Guide To The Mardi Himal Trek, Nepal

Mardi Himal Trek

The Mardi Himal Trek in Nepal is relatively new (opened back in 2012), unspoiled and at the time of writing a lot less crowded than some of the other more popular routes such as the Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit.

The Mardi Himal Trek is a highly diverse trek offering the finest mountain-trekking and cultural insight in equal measure.

This trek will take you on a journey through cultural hill-top villages, with constantly changing scenery; through lush rhododendron forest, across pristine mountain-ridges and with stunning alpine views. Combine this with Nepal-hospitality, plenty of dal baht and the occasional trekking song, and you’re on to a winner.

We really can’t recommend the Mardi Himal Trek enough!

How Long Is The Mardi Himal Trek?

We recommend you allow 6-8 days for this trek from Pokhara. It can be completed in as little as 4 nights, but this would not include visiting any of the smaller villages like Ghandruk and would be very rushed with a lot of walking each day.

How Difficult Is The Mardi Himal Trek?

This trek is easy to moderate difficulty, with the easier sections of the trek leading up to high camp. The more difficult sections are between High Camp and Upper View Point and the section between Upper-View Point and Base Camp are the most difficult.

The max altitude is 4,500 m and total trek distance is around 30 miles, but this will vary slightly depending on the route you take.

Max sleeping altitude is at High Camp – 3,580 m.

When Is The Best Time To Do The Mardi Himal Trek?

The best time to do this trek is mid-September to early December but this is also Nepal’s peak season.

Mid-February till the end of April is the second best time of year for trekking, this is at the end of the dry season.

December, January and February bring clear skies but it’s a lot colder. It also brings with it the risks of passes being closed due to snowfall, and there is of course the risk of avalanches on certain treks.

June to Mid September is the least popular time to trek and therefore less crowded, but this is monsoon season and there are heavy downpours to contend with. Leeches are also widespread in the forested areas and on the Mardi Himal Trek during this season.

We completed this trek in November and the paths were pretty clear of snow and ice apart from small pockets around Base Camp. The higher surrounding mountains were covered in snow.

Where To Start The Mardi Himal Trek

Like most treks into the Annapurna region you will first arrive in Pokhara. We recommend basing yourself there for a few days to rest and relax before you start the trek. Pokhara is a lake-side town and a great place to stock up, and buy any last minute essentials before you start your trek.

Once you are ready to begin the trek you will need to transfer from Pokhara to Phedi or Dhampus which are the most popular starting points for the Mardi Himal Trek. You can take a bus from Pokhara which is the cheapest option, however we chose to get a taxi-jeep, which we organized though our guide as this was quicker and more convenient for us. The jeep cost around $25.

Our Mardi Himal Trek

Day 1

We started our trek in Dhampus and worked our way up towards the mountains. We were surrounded by lush scenery and had views of mountain peaks that seemed very far off in the distance. Our guide happily pointed out Machapuchare mountain which seemed like a pin-prick at the time, this was the closest mountain to the Mardi Himal Base Camp and where we were headed. It suddenly sunk in how far and high we were going to have to trek over the coming days!

The first day of trekking only lasted around 4-5 hours as we had already started off from Dhampus which is a little higher than Phedi. Our guide joked that he wanted to break us into the trek gently and that anything under 2,500 meters was just classed as a Nepali hill! Yeah sure! We classed anything over 1,000 meters as a mountain and before this we had only climbed to the summit of Snowdonia in Wales, 1,085 m in height.

We passed though some traditional villages and the first camp we arrived at was Australian camp. We stopped here for a short lunch but moved on to our resting place for the night which was Deurali Camp. After a belly full of grub and a good nights rest at the tea-house we were ready for our next days trek.

Day 2

We set off for Forest camp with the early glow of the morning sun cast across the mountain peaks.

The days trekking was a little tougher with steeper climbs and our muscles were already aching from the previous days trek. The weather was clear and the ridge path took us into the shade and respite of the cooler forests as we headed towards our next camp.

We passed the odd, local farmer and a few stray buffalo along the forest paths as we made our way towards Forest Camp.

We arrived at Forest Camp just in time for a traditional lunch of Dal Baht preceded by some much deserved cold beers. We had the rest of the day to just enjoy the scenery and relax.

We enjoyed a great evening here, and met some fantastic people. In the evening in-between playing cards with the group there were people singing, playing the guitar, and one guy even had a ukulele, it was a great atmosphere!

Day 3

This was a tough day as we went from Forest Camp all the way up to Panoramic-View Camp which is just past Badal Dada Camp. The best part of the day was spent trekking through the forest with stunning mountain views, and the briskness of alpine-air.

We reached the end of the forest trail and the surrounding mountains revealed themselves, as they peeled-out across the sky, with the gentle glow of the mid-day sun on them.

We reached Badal Dada camp in time for lunch where we fueled up with a carb-heavy meal of mixed macaroni and pasta.

The people we met the night before at Forest Camp stayed at a Badal Dada camp, as did most of the other groups we’d met along the way.

Our guide had arranged for us to stay further up than this and we had to trek for another hour to reach our camp, but it was totally worth it! We had an unobstructed 360-degree view of the mountains and the ridge below us!

We settled in for one of our most memorable sunsets as a carpet of cloud enveloped the mountains and ridge below us.

Day 4

After a full-belly of breakfast and drying our sweaty boots off we carried on our ascent towards High Camp.

We reached High Camp (3,580 metres) around 11:00 am and fueled up with an early lunch before dropping our large backpacks off, this is where we would be spending the night after reaching the highest point of the trek – Base Camp.

Although we had acclimatized gradually we both felt the affects of high-altitude by this point. I guess the effects were always slightly there, but our breathing became more difficult and everything felt more tiring. By the time we reached High Camp we had both suffered some minor pressure headaches and spells of dizziness.

The next part of the trek was the toughest and most demanding, but we didn’t have our heavy backpacks, just a small backpack with some water and our camera. We first reached a small tea shop on the side of the mountain, before arriving at Upper Viewpoint after around 3 hours of tough trekking.

The views were breathtaking! Those snow-capped mountain peaks that seemed so far away at the start of the trek were now right in front of us, seemingly in touching distance!

Most of the people we had met finished here and headed back down to High Camp, but we decided to carry on up to Base camp. This section was the most treacherous and is where the ridge narrows and there are sheer drops and loose sections of rock and scree. You have to watch your every step as one wrong footing would end in disaster!

It’s around another 2 hours from Upper Viewpoint to the Mardi Himal Base Camp situated at 4,500 metres.

When we finally reached Base Camp we were partially relieved but also extremely elated!

Like many things in life, climbing a mountain is a tightrope between risk and security.

To most this is just a picture but for us it holds something more personal……..For us it’s a celebration of conquering a mountain, reaching that goal we set ourselves, and overcoming the physical and mental battle that ensued. It’s a culmination of events, each one more difficult than the last to reach that crowning moment.

In the end it’s about reaching a place that few others reach, to have a perspective of the world few others have………and because you earned it, the exhilaration, the sense of accomplishment, that pinnacle moment at the top, in peaceful bliss, surrounded by natures fierce beauty.

We had carried our own prayer flags up and placed them at various points along our journey, saving the last one for placing at the top. Here’s to wishing good health and a safe journey to others doing the Mardi Himal Trek.

The walk back to high camp was tough, but we made it back down just before dark, which is highly recommended. We had a carb-fueled dinner and headed outside as the weather was clear and we could see the milky way stretching out over the mountains. It was an amazing day!

Day 5

We woke up early to catch our last sunrise over the mountains, but in all honesty we hadn’t slept well anyway from the lack of oxygen. The sunrise was magical as it illuminated the higher peaks around us, first golden then fiery red.

We finished our energy-fueled breakfast including a huge piece of Tibetan bread soaked in honey and began our descent towards Landruk. The descent was tough, our energy was already spent from reaching Base Camp and we had the effects of bad nights sleep. We descended almost 2,000 meters to reach Landruk around 3:30 pm.

In all honesty though I can’t recommend taking this section of the route as the path between Forest Camp, descending towards Landruk is narrow, steep and has a sheer drop on the one side. It was just loose, uneven ground and even with trekking poles our footing didn’t feel secure. The better, alternative routes we would recommend taking are to go via Deurali or Lwang Ghalel, yes it’s longer but it is much, much safer!

Upon reaching Landruk we had our first hot shower since Forest Camp as there are no showers at the higher camps on the Mardi Himal Trek. We spent some time exploring the traditional village of Landruk, but all the trekking had taken its toll so after an hour or so we decided to put our feet up, and got an early night!

Day 6

On our last day we trekked from Landruk to Gandruk. It started off as a nice descent through the lush green valleys around Landruk and across the gorge. This is the same gorge where hallucinogenic-honey is harvested at certain times of the year, and you can actually see the bee-hives on the side of the cliff as you cross the gorge.

After crossing the river we began our ascent up to Ghandruk which was pretty tiring and we didn’t have much shade, but the scenery was still amazing. We passed traditional gurung houses and locals working in the fields before finally arriving in Gandruk, just in time for a well deserved lunch.

Day 7

We woke up early to see the incredible sunrise over the Himalaya’s one last time before we headed back to Pokhara. There is only one way back to Pokhara from Ghandruk – it’s bumpy, winding and hair-raising.

As all vehicles need to take the same route we opted to take the bus, which was cheaper than the shared jeep. We left from Ghandruk bus park in the morning around 9:00 am and it took 5 hours to get back to Pokhara.

The Mardi Himal Trek was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had and we hope to return to see more of the mighty Himalayas.

The Mountain Views On Our Mardi Himal Trek

• Annapurna IV – 7,525 metres
• Annapurna South – 7,219 metres
• Hiun Chuli – 6,441 metres
• Annapurna II – 7,937 metres
• Lamujung Himal – 6,463 metres
• Gangapurna – 7,445 metres
• Machhapuchare (Fishtail) – 6993 metres

Using A Guide For The Mardi Himal Trek

Although you can complete this trek without a guide, we recommend using one. Almost everyone we met along the trek had a guide. Having a guide makes the trek stress-free as they know the route to take and will arrange all the accommodation for you. Our guide, Mathbar was fantastic. He had great English and taught us a lot about local life in Nepal and what it takes to become a guide.

We actually found Mathbar, via Instagram and arranged to meet him in Kathmandu. He helped us find some walking shoes and other last minute items for our trek. We met up with him again in Pokhara, so by the time we went on the trek we felt we had already got to know him.

The most important aspect when hiring a guide is to make sure they have experience and that you trust them to keep you safe during the trek. There are lots of guide agencies in Nepal so arranging a guide when you arrive shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure you have a few days spare before you want to start the trek. You will need to put aside some time to meet them and make sure you are happy before agreeing to hiring them. You will spend a lot of time with your guide over several days, so it’s an important decision.

When discussing the price make sure you confirm what is and isn’t included within the guides daily fee. Generally the guides accommodation and food is covered by where you stay as the guide has bought business to that particular tea house.

If you would like details of our guide, Mathbar, please leave us a comment or send us a private message.

Tips For Completing the Mardi Himal Trek

• You will need an ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) entry permit to visit the Mardi Himal Trek region. You also need a TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) card which helps to keep track of all the trekkers entering the area. The ACAP permit and TIMS card can be obtained from the Nepal Tourism Office in Kathmandu or Pokhara or if you’re using a guide they will obtain these for you. Whether you apply yourself or if your guide applies for you, you will need a photocopy of your passport and 2 passport sized photos per person. If you apply yourself the process will take around 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Pack as light as possible as you will need to carry all your belongings with you (unless you pay for a porter). We did leave a few non-valuable items at Forest Camp as we knew we would pass back through there on the way down. We also left our main, large luggage bag at our hotel in Pokhara. Many hotels in Nepal will offer luggage storage for free.
• Expect very basic accommodation – as this trek is still fairly new all the accommodation available is basic, getting more so the higher you go. At the Panoramic View Lodge and High Camp there were no showers and you had to pay for wifi or to charge anything.
• Make sure you eat your meals at the accommodation where you’re staying. The small room charge for the tea houses is under the assumption you will buy your food and drink from them. If you don’t there is a high chance they may charge considerably more for the room.
• Accommodation can get booked out during peak season due to limited availability. If you’re using a guide they will arrange accommodation for you, but if you’re travelling independently be sure to make sure you book ahead in peak season.
• We know we said to pack light, but make sure you have spare batteries for your camera. We didn’t find ours ran out quicker in the colder temperatures, but we did take a lot of photos. Having spares will ensure you don’t run out and will save extra costs on charging them too much the higher you go.
• Bring along a few snacks like trekking bars and sweets. These tend to be very expensive and limited on the trek and will help keep your energy up on the harder days.
• Once you get past a certain height you can’t buy bottled water, to avoid plastic waste on the trek. So ensure you bring a couple of water bottles with you to refill or bring a life straw or purifying tablets. You can buy filtered water, but you have to have your own bottle to put it in.
• Do not get dehydrated. Dehydration can make the affects of altitude sickness worse so we made sure we drank plenty of water on every day of our trek. Luckily we didn’t get altitude sickness, but we did hear of other people who did while we were there.
• Make sure you have travel insurance that includes being airlifted off a mountain. If you get severe altitude sickness you will need to be quickly airlifted down. Although the Mardi Himal Trek is not as high as other treks, we could still feel the air was much thinner at high camp and altitude sickness is always a possibility. You will likely have to pay a premium and a very high excess, but it’s better than needing to pay for the entire evacuation which can cost thousands.
• If this is the first time you have trekked to this height, which it was for us, then take it slow and listen to your body. Give yourself time to adjust to the change in altitude and if you need to spend a extra night at a lower altitude in order to adjust then do so.
• Be prepared for meals, water, wifi and charging points to get more expensive the higher you go.
• Involve your guide in the trek, ask them questions about their life as a guide and find out more about the incredible country of Nepal. Ask them to sit with you to eat, play cards and really get to know them. It will enhance your trek experience and if you’re lucky you’ll make a new friend.
• Wear sunscreen – even when the temperature isn’t high the rays from the sun on the mountains are still very strong. Once you pass through the layers of forest you will be completely open to the elements and can very easily burn. This is especially so between Badal Dada and Mardi Himal Base Camp.
• Take layers as the temperature varies a lot from day to night. In November it got really cold once the sun had set and at night, but in the day there were clear, blue skies and the sun felt really strong. Once you start to trek you’ll get really hot, really quickly so you will only need a thin layer.

Costs For The Mardi Himal Trek

• Guide – the price of a guide will vary, but expect to pay at least $25 a day. It will likely be more if hired through an agency.
• Porter – we didn’t use a porter, but if you want the trek to be easier, the porter will carry your heavy bags for you. This will cost around $15-$20 a day.
• ACAP permit – for foreigners (non-SAARC countries) is 3000 Nepalese Rupee (around $27 USD).
• TIMS – for foreigners (non-SAARC countries) is 2000 Nepalese Rupee (around $18 USD) if your trekking independently, so not using a guide and 1000 Nepalese Rupee (around $9 USD) if you’re using a guide.
• Accommodation – the price ranges depending on where you stay and if your guide can get a discount for you, but for a double room with shared bathroom we paid between 300 Nepalese Rupee (NPR) (~2.70 USD) and 650 NPR (~$5.85 USD) a night. You will not find many rooms with a private bathroom on the Mardi Himal Trek, the only one we had was in Ghandruk.
• Breakfast:
• Muesli with milk 250-350 NPR (~$2.25-$3.15)/Cornflakes 300 NPR (~$2.70)
• Pancake 280 NPR (~$2.50)
• Omelette 200-280 NPR (~$1.80-$2.50)
• Tibetan bread with jam and honey 200-250 NPR ($1.80-$2.25) (most camps have a breakfast set menu option with potato, any bread, any eggs and tea or coffee for around 600 NPR (~$5.40), which worked out good value if you’re hungry!)
• Lunch & Dinner:
• Dal Bhat Veg 500-575 NPR (~$4.50-$5.20/Dal Bhat Chicken 650-800 NPR (~$5.85-$7.20) (you can receive double helpings if you order Dal Bhat so if you’re hungry this is your best option)
• Mixed fried noodles 450-550 NPR (~$4-$5)
• Veg fried rice 300-380 (~$2.70-$3.40)
• French fries 400 (~$3.60)
• Chicken macaroni 600-700 ($5.30-$6.30)
• Tuna cheese pizza 700-800 ($6.30-$7.20)
• Chocolate Bar – 250 NPR (~$2.25)
• Sprite or Coke 500 ml – 200-330 NPR ($1.80-$3)
• Drinking water per litre – 100-150 NPR (~$0.90-$1.30)
• Coffee – 100-120 NPR for cup of black coffee (~$1) – 120-150 NPR for milk coffee (~$1.10-$1.35)
• Tea – 60-80 NPR (~$0.60) for a cup of black tea up to 100-130 NPR (~$1.10) for masala tea or ginger lemon tea
• Local beer – 450 – 660 NPR (~$4-$6)
• Wifi – 100-200 NPR (~$0.90-1.80 USD) – do not expect a good connection even in the lower camps
• Charging for each item (higher camps only) – 100 (~$0.90 USD)
• Shower – 100 (~$0.90 USD)
• Sleeping bag rental per night – 150 NPR (~$1.35 USD)
• Private Jeep – $25 from Pokhara to our starting point of Dhampus
• Bus Ghandruk to Pokhara – 600 NPR (~5.40 USD) each plus 300 NPR (~2.70 USD) for our guide – this was not a set fee and was the lowest our guide could negotiate that day