Mardi Himal Trek should be your top choice if you are profiling for a quiet and disturbance-free trekking experience. Prior to around 2015, the route was very uncommon and lacked many basic amenities for trekkers.
This made high-quality trekking a challenging affair because of the lack of basic amenities. However, things have changed lately. Hotels and basic trekking facilities have become easier to find.
The 9-day Mardi trek has been designed to meet the needs of trekkers of all age groups. Mardi Himal Trek route offers an alternate viewing angle of the mountains inside Annapurna sanctuary and beyond. The route is full of thundering waterfalls and rivers.
Animals like Jharal, mountain bear, and boar are common in the forests of the region. The area is also home to exotic medicinal plants like yarsagumba, setak chini, paanchaule, etc.
We will commence our trek from a place called Phedi. We will reach Phedi in a vehicle before the actual trek starts. The road from Phedi is along stone-paved stairs which travel through dense forests of Rhododendron, Pine, Fir, etc.
The Mardi Himal View Point provides a 360-degree view of many famous Himalayan peaks in the central region of Nepal, including Annapurna South, Annapurna 1, Annapurna 2 Himchuli, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhre, and Mardi.
We will return from an alternate route while going back to Pokhara. The route leads to the picturesque Siding village. Siding is an archetypical village of the local Gurung people. We will continue to Pokhara by driving from Siding village.
What is the Mode of transportation to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu?
Tourist Bus: There are many tourist buses that depart every day from Kathmandu to Pokhara by 7:00 AM morning from Sorakhutte Khusibu Marga Kathmandu. It takes around 6 – 7 hours. From Pokhara Leave at 7:30 am to Kathmandu. It cost US$10 per person. The Deluxe Tourist bus costs US$30 per person.
Private Car: US$110/ Jeep US$150/ Van US$200: You can Hire a Car/ Jeep / Van in your group size. If you hire a private vehicle, it will be more flexible.
Flight: Every day, there are many flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara and Pokhara to Kathmandu. It would be comfortable and short travel if you take a flight to Pokhara. It takes 25 minutes from Kathmandu and cost US$76 per person one way.
Mardi Himal Trek – Should I worry about any other things?
Mardi Himal Trek is an easy trek near Pokhara. Mardi Himal Base Camp is at an altitude of 4,500 m. This makes it a full 470 meters higher than the Annapurna Base Camp. While the Mardi mountain itself is much less in altitude compared to the Annapurna mountain – 5,587 m versus 8,091 m, the base camp of Mardi is much higher.
This makes the trek to Mardi Base Camp a slightly challenging affair. Moreover, we will be crossing the distance in fewer days, thus making everyday walking a little arduous. It is therefore advisable to have some prior trekking experience before embarking on this trek.
Altitude sickness should not be a worry if you follow all the trekking protocols and best practices along the way. Our travel guides will keep you informed about the dos and don’ts along the way. We request you to take a break from smoking during the trek if you have a habit of smoking cigarettes.
