
Wandering in pristine nature, closer to the Himalayas, is an opportunity you only get once in a while. Strolling in the remote villages of Nepal and journeying through the colorful forest of Rhododendrons, pine, and oak comprises the best of this mountain country. Among the best trekking places in the world, Nepal is at the top and deserves to be. The Annapurna region of Nepal has been renowned to us for centuries. Mardi Himal Trek takes you to the less busiest region of Annapurna in a distinct trail yet unknown to the world.
The trail has been closed for trekking since the year 2012. We can say that Mardi Himal is yet an unseen gem. Many trekkers trekked to the base of Mardi Himal, which lies on the side of Annapurna. The authentic teahouses, quiet journey, easy trail, and terrific views of the Annapurna Range make this tour prodigious. Getting eye in eye with giants like Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South, Mardi Himal, and Hiunchuli makes the most. Especially during spring, the path is packed with different kinds of Rhododendron- Pink, Red, and white.
With the bio-diversity that ranges from tropical farmlands to alpine vegetation, you will witness a huge difference in the flora. Similarly, walking in the Annapurna conversation area, you can spot different wild animals in Nepal. Mardi Himal Trek is not just about the mountains. This trek perfectly blends wild classic Nepalese traditions, wilderness, comfort, and adventure. Doesn’t that sound unique to you?
As you fly into Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, the beautiful views over the valley welcome you. On a clear day, the flight offers a view of the Himalayas and terraced fields. After going through customs formalities at the airport, you will see our representative waiting to guide you. About half an hour’s drive to Kathmandu’s winding streets takes you to the hotel.
Once you’ve settled in, take your time to freshen up and recover from the flight. In the evening, you can stroll around to enjoy the lights and music of Thamel. Later, we will enjoy our welcome dinner and listen to the briefing on the journey from the guide. Afterward, you can hit the club to enjoy Nepal’s nightlife or prepare for the next day’s journey towards Mardi Himal Trek.
Overnight in Kathmandu
Right after breakfast in the morning, we travel overland to Pokhara. En route, we drive along the banks of the Trisuli River and get past many traditional villages and terraced fields. After a few hours of walking, we stop for lunch on the hillside beside the Trisuli River. About 7 hours of the luxurious trip bring us to Pokhara. As we enter the city, the clear view of Annapurna ranges welcomes us.
After checking into our hotel over at Lakeside, we head out to explore the city. Pokhara, set right on the beautiful Phewa Lake, is an enchanting city. This mesmerizing city is the beginning spot for many popular treks in Nepal. The thick forests, tranquil blue lakes, and gushing rivers make your journey exciting. After some time rest at your hotel, you can stroll on the bank of the lake. Also, we can enjoy our dinner with live music. The Lakeside is lively during the night.
Overnight in Pokhara
After breakfast in our hotel, we drive for less than an hour to the starting point of the trek. Dhampus is itself a popular destination among internal tourists. After an unhurried lunch at the Australian Camp, we slowly descend to Pothana. The trail is straightforward, and we have enough time to enjoy the beauty of this region.
After some rest, we climb to Deurali. Here, the forest gets thicker, and the region gets even more beautiful. As the sun starts to lower, we stop at Deurali for the night. Deurali has some beautiful lodges and tea houses for your night’s stay. During the daytime, you can see a fantastic view of Machhapuchare from the tea house itself.
Overnight in Dhampus
This is another easy and relaxing day for the trek. The trail first ascends and then descends to the forest camp. As we leave Durali after breakfast, there is no villages or human settlement until we reach Dund Kharka. This place also has only two hotels with fundamental infrastructure. From here, the path takes you deeper into the forest. Less than two hours of walk from Dund Khara takes you to Forest Camp. The forest camp lies at the base of the hill between the thick forest. Here, the tea houses have a pretty basic facility with good food.
Overnight in Forest Camp
This can be the longest trek day as we ascend for about 6 hours. After breakfast in the forest camp, we first climb to the rest camp in about 30 minutes. After some rest here, we again stop at a rescue in the middle of the forest. Then, about an hour of the walk takes us to Low Camp. If you are feeling worn out, we can stop here for lunch. Or, we can climb for another hour to reach the hilltop. As we leave the forest behind, the beautiful mountain landscape greets us.
After other climbing, we get to the middle camp. Then the well-built trail leads us to the high camp of the Mardi Himal Trek. The last part of the trek can be pretty tricky, but you can move slowly and steadily. The beautiful view of the Himalayas in the Annapurna region already accompanies us. You can see the yaks grazing and their owners guiding them. Today’s journey ends as we crash in a hotel over High camp. Make sure you keep warm and get enough rest for the next day’s journey.
Overnight in Highcamp
This is the primary day of the Mardi Himal Trek, so we wake up early in the morning, i.e., before 4 am, and do a tough climb to the viewpoint. It’s easier if you have a headlight to climb in the dark. About 2 hours of the walk takes us to the viewpoint where we can see the most stunning sunrise with the Fishtail and Mardi in the back. On the other side, the majestic Annapurna smiles down at us. After some rest, we head for another two hours of walk to Mardi Himal Base Camp. Here, the majestic Mardi lies right above our heads.
For most of the year, the base camp is full of snow. You can take beautiful pictures and play with the snow before returning to the High camp. The journey back can be exhausting, but the stunning view keeps accompanying us. As we get back to high camp, we enjoy the delicious breakfast and prepare to head back. We can stroll to the Lower camp, our stop for the night.
Overnight in Low Camp
We will take our time to sightsee the area and enjoy a few last glimpses of the Annapurna before heading back to Jhinu Danda. Today’s trek brings us closer to the upper region of Mardi Khola as we walk on the bank of ice and snow streams. On the easy trail that is mostly downhill, we walk for a couple of hours. Then, we stop at a natural hot spring in Jhinu danda. A relaxing bath in Jhinu Danda will relieve you from the pain and soreness in your body. Locals believe this hot water spring has the superpower to cure all of your internal and external diseases.
The cultural site of Tamang and Gurung villages will make the tour prodigious. You can capture the beautiful area around the traditional tea houses run by the locals in the region. Take your time interacting with the locals and understanding their lifestyle during the entire Mardi Himal Trek.
Overnight in Jhinu Danda
It is the last day of our Mardi Himal Trek. First, we leave Jinu danda as we head towards the village of Ghandruk. A short trek takes us to this famous Gurung village, a major tourist destination. Here, we stop to have our lunch. You can also visit the ethnic village or rent a traditional dress for a photo shoot. You can extend Mardi Himal Trek if you want to stay longer in this magnificent village.
After some relaxing hours, we move down to the Ghandruk Phedi- the endpoint of our trek. Here, we get to Nayapul on a jeep and then drive back to Pokhara in a private car. The short drive will be thrilling as we drive on a rather bumpy path. You can celebrate the successful journey in the evening with a grand dinner in the Lakeside of Pokhara.
Overnight in Pokhara.
We end our fantastic journey to the Mardi Himal Trek and drive to Kathmandu. Waving the last goodbye to the Annapurna vista, we get into our bus after breakfast. The drive in the tourist bus on Prithivi Highway will be luxurious. Driving on the bank of Trishuli, we enjoy the greenery in the hills of Nepal.
After a couple of hours of driving, we stop for lunch in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the rivers. In addition, about 7 to 8 hours of drive brings us back to Thamel. You will have some free time to get souvenirs for your loved one or stroll around the hotel. Peregrine Treks Team will host a farewell dinner, and it will be our last dinner together.
Overnight in Kathmandu
Today, you will be flying back to your respective country. Moreover, if your flight is not in the morning, you can have some breakfast and visit new places in Kathmandu. We can add sightseeing and a Scenic Everest mountain flight at your request. Otherwise, we will drive you to the airport about two hours before your scheduled time. With the last goodbye, you depart for your upcoming journey.
Have a safe flight!!
As you land in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, we will take you to Pokhara. This so-called city of Lake is itself a heavenly paradise. The tranquil lake, caves and well-developed infrastructure make Pokhara among Nepal’s ” must-visit places.” After exploring Pokhara city, we move further north towards the mountain. A short yet scenic drive in a private car takes you to Dhampus. This is where we begin to walk on foot.
The Mardi Base Camp trek path goes along a small winding trail and passes the enchanted rhododendron forests. Our first stop, i.e., Durali, has some fantastic tea houses decorated with local crafts. We further trek to the Forest Camp in the middle of the thick tropical village. As we climb above 3,300meters, we climb out of the forest into an alpine region. Here, the landscape changes abruptly; the rugged high mountain landscape welcomes us to the upper region. As we reach the high camp, the stunning views of Mardi Himal, Annapurna South, Machapuchre, and Hiunchuli are visible.
We climb to Mardi View Point from High Camp and continue to Mardi Himal Base Camp. Along with Mardi, we see the sunrise with the background of the spectacular Annapurna Range. After enjoying our time in the base camp, it’s time to return to Mardi Low Camp on the same trail. Finally, trekking down to Jhinu dada and Ghandruk Pedi, we drive back to Pokhara.
The trail is full of colorful blooms of wildflowers. What more do you want? The Mardi Himal trek is complete in less than a week without worrying. Comparatively lower altitude, a well-marked trail, and an easy path make the Mardi Himal trek easily achievable to the newbie.