Complete Mardi Himal Trek

After breakfast in Pokhara, we will drive an hour to Kande, the north of Pokhara, and commence our trek at Kande the elevation of 1770 meters. 1.5 Hours climb up takes to the beautiful hamlet of Australian Camp at the altitude of 2100m. The trail to the Australian camp from Kande is an uphill and pleasant easy walk up to Pothana from there, and it is a gradual walk up to Deurali (2200m) about 2 hours where you stay in a tea house lodge for the first night. It is an easy start for the first day.

From Deurali, leave the main Annapurna Sanctuary trail and take off the beaten trail to Mardi Himal Base camp to the right side and continue along a quiet trail through a dense forest of oak, maple, hemlock, and rhododendron. Some four hours of jungle walk will bring us to the clearing of the forest at Forest Camp or also known by the locals as Kokar, here we take a lunch break then we continue up to Low Camp through the forest however as we ascend the vegetation starts to change with more rhododendron and the trees are covered with moss, lichen and tree ferns. At Low Camp, there are some lodges. You may find it a long and tough day. Overnight in Low Camp

1.5 hours climb through rhododendron forest takes us to Middle camp then to Badal Danda offers a stunning view of Mardi Himal, Annapurna South, Hiuchuli, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhre and Mardi Himal itself. An hour or so above Low Camp the trail breaks out above the tree line and towards the west, there is a good view to Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. The trail continues along the Mardi Himal ridge mainly on grass with some isolated rhododendron bushes along the way. Look out for the colorful Danphe pheasant on this section of the trail. The lodge at High Camp is larger than lodges at Low Camp and Forest Camp. The view from the lodge is superb to Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail).

The plan for today is to wake early for a sunrise view of the mountains then after an early breakfast walk up the ridge towards Mardi Himal Base Camp. There is a well-established trail through the grass with a couple of steeper sections however overall not too challenging. Look out for the yak, grazing up here as well as Danphe pheasant. In the summer the sheep and goats from lower villages are brought up to graze in this area so you will pass several herder’s huts along the way. After three hours you should reach Base Camp at the elevation of 4500m. This is where one can look into the Annapurna Sanctuary and the panorama view is spectacular looking at the south face of Annapurna and all of the peaks in the Sanctuary as well as Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). We come back to High camp for lunch then retrace back to Middle Camp or Low Camp.

On the way back we take a different route so completing a circuit, from Low Camp there is a trail that goes down to Siding village rather than going back down Mardi Himal back to Kokar. Siding is a traditional Nepalese village and still very much away from the busier modern tourist treks and you will likely stay at a homestay in Siding owned by the person who runs one of the lodges at Low Camp. It is a wonderful cultural experience finding out more about village life.

From Siding, you walk out to the road head at Lumre, on the way you will pass the villages of Kalimati and Ghalel. Kalimati is mainly a Brahmin village with Ghalel and Siding mixed Brahmin and Gurung. From Lumre, a jeep will take back to Pokhara.