Mardi Himal Trek

There are two options to travel from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The first option is to take a 25 minutes flight and the second is to travel by bus which normally takes 6 hours. Depending on your interest, you have many choices for means of roadways. The luxury tourist bus, normal tourist bus, private car, Jeep, or the local bus are the possible options. The price varies on the basis of the facilities and degree of comfort during the travel. know more about how to get kathmandu to pokhara.

If you take a morning flight to Pokhara, you can drive to Phedi and begin your trek the same day and have a pleasing overnight at one of the best teahouses in a beautiful village called Pothana. However, the trekkers traveling by bus will have overnight at a hotel in Pokhara and begin the trip the next day after having breakfast at the hotel,

or if you travel to pokhara by bus you will reach pokhara around 3 pm and you still have some time to explore in pokhara like boating and sightseeing around pokhara i wrote an article about best things to do in pokhara might be this article will help you. 

Walking / Driving : 6-7hrs.

The second day of your trip begins with an amazing breakfast at the hotel in Pokhara. A private car or a jeep receives you from the hotel and about an hours’ drive takes you to Phedi from where your Mardi Himal trek officially starts. Upon arriving at Phedi, you have to be ready for about 5 hours hike to reach Pothana.

The trail from Phedi to Pothana is almost ascent that passes through rhododendron and pines woodland up to Dhampus from where the wonderful vistas of Annapurna massif, Lamjung Himal and Manaslu are so overwhelming. Enjoy pleasing overnight at a teahouse with a wonderful view of Machhapuchhre popularly known as Fishtail.

Enjoy the wonderful breakfast and start the trek for Lower Camp passing through the rhododendron forest and capturing the scenic views of snow-capped mountains in your camera along the trail. After the hike of about 4 hours, you will reach the day’s destination, the Lower Camp that offers you the mesmerizing view of Mount Fishtail, popularly known as Mount Machhapuchhre.

The hospitality and the familial love and respect of the teahouse staff make you forget you are away from home. Enjoy a delicious dinner and have a sound sleep in a cozy bed.

The fourth day’s trek begins after breaking nearly 12 hours’ fasting with the scrumptious food at about 7 o’clock in the morning. The trail for today is comparatively shorter that passes through cloud forest with mosses and lichen, ferns, etc. A nearly 1.5 hours hike takes you to the Middle Camp, probably the first stop of today’s trek. After an hour’s walk, you will pass Badal Danda from where you can enjoy the close views of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre.

The marvelous views of Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, and Mardi Himal really make you feel that you are in heaven. The trail after Badal Danda is significantly different than the lower trail. As you walk to the higher elevation, you won’t be finding the dense forest anymore. Instead, the trail is open and spacious with very few rhododendron trees and probably the snowy path.

The colorful bird, Daphne (Lophophorus) is very common in this area and is also the national bird of Nepal. The unique species of other birds chirping from the twigs of rhododendron trees makes you dance giving the impression that they are singing for you.

Finally, you will reach the high Camp where (probably) the palatable lunch is waiting for you. Chow down your lunch witnessing the pleasing views of towering mountains! Then spend the rest of the day acclimatizing with the breath-catching sightseeing around by.

Today is the most exciting as well as the most challenging day of your trek. It is an exciting day in the sense that you are exploring the major destination of the trip and a challenging day as you have to ascend for about 4 hours to reach the base camp and then descend down steep and slippery downhill nearly for another 4 hours to reach the overnight station, Siding.

You will have to wake up early morning to enjoy the sunrise views from the Mardi Himal base camp at an elevation of 4500 meters. If you are lucky enough to have a favorable climate, you can reach the altitude of 5000 meters from where you can behold the amazing ice fields and blue glaciers of the Annapurna Sanctuary all below.

The picturesque views of Annapurna I (8091 m), Annapurna South, Mardi Himal, Hiunchuli, Baraha Shikhar, Fishtail, and many more fascinating peaks will be lifelong memories.

The trail from High Camp to the Base Camp is so astonishing that passes through a majestic pasture where you find herds of yak and flock of sheep grazing that are brought up to feed especially during summer. Besides, the pleasing movements of colorful birds, Daphne flying over the grass and perching on the rhododendron twig is no less than paradise.

Furthermore, if you spend a few minutes hearing the stories of the shepherds, you might remember the popular early seventeenth-century lyrics of Christopher Marlowe’s songs “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Shepherd:

• Come live with me and be my love
• And we will all the pleasures prove
• That valleys, groves, hills, and fields
• Woods or steepy mountains yields

Nymph’s Reply:

• If all the world and love were young,
• And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,
• These pretty pleasures might be move
• To live with thee and be thy love.

After gaining the incredible experience for the highest point of the trip, it is time to descend back to Siding which takes about 4 hours. The trail goes steep down usually slippery so the hiking poles are the best to use. Such a grating trail leads you to the beautiful traditional village of Siding from where you will behold the wonderful cultural experience of the locals and stay overnight in one of the finest teahouses.

Also Read:- Packing list for Mardi Himal trek

This is the day to say farewell to Pokhara and drive back to Kathmandu. As we have already mentioned in Day 1 there are two options to travel this 200 km distance either by plane or by bus. You can choose either of the options at your convenience. If you choose the roadway, we recommend you the comfortable tourist luxury bus in which you can enjoy the travel with nice views of mountains, Trisuli River, and terraced farmland along the way.