Mera Peak Expedition - 20 Days

Mera Peak trek – October 2024 • Trek Company: Annapurna Foothills – Ngima Neru Sherpa • Guide: Dendi Sherpa • Porters: Ngima and Karma Comments: I hope these comments are useful to anyone considering trekking Mera Peak in Nepal I traveled from Australia to Nepal to trek Mera Peak during October 2024. My friend and I chose Mera Peak due to our skill level (limited altitude and technical climbing experience) and that Mera Peak offers outstanding views of the Himalaya. From reading about Mera Peak, this appeared to be a non-technical, high climb with rewarding views and with good fitness and a steady resolve, achievable for both of us. This turned out to be spot on. Next came, choosing a trekking company who would look after us. We wanted a company that would pick us up from Kathmandu airport, look after everything, and then drop us back at the airport when we were all finished. Importantly we wanted to partner with a local Nepalese company and ensure the money we spent went directly to the Nepalese and also be guided by Nepalese guides- the experts. This is exactly what we received from Annapurna Foothills. I emailed a few companies after researching their websites/offers. We chose Annapurna foothills based on their honest descriptions of their treks, their experience and their approach toward guiding. In addition to these requirements, Annapurna Foothills provided the trek at an extremely competitive price. They were immediately attentive to my email questions and before I knew it, I was conversing with Ngima regularly. Throughout the entire experience, I felt supported and all my questions/concerns were immediately answered. The Annapurna Foothills team are experienced and go out of their way to support you- their service to their customers was way beyond my expectations. When we felt comfortable, we chose our dates, selected the corresponding trek via the website, signed on and paid the deposit. We then commenced our personal fitness training, which I strongly recommend any reader to focus on. Mera Peak is a challenge. With good fitness you will place yourself in the best position for a successful experience. As the website advises, the days are long (6 hours avg. most days) with lots of stairs, up and down. In Australia, we have small mountains/hills so training at an altitude gym did the trick and shed the excess kilograms, improved leg strength and lung capacity. Also, hiking as much as possible helped enormously. Mental resilience is also something to prepare if you can. Read what you can and asking questions to experienced climbers will definitely help. Understanding the trek and the impact of altitude on the body prepared me well. The gear list from the website is very accurate. I ended up taking too much gear preparing for the worst and in retrospect this was unfair on the porters, who without compliant ever, carried my gear all the way to high camp and back again. I also had to carry my extra “stuff” which ended up as a 12kilo pack. My humble advice - grab yourself a 120litre duffle, pack it with your gear (and sleeping bag) and try to limit it to 15kgs or less. The porters carry 2 Duffels and another bag each, in a jaw dropping effort, every day. Then pack your day pack with what you need (essentials only) and will carry each day (water/snacks/warm top. coat etc. but keep it light). Your guide will advise on the necessary gear you’ll need. Light and efficient packing is the way to go. Good gear (esp. boots) is very important. Fast forward and we arrived late (10pm) into Kathmandu airport- 3.5hours later (1.30am) we were through “the arrival process” and there waiting for us, with a smile and sign with our names on it, was Ngima from Annapurna Foothills. From there, everything was looked after by Ngima and the AF team. Some general comments to help any reader: Language Our guide had excellent English, the tea house staff have enough English to get by- there was never an issue with the language barrier for us. Meals on the trek Each tea house has a range of breakfast/lunch and dinner choices. These are awesome and carb rich. Protein is mostly from fresh eggs or lentils. Carbs from potatoes/ pasta/noodles and local grain bread. Tea and coffee is available at any teahouse. The meals are great and sizable. As a bigger guy I needed a bit more protein and supplemented my diet with a daily protein bar. The daily treat from AF of a mars bar/bounty etc was also essential, and greatly appreciated. Teahouses These are basically a building with a number of 2 bed rooms – most with 6 or more rooms. The beds are very comfortable, clean and firm (with pillow and blanket/doona etc.). These were really fantastic. Shower Some teahouses provide a shower (most a warm bucket of water only) for a fee Internet and Power Most teahouses will offer both for a charge (some hikers recharge phones/camera with a solar panel recharge device strapped to their day pack. Altitude At 6476m Mera will definitely test you. Progress is slow and steady. Diamox/other altitude medications may be prescribed by your doctor. We used Diamox (half a tab 12 hourly) and it worked a treat (no headaches at all). Slight tingling in the fingers and a couple of extra pee breaks, but nothing unmanageable. Most people who turned around were suffering from strong headaches. Our Mera peak trek involved only 1 tent night (at high camp) - I slept in most of my gear that night and was very warm. The tents had mattresses. The food at high camp was fantastic Our Guide Dendi Sherpa was incredible- extremely patient as we made our way through jungle initially and then the higher altitudes. He was always supportive, had excellent English, so managed the language barrier when required and was a wealth of knowledge throughout the trek. On summit day he stepped up and was clear and precise as was required. Our trek required a little management due to poor weather at Lukla and a required drive. Dendi had it all under control. A highlight was our daily fresh coffee, percolated to perfection by Dendi and served with a morning smile. A truly nice guy with an infectious smile and a forever positive attitude. Extremely experienced, Everest, Mera, Island peak, you name the mountain he’s climbed/guided it. He knows everyone and is very well respected. I could not have asked more from a guide and can’t say enough thank you(s) to Dendi. Looking of the AF website, all the AF guides have excellent English and are very experienced. Our Porters Superhuman with wonderful Nepalese smiles at all times, even when you knew they were exhausted. Where you can, a daily thank you by paying for an extra drink and/or food item for the porters at the tea-houses is extremely appreciated. Take cash (Nepali rupee) - there are no ATM’s on the trek so stock up with (Nepali Rupee) before you go. Main expenses will be extra food, power recharges and any internet use, Tips for staff at the end of your trek. Tips Pay cash (need to take this with you as some staff may not return to Kathmandu with you) The AF guide is good regarding tips – as mentioned in the guide, if you are happy with the service (porters and guides etc.) tip as generously as you can as they do an incredible job. On our trip they were all amazing. Post trek trip to Chitwan National Park- this was a little extra we tagged on to allow for rest/recovery and a little relaxed site seeing. This was a fantastic end to our trip to Nepal. A luxury hotel (very affordable with an all-you-can-eat buffet to pack back on some lost kilos). We saw one horned rhino, crocodile and thoroughly enjoyed the safari tours and river cruises. If you have the time, this was a great short addition (3 extra days) to our trip. The Chitwan tour/stay was of course completely organised by Ngima and the AF team at short notice. All we needed to do was get on the bus. Hotel in Kathmandu fantastic- clean, comfortable, great coffee and very helpful staff. That’s it. I hope you have a great trip to Nepal and as a rewarding trek to Mera Peak as we did - Annapurna Foothills will definitely look after you - they are worth it. Paul M Australia (Mera Peak - October 2024)

(Actually, this was a 15 day trek/climb with helicopter return) Now based in Kathmandu, Ngima started off as a porter himself before becoming a guide & then in 2008 forming his company. All the pretrip communications were directly with Ngima. He met me personally at the airport & messaged me periodically during the trek. Before we set off on our walk, our trekking & climbing guide, Dendi, checked through our kit. My sleeping bag failed the inspection & I was taken to a place where a more heavy duty bag could be hired (for about £1 a day) Over the next 2 weeks, Dendi proved to be an exceptional guide. He looked after us really well throughout the trip with patience & good humour. For the final 2 days of the climb our little group was joined by another climbing guide so the 3 of us were roped together between 2 experienced Sherpas (Dendi has summitted Everest!) We spoke to many other people travelling with various companies during our trip. Nothing we learnt about the other groups made me question my choice of going with Annapurna Foothills. At one point, Dendi took us on a 20 minute diversion to an incredible turquoise glacial lake. Most other groups stuck rigidly to the main route & totally missed it! I have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending Annapurna Foothills - a very professionally run but friendly organisation, firmly focused on ensuring the safest & most enjoyable experience of Nepal & the Himalayas possible.

We chose Annapurna Foothill as our tour operator for the Mera Peak adventure, and we made the right choice. Ngima and his team operated seamlessly, expertly managing every aspect of our journey. From the moment we arrived at the Kathmandu airport until our return two weeks later, we were thoroughly guided and taken care of. Our guide, Dendi Sherpa, was an absolute rockstar for this trek. He knew everyone on the route and every guesthouse. His kindness and sense of humour made our experience truly memorable.

We had an incredible adventure with Annapurna Foothills treks and expedition. Nigma took great care of us and arranged everything. Also our guide Mingmar was very experienced and made the experience good. The porters Tshiring and Tjeetri were very helpfull and kind. If you want to do a trip thats 100 procent well prepared, do it with this company. Thanks! Greetings, Roel, Mitchel and Eline.

On October 18, 2024 I reached the summit of Mera Peak - at the age of 74. Huge thanks to Ngima and his team at Annapurna Foothills. From the moment I arrived in Kathmandu, they made me feel more than welcome and went above and beyond my expectations. The tour was perfectly organized arranging pick-ups from the airport, lodging, jeep transportation, booking bus tickets, also arranging the trip to Chitwan and much more. Our trekking and climbing guide Dendi Sherpa was a perfect guide, highly professional and supportive. He and our two porters Nima and Karma did their best every day to make us feel comfortable and enjoy the trekking and summiting. It has been one of my hardest and at the same time of the best mountain climb. If it was not for Dendi Sherpa I would not have stood on Mera Peak. I highly recommend Annapurna Foothills services for any trip to Nepal.

Had an amazing time climbing Mera Peak with Annapurna Foothills! They have done an amazing job helping me getting prepared for my trip from the very beginning, they have been super responsive and offer excellent customer service, from picking me up at the airport to helping me getting the rest of my gear in Kathmandu, to dropping me off at the airport. I had an amazing experience with my climbing guide Mingmar, he went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and safe at all times. I highly recommend them, and if I ever come back to Nepal, I’ll definitely be using their services. Thanks team 🩵

On 14. April 2023 I reached the summit of Mera Peak - at the age of 70. It has been one of the hardest and at the same time best mountain climbs of my life. The tour had been organized as a solo trip, so we were a group of three persons to approach the mountain (me, the climbing guide and the porter Bebek Raj). During the whole tour, I didn’t have any problems with high altitude sickness, due to a very smooth approach to higher altitudes and planned extra days for acclimatization. I am very grateful that Annapurna Foothills, led by Ngima Nuru Sherpa, has organized my trip in a quite excellent way. Ngima Nuru Sherpa proved to be a very reliable and correct organisator of this tour. The agency was also very flexible in making changes to the initial plan of itinerary according to my wishes (e.g. changing from a car drive back to Kathmandu to a helicopter flight from Lukla). One of the best experiences of this trip was to be accompanied by Mingma Dorjee Sherpa, who acted as my climbing guide. Mingma Dorjee is a very experienced climbing guide who has summited Mount Everest, Makalu, Himlung, Imja Tse and Mera Peak (16x) and others. And he is a very warm hearted and caring person. We had much fun walking and climbing together and talked a lot about our previous mountain climbing adventures. Additionally, Mingma Dorjee was extremely conscious about safety (and also carried a bottle of medical oxygene in order to be prepared for emergency cases). With Mingma Dorjee I had the best possible climbing partner, and we became real friends during this trip. I wish to thank all participating persons of the agency, and when I come back to Nepal I will certainly go again with the Annapurna Foothills Trekking and Expedition Agency. Stefan Kraetke, Berlin, Germany

Upon arrival at the airport in Kathmandu we had a warm welcome with Ngima, the director of the company. He is very committed with his customers. Everything was well organized and we had never any troubles. Also the guides and porter were great people, always prepared to help us. During the trek we were one team with no complains. For me it was the second time I've chosen to go with Annapurna Foothills and I'm very happy with it. At the end we had a cosy dinner at Ngima's home. Hope to be back in a few years.