View from the summit of Mera Peak

Mera Peak is usually, and perhaps incorrectly, regarded as the highest official trekking peak in Nepal. The confusion stems from its altitude and location being misreported by the Nepal Mountaineering Association. See the section on the real Mera Peak below.

In any case it remains a popular destination due to its easy standard route, which requires only basic mountaineering skills to acheive an altitude higher than any peak in Europe or North Amercia. In addition the Mera Peak trek is superb. The Hinku and Hongu valleys are spectacular Himalayan wilderness, where one might still see snow leopard tracks, as I did in the Hongu.

From the summit of Mera one can see 5 of the 6 highest mountains in the world: Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyo. The standard route from the north involves little more than high altitude glacier walking. The ease of reaching this elevation may be its biggest danger but good weather and snow conditions are, of course, necessary for safety and success. The west and south faces of the peak offer difficult technical routes.

The first ascent was on May 20, 1953 by Col. Jimmy Roberts and Sen Tenzing. The region was first explored extensively by British expeditions in the early 50's before and after the ascent of Everest. Members of those teams included Edmund Hillary, Eric Shipton and Geroge Lowe.

(For those who don't know, Jimmy Roberts (1916-1997) was probably the person who can take most of the credit for establising the trekking industry in Nepal in the early 1960's. He was posthumously awarded the "Sagarmatha (Everest) National Award" by the government in May 2005.)

Getting There

The normal approach is to make your way to Lukla by land or air. Then instead of heading north towards Namche Bazaar and Everest, trek east towards the ridge of peaks that divides the Dudh Kosi from the Hinku Valley. Cross the Zatra La (15,000� / 4600m) then descend steeply to the Hinku. Go north and east for several days and reach the Mera La (17,767� / 5415m). The summit is now to the south and can be reached in one or two days of glacier travel.

Proper acclimatization is key to having a good chance of reaching the summit. Our group used the following camps with most members acclimatizing well. This schedule put us on the summit 12 days after leaving Lukla.

Lukla (9,186� / 2800�)

Chutanga (11,115� / 3400m) � 2 nights

Tuli Kharka (14,436� / 4400m) � after crossing Zatra La

Tashing Ongma (11,489� / 3500)

Tangnag (14,108� / 4300m) � 2 nights

Khare (16,729� / 5099m) � 3 nights

Mera La (17,767� / 5415m)

High Camp (19,028� / 5800m)

Summit and return to Mera La

At the camps where we spent more than one night the extra days were used to climb about 2,000� (600m) above camp, following the �climb high, sleep low� rule.

Spending the night at the high camp is highly recommeded, both for its awesome views, and for the higher success rate in reaching the summit. Nine of ten people in our group summited from the high camp. Another group of ten that we met had only four of ten summit, but they tried to climb from Mera La to the top in one day.

The return can backtrack, or better yet, you can descend the east side of the Mera La into the totally wild Hongu Valley. Trek north with the awesome precipices of Chamlang on your right to Panch Pokhari (Five Lakes). There you cross the Amphu Labsa, a difficult pass of 19,193� / 5850m. The amazing Lhotse south face is staring right at you. The steep descent takes you past Imja Tse (Island Peak), another popular trekking peak, to Chukung and then back onto the normal Everest trekking routes.

When to climb

The typical eastern Himalayan climbing seasons apply: April-May before the monsoon, or October-November after it, more or less. I have seen some oufitters book this trip during the Christmas holiday season, but in my opinion it would be excessivly cold and dark then!

Red Tape

Peak permits required, can be obtained in Kathmandu. As of November, 2001 the cost starts at US $350 for a group of four. Check the Nepal Mountaineering Association website for the latest details.

If you cross the Amphu Labsa you will enter Sagamartha National Park and will need a park permit as well. Most outfitters handle getting these permits as part of the trip cost.

Some discussion of the term "trekking peak" might be in order here. This does not mean, as might be assumed, an easy peak that someone can climb while on a trek. Some "trekking peaks" such as Kusum Kangru have turned back the most determined and skilled climbers. It is more of a legal term that applies to a group of peaks listed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association for certain permit and fee structures. The ease or difficulty of reaching a summit is not implied!

Recent Updates

I recently attended a slide show given by friends who climbed Mera in November, 2003. There have been several changes to the region since my 1994 trip that should be mentioned. The main ones are:

There are now lodges in the Hinku valley all the way up Khare. In 1994 there was just one yak herder hut at Tangnag. It is now probably easier to do the Mera trip with just a few porters. The Hongu valley remains undeveloped, so continuing up to the Amphu Labsa requires more logistical support.

The summit block of Mera Peak has changed from when I took this photo. The crevasse that is making its way up this north-eastern face now extends across the entire face. This effectively blocks our line of ascent, which went up to the right of the crevasse, directly towards the prayer flags that are visible on top. My friends line followed the left (east) skyline. This is steeper and more exposed than the route I took. SP member Mathias Zehring reports the same thing. See his photos below, taken in October, 2003.

Summit View Photographs

The view from the summit of Mera is fantastic. Starting from high camp instead of Mera La increases your odds of reaching the top before the clouds roll in, so you can savor where you are. Have a look at these photos!

Mera from Everest

Since one can see Mount Everest from Mera Peak it follows that Mera is visible from Everest. Here�s the proof.

The photos are courtesy of Kiyoshi Furuno, leader of the Nihon University Everest Expedition 1995. This expedition made the first ascent of the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest. This is the route that claimed the lives of British climbers Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker in 1982.

Hero Photos!

This is for the obligatory summit photographs! (Thanks to Mathias Zehring for the idea of this section).

Maps and Charts

Petri Kaipiainen, author of the Real Mera website, has a nice collection of 3-D terrain models and maps, including high-resolution topographic scans.

After the Flood

On September 3, 1998 an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck eastern Nepal. The epicenter was about 20 km east-south-east of Namche Bazaar. This caused the collapse of the lateral moraine of the Dig glacier above Tagnang and triggered a huge flood as the waters of the Sabai Tsho Lake were drained. Several villagers living downstream were killed. Here are before and after photos of the valley by Tangnag.

Will the Real Mera Peak Please Stan
d Up?

It appears that many people who think they climbed the highest trekking peak in Nepal made a wrong turn! That Mera Peak is north of the Mera La, not south, and is known as Peak 41. There are no easy routes to its summit, which at 6654 met
ers, is nearly 200 meters higher than this Mera Peak.

Whatever the case, those of us who ascended Mera 6476 are following in the venerable tradition established in W. E. Bowman's The Ascent of Rum Doodle and can take pride in having climbed the wrong mountain. (Since I wrote this it has been generally agreed to keep the name Mera for the peak we have all climbed, and Peak 41 for the "Real Mera", even if all of our permits had the wrong map coordinates!).

Read more about this at the Real Mera Peak 6654 m: The Mystery of Mera website.

Mathias Zehring supplied this information:
First climb of Peak 41, "Real Mera" in 2002, done by Slowenian team over the west face (1500 m, TD+, WI V/4)
See the Alpinist climbing notes: Peak 41 First Ascent.

The photos below show Peak 41, "Real Mera Peak".

The Maoist Situation

If Westerners ever harbored the misconception that Nepal was a peaceful Shangri-La kingdom nestled in the Himalayas then that image has been shattered in recent years. Since 1996 a Maoist group has waged a "People's War" to overthrow the government. Over the years it has grown increasingly brutal on both sides and thousands of people have been killed in the violence. As I write this in January, 2005, there are news reports of hundreds dead in December, 2004 alone. The BBC has been a good source of news and a BBC search of "Nepal Maoist" will turn up many articles. Here are some:

BBB Q&A: Nepal conflict
Nepal Historical Timeline
Tourists ponder Nepal Maoist threat

The Maoist have, so far, left tourists unharmed. They do demand a "donation" when you pass through Maoist controlled territory, which now covers much of the country. The Everest region above Lukla and the Annapurna trekking region are relatively stable. The amount generally ranges from 1000-5000 rupees per person. Maoist leaders say they welcome tourists to the country, while at the same time warning that people do get caught in the cross fire.

There are apparently Maoists in the Hinku Valley, standard the route to Mera Peak. My friends did not have to pay, but they met several other groups who did.

SP Member Alan Sharp provides this April, 2004 information:

During our trip through the Hinku valley we were approached by Maoists twice. The first time on the way up they came first thing in the morning to our camp in Ghote village. There were five on our team, and also a German guy named Tomas camping on the same site. They asked us for 1000 Rupees (about $15) each, gave our Sirdar a nice receipt for the money and didn't bother us any further.

On the way down we ran into two Maoists on their own on the trail down from Khare to Tangnag. There were only two of us and a Sherpa named Karma. He spoke to them for a while and then they went away without bothering us. Karma claimed to have told them we only had 5 rupees between us!

Anyway, in conclusion, despite the recent escalation in the whole situation, the Maoists appear to remain the worlds most polite terrorists and we never once felt threatened

My personal experience occurred in October 2002 on a trek from the Makalu region over three high passes to the Everest region. We passed through Maoist territory during the first week of the trek. At the last village before we entered the wilderness of the Maklau-Barun park a small group of them joined us over cups of tea. We told them that our group of five were all from the same family, an obvious lie, but they reduced the 5000 rupee demand down to 3500 rupees per person (about US $45 at the time). We paid and went on our way. They did carry guns.

For several days we kept cameras and binoculars hidden. It added an unpleasant edge to the trip, but we never felt in danger.

Nonetheless, the U.S. State Dept., in its wisdom, has labeled the Maoists as terrorists: American Embassy Web Site.

If you are planning a trip to the region you will want to keep an eye on current events. In addition to the BBC, here are some Nepalese news sites:

Kantipur Online
nepalnews.com

My opinion, for what its worth, is that you should not let the situation stop you from going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but that extra caution is warrented. I would not travel alone through Maoist areas Avoid government buildings if the Maoists are calling a strike when you are in Kathmandu. A strike was in effect when I was taken to the airport and my driver draped his car with a banner indicating that a tourist was aboard. We went through several checkpoints, but the drive was uneventful and there was not much traffic.

Unfortunately anyone planning a trip to Nepal does have to consider this situation.

News Update: On November 21, 2006 the Maoists and the Nepal government reach a historic peace accord, formally ending the 10 years of armed conflict. There are high hopes that real peace can return to the country.

BBC news stories:
Peace deal ends Nepal's civil war
Nepal - a turning point in history?

Misc. Photos

External Links

Real Mera 6654 Expedition
An excellent site. Where is Mera Peak, and and how high is it?
Mera and Island Peak trip
Information and photos from a personal trip

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