Trekking in Nepal:

The country of Nepal has become synonymous with trekking and adventure and rightly so! Nepal has something to offer to each one, no matter how vividly different your taste may be. From easy / low altitude treks like Kapuche Glacier to the difficult longer durations like Manaslu Circuit & Everest Three Passes. From accessible 5000m peaks like Yala in Langtang to the deadliest climbs like Amadablam, Mount Annapurna, Mount Everest and others. Nepal has got it all and hence the country sees thousands of trekkers and mountaineers coming in each year. The Mardi Himal Trek is one of Nepal’s underrated gems! In this blog we shall discover why this trek is the perfect introduction to high altitude trekking in Nepal.

Mardi Himal Trek – An Overview:

The Mardi Himal Trek is nestled between the Modi Khola and Mardi Khola valleys of the Annapurna region in Nepal. On one hand, it lies on the Western side of Modi Khola running down from the Annapurna Sanctuary. On the other, it lies on the Eastern side of Mardi Khola, fed by slopes of the popular – Macchapuchare.

Mardi Himal Trek can be approached through multiple start points – including Kande, Dhampus and Astam.  All of these are accessible from Pokhara airport. This trek falls under the management and control of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, which is also Nepal’s first and largest protected area. The ACAP spans over more than 7600 square kilometers covering districts like Kaski, Myangdi, Manang, Mustang among others.

Why choose Mardi Himal Trek over others?

Here are few reasons why trekkers often consider the Mardi Himal Trek over other trekking destinations in Nepal:

The factor of Ease

Unlike most other treks in Nepal, Mardi Himal is a trek that hits the sweet spot. This trek takes you 4000 meters, but is a gentle climb through lush Pine and Rhododendron forests. The gentle climb is a combination of natural trail as well as staircases built by locals to ease transportation and carriage of food supplies to tea houses.

The altitude gain each day enables you great acclimatization opportunities without really needing an extra day for acclimatization.

Access

The access to the Mardi Himal Trek is one of the biggest factors that makes this trek a hot pick for trekkers. Unlike many other treks in Nepal like Everest Base Camp that have the infamous Lukla flights, notorious for cancellation and delays and other treks like Manaslu/Annapurna Circuit, that involve tedious days of driving.. Mardi Himal Trek on the other hand has a very convenient accessibility route. From Kathmandu, trekkers take a short flight to Pokhara which is about 25 minutes. This flight, though short, is one of the most scenic flights you can possibly take. It takes you through the Himalayan ranges, with views of some of the tallest mountains in Nepal, including Mount Annapurna I, the 10th tallest mountain in the world.  From Pokhara airport, a short drive of about 3 hours, takes you to the village of Dhampus that serves as the starting point of this trek. Once in Dhampus, your foot journey begins with a gentle climb taking you to the first destination – Pitam Deurali!

Duration

Nepal is quite popular among trekkers and climbers alike, for its long adventurous journeys. Treks like Everest Base Camp / Gokyo – Annapurna Base Camp or even the circuit span over a duration of minimum 12 to 15 days, depending on the itinerary and route. Often times, sparing almost 2 weeks or more becomes a tedious affair, discouraging many from embarking on treks in the country.

Mardi Himal Trek yet again proves to be different. It spans over a total of 8 days, including your international arrival and departure in Kathmandu. The trek has 5 days of core trekking taking you from Dhampus – all the way up to the view point of Mardi at 4200 meters. In fact, for those who may be crunching on time, it is possible to shorten this itinerary even further, by skipping the night in Kathmandu on Day 1 and in Pokhara on Day 6.

The comfortable duration of this trek, makes it one of most popular choices among trekkers, who are not seeking an escape in nature but are also short on time!

Altitude

The highest elevation on the Mardi Himal View Point trek is 4200 meters. Considering the gentle uphill, the trail gives trekkers ample opportunity to acclimatize to the surroundings. Moreover, the first two nights on the trail as you move ahead towards the view point, tea houses are surrounded by lush forests and hence providing a comfortable oxygen rich environment for trekkers. Only one night when trekkers sleep at high camp, the tea houses are located above the tree line. However, the two previous nights’ help prep the body for this.

At 4200 meters, which is the vi

ew point, trekkers spend only a couple of hours and descend back to High camp and continue further down to either Low Camp or Forest Camp based on the pace of the group. Thus coming back to sleep at the tree line – following the basic rule of mountaineering – Climb high & sleep low.

Overall the itinerary planned on the Mardi Himal Trek route allows trekkers to attain an elevation of 4200 meters without making it really feel like you were away from the tree line for a long time!

Views

The Himalayas are all about the views and there is just too much talk about it. Are we complaining? Of course not! The stunning landscapes of the high altitudes, quaint villages, cold valleys and warm shelters keep us inspired to take such incredible journeys time and again.

Mardi Himal Trek is no exception. For a trek that spans barely over 5 days it gives you unbelievable views! The most prominent is the Machhapuchare, also known as Fishtail! It is a 6,993-meter peak that you begin to see literally from Day 1 of your trek as you make your way towards Pitam Deurali. It’s almost as if Fishtail stays with you right from the beginning till the end! Moreover, what’s interesting is that as you keep inching closer towards the top, you continue seeing a different angle of the mountain. As you get closer you understand why it gets the name. Along with the Fishtail, the other prominent peaks include those of Annapurna II (7,937 m), Annapurna IV (7,525 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m) and Gangapurna (7,455 m).

To sum it up, the Mardi Himal Trek gives you an incredible landscape of some of the tallest mountains in the country and snow-capped peaks on all sides, within a mere span of 5 days. It is one of those treks that will stay with you long after you reach home!

Fitness requirement

While the Mardi Himal Trek is rated Easy to Moderate, this rating is highly subjective! One’s experience with multi-day trekking in general will play an important role in determining whether this trek is an easy or moderate adventure.

For a beginner/first timer who has no trekking experience, they should ideally undertake a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks of training dedicated to ensuring stamina and endurance in order to feasibly and comfortably complete this trek. Along with this, we also highly recommend at least 4 weeks of dedicated staircase climbing! This will help replicate a trail-like experience considering at least 40 to 50% of the trek’s terrain has built staircases. The idea is simple, train well before the trek so the adventure doesn’t become a torture!

Parting Thoughts

To sum it up briefly –  if you are looking for incredible views, Nepali hospitality, beautiful forests but don’t have more than a week in your hands, Mardi Himal Trek is the perfect pick. If you’d like a detailed account of the Ultimate Guide to the trek, these blogs will help you with more information. Click here for Guide Part 1 & Guide Part 2.

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