Itinerary

1. Day 1- Pokhara - Phedi - Trek to Pothana

   • Drive to Phedi for around 45 minutes from Pokhara.

   • Then, climb for about 3 hours from Phedi steeply up to the main trail of Dhampus. The first night camp will be at Pothana at 1650 m.

2. Day 2- Trek to Forest Camp

   •  From Pothana, trek to the Forest Camp. The dawn usually brings a spectacular sunrise over the Fishtail peak, changing from pink to gold shades that can also be seen over the Annapurna II.  

   • Start on the "secret trail", leaving behind tourists, other trekkers and the villages. You will enter an enchanting forest of birch, giant rhododendrons, mountain oaks, maples, hemlock and daphnia tress.

   • In the evening, camp inside a small clearing space at 255 m distance from the beaten trail.

3. Day 3- Trek from Forest Camp to Low Camp

   • As you climb, the flora changes into classic cloud forests with mosses and lichen, tree ferns and orchids with your Nepal tour guide. Now and then, there will be windows through the woods that look out onto the thrilling panorama towards Hiuchuli and the Annapurna South. You will be able to see the Mardi Khola Valley, leading up into the Annapurna Sanctuary. 

   • Stop for lunch so as not to go too high, too fast.

   • Spend the afternoon at leisure.

   • Camp at 3,400 m and enjoy mesmerising views of the ever-closer Fishtail peak. 

4. Day 4- Trek from Low Camp to High Camp

   • After just a short steep climb, you will be out of the forest, above the three-lone. A ridge, either grassy or under snow depending on the season, takes us up to the 'High camp', which you will reach by lunchtime.

   • Spend another afternoon at leisure to acclimatize, at 4100 m altitude. The views here are awesome. Annapurna South here seems close enough to throw a rock at while Machhapuchare will seem close enough to touch.

5. Day 5- High Camp - Mardi Himal Peak

   • Eat breakfast which will be earlier than usual, and with packed lunches.

   • Set off to reach your objective, i.e. Mardi Himal Peak. If conditions are favourable, you should reach up to 5,300 m to attain views of the summit. The great ice fields and blue glaciers of the sanctuary wall lie below, and Annapurna is beyond.

   • You will be standing on a spot that has been your constant aim for days. View the peaks of Dhaulagiri, Ganesh Himal and a dozen more glistening snow-bound giants of the Himalayas. A view that was almost impossible to equal, and you have earned it! Whatever our achievement, by 1 pm, you will descend back to High Camp.

6. Day 6- Trek to Siding Village

   • After a relaxed breakfast, make a slow descent down through the shade of the forest and out onto the terraced fields near the Siding Village.

   • Continue down to your camp at 1750 m near the Mardi Khola with your Nepali tour guide. 

7. Day 7- Siding village to Pokhara

   • The trail from Siding village now follows the contour of the river valley and will gradually go between the pastures and through Tamang and Gurung villages at 1160 m altitude.

   • With just a few hours of walking, you will arrive on the road, and your transportation will take you to Pokhara to arrive here by lunchtime.