Mardi Himal Trek Nepal December 2021 | Route and Timings

 

A South Col team walked to Mardi Himal in December 2021 in perfect weather. Here is the detailed description of the route and the timings. 

December 6th 2021 Pokhara to Kande by road and walk to Pitam Deorali 

We left Kathmandu for Pokhara by the 8 30 am flight - luckily for us the weather was good this morning and we reached Pokhara by 10 am - a micro bus was waiting for us and we drove upto   Kande in a hour - the road was very good upto Kande and had been newly resurfaced. We started out from Kande at 11 15 am and climbed steeply for the first 45 minutes mainly on steps; there were very few trekkers on the route - we got to Australian camp in an hour and 15 min - the clouds had come in by noon and the famous view from there  we did not see this time.  We  took a short break and then walked down to Pothana in 25 minutes through a beautiful forested section. We stopped for lunch at Heaven’s Gate, our usual lodge, in the sunshine.  From Pothana the trail to Pitam Deorali had large sections where a new road is being built and there are signs in yellow pointing the trekker to the forest trail which criss-crosses the road - on the way soon after Pothana a new lodge was being built in the forest sadly cutting a number of trees - a lodge so close to Pothana did not make sense as Pothana has a number of good lodges.  Again just before Pitam Deorali there is a new lodge which has been built in a clearing again by cutting down part of the forest. The weather was breaking when we reached Deorali and in the evening there was a heavy thunderstorm with lightning and thunder and rain for around two hours which would have deposited a lot of snow in the higher altitudes around Mardi High camp - in the evening after the rain we could see all the lights of Pokhara valley and on the other side across the valley the lights of Ghandrung as well - the stars were just coming out in the sky and clouds studded across the rapidly clearing sky.

 Kande to Australian Camp  2050m  28 18 13N 83 49 40E  1 hr 15 min to 30 min Australian Camp to Pothana 25 min 1950m 28 18 47 N 83 49 49E
Pothana to Pitam Deorali 1 hour 2140m 28 19 48N 83 49 47E 2100 metres

December 7th 2021 Pitam Deorali to Forest Camp 2550 metres
The morning was incredibly clear with fresh snow on the peaks after last night’s rain - we got away around 8.40 am after breakfast and in a few minutes came to a brand new lodge with a nice garden and a good view - the new Lali Guras guest house- soon after there was another new restaurant coming up Nature Lover Restaurant. The walk today was mostly though the forest.

 From here the trail started climbing steeply on typical Nepal steps which carried on for around 40-45 minutes until it reached a clearing where another new lodge was coming up Suiredanda at an altitude around 2400 metres. The trail climbs up on steps again and in about 5 minutes reached a ridge with gentle ups and downs and in 30 minutes reaches a small blue shelter with a sign to Forest Camp and a trail on the left going down to Lawang. From here the trail goes up and finally drops steeply for 15 minutes to a small pool and a small tea shop which was closed - this was one hour from Suiredanda. There was a sign here which said Dudh Kharka 45 minutes. The trail then climbs steeply for about 25 minutes gaining the lost altitude and comes to a clearing about 2530 metres - the trail then levels out again and in another 20 minutes reaches the two lodges of Dudh Kharka about 3 hours from Deorali. There is a good view of Annapurna South and Machhapuchare from here. We stopped for a tea break and then started climbing gently through the forest - in 30 minutes we reached a new lodge Hotel Demand at Mushalbari with another good view of the mountains.  From here there is a trail heading down to Kalimati from where the jeep is also available. We continued the walk through the forest and about 35 minutes we reached the lodges of Forest Camp passing a steep downhill trail to Landrung around 3 hours from here just before Forest Camp.

Pitam Deorali to Dudh Kharka 2500 metres 28 21 43 N 83 50 51E 3 hrs to 3 hrs 15 min Dudh Kharka to Forest Camp 2550 metres 28 23 0 N 83 50 36E 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min.

December 8 2021 Forest Camp to High Camp 3530 metres

This is a long day and needs to be paced properly ideally with a lunch break at Badaldanda.

The morning was sunny and clear and we left at 8 am - the trail climbed steeply through the forest in about 30-40 minutes and reached a new lodge at Rest Camp with a dress circle view of Machhapuchare. This is an option to stay rather than at Forest Camp. 

 From Rest camp the trail again climbed stiffly through the forest partly on steps for 35-40 minutes to a tea shop at 2780 metres marked Hotel Mountain Gallery which was closed. The trail again continues to climb steeply through the forest and in about half hour reaches a blue resting shelter - soon after this the climb eases up and in half hour reaches Low Camp 2970m where we took a tea break in the sunshine. 

 The trail then climbs very steeply on the steps which is a newly made trail and gains about 100 metres in 15 minutes - the trail eases up and in about an hour enters the first lodge of Badal Danda with a mind blowing view of the peaks - in another 10 minutes we reached the Munal lodge at Badal Danda where we stopped for lunch. 

From Badal Danda a new trail on stone steps is in the process of being made and we followed it for most of the way - the trail goes up and down on the ridge with views on both sides. Annapurna south and Hiunchuli are tantalizing close and Machhapuchare dominating the skyline. On a good sunny day this is an incredible walk. As we reached High Camp the clouds dropped into the valley and we were treated to a glorious sunset with the clouds below us. 

Forest Camp to Rest Camp 2600m 28 23 16N 83 51 1E 30-40 min Rest Camp to Low Camp 2980m 28 24 10N 83 51 24E 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs Low Camp to Badaldanda 3270m 28 23 53N 83 51 18E 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30min Badaldanda to High Camp 3530m 28 19 37N 83 46 29E  1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min

December 9 2021 High Camp to Mardi Himal View Point 4000 m

We left our lodge at 7 30 am on another clear morning with a dress circle view of the peaks. The trail went through all the lodges and then started to climb on newly built stone steps which carry on until the view point. The climb was relentless on the steps and the last 40 minutes climbed gained 200 metres to reach the tea shops of the view point - from here the trail carries on for another 15 minutes to reach the actual viewpoint overlooking the valley. Interestingly on the climb to the view point we could see in the distance behind the lodges of Tadapani which in on the Poon Hill trek - below us in the valley of the Modi Khola could be seen the lodges of Chomrong and Sinuwa on the Annapurna Base Camp trek still in shadow. The view was staggering with Annapurna south and Hiunchuli across the valley, Gangapurna and Annapurna 3 and finally Macchapuchare to complete this jaw dropping panorama. The view is much closer than Poon Hill which is behind. The trail continues on after the View Point to the base camp of Mardi Himal peak which would take another 90 minutes to 2 hours.

High Camp to Mardi Himal Base Camp 4000 metres 28 27 4N 83 52 42E 2.5 hrs to 3 hrs up and return journey 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
After a late lunch at High Camp we headed back all the way down the valley to first to Badaldanda and then onto Low Camp where we spent the night. The timings for the way down were-
High Camp to Badaldanda 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min;  Badaldanda to Low Camp 40 min to 50 min.

December 10 2021 Low Camp to Siding 1880 metres

This is a very steep descent of around 1100 metres in just 3 hours to Siding and can be extremely difficult on the knees. Trekkers with bad knees are advised to go down very slowly.

We made a late start from Low Camp as we had planned to stay the night at Siding and go to Pokhara the next morning. The trail down to Siding was marked and within 30 minutes we came to a clearing around 2760 metres where some new lodges were being built. We continued down on a very steep descent for another 20 minutes which brought us to another clearing where we took a rest break at 2625 metres. From here the trail plunged steeply down to Ranju at 2280 metres in around 45 minutes. 

 Ranju has two lodges and is a welcome tea break. From here the steep descent continues and soon the lodges of Siding can be seen below.  The best one at the moment is Trekkers Home with a garden where we stayed the night. It is also possible to book a jeep and go the same day to Pokhara which may be a better option rather than staying in Siding.

Low Camp to Ranju  2280m 28 23 18N 83 51 50E 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min; Ranju to Siding 1880m 28 22 45N 83 52 11E 45 min to 1 hr – slow walkers on downhills may take longer 30 to 45 min.

December 11 Siding to Pokhara by jeep
We left by 7 40 am as we wanted to react Pokhara early. The initial road to Lumre was a dirt track with a lot of stones and boulders which slowed down the progress - after Lumre the road joins the highway at Hyanja and soon Pokhara is reached on a good black top road.
Siding to Lumre 45 minutes Lumre to Pokhara 50 minutes to 1 hour.

For more information on our treks and photo workshops do visit www.southcol.com

For more photographs on the Mardi Himal region do visit   https://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Mardi-Himal-December-2021/