Situated in close proximity to Annapurna Base Camp, the 12 Daya Mardi Himal Trek stands as one of the Himalaya’s hidden and less explored jewels. The trek was only opened to trekking in 2012 and provides a glorious opportunity to experience the spectacle of Mardi Himal Base camp and the Himalayas via a route that still remains largely untrammeled by the trekking community.
Commencing at Pokhara the trek starts out by road and heads to the trailhead of Dhampus, an impeccably situated Gurung village with outstanding views of the mountains. From there the trail winds on towards the equally picturesque village of Pothana, then branches away from the standard Annapurna route and leads on out through dense jungle to the aptly named Forest Camp – in spring the entire area comes alive with the flowering of rhododendrons. Day after day the track gradually inclines up through the Himalayan foothills until it finally breaks free of the tree line and adds yet another dimension to the trek by virtue of the sublime panoramas that open up to view.
Mardi Himal Trekking continues onward and up offering a superb vista of snow-covered peaks, including Fishtail, Dhaulagiri, and the Annapurna range, with a broad palate of colors adding their touch throughout the day, from early morning pastel tints, the vivid hews of midday, to the warm glow of sunset fare welling the mountain tops at day’s end. The return path calls in at Low Camp and Lwang then trades in precipitous trails for roadway and the drive back to Pokhara.
The Mardi Himal trek represents a golden opportunity to experience the Annapurna region in a unique manner that’s as scenically rewarding as the better known pathways while offering up a level of seclusion and peacefulness that comes from the sense that the entire area is your own private nature reserve to explore. The secret of Mardi Himal’s charms won't last long so let Nepal Trekking Experts be the ones to set you up for a rare journey of wonder to the region, either with our set itinerary or one of your own design. Simply contact us and discuss the options with our knowledgeable staff.
If you are not satisfied with Mardi Himal Trek then please feel free to visit our other unique packages such as Khopra Danda Trek, Langtang Valley Trek, Pikey Peak Trek, Mohare Danda Eco Community Lodge Trek and many more.
Day 01: Welcome at airport and transfer to the hotel.
Day 02: Free day for trekking preparation.
Day 03: Kathmandu to Pokhara drive by tourist bus (820m, 6/7 hrs)
Day 04: Drive from Pokhara to Phedi by Car then trek to Pothana. (1950m, 5hrs)
Day 05: Pothana to Forest Camp (2550m, 4/5 hrs)
Day 06: Forest Camp to Low Camp (2970m, 4/5 hrs)
Day 07: Low Camp to High Camp (3540m, 4 hrs)
Day 08: Trek up to 4500 m for breathtaking views then trek back to Low Camp (2970m, 6/7 hrs)
Day 09: Low Camp to Kalimati (1680m, 5 hrs)
Day 10: Kalimati to Lwang (1460m, 4 hrs), then drive back to Pokhara (1:30 hrs)
Day 11: Drive back to Kathmandu by tourist bus (7 hrs)
Day 12: Join with different program or farewell.
Note:- Above itinerary is just a guideline. If you are not satisfied please feel free customize your own.
Our representative will greet and welcome you at airport then transfer to the hotel in Kathmandu by private car.
You can spend the way you prefer and it will be great opportunity to have final preparation of trekking before start.
Kathmandu to Pokhara Drive by tourist Bus. Then have a small sightseeing around the naturally beauty city Pokhara.
A 30-minute drive takes us to Phedi, where the trek commences via a hike to Pothana via Dhampus, with terraced fields as a foreground to the beautiful views of Annapurna and Fishtail. Pothana itself serves up one of the most picturesque sites you're ever likely to come across, and it's nigh on impossible not to want to sit outside the entire time and bask in the glorious Himalayan panorama.
Day two of the trek leads off through verdant forests to Deaurali, where the perennial fork in the road awaits for two separate adventures, one to Annapurna Base Camp and our route towards the aptly named Forest Camp. As the Mardi Himal area has only recently been opened up to trekking there are blissfully fewer hikers on this route, and as we progress through the day the relative peace and quiet blends in beautifully with the glimpses of local wildlife and the thickets of rhododendron, pine, and venerable oaks.
While the title suggests the opposite today's hike leads up towards the 3000 meter mark, on through dense woodlands to alpine views of scenic splendor that will make it nigh on impossible to keep cameras stored away for long.
A challenging day of hiking presents us with rewarding views from High Camp, with the looming presence of Fishtail, Annapurna South and Hiuchuli so close and present that it feels as if you could reach out a hand and touch them.
The highlight day of a magnificent trek in the Mardi Himal. We hit the trail early to reach our high altitude viewpoint at sunrise, the effort to rise early well rewarded, with glorious vistas of the radiant Himalayan ranges aglow in the morning sunlight. Reluctantly leaving the scenic outlook we descend rapidly and call it a day at Low Camp to sit back quietly and reflect on the day's magical views.
Another day of rapid descent, hiking back through the forested slopes to increasing signs of civilization in the form of neatly terraced rice fields and rural outposts.
From Kalimati it's an easy two-hour walk to Lwang, where we pause for a quick break before picking up our transport back to Pokhara.
Drive back to Kathmandu by tourist bus.
If you have time Nepal Trekking Experts love to offer you different program or farewell.
I can highly recommend to choose Rajesh and his amazing team for doing a trekking in the beautiful Himalaya's of Nepal. First of all, Rajesh provide great service and is he really helped me with my stay in Nepal. He also provides me really helpful information, advices and an itinerary for several trekking and my stay in Nepal in general. He always welcomes you into their office with a drink and a smile! Last February I did the Mardi Himal trek, with my friend and guide Thakur. I can only say the best things about Thakur, and once again: thank you so much for this great experience and doing such an amazing job being our guide! Before I did Mardi Himal, I did two trekkings without a guide, but I can highly recommend to go with a guide! We faced a lot of snow during the trek and Thakur had a lot of knowledge about the weather(forecast) and different circumstances because of snow. I felt really safe all the time. Thakur had a really positive attitude, is really knowledgeable and respectful, fit and helpful and was really willing to answer all our questions on mountains and trekking, but also about Nepal and the Nepali culture and his life in Nepal. What deserves a special mention was the first aid skills of Thakur. When I twisted my ankle very badly, he had a full first aid kit in his backpack and he was able to treat my ankle in a way that I was able to continue on with the trek. I'm really grateful for this! So, I had a very good experience with this agency and the capable staffmembers and I can higly recommend to choose this agency for your trekking in Nepal. Rajesh and Thakur, many thanks for doing this amazing job!! See you soon!