Mardi Himal Yoga Trek

Met at Tribhuvan International Airport and transferred to your hotel. In the evening we meet for a welcome dinner, run through the itinerary and introduce your yoga instructor, who travels with the group for the whole trek.

Altitude: 1,400 m.

A drive west along the Prithvi Highway following the Trishuli river through terraced hills and roadside villages. Pokhara sits on Phewa Lake with Machhapuchhre rising directly behind it.

We arrive in time for an afternoon yoga session by the lake, which doubles as a gentle warm-up for the walking that starts tomorrow.

Drive: 6 to 7 hours, or a 25-minute flight.

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

The trail leaves the main Annapurna routes almost immediately, which is the point of Mardi Himal: within two hours you are on a quiet ridge with almost nobody else on it. Evening yoga and meditation at the lodge.

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

Onto the Mardi ridge proper. The trail enters dense oak and rhododendron forest hung with moss and lichen, following the crest of the ridge with occasional openings that show Machhapuchhre ahead.

This is quiet, enclosed walking with birdsong and very little else. Forest Camp is exactly what the name says: a handful of lodges in a clearing among the trees. Morning and evening yoga sessions.

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 see the detail of its ridges.

Low Camp sits on the ridge with the Annapurna range opening out to the west. Evening yoga on the terrace, weather permitting, is one of the moments people remember from this trek.

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 itself are all in sight for most of the day.

It is a steady climb with some exposed sections where the ridge narrows. High Camp at 3,540 m is a small cluster of lodges perched on the crest. Nights here are cold and the stars are exceptional. Gentle evening practice, with attention to breathing at altitude.

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 arranged around the horizon.

Sunrise from here is the reason the trek exists. The descent back to High Camp takes the afternoon, and there is time for restorative yoga and a proper rest before dinner.

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

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.

This is the part of the trek that feels least like a trekking route: farmland, buffalo, children walking to school, and a homestay atmosphere in the lodges. Evening yoga in the village.

Distance: 12 km. Walking: 6 hours. Altitude loss: 1,840 m.

A short morning walk down to the road head at Lumre, then a drive of about an hour to Pokhara and an afternoon flight to Kathmandu. If you would rather have a night in Pokhara before flying, tell us when you book and we will restructure the last two days.

Farewell dinner in Kathmandu with the team and your yoga instructor.

Walking: 2 hours. Drive and flight: 8 to 9 hours in total.

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