Mera Peak

Height: 21,247 feet (6,476 meters)
Location: Hinku Valley, Nepal, Asia
Lat/Lon: 27.7067°N, 86.8692°E

Overview

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.

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!