The 11-day Mardi Himal is one of the most popular trekking trails for adventurers and enthusiasts. This up-to-date trekking route offers a spectacular view of gigantic mountains and their diverse culture. Despite being off the beaten trail and a less traversed route, one must work hard to resist the charm of the Mardi Himal Trek.
The trek rewards us with exquisite views of the traditional villages, where indigenous people reside with their own distinct culture, fast-flowing white river’s tempting views, giant gorge walls, blue sky, and marvellous mountains. The region is a lush green forest of rhododendrons, pines, oak, pine, sisal, and many more. The thick forest is home to many wild animals. If we get lucky, we might have an encounter with a few.
You will see gigantic mountains like Hiunchuli 6441 meters, Annapurna South 7219 meters, Fishtail 6997 meters, Annapurna III, Madi Himal 5587 meters, Annapurna IV, and Gangapurna up close to your eyes. You’ll be left mesmerised by the view of the massive Mount Fishtail, 6997 Meters from Mardi Himal Base Camp. The entire Annapurna range of mountains and valleys is visible from the base camp.
This untouched route of Mardi Himal is moderately easy yet lets you be acquainted with the stunning mountain views. This trek allows the trekkers to experience different aspects of nature and culture in a very short time.
Mardi Himal is another beautiful mountain located in the Annapurna region. It lies at an altitude of 5,587 meters below the much more popular Macchapuchare Himal. The distance between Mardi Himal and Macchapuchare is over 5200m. The history of Mardi Himal is prevalent. At first, only a few people knew about the Mardi Himal and its location as most of them were only fascinated with Everest, Annapurna, and Macchapuchare; however, in 1961, Basil Goodfellow became the first climber to summit Mardi Himal.
The Mardi Himal trek was opened at the beginning of 2012. After the commercialisation of the trekking route of Mardi Himal started, many tea houses, lodges, and guesthouses began to spread, making the area favourable for tourists and trekkers who are not only local but also from Western countries.
The teahouses are now open at an altitude of 3550m, but to reach the Mardi Himal Base Camp, you have to climb up to an elevation of over 4500m. The peak of the Mardi Himal can be included in any trekking package as it has been recognised as the trekking peak. Hence, ever since the start of the Mardi Himal trek, thousands of trekkers worldwide have visited the amazing place, and many continue to visit and explore the fantastic attractions around the region.
So if you want to know more about the best tourist attractions around Mardi Himal Trek, you have come to the right place, so let’s begin.
Mardi Himal Trek is filled with cultural and natural diversity from the brim from the start to the end of the trek. The trekking destination is primarily famous for its panoramic landscapes and rich biodiversity. The trek continues to surprise trekkers once it gets going as you wander through incredible waterfalls, green hills, and pine and rhododendron forests in the company of rare flora and fauna.
The Mardi Himal trek raises the importance of cultural diversity as it is a famous sacred site for Buddhists and Hindus. There are various ethnic groups like Gurungs, Chettri’s Hindus, and Magars are living together in harmony and diversity.
The Mardi Himal Trek starts from the city lights of Lake Side Pokhara. When you ascend towards Mardi Himal, you will come across various small settlements, villages, and rest towns where you will see people with different cultures and traditions, and almost anyone you meet in these villages is very polite and helpful.
Some traditional villages you will come across are Landruk, Phedi, Pathana, Sidhing, and others that reflect the cultures and traditions passed down through the generations.
The Mardi Himal trek is loved by all trekkers and tourists from local areas to foreign countries, but they are even more appreciated by mountain and hill lovers. The Mardi Himal trikes to higher elevation hills, to lower level barren landscapes, and then treks you to the high mountains again. Some amazing mountain views during the Mardi Himal Trek are Annapurna South, Macchapuchre, Dhaulagiri, Hiunchuli, etc.
Mardi Himal Trek falls in the moderate trek difficulty. Still, it is easy compared to other trekking destinations in the Annapurna region like Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek, Dhaulagiri Base Camp Trek, Macchapuchare Base Camp Trek, and others. This trek is generally eligible for every trekker, whether you are a beginner or an expert. You also don’t need any experience for Mardi Himal Trek, but if the trek is easy for some, it can be difficult for others. The Trek difficulty is determined by several factors, which we will discuss below.
The significant difficulty that can be unavoidable during the Mardi Himal Trek is altitude sickness. Altitude sickness arises suddenly whenever you are in a higher altitude but it has been recorded that it starts from an altitude of 3000m and more elevated. Altitude sickness is possible since you have to climb over 4000m.
The symptoms of altitude sickness are similar to the common cold, such as fever, fatigue, vomiting, dizziness, lack of stamina, heavy breathing, and back and foot pain. To prevent altitude sickness, you must keep your body warm, so you should wear hot wollen clothes and drink hot drinks with lemon, ginger, and honey. Honey, especially, is crucial to keep the body warm.
It is also advisable to prepare for altitude sickness by buying medicine such as dexamethasone and nifedipine, which will give instant relief if your body shows signs of the illness. Ultimately, the treatment of altitude sickness is to acclimatise to the climate, take plenty of rest while trekking and climbing high elevations, and, in the case of an emergency, lower your altitude immediately.
Apart from Altitude Sickness, the trekkers commonly face another trek difficulty: extreme fatigue. The fatigue is simply because the trekker has to walk relentlessly for 6-7 hours each day for 8 to 9 days regularly. Furthermore, the trekking path could be smoother and pitched; instead, you have to climb up and down, walk on curvy paths which can be slippery, and have to also climb stars with over 3000 to 3400 steps. Furthermore, the Mardi Himal treks you to a remote, isolated location where you travel from teahouse to teahouse, meaning you will have a simple place to rest with basic beds. After the tiring day of the walk, you will get less comfort in the simple teahouse beds so that the next day will be even more challenging.
Hence, the only way to remove this difficulty is by preparing for the trek early. You must also be physically fit, and your stamina and endurance level must be above average to have strength for a relentless trekking journey in the mountains.
The accommodations during the Mardi Himal Trek are based on where you are. You can easily find three-star hotels in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, but if you start climbing the remote places, you must stay in the local teahouses. The teahouse services are limited to one room and two to three beds, so you must share your room with other trekkers. The teahouse will provide thick blankets, bedsheets, mattresses, pillows, etc., to make your night warm and cosy as the temperature will decrease to zero degrees.
The room in your teahouse will most likely have an attached bathroom, but you must share your bathroom with other trekkers, and it’s a similar case with a sink as well. You will always have cold running water, but you must request hot drinking or hot water for the shower.
