Photos and trip report for recce trek to Mardi Himal Ridge (Nepal)
In December I went for a short trek along Mardi Himal ridge as I
heard that recently new lodges had been built now making it possible to
do this as a teahouse trek rather than camping. I started walking from
Phedi a short taxi ride from Pokhara and then walked up to Dhampus
following the standard Annapurna Sanctuary trail up to Pitam Deurali
where one turns off this main trail to Mardi Himal.
Photo: Mardi Himal map from ACAP
Photo: Dhampus village with Mount Machhapuchhre behind
Photo: sign for Forest Camp (Kokar)
Photo: trail in forest
From
Pitam Deurali the trail continues through forest and is very quiet
compared to the busier trail from Phedi in fact I only saw one other
trekker during the whole of my time on Mardi Himal. At Forest Camp
(2,600m) there are three small lodges I stayed in one near the camping
ground. The rooms are quite basic and there is no dining room so I had
my meals in kitchen, so in some ways this is more like a homestay and
very enjoyable to get to know this friendly family from Siding village.
Photo: lodges at Forest Camp
Photo: Mardi Himal ridge
Photo: sign for Low Camp (Humal)
Photo: Danphe pheasant in cloud
From Forest Camp to Low Camp the trail continues through the
forest and at Low Camp there are two basic lodges one with a basic
dining room with open fire. The view from Low Camp is superb with Mount
Machhapuchhre visible up the valley. An hour or so above Low Camp along
trail to High Camp one breaks out above tree line and towards the west
there is a good view to Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. The trail
continues along the Mardi Himal ridge mainly on grass with some isolated
rhododendron bushes along the way. Look out for colourful Danphe
pheasant on this section of the trek.
Photo: lodge at High Camp
The lodge at High Camp is larger than lodges at Low Camp and
Forest Camp, this one has eight rooms and a separate dining room with
heater. The view from the lodge is superb to Annapurna South, Hiunchuli
and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). My plan for next day was to get up early
for sunrise view of the mountains then walk up the ridge towards Mardi
Himal.
Photo: dining room with heater at High Camp
The following morning was cold and clear with a heavy frost on the
ground and after a quick breakfast I started walking up the ridge.
There is a reasonably well established trail through the grass with a
few steeper sections however overall not too challenging. Look out for
the dzos (yak/ cow crossbreds) grazing up here as well as many more
Danphe pheasant. In the summer the sheep and goats from lower villages
are brought up to graze I passed a number of herders huts along the way
however at this time of year unused as too cold.
Photo: view of Mount Machhapuchhre
Photo: view of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli
Photo: Mardi Himal ridge
Photo: Mount Machhapuchhre
After three hours I reached Upper View point at 4,200m this is
where one can look into the Annapurna Sanctuary unfortunately at this
stage the clouds rolled in so I decided not to proceed any further to
Mardi Himal Base Camp as it was getting quite cold. From speaking to the
lodge owner at High Camp he told me Base Camp was a further hour or so
along the ridge from Upper View point therefore it should be possible to
do this in a day trip however a long day and no doubt you would feel
the effects of altitude at Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,400m.
Photo: Upper view point at 4,200m
Photo: view into Annapurna Sanctuary
On the way back down I decided to go take the trail down to Siding
Village rather than follow Mardi Himal ridge back to Pitam Deurali,
this is a better option for a circuit trek and so that you can see these
traditional villages in Mardi Himal valley. The owner of lodge at Low
Camp has a homestay in Siding so I stayed there for the night. This was
very enjoyable as the couple speak good English and interesting to see
village life and talk with the family. The owners have a buffalo behind
their house so at breakfast I had fresh milk which was very tasty!
Photo: homestay in Siding village
Photo: buffalo at homestayFrom Siding I walked out to the road head at Lumre, on the way
from Siding I passed the villages of Kalimati and Ghalel. I gather
Kalimati is mainly a Brahmin village with Ghalel and Siding mixed
Brahmin and Gurung. From Lumre there is a shared jeep departing ever
hour or so however this is a very crowded so better to organise a jeep
from Pokhara in advance. 
Photo: children walking to school from Kalimati village
Photo: farmhouse near Kalimati village
Overall I enjoyed this trek and in some
ways this is similar to Kopra Ridge, both of these
treks would be a good
choice if you are looking for a short trip away from the busy trails of
Annapurna Sanctuary however still getting superb mountain views. Mardi
Himal trek has a good variety of scenery from forest lower down on the
ridge to grassy slopes higher up with views of the big mountains
followed by visiting several traditional villages on the walk out.
The
Mountain Company plans to start organising treks on Mardi Himal Ridge
from Spring 2012, shortly we will have a trek webpage set up for Mardi
Himal with Trip Dossier on our website however in the meantime please
get in touch if you are interested in joining this trek.
About the Author
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dherai ramro xa