10-Day Mardi Himal Trekking in Nepal with Base Camp Views

Welcome to Kathmandu, the capital city of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. After arrival, the group will be formally introduced to the guide for the activities over the next few days.

Special attention should be paid to the safety aspects of the briefing. Any questions or doubts should be asked and clarified at this time. We will also check your insurance details and other requirements for your trekking.

Drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (914-915 m), which takes about six hours. You depart for the six-hour drive to Pokhara, 200 kilometres west of Kathmandu. As you climb out of the Kathmandu Valley, only to quickly descend again to the Trisuli River, you follow upstream to its junction with the Marsyangdi River.

You then follow the Marsyangdi gently up through heavily terraced fields and small hill towns to the Seti River, which takes you directly into Pokhara. With its pleasant weather, Pokhara is a tourist's paradise full of natural as well as cultural heritage sites such as lakes, caves, and temples of Buddhists and Hindus, along with mountains.

You can observe views to the north across the hills and Phewa Taal (lake) to the white peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. This drive will take most of the morning, leaving much of the afternoon to fall in love with its beauty. You can also fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara, which takes about 25 minutes.

After breakfast, drive to Phedi via Tibetan Camp and begin a steep climb up to Dhampus village, one of the big Gurung villages. Then continue the hike to Pothana, enjoying spectacular panoramic views of the Annapurnas.

Today, we will start our secret trail, leaving tourists, other trekkers, and even villagers behind. The trek enters an enchanted forest of birch, giant rhododendron, mountain oak, maple, hemlock, and daphnia, with camping in a small clearing far from the beaten trail.

As we climb, the flora changes into a classic cloud forest with mosses and lichen, tree ferns, and orchids hosted by the hardier trees. Natural windows in the woods look out onto thrilling panoramas towards Hiunchuli and the knife-sharp traverse towards Annapurna South.

Far below, to the left, the Modi Khola valley leads up into the Annapurna Sanctuary. Though still surrounded by forest, the route offers spectacular northern views of the ever-closer Fishtail.

Just a short, steep climb takes us out of the forest. A ridge, now grassy and sometimes under snow, leads us up to High Camp, which we shall reach at lunchtime.

Here, a second consecutive afternoon is spent amazed by the views and acclimatizing. Annapurna South seems near enough to touch.

Breakfast will be earlier than usual. Then, with a packed lunch, set off to reach the objective. Conditions being favourable, the trip can reach up to 5000 m, and only the crest of Mardi Himal separates us from the south face of Machhapuchare.

The great ice fields and blue glaciers of the Sanctuary Wall lie below. Annapurna I, the highest of all, is beyond, and around, in an arc from horizon to horizon, from Dhaulagiri to the Ganesh Himal, are a dozen or more glistening snow-bound giants.

You will be standing on a spot that has been the constant aim for days now - a place, a time, and a view that is almost impossible to equal, and earned through your effort. Whatever the achievement, by 1:00 pm you begin the return trip back to camp.

After a relaxed breakfast, tired bodies make an unhurried descent through the shade of the forest and out onto terraced fields, down 1600 m. This is a different route down to the upper Mardi Khola, the torrent that has been fed by the ice and snow of Mardi Himal.

Although remote and still away from the much-used 'Teahouse' trekking routes, our expedition now reflects the warm valley and the friendly villages. Here, we make our way along the banks of the Mardi Khola from the hillside village of Sidding, down through the lovely fields, past the simple farms, and over the interesting bridges.

There is no doubting this is indeed the idyllic Nepali countryside. Then drive to Pokhara on the same day.

Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu by tourist minibus for about seven hours. While driving from Pokhara to Kathmandu, you head up to Damauli, Dumre, Muglin, and Kurintar, where Nepal's first cable car is operated to reach Manakamana Temple.

En route, you could enjoy the mountain views, green scenery, rice terrace fields, vegetable fields, and people engaged in their daily activities. From Naubishe, you climb up to Thankot, the gateway to the capital city. You are then directly taken to the hotel.

You can also fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu, which takes about 25 minutes.

Time to bid Nepal farewell.