Mardi Himal Trek

Reporting at Pokhra, then drive to Kande (1hr Drive), Trek from Kande to Deurali (2125m) 4hrs, 7km

After reporting we will drive to Kande village, which is the starting point of our trek. It will take about 1 hour. We will start our trek from Kande and will walk through green hills, rhododrendon forest. We will cross two villages enroute, Australian Camp (2060m) and Pothana (1950m). Pothana has ACAP / TIM’s checkpoint. Deurali is at a 4-5 hours walking distance  from Kande. Overnight stay in Deurali.

Deurali (2125m) to Low Camp (3150m) 7hrs, 13km

From Deurali we will leave main Annapurna Sanctuary trail and take an off the beaten trail to Mardi Himal Base camp to the right side. We will continue along a quiet trail through a dense forest of oak, maple, hemlock and rhododendron. Some 4 hours of jungle walk will bring us to a clearing of the forest, called Forest Camp or also known by the locals as Kokar. Here we will have a lunch break, then we still continue to up to Low Camp through the forest. 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 now four lodges. You may find it long and tough day though It is fine for regular fit trekkers. Overnight stay in Low Camp, accomodation in tea house.

Low Camp (3150m) to High Camp (3700m) 5hrs 6km

A few hours of climb through the rhododendron forest will takes us to Middle camp followed by Badal Danda. Badal Danda offers a stunning view of Mardi Himal, Annapurna South, Hiuchuli, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhre and Mardi Himal itself. From here the trail breaks out above tree line. The trail continues along the Mardi Himal ridge, through scarce vegetation, mainly on grass with some isolated rhododendron bushes along the way. Look out for the colourful Danphe pheasant on this section of the trail. The lodge at High Camp is larger than lodges at Low Camp and Forest Camp. Overnight Stay in Tea House.

High Camp (3700m) to Mardi Himal Lower Base Camp (4250m) 7hours 6km, descent to Badal Danda (3400m)

The plan for today is to wake early for 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 dzokpo (yak/ cow crossbreds) 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 a number of herder’s huts along the way. After three hours of walk, you should reach Lower Base Camp at the elevation of 4250m. This is where one can look into the Annapurna Sanctuary. The panorama view is spectacular, you will be presented with stunning view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). We come back to High camp for lunch, then we will descent to Badal Danda Camp. Overnight Stay at Badal Danda Camp.