Why Choose the Mera Peak and Island Peak Climbing
While most treks allow you to climb to the base camp of a Himalayan mountain or at maximum climb one peak, this special combo of Mera peak and Island peak both of which are above 6000m, lets you climb two great mountains within 24 days. Mera peak is the largest mountain considered a trekking peak in Nepal. The whole combination will have you seeing the most amazing vistas of the Mahalangur mountain range as well as individual giants like Lhotse, Everest and Kanchenjunga.
Through this climbing trip you will get one of the most amazing experiences climbing on ice and snow using ice peaks and crampons. While most of the trek will have you waling 5-7 hours the push to the summit for each of the peaks will take you around 10-12 hours. Obviously, physical fitness is a must and prior experience in climbing will definitely help. However challenging the trek may be, the opportunity to climb two Himalayan peaks and get views of some of the largest structures in the world makes it all worth it.
Our climbing starts as we fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, the highest airport in the world. From Lukla we start trekking through the Chutok La pass on to the village of Pangking and the Col Khari La. The way through these is very rocky and unique, showcasing a landscape unseen by many. Between rocky settings are beautiful green meadows and small forests of alpine vegetation. Rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal blooms during the spring in these forests adding a slight red vibrance to the green landscape. Passing these wonderful ares, we find ourselves in the village of Kothey.
After our stay at Kothey we climb to Tangnag where we perform certain quick hike activities to help acclimatize and receive training for climbing. The next walk will have us walking beside the great Dig glacier and arrive at Khare. From Khare we move to the base camp of Mera peak. Walking from Mera base camp to Mera high camp, amazing views of Makalu, Baruntse, Everest, Lhotse, Cho You and Ama Dablam can be seen, sure to keep you captivated.
The day of the summit of Mera peak will have you waking up at 2 AM with more than 8 hours of climbing straight to the summit and back. However the feeling og being 6000m up looking across to see even bigger giants across from you is a sight that few get to see in their lifetime.
After returning from the summit, we make our way to Setopokhari through the Hingu valleey ater which we find ourselves at Amphu Lapcha Base Camp. From Amphu lapcha we make the greuling trek to Island peak base camp. From the basecamp, we climb to Island peak high camp. From the peak we again wake up early in the morning to start our journey to the top of island peak. This will be one of the more difficult parts of the climb however the view from the top makes it all worth it. The view of sunrise over the Makalu, Ama Dablam, Baruntse, and Chamlang will look absolutely stunning. As the slope is at an angle of 45 to 50 degrees the ascent is not that technical however it will be physically draining still.
After our descent from the peak, we hike to Tengboche, Namche where we get an amazing introduction to Sherpa culture and religion through the various monasteries at these villages. We then make our way to Lukla from where we make our way back to Kathmandu after climbing two Himalayan peaks in the Everest region.
