Everything you need to plan a Mera Peak expedition — permits, itinerary, difficulty, training and the best season to summit 6,476 m.
At 6,476 m, Mera Peak is the highest trekking peak in Nepal — and one of the most accessible 6,000 m summits in the world for fit trekkers with no prior climbing experience. From the top you look across five of the planet's ten highest mountains: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Kanchenjunga. Unlike the busy Everest Base Camp trail, the approach through the Hinku valley is wild and almost empty.
You fly into Lukla, then cross the Zatrwa La (4,610 m) away from the main Everest trail into the forested Hinku valley. The trail climbs through Kothe and Thaknak to Khare (5,045 m), the base for acclimatisation and basic mountaineering training, before the high camp at 5,800 m and a pre-dawn summit push.
Mera is graded alpine PD — non-technical, with no rock or steep ice — but the altitude makes it serious. You'll use crampons, an ice-axe and a fixed rope on summit day. Train with long hill days carrying a pack, and build cardio endurance for months beforehand. Acclimatisation discipline is the single biggest factor in summit success.
October–November offers the most stable post-monsoon weather; March–May is warmer with more snow underfoot. Allow a weather-buffer day at Khare — summit windows are short and conditions change fast.
Budget 14–18 days from Kathmandu including Lukla flights and acclimatisation. Shorter 14-day trips are possible for the well-acclimatised; 17–18 days gives the safety margin most people need.