INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
The Mardi Himal Trek
by Ross Adkin
Mountain panorama landscape of Annapurna region, Mardi Himal track. Photo: Verock.
The Annapurna range in central Nepal
is home to some of the world’s most
iconic mountain landscapes and
crisscrossed by some of the country’s
most popular trekking routes. For those
looking for a less-travelled and gentler
glimpse of this spectacular terrain, the
4-5 day Mardi Himal trek is perfect.
“Just as the sun
was going down we
caught a glimpse
of Machhapuchhre
through a clearing
in the trees”
Slightly more rigorous than your
average mountain ramble, the trek
consists of walking up and then along
a ridge that juts into the Annapurnas,
to a viewpoint perched at the end
of it. Stunning views of the lesser-
known side of one of the range’s most
famous peaks - the 6993 metre-high
Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) - alone make
the trek worth doing.
Last March a friend, needing some
respite from the pollution and haze of
Delhi, took a week off work and came
to Nepal. From Kathmandu we took a
microbus to Pokhara, around seven
hours away. The next morning we
bought our permits at the Annapurna
Conservation Area Project office in the
city, and then took a local bus to the
village of Kande, about an hour to the
north, where we were to begin walking.
The first section of the trail consisted of
a lot of stone steps, going up, and fields
and villages of thatched roofs on the level
stages. The way was well signposted
(the whole trail was, and Mardi Himal can
easily be done independently). However,
for the local folklore, cultural information,
and to know the locals better, it is a
suggestion to take a local guide with you.
That night we stayed in Pothara, a cluster
of lodges and hotels that we reached
in the late afternoon, lulled to sleep
by our tired legs and a pre-monsoon
thunderstorm.
The next morning the mountains
revealed themselves on both sides
of the ridge, massive and imposing,
snow dazzling in the bright early sun.
They were much closer than we had
imagined the night before, and after a
breakfast of porridge, roti and whisky
we set off to get a bit closer, feeling
doubly encouraged.
We reached Forest Camp by late
morning and had a long lunch as another
shower passed over. The afternoon
ascent was steep again in some places,
and the path sometimes slippery, but
this was made up for by the beauty of
the woods. This time of year they were a riot of pink rhododendrons,
firs, and birches glinting in the fading light.
Just as the sun was going down we caught a glimpse of
Machhapuchhre through a clearing in the trees. Instead of the
endlessly-photographed flat, rather two dimensional triangular
façade, in front of us were two separate peaks, twisting upwards
in near symmetry with each other. They looked like the fins of a
fish’s tail as it dived into the earth, and I finally understood why the
mountain was given its name.
Low Camp (thankfully only twenty minutes further on) offered
fantastic views of Machhapuchhre and other peaks in the range.
While there was light left we alternated between standing outside
to look at the vista and warming our hands by the stove in the
lodge. It was finally mountain cold.
Mountain road way track in valley and snow peak, Mardi Himal track. Photo: Verock.
Climbing again in the morning of day three, we soon noticed
more and more rock and cliff around us, and a sharper wind. The
fairytale woods appeared less regularly, and the patches of snow
reflected the pinks, reds and purples of the rhododendrons.
High Camp (around 3500 metres) is the final resting point on the trail
before the push along the ridge to the viewpoint, approximately two
hours away. It is windy and exposed, and you could easily imagine
yourself somewhere in the marches of Rohan. With the panorama of
rock, snow, ice and sky in front of us, and the ridge stretching back
to the green hills behind, we whiled away the afternoon here. It was
cold at night and the whisky was again welcome.
We descended the next day, and when we reached Forest Camp
late in the morning, we decided to leave the path that went along
Piramid of stones. Annapurna South peak, Nepal, Mardi Himal track. Photo: Verock.
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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