Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek

Day 1: Kathmandu to Pokhara (drive)

• Drive time: 8 hours
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Travel Distance: 200 kilometers (124 miles)

After breakfast, board the early morning tourist bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara.  Tourist buses are more comfortable than other public transport in Nepal so there shouldn’t be an issue with youngish children.  Climbing out of the valley, the road winds downhill and meets the Rapti River on the way. 

Following the Rapti River, you may see rafters enjoying the white water as they rise and fall with the waves. There are plenty of good stopping points along this route and the bus will stop for lunch at one of them. 

Turning off at Mugling, the bus heads along a flat road for the last few hours until you reach Pokhara in the afternoon.

You can explore Pokhara – perhaps take a walk around Phewa Lake or go boating.

Day 2: Pokhara to Deurali via Kande

• Drive time: 2 hours
• Trek time: 5 hours
• Accommodation: Tea House
• Drive Distance: 25-30 km/15-18 miles (Drive)
• Trek Distance: 5-6 km /3-4 miles Trek

After breakfast it’s a short drive to Kande where you will start hiking.  The trek starts off with an uphill gradual climb to a small settlement called Australian Camp which has good views of the Annapurna range.  After taking some refreshments here its around two hours further walk to Deurali. 

The trails take you through some beautiful small villages where you can see first hand how the local people are living in this beautiful countryside.  You will pass through rhododendron forests, which will be alive with red blooms in the spring, while overhead you will see Mt Machhapuchhre (commonly known as Fishtail because of its shape) that also dominates the town of Pokhara.

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Day 3: Deurali to Low Camp

• Drive time: 5 to 6 hours
• Accommodation: Teahouse
• Travel Distance: 6-7 km (3.7 – 4.3 miles)

Although this is a moderate trek, today the walking may be a little harder than yesterday as you hike through oak and rhododendron forests then up and steeply down only to slowly regain height to climb a ridge. This is trekking in Nepal – there is no straight line between two points! The vegetation is lush and the mountains are beautiful – that more than makes up for the ups and downs.

Day 4:  Low Camp to High Camp

• Drive time: 5-6 hours
• Accommodation: Teahouse
• Travel Distance: 8.5 kilometers / 5.3 miles

After breakfast, set off towards High Camp.  With an elevation gain of almost 700m / 2,296.5 ft, you may feel the effects of this high altitude.  The guide will ensure you take plenty of breaks and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. 

You will hike through more rhododendron forests today and whereas at the lower altitude on Day 2 and Day 3 you may have seen some larger wildlife – monkeys,  for example, at this higher altitude it is more likely you will see only mammals such as the Himalayan Marmot (a type of ground squirrel) or Himalayan tahr (wild goats).  There will be plenty of birdlife including the Danphe (a pheasant) which is Nepal’s national bird.

The mountains you will see today are Annapurna South, Mardi Himal, Hiunchuli and Machhapurchhre, these are all particularly clear at the village of Badal Danda (danda meaning hill).

Trekking on you leave the treeline behind until you reach  High Camp.

Day 5: High Camp Mardi Himal Base Camp and back to Badal Danda

• Drive time: 7 to 8 hours
• Accommodation: Teahouse
• Travel Distance: 7 km (4.3 miles)

This may be the most challenging day of the trek as the trails are uneven and can be slippery.  Snow is another possibility depending on the time of year you are there. 

Even if crampons are not needed, we highly recommend you using walking poles today even if you have not used them so far on this trek. Depending on the condition of the trail, which your guide will advise you of, should you not with to hike to base camp with children and/or seniors, your guide will offer a short, lower altitude alternative. 

For those heading to base camp, it is recommended to leave very early in the morning in order to reach there before the high winds come in and while the weather is still clear so that the views are the best they can be. If you start early enough you will catch sunrise also!

The views from a view point just before the base camp and from Mardi Himal Base Camp itself are simply amazing.  After spending some time being awed by the mountains, retrace your steps back to Badal Danda where the views are also excellent.

Day 6: Bada Danda to Pokhara via Sidhing

• Drive time: 4 to 5 hours
• Trek time: 5 to 6 hours
• Accommodation: Tea House
• Trek Distance: 12-14 km (7.5-8.7 miles)

This may be the most challenging day of the trek as the trails are uneven and can be slippery.  Snow is another possibility depending on the time of year you are there. 

Even if crampons are not needed, we highly recommend you using walking poles today even if you have not used them so far on this trek. Depending on the condition of the trail, which your guide will advise you of, should you not with to hike to base camp with children and/or seniors, your guide will offer a short, lower altitude alternative. 

For those heading to base camp, it is recommended to leave very early in the morning in order to reach there before the high winds come in and while the weather is still clear so that the views are the best they can be. If you start early enough you will catch sunrise also!

The views from a view point just before the base camp and from Mardi Himal Base Camp itself are simply amazing.  After spending some time being awed by the mountains, retrace your steps back to Badal Danda where the views are also excellent.

On Arrival in Nepal

If you would like us to pick you up at the Tribhuvan International Airport upon your arrival in Nepal, please let us know on the booking form. There is a small charge for this.  The benefit is that it will save you the trouble of organizing a taxi, perhaps haggling with the driver, in an unfamiliar country.

Hotel Recommendations:

Hotels in Kathmandu are not included in your trek.  Check sites like booking.com or hostelworld.com for accommodation.  We recommend looking in the area known as Thamel.  Thamel is the tourist hub of Kathmandu, with many hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars.  Our office is also located there.   

Explore Kathmandu:

If you have newly arrived in Kathmandu, take some time to explore the city either by foot, on a rickshaw (found only these days in Thamel), or on an organized tour with us.   The ancient capital has many wonderful sights to see, including 7 UNESCO sites. Should you have children, please let us know so we can organize to take you to more family-friendly places. For example, perhaps your young ones do not need to see burning ghats, which have cremations often.    Please ask about a tour.

Visa for Nepal

Visa on arrival is available for people from most countries via the Immigration Department of Nepal’s online site. Please complete the form online, then print it out and bring it with you. Bring USD cash to make payment on arrival at the airport. This should be in exact money, as no change is given.

Visa on arrival costs:  

• 15 Days – 30 USD
• 30 Days – 50 USD
• 90 Days – 125 USD

Note: Children under 10 will receive a gratis visa but must still enter the country with a valid passport.

Culture and Wildlife You Will See Around Mardi Himal

Landscapes: This quiet, secluded area is near the busy town of Pokhara and the busy Annapurna trekking routes. As a result, it still has its beautiful, untouched rhododendron, oak, and pine forests. The mountains are stunning—how could they not be? With fantastic views of Mardi Himal, Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, and Machhapurchhre, you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of these incredible mountains.

Peoples: Along this trek, you will meet people from the Gurung, Magar, and Tamang groups.  Overall, Gurungs are the most prominent and you can see their way of life and traditions as you pass through the villages.  Gurungs are Buddhists and history tells that they came over from Tibet even before Buddhism had reach there, therefore their style of Buddhism is a little different to those people who migrated later.   They are also renowned as loyal soldiers and form the Gurka regiment in the Nepal, Indian, and British armies.  

Wildlife: You may see some monkeys at the start of this trek—please do not feed or try to pet them! Overall, the wildlife on the Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek is smaller mammals, such as a type of ground squirrel known as the Himalayan Marmot and the Himalayan tahr, which is from the goat family.

Birds: Birds of prey may be seen overhead, but more exciting is the colorful Danphe (a pheasant), Nepal’s national bird.  The males are extremely colorful in their metallic shimmering feathers; the females are much more dignified in their less colorful plumage.  Naturally!  

Food and Accommodation on the Mardi Himal Trek

Food in Mardi Himal Trek:

This trek includes three meals a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—except in Pokhara, where only breakfast is included.

Breakfast and dinner are eaten in the teahouses overnight; lunch is taken on the trail in a smaller teahouse/ tea shop and may be more limited in choice.   

The food in the teahouses is basic Nepali and Chinese/ Tibetan fare with some Western items. Keep in mind that this trek is off the busy Annapurna trekking routes, so what it makes up for in quiet ambiance, it may slightly lack in food varieties.  

We highly recommend you bring your own snacks—not because you will be hungry (meals are plentiful and filling), but because you may simply want some ‘comfort food’ from home, particularly if you are traveling with children. 

Soft drinks are available at the teahouses, but you must pay for them, and they are more expensive than in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Depending on the season, fresh juice may be available. 

Breakfast items in Teahouse in Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek:

• Porridge
• Eggs
• Toast
• Pancakes
• Roti – a Nepali flatbread
• Rice dishes
• Noodles dishes
• Tea/ coffee

Dinner items in Teahouse:

• Soup including noodle soup
• Nepali Dal Bhat (vegetable curry and rice)
• Fried rice
• Noodles
• Momos (Nepali steamed dumplings)
• Desert, if available may be something like rice or custard pudding
• Tea/ coffee

Lunch items in Teahouse:

Items available on the trail may include dal bhat, noodles, and momos.

Drink Items available in the Teahouse:

Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and beer are generally available in the teahouses. 

Dietary restrictions on the trek

Vegetarian food is available in all eateries in Nepal, as Nepali food is very much based on vegetables. For vegans, the choices may be smaller, especially regarding protein. Tofu may be available in places. Please provide us with a list of anything you cannot eat because of allergies, and we will make sure the teahouses know about this.

Tips on Food in Mardi Himal Base Camp:

• Snacks such as dried fruit and nuts, chocolate bars, power bars, cookies, etc., are great to carry. Even if you do not usually eat chocolate, you may be exceptionally grateful you threw a couple of bars in your pack!
• Do not eat any meat or chicken on the trail. Although chicken may very well be fresh at the lower altitudes, it is best to be safe, particularly if you are new to Nepal.
• Tell the teahouse not to make your food too spicy.
• Eat all the meals available, even if you do not feel hungry.  You need the energy.  If you must, have a power bar for lunch.

Water:

Do not drink the tap water or natural spring water untreated or unfiltered. Bring drops or tablets to purify the water.   Wait 30 minutes after using the drops/ tablets before drinking.  You can add flavoured powder  (available in Kathmandu or bring from home) to mask the taste if you like.  A Lifestraw will filter out any bigger particles/ bacteria from tap/ spring water.

The teahouses will provide you with boiled drinking water (which might be better for children), but you will have to pay for this. 

Tips on Water in Mardi Himal Base Camp :

• Commercial mineral water in plastic bottles is banned in the Annapurna region.  Bring your own reusable bottles/water camel to store water in. 
• Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water daily – at least 3 ltrs on this trek.
• Keep in mind drinking tea/ coffee can dehydrate you, and alcohol is worse!  Drink water at the same time as you are drinking other drinks at breakfast and dinner.

Accommodation in Mardi Himal base Camp Trek

Trekking lodges are known as teahouses in Nepal.

While in the busier regions and trails teahouses have now morphed into pretty comfortable lodges, the accommodation on the Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek is pretty much as it was all over Nepal 20 years ago.  Basic.

The sleeping rooms consist usually of two single beds and there may be shared toilet facilities.  There is no heating in the sleeping rooms so bringing your own sleeping bag is worthwhile, especially for the nights you are at higher altitudes.

The dining room is heated, and therefore it is the place to socialise in the evening!

Most teahouses have some sort of electricity so you can charge your equipment. However, there is a small price to pay for this.

There is also a charge for hot showers, but you will not need every night – this is a short trek so maybe one shower is enough ?

Tips on Accommodation:

• There is no heating or sockets in the sleeping rooms.
• You may have to share the toilet and shower facilities with other trekkers.
• The dining rooms is the place to be in the cold evenings!
• Do not enter the kitchen – the staff will be busy preparing food etc.
• Hot water for the shower will cost around USD2-5 per time.
• Recharging your electronics will cost around USD2-5 per time.
• WiFi, where available, is also an extra charge at a similar rate.
• Bring some entertainment for younger children for the evenings – but we don’t need to tell parents that right?
• If you are travelling in a group, it is faster if you all order the same food items– if possible!

Need a Porter to Help With Your Trek?

Although this is not a long trek nor too strenuous, if you are unsure if you can carry your own pack for 7 or 8 hours at a time, then we can recommend hiring a porter. 

This gives you the physical freedom of not having to carry a heavy pack and allows you to fully enjoy the trek and the beauty surrounding you without a care.

If you have children, a porter does make a lot of sense too.

The cost of a porter is not included in the cost of your trek – there is an extra charge.

In general, porters can carry up to 20kg in weight.  If you would like to share a porter with another trekker, that would half the cost to you.  Remember that it would mean your pack would have to be no more than 10kg in weight.  If you are travelling with family, a porter would enable you to divide up the gear you need to bring with you.

Don’t forget you will be carrying your own day pack (because porters go ahead so will not be walking with you) of essential things you need on the trek like suncream and water.  The weight of that day pack can feel heavier at altitude!

Tips on Hiring a Porter:

• Please do not ask a porter to carry more than 20kg.  You will receive a duffle bag from us which is designed for easy carrying by the porter.
• Sharing with another trekker is a cost-effective way to hire a porter.  In this case, please keep your pack down to 10kg max.
• It’s a great idea if you have small children because at some point they may need to be helped/ carried for a while by you.
• You will contribute to the porter’s family and community by hiring him. 

Trek Difficulty

The Mardi Himal Base Camp is a moderate trek, for which you still need a general level of good fitness.  It’s a great trip for both experienced trekkers and those who are not so experienced.  It is also a very good trek for families.

The trails are relatively straight forward and easy to follow, with the stunning mountains all around you. With only two days at an altitude over 3,000 m / 9,842.5 ft this is not a high altitude trek although care needs to be taken on those two days with regards to altitude related illness.  The days involve 6 to 7 hours, with one longer day, but the guide will encourage you to go slowly and steadily to both enjoy the scenery and not over-stress yourself.

Safety on the Trek

With no really tricky paths to follow, this trek does not undertake any unsafe routes.  If there are any difficult places, the guide will help you cross them.  Using trekking poles will help immensely to steady yourself. 

The three basic rules for safety on a trek are: stay hydrated, tell your guide if you feel unwell, and don’t wander off alone!

The other rule is bringing the correct gear – good, well worn trekking boots can be the key to a great trek. 

Carry a small first aid kit and don’t forget to bring whatever usual medicines you might take.

Be respectful:

Nepal is a safe country for women as well as men.  However, with no beaches, Nepal has not experienced some of the less-clothed beach life some other parts of Asia have.  Dressing appropriately will encourage the locals to be more friendly towards you.  On a trek it is easy to dress respectfully – it will either be too sunny or two cold for skimpy clothes!  Take care to cover up in monasteries and temples also.  And be mindful when taking photographs of people or religious objects.  You may notice, shoes are not worn inside people’s homes or in temples or monasteries.

When to do the Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek  – Best Seasons to Come

There are four seasons in Nepal – spring, monsoon (summer), autumn and winter.  Actually, there are six seasons in Nepal, but for tourism purposes, there are four!

For this trek, as for many others, the best times to come is in the spring or in the autumn.

Spring: (March to May) The blue skies offset the snow mountains, while the  warmer weather makes it a pleasant time to trek.  The rhododendron forests  will be in bloom which adds to the charm.

Autumn: (September to November)  Similar to spring but remember that the beginning of autumn is the end of the monsoon season so it may be cooler, with some rain and dampness. By October, things will be sunny and warm.

Monsoon: (June – September) The monsoon brings frequent rain showers.  And some torrential downpours.  But it is hard to predict the exact weather. Visibility may be low, and the trails can be slippery when wet.  

Winter (December – February)  December is usually quite warm in Nepal, certainly in the first half of the month.  At the higher locations such as Mardi Himal Base Camp, there may be snow in December and definitely in January and February we do not recommend you attempt to reach the higher elevations. 

Expenses

The trek cost is a fixed amount that includes guide, accommodation, food, and public transport. But you need to calculate some other items into your budget.

What Currency to Use

Tips to your guide and porter can be in either Nepali Rupees or other currencies.

Things you might want to buy on the trail such as cold drinks, hot showers etc should be paid in Nepali rupees.  There is no where to change/ obtain money on this trails so bring rupees with you from Kathmandu.

Transport:

Public transport is included in your trek cost.  If you wish to hire a private jeep, please discuss this with us.  If you wish to fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara please also discuss with us at the time of booking your trek.

Food: Three meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner – are included in the teahouses.  Any extras such as cold drinks, you will have to buy yourself. In the hotel in Pokhara only breakfast is included, not dinner.

In the teahouse:  Hot water showers, charging electronics, and Wi-Fi are all things the teahouse will expect you to pay for.  Roughly speaking, each item costs between USD2-5 a time.

Cold drinks, beer and other menu items outside of meals times are also chargeable. As is boiled drinking water. All these should be paid for in Nepali rupees.

Tips: Please calculate the tips for your guide and porter which can be paid in dollars or other currencies. 

**We can recommend you bring around USD 12-15 per day, in Nepali rupees, plus the tips for the guide and porter. **

Before you come expenses: Don’t forget to calculate the cost of the visa for Nepal, your travel insurance and your trekking gear, should you need to buy any.

Tipping the Guide and Porter

The guide and porter work hard – show your appreciation by tipping them.  It is normal to tip your guide 10% of the cost of your trek – for example if your trek costs USD700 then you would tip him USD70. If you hire a porter then you should tip him 10% of what you pay to hire him.  Please note that tips go 100% to the guide or porter.

Communication on the Trek

There should be phone connectivity in this region, and the teahouses will have Wi-Fi.  But bad weather and even nightfall can sometimes interfere with reception.

It may be convenience to buy a Nepal sim card at the airport on your arrival which will give you access to a local data package.

Tips for Communication

• You can buy a NTC or NCELL sim card at the Tribhuvan International Airport for data internet in case of WiFi outage. 
• Don’t get frustrated if the network is sometimes unavailable – this is the Himalayas after all!

Travel Insurance

Your travel insurance should include trekking and trekking up to 5,000 m  /  16,404 ft.  and should cover helicopter evacuation.  While we have insurance for our porters and guides, it is not legally possible for us to provide insurance cover to our clients.

Group or Private Trek – What Does That Mean?

If you are travelling with your family or a group of friends, it is possible to have a ‘private trek’.  That is, you will have your own guide and there will not be other trekkers on your trek.

If you are travelling alone then you may be joined with a group of people who also want to do the same trek. This is a ‘group trek’.  While it is possible to be one person on a private trek, it depends on the availability of the guides and may be hard to achieve in peak seasons.   

Packing Tips

Download our packing list here.

Layering: Most of this trek is done at lower altitudes where it will be warm in the day, yet still be cool in the morning and evenings.  Bringing clothes that can be layered to suit both warm and cold weather is best. At the higher altitudes it may be cold, so you just layer on more clothes.

Pack Smart: If you are carrying your pack we are sure you will keep your pack to a minimum.  If you are hiring a porter, think about still keeping your pack to a minimum. He’s human too.

Toiletries: Any toiletries can be carried in travel sized containers to save space and weight.

Why Book with Magical Nepal

Reading through the reviews from previous clients might answer that question for you!

We pride ourselves on giving our clients the best possible experience, whether they are on an trek, a climbing expedition, or a gentle family orientated hike.

Our guides are friendly and knowledgeable and will provide you with information and assistance on the trek, if needed.  Our guides and porters are, as far as possible, paired with treks to areas they are from or are very familiar with so that they have access to local support, if required.

And finally, we give a price guarantee – if you find the same trek at a lower price, we will match it.  Guaranteed.