18 days - Mera Peak

Spring (late March to late May) and autumn (late September to early November) are the two reliable windows for Mera Peak, when the jet stream lifts off the summit and temperatures at high camp are cold but manageable. Autumn has the clearest skies and is the more popular season. Spring is a degree or two warmer at altitude and has rhododendron in bloom on the lower Solu approaches.

Winter (December to February) is cold enough to make the summit push dangerous and the Zatrwa La snowbound for extended periods. The summer monsoon (June to August) brings cloud, snow on the glacier, and leeches and mud below. Flight availability to Lukla tightens in peak season, so book domestic flights at least three months in advance and carry a one-day buffer for weather cancellations.

Mera Peak needs a Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) climbing permit for Group B peaks; the fee ranges from roughly USD 70 in low season to USD 250 in the spring high season. The route passes through the Makalu Barun National Park (Hinku Valley section), which requires a Makalu Barun conservation fee, and the TIMS card is required for all foreign trekkers. The Sagarmatha National Park fee applies only if the route enters that boundary, which varies slightly by the exact approach used.

All permits are lodged in Kathmandu before the flight to Lukla. Swotah arranges the NMA permit and all relevant conservation fees on confirmation of booking; you need to supply a passport copy, two passport photos and a copy of your travel insurance policy that covers helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m. No permit can be obtained on the trail.

From Kathmandu to Khare (5,045 m), accommodation is teahouse lodges. Solu villages on the approach, Panggom to Ningsow, have basic lodges suitable for a family stay; Kothe, Thangnak and Khare have simple but adequate high-altitude teahouses with attached or shared bathrooms. Khare, as the last teahouse stop before the glacier, has a small number of lodges and fills quickly in peak season.

High camp at approximately 5,800 m is tent camping: Swotah supplies two-person mountain tents, foam mats, kitchen tent and dining tent. A four-season sleeping bag rated to at least -15 degrees Celsius is essential for both high camp nights and cold teahouse stops above 4,000 m. Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu is comfortable standard or deluxe class on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Dal bhat (rice, lentil soup and vegetable curry) is the staple from Lukla to Khare, because teahouse kitchens refill it without extra charge and the carbohydrate load helps at altitude. The Solu approach lodges have a wider menu than the Hinku Valley teahouses; expect porridge, eggs, noodles, pasta and fried rice throughout, with the menu narrowing above 4,000 m.

At high camp, Swotah's kitchen staff prepare hot meals and drinks. For water, aim for 4 to 5 litres per day above 5,000 m to help prevent altitude sickness, and never drink untreated water. Boiled water is sold at all lodges; carry purification tablets or a UV pen as backup. Carry a wide-mouth thermos or insulated bottle at high camp, where temperatures drop to -15 degrees Celsius or below at night.

The route starts and ends with a 35-minute domestic flight between Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport and Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla (2,846 m). Both legs are subject to morning weather holds, the most common cause of trip-day slippage. Swotah confirms seats on both flights and books a buffer day at each end of the Lukla legs where the schedule allows.

All Kathmandu road transfers use private vehicles. There is no jeep or bus leg on this itinerary: the entire route from Lukla to Lukla is on foot. Mera Peak base camp and high camp are accessed by trail and glacier, not road. Total walking distance from Lukla to the summit and back to Lukla is approximately 110 km over 14 trekking days.

Mera Peak has three summits: North (6,476 m, the highest and usual target), Central (6,461 m) and South (6,064 m). The normal summit route climbs the Mera La snowfield from base camp, follows the northeast ridge to the North Summit headwall, and ascends a 45-degree fixed-rope section to the top. The whole push from high camp at 5,800 m takes 4 to 6 hours up and 3 to 4 hours back down.

From the summit cairn and prayer flags at 6,476 m, the panorama on a clear day covers Everest (8,849 m) to the north, Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) to the east, Lhotse (8,516 m), Makalu (8,485 m) and Cho Oyu (8,188 m) simultaneously. No other trekking peak in Nepal puts five 8,000 m summits in one field of view. The first ascent was made by Jimmy Roberts and Sen Tenzing on 20 May 1953, three days after the first ascent of Everest.

A licensed climbing guide is mandatory for Mera Peak, and Swotah assigns a Sirdar (lead guide) with Nepal Mountaineering Association technical certification for the summit phase. The Sirdar fixes rope on the summit headwall, monitors the group's altitude acclimatisation, and carries emergency oxygen and an evacuation kit. The ratio on summit day is at most 3 climbers per guide.

Porters carry loads from Lukla to Khare base camp at a maximum of 20 to 25 kg per porter, with Swotah supplying a free duffel. Above Khare, high-altitude porters or yaks carry high-camp equipment to 5,800 m. Walking with a light daypack (6 to 8 kg) from Lukla to Khare is the standard arrangement, letting you focus on pacing. All staff carry NMA accidental insurance and receive the Nepal government-set minimum wage.

Mera Peak requires personal technical equipment: mountaineering boots (double-plastic or stiff-soled synthetic), crampons compatible with those boots, ice axe, climbing harness and helmet. A chest harness is useful for clipping into the fixed line on the summit headwall. These items are available for hire in Kathmandu's Thamel district at reasonable daily rates if you do not own them. Swotah provides a kit-check appointment in Kathmandu to confirm compatibility and fit before departure.

Ropes are fixed on the summit section by the Swotah climbing guide and shared across the group. Sunglasses rated Category 4 (glacier glasses) are essential above the Mera La to prevent snow blindness. A down suit or very heavy down jacket, combined with fleece and a wind shell, is the minimum insulation for the -15 to -25 degree Celsius temperatures recorded at high camp in spring and autumn nights.

Nepal Telecom (NTC) gives the best mobile signal on this route up to Kothe; coverage becomes patchy above Thangnak and is absent at high camp. Some Khare lodges offer Wi-Fi for a fee. Charging costs around USD 3 to 6 per device at teahouses above 4,000 m, and power is unavailable at high camp. A power bank and a solar panel pouch are both useful; cold temperatures drain battery capacity fast overnight.

Mera Peak receives roughly 2,000 to 3,000 permit applications per year, so responsible conduct matters: carry all non-biodegradable waste out, use the toilet tents at high camp, and leave the summit ridge exactly as found. Tipping is customary at 10 to 15 percent of the trip cost, split among the climbing guide, Sirdar, porters and kitchen staff. Booking through a registered operator like Swotah ensures NMA permit compliance, staff insurance and fair porter-load limits are all met.