Accommodations on the trek
Mardi Himal trek is a trek at a higher altitude up to 4200 meters. It is a newly explored route. Its trail does not go through the local villages like other trekking destinations in Nepal. It is a walk purely through the dense jungle.
Therefore, only the basic facilities can be expected at higher elevations. The tea houses are made of blocks with no electricity. They use a solar light. Unlike other trekking zones, you need to share a room with more than two people during the peak trekking season because only 7 rooms per tea house are allowed to be built by the ACAP. A room will be filled with up to 6 beds. A shared toilet, shower, and dining area are built there.
So, the accommodation cost is cheaper compared to other destinations like Annapurna Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit. But the food cost would be a little bit expensive because it is the only source of income for the local community. They use horses to transport these goods.
In high season, it would be better to book a guest house room earlier before your trip begins, because of the limited number of teahouses, they get full.
Besides, there are some campsites available at the Low Camp and the Forest Camp. If your budget allows, you can opt for a camp trek for a more adventurous experience.
Conversely, you can get more facilities in the lower elevation area as compared to higher altitude places.
You will be provided a blanket in every lodge, but it will not be enough to keep out the cold in the High camp. So, having a sleeping bag is worth.
Foods
Normally, you can get Nepalese, Chinese, Indian, and Western food during a trek in the mountain region of Nepal.
A typical local Nepalese meal is rice, curry, lentils, and pickles. It is served everywhere in Nepal. If you wish to eat it, you can have as much as you can at the same price. But other non-Nepalese food needs to be bought on a plate basis.
The other tentative names of food that can be found on the Mardi Himal trek are below;
- Chapati
- Tibetan bread
- Seasonal vegetable
- Mushroom, chicken, garlic, tomato, and other veg/non-veg soup
- Tea/coffee/milk
- Grilled vegetable
- Spinach
- Spaghetti
- boiled egg/omelet
- rice pudding
- oats/porridge
- pancakes
- pasta
- sweets
- spring roll
- Mars/sneaker chocolate
Mardi Himal trek packing list
It is a short trek, so please try to pack a light bag only for 4 days. The packing lists are as follows;
- Sleeping bag
- Head Lamp
- Backpack (weight basis)
- Extra battery backup (for charging a mobile)
- Water purifier
- Hiking boots
- Trekking poles
- Hiking shirts
- Trekking pants
- Raincoat
- Down jacket (season basis)
- Sun Hat
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Beanie
- Fleece jacket
- Comfortable sleeping clothes
- Towel
- Waterproof small handbag (for saving money and documents)
- Waterproof pouch for documents, money, phone, etc.
- First Aid Kit (provided by the company)
- Lip balm, Soap/shower gel
- Hand sanitizer
- Toilet paper
How to get to Mardi Himal?
After you arrive in Kathmandu, you need to have either air travel or road travel to Pokhara. It takes almost 20 minutes on a plane, while it is 6 hours on a bus.
The trip begins from the place called Pritam Deurali, following an almost 3-hour drive from the beautiful valley, Pokhara. You can catch the mesmerizing glimpses of the Himalayan ranges even from Pritam Deurali and enjoy lunch.
After resting for some time, your Mardi Himal trek begins. The trek goes along the typical green forest trail. So, caution is advised because the path may be slippery, especially during the rainy season. After about an hour of walking, you will arrive at Lovely Hill, a scenic spot with two cozy tea houses. Then, the trail again joins the lush jungle, full of mainly rhododendron and other native saplings. It is a slightly ascending trail and reaches Pani Pokhari within an hour, where you can find some small tea shops.
From there, a beautiful trail begins. You will walk among the towering trees by touching and feeling their textures. This is the most exhilarating journey through nature. The continuation of an hour trek through this enchanting jungle takes you to the charming place, known as Tod Khadka. From here, you will find a few tea houses and the mountain views too. You will notice a large water tank too, which reserves fresh mountain water. En route, you may encounter the horses with loads. It also adds the traditional charm to this trek to Mardi Himal.
Now, the trail becomes steep. It is a climb up the stone steps. Soon after, you re-enter the forest trail with an ups and downs path. You will walk continuously for about 2 hours through the vast jungle before you arrive at Forest Camp, where you are going to spend your night. It is another peaceful place with views. We recommend taking dinner early and having a good sleep, as the trail is going to be challenging from the next day onward.
In the morning after breakfast, the Mardi Himal trek resumes. The trail goes with a steep ascent along the longer stairs in the beginning - having a trekking pole would be more beneficial here. You will reach at Rest Camp after an hour of tiring climb, where you can take a short break. From there, the serene jungle walk begins for nearly two hours. It is the wild, untamed forest. At the end, you will reach Low Camp, a beautiful stop with nice tea houses. Some trekkers choose to spend their nights there. The views look truly stunning from this place, too.
Afterward, a trek continues through the untouched jungle wilderness, gradually ascending toward Badal Danda. A trail is a slightly uphill climb in the beginning, then transitions into a steeper, stepped path till High Camp. Though it is a fatiguing hike, you will enjoy your trip because you will find the majestic mountains close to you. Finally, you will reach High Camp. Now, you can take a rest and warm your body. It is best to have an early dinner and go to bed early, as you need to wake up around 3 am for the View Point hike.
In the early morning, your View Point Hiking begins. If you are a slow trekker, it may take almost three hours to reach there. Otherwise, it can be done within 2 hours. Though the steep, continuous stairway makes for a tiring climb, the stunning mountain views along the way will captivate you at every step, drawing you closer with their majestic presence. You will encounter the grazing yaks and horses. The open meadow area adds extra charm to the journey. As you ascend, you will find yourself above the clouds, a surreal and breathtaking experience.
Eventually, you will reach the View Point, a heavenly place. Now, you can explore an up-close view of Mount Annapurna South, Mount Fishtail, Mardi Himal, and other snowcapped peaks very closely in a chronological order. In addition, the Pokhara Valley and other villages spread out below, offering a panoramic view that makes every step of the trek worthwhile.
Now, the completely descent trail begins. Walking downhill is also a tiring walk. Today, you will spend your night at Badal Danda by retracing the previous ways.
The next day, you will retrace your steps back to Low Camp. From there, a full day of down stone steps, Jungle Walk begins and ends at Sidding. It takes almost 8 hours to reach Sidding village from Badal Danda.
From Sidding, you will have approximately three hours of Jeep drive to Pokhara. While driving, you will see the local working farmers, vibrant villages, and green forests, offering a glimpse into rural life in the hills.
At last, you will arrive at the delightful valley, Pokhara, where you can relax, chill, and celebrate the success of your unforgettable Mardi Himal Trek.
From Pokhara, you can have a road drive again to the trekking starting point. This place is called Kande. It takes approximately one and a half hours to get there. Then your actual Mardi Himal trek begins.
Travel Insurance
As we all know, travel insurance helps in an emergency situation. So, Rising Adventure strongly recommends that every trekker buy travel insurance before going on the Mardi Himal trek because it is a trek at a higher altitude. Though you are fit and fine, you may get high altitude sickness sometimes, and may face unavoidable circumstances like landslides, bad weather, or other things. So, you require travel insurance for tackling this condition.
Be sure that your insurance company is reliable and trustworthy, and your insurance must cover all the expenses, like hospitalization charges and helicopter rescue.
Please note, Rising Adventure does not sell any travel insurance. It only sells trekking and tour packages in the Nepal Himalayas.
Best season
Trekking to Mardi Himal is best in the spring and autumn seasons. Normally, these are the peak trekking seasons and are preferable for doing every activity in Nepal because the weather is bright and sunny. Spring comes just after the monsoon. So, the rain washes out every speck of dirt from the sky. The surrounding atmosphere seems neat and clean.
Similarly, autumn falls after the winter season, before the rainy season. So, the days are longer. The temperature is warm on a sunny day. The sky looks crystal clear. As a result, the Himalayan panoramas can be seen very nicely.
But Rising Adventure does not recommend you to do the Mardi Himal trek at the beginning of September and March, though these months come under spring and autumn seasons respectively. Because there would be a chance of rainfall till the second week of September, although spring begins. As a result, the route gets muddy. The rain may create a blockage on the track. And sometimes, it would be impossible to walk or even can not come out of the home due to the heavy rainfall. Due to the continuous rain, all the teahouses may be closed as well.
On the other hand, the colder period may remain till the second week of March, even though autumn starts. So, there would be snowfall on a trail. The route may get buried under the snow. The temperature goes down.
Overall, the months of April, May, October, and November are considered the best times for trekking in Nepal. However, a trekker may join this Mardi trek at their favorable time within these peak months.
