Mardi Himal Trek

You are met at Tribhuvan International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free to rest after the flight or explore the streets of Thamel.

Mardi Himal is one of the newest trekking routes in the Annapurna region, only formally opened in 2012, and it remains far quieter than the Base Camp and Poon Hill trails despite running alongside them.

Your guide holds the pre-trek briefing in the late afternoon, covering the route along the Mardi ridge, daily distances and the gear you will need. High Camp is exposed and cold, and the kit list reflects that.

Annapurna Conservation Area permits are arranged now, so bring your passport and travel insurance documents. Anything still missing from your kit can be bought or hired in Thamel.

Overnight in a three-star hotel in Kathmandu.

A guided day around the Kathmandu Valley's UNESCO World Heritage sites, which between them cover the best part of two thousand years of Newar, Hindu and Buddhist history.

Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa above the city, is reached by a long stone staircase and gives the best single view over Kathmandu. Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas anywhere, is the heart of Tibetan Buddhist life in Nepal and is at its best in the late afternoon when the circumambulation fills.

Pashupatinath on the Bagmati is the country's most significant Hindu temple complex, with open cremation ghats along the riverbank. Patan Durbar Square holds the finest concentration of Newar palace and temple architecture in the valley.

The afternoon is left free for trek preparation, and your guide will run through your kit with you in detail.

Breakfast provided. Overnight in Kathmandu.

The journey west to Pokhara by tourist coach along the Prithvi Highway, six to seven hours following the Trishuli river through the middle hills, with stops for tea and lunch. The twenty-five minute flight can be arranged instead as an upgrade.

The road passes through Mugling and Dumre with terraced hillsides, roadside bazaars and river confluences the whole way - it is slow, but it shows you the country between the two cities.

Pokhara sits at 820 m on Phewa Lake directly beneath the Annapurnas, and on a clear afternoon Machhapuchhre is reflected in the water.

The rest of the day is free. The lakeside has good restaurants and the last decent coffee before the trek.

Breakfast provided. Overnight in a hotel in Pokhara.

A day to see Pokhara properly before walking. A boat across Phewa Lake to the Tal Barahi temple on its island is the traditional start, followed by the climb or short drive up to the World Peace Pagoda on the ridge above, which gives a fine view over the lake to Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South.

The city has several other sites worth an hour: Devi's Fall, where the Pardi Khola disappears into an underground channel; the Gupteshwor cave beneath it; and the International Mountain Museum, which is genuinely good on the history of Himalayan climbing and on the peoples of the range.

Sarangkot, on the ridge north of the lake, is the classic sunrise viewpoint and can be arranged as an early morning excursion if you would rather.

The afternoon is free for any last purchases. Everything you might need is available on the lakeside strip, generally cheaper than in Kathmandu.

Breakfast provided. Overnight in a hotel in Pokhara.

A short drive of around forty minutes climbs the Baglung Highway to Kande at 1,770 m, where the trail leaves the roadside.

A steep but short ascent through farmland brings you to Australian Camp, a grassy shoulder with an unobstructed view of Machhapuchhre, Mardi Himal, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. It is a good place to stop for tea and get your first proper look at the ridge you will be following.

From there the path contours to Pothana, a small village on the ridge, and then to Deurali where the Mardi Himal trail branches north away from the main Annapurna route.

Deurali sits at around 2,100 m at the point where the forest begins, and from here the trek becomes markedly quieter.

Four to five hours of walking with around 500 m of ascent. All meals provided. Overnight in Deurali.

The whole day is spent inside the forest along the Mardi ridge, and it is a completely different kind of walking from the open teahouse trails on either side.

The trail follows the crest north through dense rhododendron and oak, thick with moss and lichen, with roots and stone underfoot and the canopy closed overhead. Views are occasional rather than constant, opening at clearings and then closing again.

In March and April the rhododendron through this section is spectacular, with red and pink blossom across the whole hillside. At other times of year it is simply a quiet, green, enclosed trail on which you will meet very few other people.

Forest Camp, known locally as Kokar, at 2,550 m is a small cluster of lodges in a clearing among the trees.

Four to five hours with around 450 m of ascent. All meals provided. Overnight at Forest Camp.

A shorter day, which is intentional - the route gains height quickly from here and the easier stage helps you adjust.

The trail continues north along the ridge, still enclosed in forest, climbing steadily through rhododendron that thins and shortens as the altitude increases.

Around Rest Camp the canopy starts to break and the first clear views open ahead to Mardi Himal and the south face of Machhapuchhre, which from this angle looks genuinely impossible. It has never been summited, being closed to climbing as a sacred peak.

Low Camp at 2,970 m sits where the forest gives way to open hillside, with lodges strung along the ridge crest. Cloud often builds out of the valley in the afternoon, so it is worth waiting for the evening clearance.

Three to four hours with around 420 m of ascent. All meals provided. Overnight at Low Camp.

Above Low Camp the trek changes entirely. The forest is behind you within half an hour and the trail climbs onto a narrow, open ridge of grass and low scrub, exposed on both sides with the Seti valley falling away east and the Modi Khola west.

This is the finest walking of the route. Machhapuchhre stands directly ahead and grows through the morning, with Mardi Himal behind it and Annapurna South and Hiunchuli filling the western skyline. The path is well defined but narrow, and in cloud it needs care.

A steady climb of three to four hours brings you to High Camp at 3,580 m, a small huddle of lodges on the ridge with nothing above them but the mountain.

The afternoon is kept free to rest and adjust. A short walk an hour uphill and back is good preparation for tomorrow. Nights here are cold, often well below freezing.

Three to four hours with 610 m of ascent. All meals provided. Overnight at High Camp.

The big day, and a long one. You leave in the dark for the climb to the Upper Viewpoint at around 4,200 m, following the ridge past the Lower Viewpoint on a steep and rocky path with a couple of short exposed steps.

The reward is a genuine high-mountain amphitheatre. Machhapuchhre rises immediately in front, close enough to pick out individual ice flutings on its south face, with Mardi Himal to the left and the whole Annapurna wall spread to the west. Those with the time and energy can continue towards Mardi Himal Base Camp itself before turning back.

You retrace the ridge to High Camp for a late breakfast, then descend past Low Camp and turn off the ascent route to drop east towards Siding through forest and then terraced farmland - warm, green, worked country that is a complete contrast to the morning's alpine ridge.

A jeep meets you at Siding for the rough but scenic drive out to Lumre and on to Pokhara on sealed road, roughly two and a half hours.

Eight to nine hours of walking plus the drive. Breakfast and lunch provided. Overnight in a hotel in Pokhara.

The return to Kathmandu, by tourist coach along the Prithvi Highway or by the twenty-five minute flight if you prefer.

By road it is six to seven hours beside the Trishuli through the middle hills, with stops for tea and lunch along the way. The flight is the better option if you are short of time or tired of the road.

You are transferred to your hotel on arrival in Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free.

Thamel is the place for souvenirs - pashmina, singing bowls, prayer flags and Tibetan crafts - and prices are considerably better than in Pokhara or on the trail.

Breakfast provided. Overnight in Kathmandu.

A free day in Kathmandu, held in the itinerary partly as a buffer against weather or road delays and partly to give you time in the city without a departure hanging over it.

If you have not already seen them, the valley's UNESCO sites can be visited today with a guide: Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Patan Durbar Square. Bhaktapur, the best-preserved of the three medieval city squares, is a half-day on its own and well worth it.

Otherwise the day is yours for shopping, a massage - Thamel has plenty, and after a week on the ridge they are welcome - or simply sitting in a garden restaurant doing nothing at all.

In the evening there is a farewell dinner at a Nepali restaurant with traditional music and dance, and this is the customary point for tips to the guide and porters.

Breakfast and dinner provided. Overnight in Kathmandu.

The trip ends today. Depending on your flight time the morning may be free for last shopping or a final walk through the city.

If your flight is late in the day, day-use of a hotel room can be arranged so you have somewhere to shower and repack.

You are transferred to Tribhuvan International Airport around three hours before departure, since international check-in in Kathmandu can be slow.

If you would like to extend your stay in Nepal - Chitwan, Lumbini, a rafting trip or a few days back in Pokhara - we are glad to arrange it.

Breakfast provided.