If you’ve already trekked a mountain like Kilimanjaro, or hiked to Machu Picchu, you might be looking for another challenge. One expedition that people often look to after lower level challenges is Mera Peak. At 6,476m, Mera Peak is well known as the highest trekking peak in Nepal. If you’re thinking about taking on the challenge, you’re probably wondering, “How hard is it to climb Mera Peak?” Well, we’ve got the answers to some of your questions…
How hard is it to climb Mera Peak?
At Earth’s Edge, we give all of our expeditions a difficulty level. Mera Peak has an expedition level of 7, meaning you can expect…
“An average of 6 to 8 hours per day at altitudes not usually exceeding 6,500 meters. Typically, it will involve one long day of 10 to 15 hours to reach a summit. Typical elevation gain per day would be 500 – 1000 meters, with at least one day over 1000 metres. Added to this will be the remote location of the expedition. As a rough guide, you should be comfortable hillwalking for 8 hours per day for two days in a row.”
What is the route like?
We take the route less travelled on our way to Mera Peak Base Camp. Along the way, we get a wonderful insight into traditional Nepalese life. Once at base camp, the climb up Mera Peak is technically straightforward, though weather is a challenge. Summit day itself is a challenge, for sure. But the view from the summit is one of the best in all the Himalayas. On a clear day you can see hundreds of huge peaks laid out before you, including Everest, Lhotse and Makalu.
What about altitude?
The main challenges of summiting Mera Peak are weather, snow conditions and proper acclimatisation. Proper acclimatisation is a key factor in successfully summiting, which is why we spend 11 days trekking to base camp. This means that we can all slowly acclimatise along the way.
How long does it take to climb Mera Peak?
Our expedition is 23 days in total. This allows for both the aforementioned trek to base camp, as well as spare summit days to allow for any challenges with the weather. This longer trek also gives us the best chance to acclimatise properly and summit the mountain.
If you’re keen to learn more about our expedition to Mera Peak, click here to learn more. You can also hear about one of our expeditions from a woman who climbed it, by listening to our podcast episode with Rachel Kiernan.
