Mardi Himal Trek : Ultimate Solitary Adventure for You

Mardi Himal Trek is a new trekking route in the Annapurna Region of Nepal. The trek route lies east of the most visited trek destination, the Annapurna Base Camp trek (4,130 meters). Mardi Himal Trek became an official trekking route in 2012 after several teahouses opened in settlements on the route. The Mardi trek is a unique gem in the Annapurna region. Not many tourists choose Mardi trek, so if you are looking for a close encounter with gleaming snow-capped mountains in a quiet trek with very few visitors, Mardi Himal Trek is a solitary adventure just for you.

Mardi Himal Trek
Image taken from www.todayshomepage.com

Apices of Mardi Himal Trek

Front-View of Machhapuchre Himal and other mountains

 Mardi Himal trek lies in the foothills of Annapurna range and Machhapuchre Himal (6,993 meters). Mardi base camp (4,500 meters) sits just a few hills afar from Machhapuchre. Mardi trek gives you a panoramic view of Annapurna Mountain Range and a front-seat view of the fish-tail mountain, Machhapuchre. The most notable Annapurna mountain seen from Mardi Himal trek is the Annapurna South with an elevation of 7,010 meters.

Machhapuchre’s strut nature shines magnificently from Low Camp while the entire Annapurna Range smiles in your face from the High Camp. Some of the other sightings in Mardi Himal Trek are Gandharva Chuli (6,248 meters), Ganggapurna, Hiuchuli (6,441 meters), Annapurna III (7,555 meters), Annapurna I (8,091 meters) and some glaciers too.

Rhododendron Blooms

Tourists trekking in different parts of Nepal choose spring season to trek in the hills of Nepal because of the flower blooms. The hills are covered with beautiful blooms of flowers during Spring. Some hills are rose red while some hills are covered with pink flower blooms. The sight of different coloured blooms in numerous hills is also a reason why people choose Mardi Himal Trek. The trek passes through Rhododendron, Chimal and other wildflowers forest which blooms in its magnificence in the spring and makes your trek experience worthwhile.

Sunrise and Sunset View of Annapurna Range

 In Mardi Himal trek, you can see spectacular sunrise and sunset views from Australian Base Camp (2,000 meters). You can spend a night in the Australian Base Camp to see the sun rays hit the Annapurna mountains in the morning and sunset in the lap of these mountains in the evening. Many tourist groups travel to Australian Base Camp just to view the sunrise and sunset. The spectacle of sunrise and sunset from the base camp is arguably the best among the entire Annapurna Region.

Also, make sure that you select a proper season to trek in the Mardi region. In winter and monsoon season, the sun often gets blocked by clouds and fogs. Many tourists have left disappointed because either fog or clouds disrupted the view of sunrise and sunset from Australian Base Camp. So make sure you travel when the weather is clear to enjoy the full extent of your Mardi trip.    

Bonding with Local Gurungs

 The Mardi Himal trek is not an extensive trekking route used by many tourists. The trek doesn’t have many tea houses and services, and infrastructures in the route are very basic. A limited number of people live in the vicinity of the trekking route, and most of them are Gurungs, native to the area. You can interact with the tea house owners and get to know about their lifestyle, struggles of daily life, culture and traditions.  

The local people on the route are amicable and helpful. They have been living in the area since childhood and will guide you through the trek routes and difficulties you face in the trek. The locals will also comply with your special requests like a campfire and barbeque to make your trip memorable and peerless.

Contrasting Landscapes

Mardi Himal Trek offers two different landscapes. In the initial part of the trek, you travel through dense forests in the Annapurna Conservation Area. The woods you pass through are Rhododendron forests, with lots of Rhododendron flowers in the trees and also lying in the trail itself. Other forests are Oaks and Sliver between Deurali and Forest Camp.

The trek after Forest Camp changes landscape. You leave the dense forests and traverse through barren hills covered with dried grass and rocks. The barren landscape gives a clear view of neighbouring Annapurna Sanctuary and the trails leading to the majestic Annapurna mountain.

Rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal

The national flower of Nepal is Rhododendron, and it is widely available in the Mardi Himal Trek. The flower is one of the most beautiful flowers of Nepal and is also used for medicinal purpose too. Local people in the Mardi region soak the flower and drink its juice to dissolve fish bones stuck on the throat. Rhododendron also helps to cure diarrhoea, dysentery, and coughs.

You will see many tea houses sun-drying flowers of Rhododendron. The dust of dried Rhododendron flower paste can help to cure headaches, and the juice from the flowers is used to treat menstrual disorders.

You can keep some of the Rhododendron flowers in your backpack. You never know what comes handy during a trek in a remote and isolated part of the world.

Green Trekking and Eco-Tourism

Mardi Himal is a new trekking route, hence is very clean and unexploited unlike other major trekking routes in Nepal. Litter and garbage wastes have become a significant issue in the popular trails of Nepal. Several campaigns are dedicated to clean the jungles and environment that consist litters like plastic water bottles, cans, and other non-degradable substances.

We at Dolma Ecotourism encourage to follow green trekking habits and promote eco-tourism. You can also spread awareness among colleagues and fellow trekkers to practise sustainable tourism to preserve the environment for future generation. You can also be active in collecting water bottles and cans on the trail along with our trained guides.

When to go Mardi Himal Trekking

Mardi trek takes you to the foothills of Mt. Machhapuchre in the Annapurna Region of Nepal. The major attraction of Mardi trek is the view from Mardi base camp and Upper viewpoint (4,200 meters). To get an undisturbed sight of nearby mountains of Annapurna Range, Autumn and Spring is the best season to conquer the Mardi trek. October-December and February-April is the ideal time to visit Mardi and glimpse on some fantastic views of the Annapurna Sanctuary.

You must avoid trekking Mardi region in the peak winter and the summer monsoon. In winter, the teahouses might not be open due to extreme cold, and heavy snowfall blocks path to Mardi base camp and Upper viewpoint. Summer monsoon is the worst time to trek to Mardi. The continuous downpour causes muddy and slippery trek routes. The trail is filled with leeches and other bugs and insects.

So, if you want to experience an outstanding trek in the foothills of Mt. Machhapuchre and South Annapurna, visit the Mardi trek in either Autumn or Spring season.

Mardi Himal Trek
Image taken from wikipedia.com

Infrastructures and Difficulty of the Trek

Mardi Himal trek is considered as an easy trek route. The trek duration is about 4-7 days as per your travel requisites. The trek route is a new route and isn’t well infrastructured with luxury lodges, hot showers, and lavish bedrooms. The teahouses in the region have basic infrastructure of food and shelter. You might not even receive a hot shower, but what you will receive is a warm bucket of water.

Teahouses are the place where you stay the night. The teahouses aren’t sufficient to accommodate a large number of tourists, and you may have to sleep in a nearby tent. Make sure you carry sleeping bags for added warmth.

The Mardi trek has a maximum elevation of 4,500 meters at Mardi Himal Base Camp, and the trek itself is categorised as an easy to moderate difficulty level. All the teahouses are below 3,600 meters, and you don’t need extra days to acclimatisation to the region. There isn’t much issue about Acute Mountain Sickness when trekking in the Mardi area because of moderate altitude and easy gradual climbs during the trek. You can get used to light jogging and hiking to keep yourself physically fit before trekking to Mardi.

Items essential for Mardi Himal Trek

Some essential items you should pack for your trip to Mardi regions include

  • Quality Hiking Boots
  • Sleeping bags and Tent
  • Long Sleeve Shirts and Shorts
  • Warm Jackets, Caps and Mufflers (For Winter Season)
  • Trekking Pants
  • Water Bottles and Water Purification System
  • Rubber Sandals
  • Map and Sunglasses

For further queries and information regarding Mardi Himal Trek, you can visit our website at https://dolmatours.com/. You can also ask us your questions about our services, our work experience and any other details you want to know about our past work here.

You can also check about other trek packages in our blog.

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