Mardi Himal Trek
The Mardi Himal Trek is a great option if you are looking for a shorter trek in the Annapurna Region that gets off the beaten path. Enjoy fantastic views of the peaks of the Annapurna Range as you visit traditional villages.
Mardi Himal Trek is an ideal choice for those of us who are looking for an ‘off the beaten path’ trekking experience in the quieter parts of the Annapurna region of Nepal. It is the lowest and perhaps the least visited of the trekking peaks in Nepal. While trekking on this route, leading up to Mardi Himal base camp and finally the high camp, we get to appreciate the solitary trails complete with verdant forests, interesting villages, valleys, terraced farms, dazzling rivers and the extraordinary views of the Annapurna, Machhapuchre (Fishtail) and Hiunchuli mountains. Another benefit about this trekking route is that the trail makes a small circuit up to the base camp of Mardi Himal so that we don’t have to backtrack over the same terrain.
In conclusion, Mardi Himal trek is a short trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal where we stay in teahouses (lodges), try local food, appreciate the excellent hill and mountain landscape; and marvel at the panoramic views of the massive Himalayan mountains including Annapurna, Machhapuchre, Hiunchuli and Mardi Himal.
The trail starts out in the forest but after a few days you will have great views of the big peaks like Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre or Fish Tail. The trek ends at the Mardi Himal base camp and if you have a few extra days you might even consider extending this trek and climbing Mardi Himal(5,587 m) which is on the same ridge line as Machhapuchhre.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Kathmandu, transfer to hotel
You will be greeted by a panoramic view of snow-capped mountain peaks sprawling down below once you fly in the sky of Kathmandu. A representative and driver from our office will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. The representative will help you check into your designated hotel. At the hotel you will be briefed about your daily activities. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 2 Sightseeing in Kathmandu- Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, and Patan
Kathmandu is the historical and cultural heart of Nepal and has been a popular destination for tourists ever since Nepal opened its doors to visitors. The city presents a wonderful mix of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism and Western influence. There will be a guided tour to UNESCO World Heritage Sites namely Boudhanath- the largest Buddhist Stup and monkey temple and durbar squire. Evening in hotel Shanker.
Day 3 Drive to Pokhara by private vehicle – 6/7 hrs. And transfer to hotel in Pokhara
You will take a 6/7 hrs drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu airport. After reaching Pokhara you will be transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day you can explore around Pokhara Bazaar, relax lake site before trek Phewa Lake
Day 4 Drive to Phedi (1150m)-around 1/2 hours & Trek to Deurali (2150m) – around 4/5hrs
Drive to Dhampus which takes around 1-2 hours which is our trek starting point, from where you ascend to Deurali. Passing through stony steps, villages, terraced fields and green forests of oak, maple and hemlock, you reach Deurali, a beautiful village with awesome views of Annapurna South, Mardi Himal and Macchhapuchhare. Overnight at Tea House.
Day 5 Trek to Forest Camp (2550m) – around 5/6 hrs
Early morning, after breakfast with sunrise view, you will start our journey. Our trail passes through a quiet wooded area along a ridge which starts to descend after half way. After a while the trail starts gaining height rejoining the earlier ridge and continues till you reach Forest Camp. After reaching our stopover for the night, you explore the area which will be followed by a well-earned rest. Overnight at Tea House .
Day 6 Trek to Low Camp (3150m) – around 3/4 hrs.
As you move on to the higher altitude, the trail gets more rugged and you can feel the wilderness slowly taking over the surrounding. En-route you can observe the breathtaking views of Hinchuli and Annapurna South occasionally. After walking about 3/4 hours, lesser compared to previous days, you reach Low Camp. Overnight at Tea House .
Day 7 Trek to High Camp (3590m) – around 5/6 hrs
You have our early breakfast and start trekking. After short walk inside the forest, the trail leads to the grassy land with lesser vegetation. You can enjoy the Himalaya panorama throughout our trek. You may also have an opportunity to have a glimpse of Himalayan birds like ImpeyanMonal and Lophophorus, the national bird of Nepal. Once you reach High Camp, you have one of the most stunning views of the Himalaya. Overnight at Tea House .
Day 8 Exploration, Hike to Upper View Point (4200m) or Mardi Himal Base Camp – around 7/8 hrs
Today you will hike through the challenging terrain towards Mardi Himal Base Camp. As you move on towards the deeply off the beaten track, the views become more and more captivating. If you continue to the Mardi Himal Base Camp, it makes the back and forth trek of around 7/8 hours. However, there is also a viewpoint halfway for those who want shorter trek. From the Base Camp you can have the wondrous views of Mardi Himal (5587m), Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna South (7219m), Hiunchuli (6441m), BarahaShikhar (Mt. Fang) (7647m), Tent Peak (5695m), Singhachuli (6501m), Machhapuchhre (6993m) and others; and its sure that moment will stay in our memories for ever. After enjoying the great views, you retrace back to High Camp. Overnight at Tea House .
Day 9 Trek to Kalimati (1600m) – around 5/6 hrs
After breakfast, you descend to Kalimati passing through the pine and rhododendron forests, and farms. You take a different route rather than retrace back the same route which allows us a new perspective of the region. You walk 5/6 hours down to the upper Mardi Khola to reach Kalimati. It’s a small quiet village untouched by the bustle of tourist traffic. You can have the experience of authentic Nepali village life here. Overnight at Tea House.
Day 10 Trek to Lumre and Lowang home stay (3/4 hrs)
Today is the last day of our Mardi Himal trek. You have to walk for around 4 hours and reach lowing village. En-route you pass though some beautiful villages inhabited by mixed communities. In evening we stay community lodge evening culture dance. Overnight home stay.
Day 11 Drive to Pokhara
After breakfast we drive to Pokhara which is about 1:30 hours. Once you reach Pokhara, you will enjoy the rest of the evening doing boating or other independent activities. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 12 Afternoon fly back to Kathmandu
Enjoy your last day in Pokhara and afternoon you will fly back to Kathmandu. During the flight you will get the mesmerizing view of Mt. Annapurna and Manaslu.
Day 13 Free Day in Kathmandu
After trek shopping and relax day in Kathmandu.
Day 14 Departure
You will meet our office representative exactly three hours before the departure flight. He will escort you to the Kathmandu airport in a private vehicle.
INCLUDE
Airport pick-up and drop by car.
3 night hotel in Pokhara.
Pokhara Kathmandu flight .
One full day tour in Kathmandu monkey temple Darbar square and Buddhanath.
Meals on the full-board basis (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner/ the main course) during the trek in the mountain.
Annapurna conservation area permit .
2 NIGHT Pokhara hotel BB plan.
Sleeping bag, duffel bag on return basic.
All the transportations.
Guide and 1 assistant guide and porter in trek.
Kathmandu- Pokhara – by privet A/C comfortable Hice.
Seasonal fresh fruits desert every day.
Compressive first aid box.
All government, Local taxes/ vat and official Expenses.
NOT INCLUDE
Nepal entry visa .
Hotel in Kathmandu.
Lunch and dinner in Pokhara.
Extra drinks as alcoholic & non-alcoholic.
Personal expenses such as snacks, laundry, telephone, wife, hot shower, etc. mineral water.
Travel insurance.
Tips for guides.
TRIP GRADE: Moderate
Mardi Himal trek lasts for about a week, each day, you can expect to be walking for around 5-7 hours right into high mountain country leading to some of the famous mountaineering Base Camps. Moderately tiring that involves trekking along rocky ridges of high Himalayan hills. No previous experience is required, you should be moderately fit, used to some regular exercises and enjoy walking in the high altitude conditions.
Accommodation
Rooms are basic, normally just a bed with a pillow and all have a spacious dining room-lounge. We will accommodate you and your group in a comfortable local lodge each day.
Food
Meals are included in our price and are taken in lodges available along the trail. You can find a considerable variety of Nepali (rice, curry & lentil, momo, noodles, chapatis etc.) and Western food (pizza, pasta, sandwich, chips, porridge, toast, pancake, soup etc.) as well as drinks (coffee, tea)
Personal Expenses- Money to take on trek
Money requirement depends largely on type of trek style, duration and trekking region.
For a two-week Annapurna trek, you can take about $200-300, more if you intend toget more table drinks (alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages), snacks while walking (a few smaller shops are available along the trail in some areas), souvenirs, battery charge, internet, hot shower (available in some places) etc.
Changing Money
You can change money at a bank or the money exchange counter in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara. Many Tourist class Hotels have money exchange facilities. For Trekking, there are banks and exchange counters at major Tourist hubs in Everest and Annapurna regions like Namche, Lukla, Ghorepani and Jomsom. These days, there is availability of ATMs everywhere in Kathmandu, Pokhara and some major trekking hubs.
Commuunication
There are a plenty of telephone facilities in the Annapurna region You can also use Ncell and NTC network (both for internet and mobile network).
Luggage while treaking
During Annapurna trek, your main luggage will be carried by porter. Please keep your luggage as light as possible around 12 to 15 kgs for flight safety and porter welfare as per IPPG standard. You simply carry a daypack with water bottle, camera, sun-screen, spare jacket etc. You can leave your valuable items at your hotel in Kathmandu/Pokhara while trekking. Many hotels have a locker system and provide a deposit slip for the valuables kept under the hotel’s safekeeping.
Typical day on trek
A typical day while trekking in Nepal consists of about 5-7 hours of activity. Each morning after packing our bags and having a good breakfast, we set off on the day’s walk. After walking for 3-4 hours we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon’s walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days, we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day’s adventures, before heading off to bed for a well-earned sleep.
Trekking gears and equipment
You will need walking boots, sleeping bag (4 seasons/ -20C rated), waterproof jacket and trousers, fleece jacket, warm hat and gloves, sunglasses, water bottle, sun-screen and day pack. Comprehensive list of equipment will be provided once you book your trip. It’s not necessary to spend a lot of money buying extra equipment and clothing before your trip. Majority of these gears can be bought or hired at reasonable rates in Kathmandu.
Gears available in Kathmandu
There are numerous suppliers of trekking gears in Kathmandu supplying genuine branded items or imitations depending on your choice and price. You can get anything from down jackets and sleeping bags to socks or thermal wears that you need for your trek. They might not be the best but good enough for the trek considering the price.
Trek Security
Security of our clients is our foremost priority. All our guides are licensed by Nepal Government. Our guides and support crew are carefully chosen for your trips. They will ensure your safety and security throughout your trip.
During your trek, you will be sleeping in local teahouses. You have to take precautions yourself at all times. Never leave your baggage unattended and keep your lodge room locked when you go out.
First aid kit
We supply a medical bag with standard medicines prescribed by trekking doctors and a user’s manual. Since our staffs/guides are not qualified for suggesting medications to western clients, we would request you to use the medicines upon your own risk. It is safer and more reliable if you have your own medicine kit and not depend on what we have.
Rescue / Evacuation
We are take your safety and security very seriously, and make sure that nothing untoward happen to you. However, if anything serious like sickness or a casualty occurs, we will do everything to transfer you to the nearest hospital. As you are responsible for all the expenses incurred in evacuation, please make sure that it is covered by your insurance before assigning for it.
Insurance
Before joining this short Annapurna Trekking, we recommend you take a travel insurance which should cover cancellation, medical expenses, helicopter evacuation and emergency repatriation. Our staff will collect your insurance details before you leave for the trek.
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