Mera Peak 2025
What am I getting myself into? Well now I know!
Mera Peak Day 1:
This day was filled with anticipation and excitement mixed with nerves. The day started early with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla is one of the most dangerous airports in the world, the plane has about 12 seats and surprisingly to me, dose have an air hostess! It’s a 30-minute flight, flying in between the mountains. I had my binoculars out so I could grasp the contrast a bit more, its honestly incredible although nerve wracking at the same time. The plane lands on a very short runway, it stops, you disembark, it turns around, passengers board and it’s off again.
Let’s start the trek, after the flight we had breakfast and tea (lemon ginger honey for me!) then we started the first day of trekking. It was a decent from Lukla surrounded by mountain landscapes, our aim was to reach a little village for lunch. Lunch took quite a while here, but it gave us a chance to dose in the sun, we were all tired from the 4am wake up time. From lunch we continued to Palya heading up and touching into the forest, we passed schools and a small abandoned village. Our guide told us a road has been built to Palya which meant hikers, porters and guides weren’t walking past the tea houses located here, causing people to lose their livelihoods. This meant they had to abandon their businesses, a lot of people went to Kathmandu for work. Which is a shame if you’ve spent your whole life in the mountains, Kathmandu must be a big shock to the system; it definitely was for me when I first visited the city.
We arrived in Palya to a Dzomo which is a cross between a yak and a cow waiting for his dinner with his head in the tea house front door. Yaks can’t survive at too low of an altitude which is why they have crossbred them with cows to transport items from Lukla to up in the mountains. (Pictured Left)
Let’s talk about teahouses
Now they are basic. It’s a wooden building which has a dining room with a log fire, next to the dining room sits the kitchen which is fuelled by a log fire too. The teahouses are often cold, In this tea house we had a triple room, our room had a hole in the plywood wall where a window may have been, on the other side of the wall was a drop hole toilet, there was just a curtain for privacy. We laughed as this it what you sign up for on these trips, it’s out of your comfort zone!
The people who live on the mountains and run the tea houses work so hard, real grafters in a way you can’t explain or comprehend.
Paiya to Panggom / Panggom to Ramailo Danda (3276m.) / Ramailo Danda to Chhatra Khola (2800m.) Days 2 3 4:
Beginning of day two we started ascending through a forest with great views of mountains, passing dozens of waterfalls. The frustrating thing about this hike was that every time you gained altitude you then descended, so it can feel like you’re not getting anywhere. But this is what makes Mera Peak unique and more off the beaten path, it’s really important for acclimatizing too. Day three and four were very similar undulating up and over the valleys through forests, and because this trail is more remote it means there are very few teahouses, one or two at each stop. There were a few occasions we didn’t know if we had been booked in to a tea house for the night and it was a “see when we get there” kind of situation as to whether we had a bed. There’s not much signal which means the guides can’t book ahead sometimes, and things change that much in the mountain you can’t book in advance. There was a situation on day two where a big group couldn’t get into the teahouse meaning they had to walk another two to three hours on an already taxing day of hiking. Some of their hike would now be in the dark, meaning they’d miss some great views and first sites on Mera. On day four we passed a waterfall with a natural pool at the bottom, it was still pretty warm at this point so it was tempting to jump in, but we didn’t! This day was a slog and after a few hours of ascending we stopped for a lunch break. I was finding this day really hard, one of my friends said they were struggling too, which made me feel sooo much better, it’s definitely important to be open with your fellow hikers and friends, it turned out we were all feeling the same! I can often get into my own head about these things especially if you’re having a bad day and struggling, if you share you can bring each other out of it or sit in it together, either way you’re not alone. We bought a coke and that perked us up for the rest of the day. It did turn out I was coming down with what I think was covid which wouldn’t have been helping the way I was feeling. The forests are lovely to walk through you do get a few great views, but we were itching to get amongst those majestic mountains the Himalayas are known for. Forests are tricky for me visually; the paths are dark with sneaky dark rocks and roots ready to trip me up, but they won only a couple of times! There were some pretty sheer drops too. My friends Ann and Heidi really helped me out with pointing out the trip hazards and the drops ‘keep right Lucy’ ‘slippery rock here, root sticking out’ Adventures like these wouldn’t work without my friends who help me so much with the challenges of being visually impaired and hiking, it’s very nice they care and are willing to help me to make these trips possible. But do feel a bit of a burden, I don’t want to spoil the trip for them.
Chhatra khola to Kothe (3690m.)
We’re on day five and it was a steep and rocky day, we went straight up to a teahouse with a great view, then zigzagged up the rest of the way until lunch. After lunch we scrambled down and of course back up again, a dog followed us for a little while but then they went off ahead. Kothe was kind of like a village with a couple of little shops / stalls where you could pick up essentials like hand gel and toilet roll. There was a teahouse that had a coffee machine and cake so we went there for a hot chocolate. This day I was really feeling poorly and had a nap in the afternoon to try and combat the virus.
Kothe to Thangnak (4358m.)
This was a more of a flat trek on day six. We trekked along a glacier river, which we had to cross a couple of times. I was still feeling pretty grim this day, so it was nice to have a flatter day of hiking. When we stopped for lunch we had hot chocolates, it was like having a hug. We stopped at a monastery on this rocky route, the monastery looked as though it was carved into an overhanging rock. This monastery was indescribable there were drawings on a stone archway which was my favourite part, you’re probably wondering how I could see this but that’s what my binoculars are for! I may only be stood a few feet away, but I’ll be using them, also through taking pictures and zooming in to grasp more detail.
When we arrived in Thangnak we saw the dog that was following us from a couple days ago.
Thangnak to Khare (5045m.)
Day7 : It was a rocky trail reminded me of Everest base camp. We had to cross a small river a few times either by stepping stones or bridges On our break we chatted to more Mera peak expeditioners, one of them was suffering with altitude sickness. This was because they came up a short and quicker route gaining elevation quicker, so although this took less days, you’re more at risks of not acclimatising and therefore start with symptoms of altitude sickness which can be intense. On a trip in North Africa, I saw a guy get altitude sickness at around 3000m, he was sick and disorientated thinking it was warm when it was freezing. I’ve been poorly on trips due to bugs but luckily not too bad with altitude.
After the break it was an uphill hike to Khare. Arriving in Khare was a contrast to where we had been staying, there were more tea houses and a couple of shops where you could rent equipment, it was like a little mountain village. Whilst we were waiting for lunch in our teahouse I went to the medical centre for some medicine, this was my chance to try and get better as we were staying in Khare for a couple of nights to acclimatise. I was feeling better than the day before, but I was still struggling with congestion, a tickly cough and feeling generally unwell and fatigued. We had a little walk through Khare and stopped at a different tea house for a hot drink and cake - that tea house felt like luxury, but I’ll remind you they are still very basic, but it makes you appreciate the smaller comforts. When we got allocated our rooms it was very exciting because I had a plug in my room which was a real treat as usually, you have to pay to get phones etc charged.
Khare was snowy and slippery, we were at over 5000m here, surrounded by massive snowy mountains. Knowing Mera was one of them and being able to make out a ridge line it felt like the summit of Mera Peak was a long way away and not just a two-day trek.
Acclimitising in Khare
Day eight was an acclimatisation day in Khare, we hiked up a steep hill, took some pictures with the flag sat down for a little in the sun, then headed back down. We met so many people along the way and there was another hiker at the top of this hill who was getting us to stand at different angles to get some great pictures (see below). Once we got back down, we had to get some mountaineering boots, crampons and harness. There was quite a bit of delay with this, and you could tell everyone was a bit stressed trying to get the right sizes for their hikers, it all worked out ok in the end. Although the boots were really heavy and with the crampons too it adds a couple extra kgs onto your legs which isn’t ideal. It’s not like being in the Alps where the most up to date and technical gear is at your fingertips, but this is what makes the Himalayas so special and unique, it keeps the mountaineering at its roots and makes you grateful for what you have.
After lunch we had a practice with the crampons on. We had all worn crampons before but not often, we did some climbing and abseiling training too with the Jumar
Off to High Camp
Right, it’s the next morning (day nine) were off to high camp. Am I nervous? Hell yes, I had doubts the day before, I really thought I couldn’t do this. I was also a bit frightened of getting lost, it was so cold and my energy levels were depleted from having a virus. I reached out to my running friends knowing they had met this mental block before, they encouraged me but also said its ok if this isn’t your time. Ann could tell I was a bit quiet and reassured me too that we were going to take it at a nice pace, there’s no rush and we’d support each other.
It’s a long uphill day to high camp; it starts off rocky then turns into snowy inclines. It’s cold but also sunny and bright. I struggle with the brightness on the snow (like most people) I can’t open my eyes, I was lucky enough to be gifted some mountaineering sunglasses from Vallon, and they are a life saver.
You pass a lot of people who are coming down from summiting Mera, they seem relieved and exhausted. Some come down victorious, others not, but still positive as they’d pushed themselves to their limits. We were all so happy to get to high camp, as soon as the guys could see the tents, we’d felt elated. However, the thing about being visually impaired is you forget how far-sighted people can see. When someone says they can see the finish point, and you’re still hiking 20mins later, you realise how bloody far they can see! It amazes me every time, if I can see a landmark, I’m a few steps away.
Arriving at high camp you’re greeted into the kitchen tent where you have some noodles and a hot drink. You’re shown your tent, which is a two man, and you basically get in that for the night. You’re delivered you tea, which was dalbat, you don’t really have an appetite at this height which is around 5800m (the height of Kilimanjaro). I just ate some rice. I then tried to get my head down for a little, although you have loads of layers on you’re still so cold and I kept getting cramp in my legs. Oh let’s talk about the toilets here, it was just a hole in the ground which it fine at the point, were used to it but this one had frozen sh*t around it! Heidi and to tell me where to exactly put my feet and it was like a little dance, step, twist, big step and your good. Not sure why this happened maybe people couldn’t aim from fatigue and altiude, I think there needs to be a scraper, but atleast it was frozen !
Summit day (day ten) – Lets go girls……
We woke around one (although you don’t really sleep) you have some oats, again you don’t have an appetite, so a couple of spoonfuls and you’re done. We then got all the gear on and set off just before two am, and it’s steep. It was described to me as you are walking up an incline at a 45-degree angle, its straight up and there’s no flat areas to give your calves a break and catch your breath. We were all roped together, we had two guides and we took it on as a team, stopping whenever anyone needed to. It was incredibly steep and a massive endurance test. On our way up when we turned around, we had an amazing sunrise which Ann was brave enough to take her glove off to get a photo. All I could see was different shades in the sky, but it gives you an extra smile to keep going. The rest of the time you can just see bits of light which are people’s headlamps and when you still see that they are higher than you, it’s not exactly encouraging, you think you’ll never get there. The sun rose though, as it does every day, no matter what, and as we got closer, I could make out a mound, and it reminded me of the mountain the grinch lives on. It took 5 hours to get to the summit, the relief and excitement that we were there was immense. I often meet the ‘wall’ where I think ‘will the summit ever happen’, it’s a unique experience so you can’t really imagine yourself stood on the top. You’re exhausted, my mouth and lips had all split because of how cold it was, it was -23 degrees. You’re up there for minutes, we got some photos and I grabbed my phone out quickly for a video which I’m so happy I got, then it’s time to descend as it’s too cold to hang around!
Getting down….
You think you’ve completed the hard part, but descending can be just as taxing on the body and mind, it was steep going up and you’ve now got to keep yourself up right getting down. However, at first you do have the adrenaline still from summiting but that does ware off quick. We arrived back to high camp, had some noodle soup and a hot ginger lemon. You pack up your bits from the tent, although you are wearing most of your clothing. Now for the descent to Khare, it was a long day up to high camp from Khare and it felt just as long to go back to Khare. Your legs are feeling weak, you’ve been up since one am with little fuel and have already hiked around 8 hours to the summit and back. We made it though; you could hear the noise coming from the tea house and guess what? They were putting in new wifi, so that was a right treat and was really nice to get to message family and friends to say you had made it. We stayed the night at Khare, it took me a while to get my head around what we had achieved, it was unbelievable experience which is hard to describe, but all round it was a real labouring task but epic. The summit was really challenging and maybe the hardest yet.
Lets Get Back.....
Day eleven, twelve and thirteen
Day eleven: Was beautiful!! We were walking along the rocky river again, we went off the track a little to visit the most amazing lake (amazing doesn’t do it justice) honestly it was stop you in your tracks amazing, with sandy rock holding the most beautiful ice blue / turquoise water. Surrounding was little stacks of rocks; imagine calmness at its finest.
When we stopped for lunch, I noticed I could see something out of the corner of my eye and realised my face had swollen up! It got worse the next day (picture below) it was like my whole face just blew up and I’d had a load of filler in my lips! It went down after a day or so, we weren’t sure if it was because of the altitude oedema.
Day twelve: Was tough we had to hike up and up and up, we compared it to hiking in the Peak District in the UK on a grey foggy day - the terrain was similar, but it was steeper. There is a photo of me which I put on my Instagram with the caption ‘when people ask if you have a good holiday’ it looks like I’m a contestant on I’m A Celebrity or Bear Grylls The Island. I’m sat on a rock with a swollen face looking down and a little glum.
On these kinds of hikes you are often passing the same groups, sometimes they’ll stop for a break and you’ll pass them and visa versa , we kept passing these 3 guys, one of them named us the queens of Mera Peak as we were the only all girl group he saw, of course we ran with that and got t shirts made in Kathmandu with the queens of Mera Peak and the map of where we trekked – have to give Kudos to Heidi for this as she was the one who organised and made sure it was accurate. – picture below
Best Chips In The World!
This night’s tea house was very basic and after a long day of hiking with elevation gain the height of Ben Nevis and remember we’re already shattered from two weeks worth of hiking up and down valleys.
This tea house was a cabin with a corridor of rooms and beds some slept 5 some 3, the kitchen and dining area was small and chilly, but at least we didn’t have to sleep outside like some people had to.
We almost had to share a room with three others but then they moved us into a triple room which was nicer not to be sharing beds with strangers.
This tea house may have been basic but my goodness it had the best chips, we all shared a plate and they were so so good.
Many Showers Later….
This picture was taken in Kathmand
Day 13....
I thought the hard part was over, we had to go over Zatrwa pass. When we got to the pass it was icey and I was nervous coming down. It’s really hard for me to navigate this terrain with my vision loss. I can’t tell what’s ‘is it a flat rock or pointy, can I use it, will I trip’, well you get the picture, it’s just a blur. There were really icey sections and our guide had to grab my hand and help me a lot. Heidi almost fell down the mountain at one point which was scary. She slipped and then rolled, but luckily only once, before she stopped; she came away unscathed which was pretty lucky. When we were finally over the icey bit it was back to a nicer terrain and an easier decent. After lunch we carried on, and we saw our first suspension bridge (picture below). We then made our way back to Lukla which is like a little mountain town and the busiest place we’d been in two weeks. We stayed at the tea house at the airport; we were able to wash our faces with soap and running water which felt SO nice! We then had dinner with the guide and our porters; it was nice to sit with them and thank them for all their help and hard work. The tip will never be enough, they all worked so hard and it must be an exhausting job.
Shopping Time!
Now it was time to look for merchandise around Lukla and stop at the Irish pub, one more sleep to go for a shower!
The next day we flew back to Kathmandu on that tiny plane, the airport there is hectic honestly hectic!
We said goodbye tour guide, and he stayed until he saw the plane leave, then the 30-minute flight back through the mountains and back to Kathmandu.
Mera Peak October 2025 written in my own words and from my own memories, thanks for reading , Lucy Hobson
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