Climb Mera Peak (6,461m) — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Pre-book a hostel or guesthouse in Thamel — the backpacker hub — via Hostelworld or Booking.com. Pick up a local SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£4 for a data pack) and change money in Thamel rather than the airport for better rates. Spend the evening sorting your TIMS card and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality permit paperwork online, and start interviewing climbing agencies if you haven't already booked a guide. Aim to land before mid-afternoon so you have time to organise.

🚌Prepaid taxi from KTM airport to Thamel, ~£5

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse, dorm or twin room (~£10-18)

• →Airport pickup or prepaid taxi to Thamel (~£5)
• →Buy Ncell/NTC SIM card
• →Thamel orientation walk and gear shop browsing

Independently confirm your guide and porter arrangements. Climbing Mera requires a licensed climbing guide (mandatory for the glacier section) — expect £35-55/day for a guide and £18-25/day for a porter. Rent or buy remaining kit: plastic boots, crampons, ice axe, harness, ascender, descender, helmet, down jacket and sleeping bag. Shona's and the Thamel gear shops rent full kits for around £60-100 for the trip. Register with the Nepal Mountaineering Association for the Mera Peak climbing permit, and finalise your insurance — make sure it explicitly covers climbing to 6,461m.

🚌Walking around Thamel

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse (~£10-18)

• →Hire licensed climbing guide and porter
• →Nepal Mountaineering Association permit registration
• →Rent technical gear (crampons, boots, harness, ice axe)
• →Verify climbing/evacuation insurance covers 6,461m

Take a public bus or shared jeep from Kathmandu's Koteshwor or Ratna Park bus stand to Manthali (Ramechhap), roughly 6 hours on winding roads. Public buses run regularly and cost about £4-6. Book a guesthouse or budget lodge near Ramechhap airport for the night. Rest and rehydrate — the same reset the operator builds in — since you'll fly to Lukla tomorrow. If the Lukla flight can instead depart from Kathmandu (common outside peak season, roughly Oct-Nov and spring), you may be able to fly directly and stay in Kathmandu tonight.

🚌Public bus Kathmandu to Manthali, ~£5 (6 hrs)

🛏Basic lodge/guesthouse near Ramechhap airport (~£8-14)

• →Scenic overland bus journey through the mid-hills
• →Early night to acclimatise and rest

Catch the 15-minute mountain flight to Lukla (Book independently via Tara Air, Sita Air or Summit Air, or through a Kathmandu agent — roughly £150-190 one way). Meet your guide and porter crew at Lukla, hand over your overnight bag (they'll carry up to ~15kg), then trek downhill to Surke Village and on to Paiyan. Green terraced hillsides, mule trains, and a first big view of Numbur Himal.

🚌Ramechhap-Lukla mountain flight (~£160)

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Scenic Lukla flight (~£160)
• →Downhill trek through Surke Village to Paiyan (7 hrs, 6 mi)

Climb gently to the Khari La pass through rhododendron forest, descend to Bupsa, then follow the quieter side trail through villages and greenery to Panggom. Optional visit to the local monastery. Views of Numbur Himal all day.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Trek over Khari La pass (7 hrs, 7 mi)
• →Optional monastery visit in Panggom

Up over Panggom La pass for views down the Hinku and Khari Khola valleys, drop to the Sherpa village of Sibuje for a tea break, continue past Ningshow, cross a small river, and push up through forest to the Ramailo Danda ridge. First glimpse of Mera Peak.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Trek to Panggom La pass (6 hrs, 6 mi)
• →Tea stop in Sibuje Sherpa village
• →First views of Mera Peak

A tough day. Descend steeply to the Temba Khola River, then tackle a long climb with several stream crossings — keep an eye out for the elusive red panda. Finish with a steep descent to Chhetra Khola.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Steep descent and long climb (5 hrs, 6 mi)
• →Red panda spotting in stream-side forest

Rolling trail across the hillside with steady up-and-down sections through fir and bamboo. Lunch at Takhto, then two to three more hours into the rocky Inkhu Khola valley as the landscape shifts from forest to alpine terrain.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Rolling forest trek (7 hrs, 6 mi)
• →Lunch stop at Takhto

Ascend gently beside the river past narrow canyons, then from Mosom Kharka the valley opens into alpine pasture dotted with juniper and wildflowers. Optional detour to Lunga Sumba monastery, culturally important to local people. Views of Mount Kyasar. Arrive in the summer grazing village of Thangnak.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →River valley trek into alpine pasture (5 hrs, 6 mi)
• →Optional Lunga Sumba monastery visit

A classic 'climb high, sleep low' day. If conditions allow, hike up to Thangnak Ri (4,700m) for big views and valuable altitude gain, then return to your teahouse. Afternoon free to rest, read or play cards. Do not skip this day — acclimatisation is the single most important safety factor on Mera.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Acclimatisation hike to Thangnak Ri, 4,700m (4-5 hrs)
• →Rest and hydrate at teahouse

Climb beside the river as altitude bites, cross a wide rocky deposit, and trek above Sabai Tsho lake — worth a few quiet minutes. Follow the eastward trail between the Mera Glacier and the Khare Glacier stream, up from Dig Kharka over rugged terrain to Khare. Meet your climbing guide for a summit briefing over dinner.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£8-14)

• →Trek above Sabai Tsho lake to Khare (5 hrs, 4 mi)
• →Summit planning briefing with climbing guide

Non-technical Mera still demands competence: crampons, harness, rope work, ascenders, descenders and ice axe technique. Spend the day training with your climbing guide and acclimatising. Your guide should run a proper skills session — ask questions, practise knots and self-arrest, and be honest about your comfort level before the push.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£8-14)

• →Crampon, harness and ice axe training
• →Rope and self-arrest practice
• →Continued acclimatisation

Traverse the cliffside trail (crampons may be needed if snow-covered), turn toward Mera Peak's southern flank, and negotiate moraine and glacier with rope assistance. The final approach to Mera La steepens and tests you at altitude, then descend gently to Mera Base Camp where your tent is pitched. Your guide and porters will carry camping and group kit.

🚌On foot

🛏Tented camp, twin tent (~£8-15)

• →Glacier and moraine traverse with rope assistance (2.5 hrs, 2 mi)
• →Camp at Mera Base Camp, 5,350m

Short distance, tough at altitude. Ascend the ridge on snow to High Camp (5,780m), a rocky perch on the ridgeline. In high season it gets busy — arrive early to claim a decent tent spot. The views of Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Makalu make the discomfort worth it. One last rest before the summit push.

🚌On foot

🛏Tented camp, twin tent (~£8-15)

• →Ridge ascent on snow to Mera High Camp, 5,780m (6 hrs, 4 mi)
• →Sunset views of five major Himalayan peaks

Alarm at 1:00 AM. Soup and hot food, gear up, and start climbing across Mera Glacier over moderately steep stretches to the base of the long, steep ridgeline. Oxygen is under 66% of sea level here — every step is slow, and your guide and team keep you moving. The 360-degree panorama at the top takes in five eight-thousanders: Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu, plus Kyashar, Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Baruntse. Then the long descent back to Khare to celebrate.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£8-14)

• →Summit Mera Central Peak, 6,461m (14 hrs, 7 mi)
• →360-degree panorama of five 8,000m peaks
• →Descent to Khare

A contingency day built into the schedule. If weather or conditions blocked your summit attempt yesterday, today is your second chance. If you summited, begin the descent toward Lukla — the operator splits this over two days to make the long descent less punishing, and you can do the same.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-14)

• →Contingency summit attempt if needed
• →Optional start of descent toward Kothe

Continue the descent along the scenic, gentle stretch of trail back down to Kothe. Celebrate at the teahouse — after weeks at altitude, the thicker air feels like a gift.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin share (~£6-12)

• →Descend to Kothe (7 hrs, 9 mi)

Retrace the path to Taktho, then climb steeply along a ridge, first through forest and then above the treeline to a small pass. Descend to Thuli Kharka for a night in a simple hut. One more trekking day left.

🚌On foot

🛏Simple hut, twin share (~£5-10)

• →Ridge climb and descent to Thuli Kharka (7 hrs, 6 mi)

Ascend to the rugged Zwarta La pass, then descend steeply to Kharka Tenga for tea. Follow the river to Chutanga for lunch, then an easy downhill stretch through forest and across a suspension bridge back to Lukla. Trek officially finished — the celebration begins.

🚌On foot

🛏Lukla guesthouse, twin share (~£8-15)

• →Cross Zwarta La pass (9 hrs, 7 mi)
• →Descend through forest to Lukla and celebrate

Fly from Lukla back to Kathmandu (roughly £160-190) or to Manthali/Ramechhap followed by a 5-6 hour overland trip if that's the seasonal arrangement. Once back in Thamel, shop for souvenirs, settle any final guide and porter payments, and enjoy farewell beers with your crew. Book a hotel or hostel for a final night if your flight home is the next morning.

🚌Lukla-Kathmandu flight ~£165, or Lukla-Manthali flight plus bus ~£170

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse, final night (~£10-18)

• →Lukla-Kathmandu return flight (~£165)
• →Thamel souvenir shopping
• →Farewell dinner with guide and porters