Mera and Island Peaks Climbing

5.00/5 from 480 reviews
At a Glance
  • DestinationNepal
  • Duration22 days
  • Trip DifficultyChallenging
  • ActivitiesTrekking and Climbing
  • AccommodationTeahouses
  • MealsB.L.D
  • Max. Elevation6654m.
  • Group SizeMin. 2 Pax
  • BEST TIMEApril - June and Sept - Nov

Trip Overview

The classic Mera and Island Peak Climbing combines two high voltage adventures in Nepal; the Mera Peak (6476 m.) and Island Peak (6189 m.). The journey happens to be a ride full of experiences, adrenaline-pumping challenges, and sheer joy. The Mera Peak course, which was first ascended in 1953, happens to be the highest trekking peak in Nepal. The treks are not highly technical, but the Island Peak is a relatively more challenging ascend in the region of Khumbu. We transit through the adventurous Amphu Laptsa pass (5780 m.) while on this trek and trek further to Island Peak High Camp via Imja Valley. We cross many glaciers and remote regions until we reach the summit of the Island Peak.

Significant Highlights of the Trip

  • Experience the adventure high of reaching the summit of two famous peaks, Mera and Island, at an elevation of 6476 m. And 6189 m. respectively.
  • Grab the ultimate opportunity of catching the breathtaking views of the snow-capped mountains of the Khumbu Valley, including Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, and many others
  • View the brilliance of the Langtang region in the west and Kanchenjunga in the east from the Mera Peak climb
  • Traverse into the Amphu Laptsa La Pass (5845m).
  • Explore the local people's culture, lifestyle, and warm hospitality as you spend time in the local teahouse and lodge.
  • Be a part of the fully supported challenging climb guided by a team of experts.
  • Explore the wilderness of Mera Peak and Island Peak as you ascend.
  • Enjoy diverse terrains, pleasant meadows, and mystic woods on your journey to climb the two peaks.

We start our tour from the capital of Kathmandu as we visit some of the important heritage sites of the valley and prepare briefly for our peak climb. However, our adventure starts with an adventure flight to Lukla as we trek to Chutok the next day. We travel further along Pangkong across Col Khari La. On our way, we pass through lovely meadows, woods, and Rhododendron and Pine forests, forming our view as we reach Kothe.

We acclimatize at Tangnang and move up to the side moraines of the glacier from where we head to the Mera Base Camp. As we reach the high camp, we are gifted with views of the massive mountains like Barutnse, Chamlang, Everest, Makalu, and many more. After viewing the range's highlights, we climb to the summit of Mera Peak (6476 m.).

The Mera peak offers marvelous views from Kanchenjunga (east) to Langtang (west), whereas the Island Peak sitting at the heart of Khumbu, is dominated by the Lhotse in the north. Both the peaks offer exceptional views from the summit. On our way to Imja valley, we visit the holy site of the five lakes, Panch Pokhari, and witness the Hongu Glacier. One of our toughest escapes on this journey is the crossing edge line while climbing the summit of Island Peak. The road, particularly taking us to the glacier's mouth, passes through a narrow line surpassing the gorges on a high ascending route.

Hence, if this sounds exciting to you and seems like a challenge you want to invest in, contact us now! We advise you to plan your expedition in the most favorable spring and autumn times. Since we are constantly moving at higher altitudes for a prolonged period, the chances of getting altitude sickness are higher. This is not the most challenging course in Nepal. However, the terrains are challenging, and we advise you to dedicate some time to personal training to get the best tour experience.

Rest assured, at Nepal Hiking Team, we will make sure that your trip is carried out in a smooth, secure way. Our travel experts and guides will always be at your service if you have any queries or confusion about the tour.

Detail Itinerary

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Arrive in Kathmandu at any time. Our airport representative will welcome you and explain the program further. There are no planned activities for the day, so check into the hotel. Enjoy your overnight stay at the hotel.

This day is reserved for the final preparations for the trek and climbing. You will be focusing on checking your gears and packing necessary equipment. You may leave all unnecessary belongings at the hotel and re-pack only the necessary items for the trip.

Overnight stay at the hotel. Meals: Breakfast included.

We head to the airport early in the morning and take a flight to Lukla. The air route is fascinating, flying above the greenery and White Mountains. Upon arrival, the guide will brief you and introduce our porters. We then begin our trek to the Chutok La pass (2945) and reach Paiya overnight.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Today, we trek from Chutenga and ascend steeply to cross Zatrawala Pass (4610m.) and continue to Zatrabok (4704m), enjoying the spectacular views of Numbur Himal, Kongdi RI, and Karyolang peak, and many others. Then we descend to Khartitang at 3900m.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We begin our trek after breakfast. After trekking out of Panggom, we cross the Panggom La pass. Then we ascend, walk on a steady path and turn north. We cross Peseng Kharka Khola first, then, after walking for some time, reach Peeng Kharka Danda. We cross Ningsow Khola (stream) before reaching the Ningsow Village.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

From Ningsow, we climb first, descend for a while, and climb some more to reach Ramailo Danda. From here, we get extraordinary views of Mera Peak and Salpa. After ascending and descending our trail, we enter the Makalu Barun National Park. Our trail from here to Chhatra Khola is called Pasang Lhamu trail.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We walk towards the north on the main trail to Mera Peak. After walking on a trail next to the Majang Khola, we merge with another trail that moves alongside the Hinku Khola. Our trail moves straight ahead towards Tashing Ongma, which has seasonal tea shops. We continue our trek and cross the bridge over the Sanu Khola before reaching Kothe.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We trek along the ridge of the Hinku Khola in the shadow of Mera Peak. We take lunch at Gondishung, the summer herders’ settlement on the west bank of the Hinku Drangka.

Beyond Gondishung, we pass a 200-year-old Lungsumgba Gompa, where we can find Mera Peak scripted in rock along with its route to reach Mera.

A short walk takes us to Thaknak, a summer grazing area with primitive lodges and shops.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Leaving Thaknak, we follow the lateral moraine of Dig Glacier to Dig Kharka, which offers spectacular views of the Himalayas. The trail climbs through moraines to the snout of the Hinku Nup and Shar Glaciers and then climbs more steeply to Khare.

From here, we can see the northern face of Mera Peak, which will be a fantastic experience. After lunch, we can hike in and around Khare.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Acclimatization day: Rest and explore around.

Pre-Climb Training: After lunch, our guides will train on peak climbing techniques and using climbing gears such as ice axe, climbing boot, crampons, harness, ascender, etc, and how to go up and down using ropes.

However, please note that it is not compulsory to have a training experience for Mera, but a brief training does increase the chances of scaling the summit and thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Overnight stay at Guesthouse, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We walk through a boulder-strewn course on a steep trail to reach the Mera Peak Base Camp. From here, we continue further through the Mera La pass to reach the Mera High Camp.

Our path is along a rocky trail, which can be hazardous if it has recently snowed, as there are several crevasses here. We make our way to the top of the rock band, which is marked by a large cairn. Then we set up a high camp while enjoying excellent views of Mt. Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, the south face of Lhotse, Nuptse, Chamlang, and Baruntse.

Overnight at Tented Camp, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Our Sherpa will wake you up at about 2 am with hot tea, and we all will have a high-energy meal before starting the summit ascent of Mera Peak.

We approach the snow hump-back ridge, beginning through the main glacier and crossing south. This part of the route is not technical, but 30-degree slopes are still challenging.

The slope steepens for a section behind the ridge, and you swing diagonally westward. The summit comes back into view, and you are on the level summit ridge.

At the foot of the final steep ascent, you will attach to a fixed rope laid by your guide and use your ice axe and a jumar to climb the last 30-meter 55-degree pitch to reach Mera Peak's summit. A spectacular panorama greets you with clear views over Everest.

Once you've had a chance to take this all in and congratulate yourself on a fantastic achievement, we will descend into the Hongu Valley, down to Kongma Dingman.

Overnight at Basic Lodge, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We trek through the Hongu Valley, a very high and remote valley with no inhabitants. Massive flanks of Mt. Chamlang dominate our left view, and the spire of Baruntse comes into view beyond.

The environment is remarkably compassionate, especially considering we are heading directly into the very epicenter of the highest group of mountains in the world.

The valley floor remains broad and straight, gradually rising to the blind alley of peaks ahead. It is almost a shock to realize that the two majestic mountains we are heading straight towards are none other than Everest and Lhotse.

We climb steadily up to and just beyond Seto Pokhari and camp there. Seto Pokhari means White Lake, the water in the lake is white may be due to ice conditions.

Overnight at Basic Lodge, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We trek through one of the remotest parts of the Himalayas today. We rarely meet any trekkers if it's not a high tourist season. We enjoy and experience the wilderness of the Honku Valley. We walk through the high-altitude trail from Seto Pokhari to Amphu Lapcha High Camp.

On the track today, on our right, is Mt. Chamlang (7321m), with hanging glaciers on its South-West and North-West faces. Passing beneath the giant west face of Chamlang, we follow the Hongu Khola and finally the Hongu Glacier to the religious site of Panch Pokhri (five lakes).

Today we trek to Amph Labsta's south side Base Camp and face this gigantic and technical obstacle that we must cross tomorrow, along with a 360-degree view of great mountains.

Overnight at Basic Lodge, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Today, we have an actual day of the challenge ahead of us. The pass is an exciting traverse of scree slopes and layered glacier walls that we must ascend on the Southside.

We trek along a fantastic icefall to the crest of the pass at 5850m. Here we have stunning views of Island Peak, Lhotse, and Nuptse looming over the Imja Valley. The descent down to the valley is steep with a section that we negotiate by abseiling; looking back, it will be quite an incredible feeling.

We carry on descending on the moraine to camp beside the Image glacier and enter the Imja Valley and trek to Island peak base camp.

Overnight at tented at camp | Meals: high foods included.

We take good rest as you have been exhausted after hard work.

Overnight at tented at camp | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Today is the Island Peak Ascent (6,189m). We will begin our climb early, generally around 1 AM. In the beginning, we will climb the rock gully. This is not difficult, but there are several short rock steps to climb before we emerge on the right side of the gully.

The route then follows a ridgeline, which leads to an exhilarating and exposed traverse onto the snout of the summit glacier. We will need to rope up for the glacier as it contains several crevasses. The guides will fix a rope wherever necessary.

A steep snow slope leads us onto the summit ridge. After enjoying the summit views and taking pictures, we will descend to Dingboche for an overnight stay.

Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

This is an extra day to avoid a terrible weather problem before reaching the summit's peak. We do not need this day in case of good weather and trouble-free climbing.

Overnight at tented camp/teahouse, full board meals included.

The trek continues along the Dudh Koshi River to the small mountain airstrip at Lukla, where you will catch your return flight to Kathmandu the next day.

Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Lukla, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included

You will be delighted by the mountain views for the last time while flying from Lukla to Kathmandu on your 30-minute flight.

As you reach Kathmandu airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel, breakfast included.

On this day, you can proceed to relax and can have another tour of the city or go shopping at the hub of “all things tourist” at Thamel.

Overnight stay at the Hotel. Meals: Breakfast included.

The airport representative from Nepal Hiking Team will transfer you to the Kathmandu International Airport around 3 hours before your scheduled flight from where you will depart.

Cost Includes

  • All ground transport in private vehicles including airport transfers
  • Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast at a 3-star category hotel in Kathmandu
  • Twin sharing lodge to lodge accommodation during the trek.
  • Tented Camp at Mera and Island Peak base camps.
  • Full board meals will be catered at the guesthouses from Lukla to Khare and Chhukung to Lukla. Then high food will be provided during the camping.
  • An Experienced climbing guide for the whole trip requires porters, including their food, accommodation, salary, equipment, insurance, etc.
  • Airfare between Kathmandu to Lukla and Lukla to Kathmandu, including departure taxes.
  • Mera and Island peaks climbing permit fee
  • All require trekking permit fees
  • General climbing equipment such as rope, ice screw, snow bar, etc.
  • Government taxes & office service charge

Cost Excludes

  • Meals not specified in the 'Meal Inclusions' in the itinerary.'
  • Travel insurance
  • International airfare
  • Nepal entry visa
  • All kinds of cold drinks, including water during the trek.
  • Hot shower during the trek
  • Trekking and climbing equipment
  • WiFi internet, phone calls, laundry, etc.
  • Tips and gratuities for trekking staff and drivers

Cost and Date

Start Dates refer to your arrival date in Nepal. End Dates correspond to your return date from Nepal.

The Mera and Island Peaks Climbing set departure dates are tailored for the group joining option. If the 22 days Mera and Island Peaks Climbing departure dates don’t fit your schedule, we can include alternative dates that better suit your needs.

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