Mardi Himal Trek

Met at Tribhuvan International Airport and transferred to your hotel. Evening welcome dinner and briefing on the route.

Altitude: 1,400 m.

West along the Prithvi Highway following the Trishuli river through terraced hills to Pokhara, which sits on Phewa Lake with Machhapuchhre rising directly behind it. Afternoon free on Lakeside. A 25-minute flight is available instead of the drive.

Drive: 6 to 7 hours.

A short drive to Phedi where the trail starts, then a steady climb through Dhampus, a Gurung village strung along a ridge with one of the best Annapurna views of any village in Nepal, and on through Pothana to Deurali.

The trail leaves the main Annapurna routes almost immediately. Within two hours you are on a quiet ridge with very few other trekkers.

Distance: 10 km. Walking: 5 to 6 hours. Altitude gain: 1,000 m.

Onto the Mardi ridge. The trail enters dense oak and rhododendron forest hung with moss and lichen, following the crest with occasional openings that show Machhapuchhre ahead. Quiet, enclosed walking with birdsong and very little else.

Forest Camp is exactly what the name suggests: a handful of lodges in a clearing among the trees.

Distance: 9 km. Walking: 5 to 6 hours. Altitude gain: 420 m.

The forest thins as you climb and the rhododendrons become older and more twisted. Around Low Camp the tree line breaks and Machhapuchhre appears in full for the first time, close enough to pick out the detail of its ridges.

Low Camp sits on the ridge with the Annapurna range opening to the west.

Distance: 7 km. Walking: 5 to 6 hours. Altitude gain: 450 m.

Above the tree line onto open ridge, walking on grass and low shrub with nothing between you and the view in either direction. Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machhapuchhre and Mardi Himal are all in sight for most of the day.

A steady climb with some exposed sections where the ridge narrows. High Camp at 3,540 m is a small cluster of lodges on the crest. Cold nights and exceptional stars.

Distance: 6 km. Walking: 5 to 6 hours. Altitude gain: 570 m.

The big day. A pre-dawn start along the ridge towards Mardi Himal Base Camp, climbing steadily on a narrow trail with steep drops to either side. The Upper Viewpoint at around 4,500 m puts you directly beneath the south face of Machhapuchhre, with Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna and Tent Peak around the horizon.

Sunrise from here is the reason for the trek. Back to High Camp in the afternoon.

Distance: 12 km round trip. Walking: 8 to 9 hours. Altitude: up 960 m and back.

A long descent off the east side of the ridge on a less-used trail, dropping steeply through forest to Sidhing, a working Gurung village that sees very few trekkers. From there a short walk to the road head at Lumre and a drive of about an hour to Pokhara.

Evening free on Lakeside, with hot showers and a proper meal.

Distance: 14 km. Walking: 6 to 7 hours. Drive: 1 to 2 hours.

A 25-minute flight along the Himalayan chain back to Kathmandu. Afternoon free for shopping in Thamel and a farewell dinner with the team in the evening.

Flight: 25 minutes.

Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before your flight, or onward arrangements if you are extending your stay in Nepal.