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24 Day Itinerary
for Mera Peak
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Day 1 ~ Kathmandu 1300 meters
You arrive in Kathmandu and after the initial culture shock,
you will be transported to your hotel. Evening will start
with a briefing on the trip and will be followed by a complimentary
dinner in a very comfortable restaurant offering mouthwatering
Nepali food. Just to give you a taste of things. |
Day 2 Kathmandu 1300 meters
In Kathmandu – for those who have come fully prepared and
do not need to stock up on equipments and gears from Kathmandu
will have the day free to absorb the rich cultural aspect
of Kathmandu with planned sightseeing trips. Those that have
left it till the last minute can take the opportunity this
day to buy or hire whatever they might need for the summit
bid to Mera and for the trek there. |
Day 3 Chuthok (35 minutes flight 2780
meters – 5 hrs. walk)
We take the early morning flight to Lukla which in itself
gives you a great view of the Himalayan range and land at
Lukla which is an experience in itself. We will be met here
by our climbing staff and after quick photo ops, we start
our trek. It is a five hour walk today by the end of which
we reach a place called Chuthok where you will find your campsite
ready and the staff waiting with hot tea and sandwiches. Lunch
will happen at a scenic spot along the walk but dinner at
the camp will be a first night to remember. |
Day 4 Chuthok to Pangoma 2850 meters / 6 hrs. walk
For every uphill, there is a downhill in the Himalayas and
this proves to be a good lesson in life as well. This day
like many other days to come will follow this pattern. We
cross Chuthok la and descend 300 meters to camp site at Pangoma.
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Day 5 Pangoma to Ningswa 2900 meters
/ 5 hrs walk
Today your trek north along the ridge of the river Hinku Khola.
It takes the whole day to reach Khure but you are rewarded
with fantastic views of 6,500m (21,325ft) peaks, Sanu Himal,
Mojang Himal and Mera Himal. Overnight in Khure(Ningswa).
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Day 6 Ningswa to Chatra Chu 3500 meters / 6 hrs. walk
Today is a very rewarding day in terms of the views. Like
before it is a roller coaster kind of day but the stunning
views of the Mera range along with Mojang Himal and the beautiful
campsite awaiting at Ningswa will give those tired legs and
extra impetus. |
Day 7 Chatra Chu to Kothe 3700 meters
/ 8 hrs. walk
We will truly feel some of the altitude today and today is
quite a long day to reach Kothe. However the ascent upto 3500
meters will not be too difficult as we go through scenic pine
forests. Lunch today will be packed to save time. |
Day 8 Kothe to Thangna 4356 / 7 hrs. walk
Another long day today but you will be resting tomorrow giving
you time to heal and do some checking to see whether your
guitars have handled the trip as well as you have had. Along
the way in a small but old monastery built in a cave – a quiet
spot for you to reflect on all your sins till date. Thangna
is a lonely outpost with a few houses, all in place to service
tired climbers with dreams of Mera in their eyes. The place
is rewarding though with a huge moraine and a lake close by.
You are truly above 4000 meters today, meaning you will be
at a higher altitude than all the souls on this earth – bar
a few thousand. |
Day 9
Rest day – free to play |
Day 10 Thangnak to Khare (Base Camp) 4919 meters / 5
hrs. walk
We will be above 5000 meters today at certain places so the
going will be very slow – plus things will be a bit more difficult
because we will be walking along a moraine of a glacier close
by. We ascend the moraine and reach the top of the Hinju and
Shar glaciers which makes up the campsite at Khare. |
Day 11 & Day 12
Rest Days. Key acclimatization days for us. However rest does
not mean we will be sitting around - today you will feel like
a true mountaineer for we walk up to the ice and practice
our crampon and ice axe techniques. |
Day 13 Khare to Mera Base Camp 5500 meters / 4 hrs walk
A short day but we ascend very slowly, giving ourselves as
much time to acclimatize to the rare height you will find
yourselves in. Today we reach the Mera Base Camp by crossing
the Mera pass and descending about a 100 meters to set up
camps. |
Day 14
Rest Day today and you will truly need one. For those who
would like to acclimatize better for the gig at the top, they
can take short walk up to higher elevations and come back
down to the camp. Those less inclined can of course strum
on a guitar or go breathless trying to blow a balloon. |
Day 15 Mera Base Camp to high camp 5800 meters / 5 hrs
walk
Another short day in terms of distance but the altitude will
of course slow things down a bit. 4 to 5 hrs. walk will bring
us to our high camp where we spend a restful night in anticipation
of what is to come tomorrow – the World’s Highest Gig. Early
dinner and early to bed because we wake up at 2 am to start
the long march to the Summit. |
Day 16 Summit day / WHG day 6476 meters
/ 10 hrs
Today is going to be the most testing for it can take upto
6 hrs. to get to the summit and then do the gig and after
it walk back down to Mera base camp. However this is the day
you signed up for. The summit of Mera is truly an amazing
spot where you can see five of the world’s highest peaks.
The summit area is broad in its expanse and this is where
you will pull out your choice of instruments and do your stuff.
After the gig, we walk down to Mera Base camp below the High
camp and take stock of what you have achieved that day – a
name in the Guinness Book of World Records. |
Day 17 to Day 22
Walk back with a renewed spring in your step towards Lukla |
Day 23
Fly back to Kathmandu for a much needed bath |
