Day 01: Fly to Lukla (2800m) & trek to Chuthunga(3440m), 4 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
We fly to Lukla from Kathmandu in the morning. This 30-minute flight comes with spectacular views of the hills and the Himalayas, forcing many to take their cameras out or simply use their mobile phones with attempts to capturing the beauty.
After breakfast in Lukla, we start our walk to Chutanga. Leaving the trail to our right which leads to Phakding, we turn right. On the almost flat comfortable trail for about four hours, we walk through a relatively thick forest and arrive in Chutanga with around half a dozen small constructions in the middle of the forest.
We spend the night here.
Day 02: Chutangato Thuli Kharka/Chatra-La (3,900m) via Zwatra-La Pass (4,610m), 6 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
After a heavy breakfast, we pack our lunch and start walking up a steep incline for around four hours, first crossing a ridge of the Nau Lekh range, which happens to separate the Khumbu Valley from where we are about to enter: the Hinku Valley, and eventually up and over Zwatra-La, a Pass at 4,610 metres. On a clear day, the view of the Limding Himal from the Pass is a worthwhile experience. From here on, Thuli Kharka, also known as Chatra-La, is roughly a couple of hours away on a trail that goes downhill. We spend the night here.
Day 03: Thuli Kharka to Kothe (3,600m) 5-hour walk. Overnight at guest house.
After breakfast, we walk on a gentle downhill, crossing a ridge, then another, then yet another. In about three hours, we reach Thulodunga. The settlement, with a number of teahouses, is our stopover for lunch. We leave for Kothé. After a sharp descent to the Hinku River, we start our climb through a forest to Kothé. The settlement, on the banks of a river, is well equipped to cater for the needs of most travelers. We spend the night here.
Day 04: Kothe to Thaknak (4,350m) 5-hour walk. Overnight at guest house.
After breakfast, we begin our walk along the banks. A slight uphill all the way, the route is not demanding on the legs. An hour after leaving Kothe, only some species of shrubs and grasses remain to still hold on in these conditions that are getting harsher and harsher for most species of vegetation. We come across a monastery about an hour before Thaknak. Like Kothé, Thaknak too comes with about half a dozen hotels providing good facilities. We spend the night here.
Day 05: Thaknak to Khare (5,045m) 5 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
After breakfast, we walk all the way to Kharé. Although mostly a gradual uphill, many find this walk exhausting, owing much to the thinning of the air at higher altitudes. Khare is located in a relatively open area. We spend the night here in one of the slightly less than a dozen hotels in the area. This is also the place where we make sure that our climbing gears are all in preferred conditions. We also involve in some necessary training on an elevation in the vicinity.
Day 06: Acclimatization day at Khare. Overnight at guest house.
After breakfast, we walk around for acclimatization. During the day, a brief meeting with climbing guide about the peak and have some climbing training around. Spend a night in Khare
Day 07: Khare to High Camp (5,780m) Walking 5 ½ hours. Overnight at tent camp.
After breakfast, we set off for the High Camp. Some time into the trail and we reach the snow-line. Crampons on and we walk towards the High Camp. The path, from here on, is up. Through Mera-La Pass, we come to a huge boulder. The piece of land behind this structure is better protected against winds and possible ice formation. We put up our tents here at an altitude somewhere close to 5,780 meters. The porters, however, return, perhaps, to create space for other budding climbers.
Day 08: Highcamp to the Mera Summit (6476m) and back to Khare. Walking 9-10 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
Today, we get up very early, at around 1 am. After breakfast, we get ready, all geared up – crampons on, ice-axe ready for use, you know where the ropes are and the likes – and carrying only the essentials to traverse the next five hours or so to the Peak. This, otherwise, a gradual uphill requires us to traverse the final 100 meters or so with the aid of the ropes.
Once atop … photographs, smiles, hugs … in sheer admiration of the endurance to the Summit of Mera Peak. Largely depending on weather conditions, most are able to spend a maximum of around half an hour on top before starting their descent back. We walk all the way down for around five hours to Khare for the night.
Day 09: Khare to Kothe, 6 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
We retrace our steps back to Kothe in around seven hours, stopping for lunch in Thaknak. We spend the hight in Kothe.
Day 10: Kothe to Thuli Kharka, 7 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
Our walk to Thuli Kharka starts after breakfast. We walk back the same route to Thuli Kharka for the night. Allows the scaling of Island Peak (6,189m)
Day 11: Thuli Kharka to Lukla, 7 hours walk. Overnight at guest house.
Once again, we use the previous path to come to Lukla and spend the night here.
Day 12: Fly back to Kathmandu. Overnight at Hotel
We fly back to Kathmandu and reach the hotel in time for lunch. The afternoon is for shopping for some, for buying souvenirs for others and for doing whatever they please for still others. In the evening, however, please allow us the pleasure of your company during the farewell dinner organized by Amazing Nepal. Spend the night in the hotel.
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