lhotse (8,516m), Mt. Makalu (8,463m), Mt. Kangchenjunga (8,586m), Mt. Nuptse (7,855m), Mt. Chamlang (7,319m), Mt. Baruntse (7 ,129m) Mt. Ama Dablam (6,812m) along with other beautiful Himalayas. We will spend some time in capturing the beautiful mountains in our cameras from the summit of Mera peak. We will then retrace our steps back to the high camp. We will later climb down to Khare for the overnight stay.

We have reserved this day for contingency. Favorable weather plays a significant role in successfully climbing the Mera peak. There is no guarantee that the weather would be favorable in previous day for summiting the peak. For any reason if we couldn’t summit the peak on 13th day we would climb the peak today (i.e. on 14th day). Sometimes we many even have to postpone our climbing endeavor to next day if someone in the group falls sick or get some problem in acclimatization. If the trip goes as planned, we would not need this day.

From Mera La we descend into the Hongu Valley. We descend the trail that offers a finest view of Mt. Chamling, Mt. Makalu and Mt. Baruntse. We trek further and descend through the Hongu Khola under the west face of Chamlang. We reach a campsite by the white lake after another few hours of walk. Overnight we stay at the camp.

The trail later wends below Chamlang and ascends into the upper Hongu valley. Hongu valley is spectacular high altitude valley that offers the majestic views of the Himalayas. We will reach a campsite in front of some moraine hills. En route we get to witness the majestic views of Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Everest. Overnight, we stay at the campsite.

Today we trek for a couple of hours to reach a campsite below Amphu Labtsa. Our campsite below Amphu Labtsa is at an altitude of 5500m. Upon reaching the camp we will have a relaxed afternoon and our Sherpa team will prepare the route over the pass for the next days’ trekking. Overnight, we stay at the camp.

Today we will be trekking to camp at Amphu Labtsa. This is going to be one of the most exciting as well as challenging day of our entire expedition. We will trek through the pass which is over the glacier is around stunning ice flutings and formations. The trek seems quite easy at the beginning but as we trek we pass through the difficult icy paths. The steeper sections of the trail lead up to the top of the ridge that offers a magnificent view of Island peak and Mt. Lhotse. Our guide will fix the rope to descend approximately 250m to the ground. We reach Amphu Labtsa by further descending a moraine ridge curving leftward on the side of the Imja Glacier. We fix our camp by the side of the Imja glacier for the overnight stay.

Today we will trek all the way to Island base camp today. After crossing the Amphu Labtsa we trek down to the base camp for the day’s rest. Upon reaching the base camp our guides will conduct the training session on peak climbing skills and using climbing gears like ice axe, climbing boot and crampons, harness, ascender, rope handling etc. Although it is not mandatory to take any training for Island peak climbing, it provides with basic techniques on gears handling and techniques that helps in successfully climbing the peak. Overnight, we stay at Island Peak Base Camp.

Today we move to island Peak High Camp from its base camp. The path to high camp leads up beyond the base camp. We then ascend few meters towards the hillside. The path is quite sandy initially and later goes through the grassy path. We ascend the hill and reach the high camp of Island peak.

Today we will be summiting the Island peak. We begin our climb early in the morning few hours after the midnight. We begin by climbing a rocky ditch. This is not difficult but still the short rocky steps may create some problem. We will then follow a ridgeline which leads to an exciting traverse through the snout of the summit glacier. We need the rope support to go up through the glacier as it contains several crevasses. Our guide will help you in fixing the ropes where ever necessary. A vertical snow hill leads us to the summit ridge. After summiting the peak we take pictures of scenic beauty from the peak and descend down to Chhukung for the overnight stay. We have all the reasons to celebrate the night today.

We have reserved this day for contingency. Favorable weather plays a significant role in successfully climbing the Island peak. There is no guarantee that the weather would be favorable in previous day for summiting the peak. For any reason if we couldn’t summit the peak on 21st day we would climb the peak today (i.e. on 22nd day). Sometimes we many even have to postpone our climbing endeavor to next day if someone in the group falls sick or get some problem in acclimatization. If the trip goes as planned, we would not need this day.

We gear up for a long day trekking today. We trek through Imja Khola to reach Pangboche village. We will also visit the famous monastery in Pangboche which is believed to be the oldest in the Khumbu region. We then descend down the trail via green landscape filled with pine forest. The trail further leads to an uphill climb to reach the village of Tengboche. We pay our visit to the Monastery and descend down to Dudh Koshi River. We climb the hillside and enter the Namche Bazaar. Overnight, we stay in Namche.

We will be wrapping up our trekking expedition today. Leaving Namche Bazaar behind we descend down the rocky trail crossing suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi river. As we walk the trail becomes more smooth and easy. We find the environment really warm and cozy compared to previous days of our expedition. We can feel the fresh air blowing from Himalayas that makes our expedition more energetic and vibrant. We pass through beautiful forest filled with Rhododendron, pine trees and different natural vegetations. We get to snap beautiful mountains and the panoramic views on our way. We will be pleased passing through Sherpa villages that offer a unique blend of Sherpa culture and tradition. Upon arrival at Lukla we conclude our long expedition and have a relaxing time with our friends and crew members. Overnight, we stay in Lukla.

We will wave our final goodbye to the beautiful mountains today. The flights from Lukla to Kathmandu are usually scheduled for the morning because the windy afternoon may cause difficulties flying the aircraft. The early morning scenic flight over the Himalayas drops us at the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport from where you will be escorted to the hotel. Today we have the whole day to relax at the hotel or hang around in the city for buying gifts to your near and dear ones. You will be joining a special farewell dinner in a cozy traditional Nepali restaurant hosted by Breakfree Adventures and its team. O/N at the Hotel.

Today you have relaxing day in Kathmandu. You have all the day to hang around in the streets and bazaar of Kathmandu. You may spend time in buying gifts and mementos for your friends and family. If you are interested you may choose to have a guided city tour to explore Kathmandu and its vicinity. You will be joining a special farewell dinner in a cozy traditional Nepali restaurant hosted by Breakfree Adventures and its team in the evening. Overnight, at the hotel.

Your trip to the majestic country of Nepal comes to an end today! You will be escorted by one of the representatives of Breakfree Adventures to the international terminal of Kathmandu airport approximately three hours before your flight schedule. We exchange our last good-byes and now you will be leaving Nepal with all the good memories you had during the wonderful trekking adventure. We hope you had a lovely time with us. Breakfree Adventures would be obliged to be your travel partner during your next adventure in Nepal. Have a safe flight back home!