Mardi Himal and Khopra Danda Trek

Welcome to Kathmandu. You will be received by one of our office representatives at the TIA exit section and escort you to your hotel afterward.

Depending on your arrival time, you will have the chance to stroll around the places nearby your hotel on your own.

Today you will have a free day in Kathmandu while your specialist will take time to arrange permits for your trek. You will have time to explore around the Kathmandu valley on your own or enjoy the cultural tour with an experienced tour guide arranged by Trek Guiders.

In the evening, you will be met by your specialist in your hotel lobby. S/he will introduce you to your guide for the trek and brief you shortly about your trek, things to do/ not to do, and any optional activities you may enjoy during the trip. You can ask any queries or share feelings with your specialist during the briefing.

Enjoy your breakfast at your hotel and ask your hotel manager to safe-keep your luggage in the hotel store if you are planning to return to the same hotel again after the trek. Then starting off with a drive to Pokhara with your trekking crew, you will reach your destination in approximately 6 - 7 hours.

Upon reaching Pokhara, check in to your hotel and have some rest. The evening is free to stroll around the Lakeside market or the bank of Phewa Lake.

After breakfast in your hotel, you will be picked up by your guide in the hotel lobby and in a pre-arranged private vehicle start the trip with a drive to Phedi, from where the trek begins. Praising the fantastic views of the mountains, ascend along the ridge to Dhampus. Take some time to capture the magnificent views of Fishtail and Annapurna after you have your lunch here. Continue some further walk to reach Pothana, where you will be staying overnight.

After breakfast, start walking to a place called Deurali (2230m) which is a small village located on a ridge with great views of Annapurna South, Mardi, and Machhapuchhre. You won't find any lodges or eateries on the way due to remoteness. So, you might need to carry pack lunch and sufficient water.

Continuing the trail through a dense forest of Oak, Maple, Hemlock, and Rhododendron, you will reach Forest Camp (Kokar Village). The lodges at Kokar are quite basic. Or we can say it's a homestay type lodge as there is no dining room. Serving the visitors helps these locals to earn some money. So, being thankful for their help and services, you will most likely get to enjoy the dinner in the kitchen with the owner, learning their experience and lifestyles.

As you continue walking from Forest Camp, you will see the forest getting richer with Rhododendrons and trees getting covered with moss, lichen and tree ferns.

Upon reaching Low camp, you will see the views of Mardi Himal and Machhapuchhre getting much closer. There used to be very few basic lodges at Low Camp. But now, with the increasing number of tourists visiting this attraction, the number of lodges has increased dramatically. if you wish, you can still walk further up to Badal Danda for a better view. Please note, there is comparatively few lodges at Badal Danda.

Climbing further along the ridge towards Mardi Himal and Machhapuchhre, you will leave the treeline of Badal Danda and arrive in the shrubby alpine area. Don't forget to look out for the Danphe Bird (Pheasant, the national bird of Nepal) on this section of the trail, as you may be lucky to have a sight of one.

The lodges at High Camp are comparatively larger with a separate dining room. At High camp, you will find yourself above the clouds and the view of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machhapuchhre are just superb.

After an early morning breakfast, start your day trip to Mardi Himal Basecamp walking through the grass and with ascend and descend in the narrow and sometimes steep trail.

The Mardi Himal Base Camp will be reached in around 2 hours of walking but walking further to Upper Viewpoint (4600m) will give you the spectacular views of Mardi Himal (5587m), Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna south (7219m), Hiunchuli (6441m), Baraha Shikhar (Mt. Fang) (7647m), Tent Peak (5695m), Singhachuli (6501m), Machapuchhre (6993m) and others.

Around early afternoon time, start the trek back to the High Camp for the overnight stay.

After breakfast in High Camp, start your journey towards Landruk village which is a huge settlement located on the way to the Annapurna Base Camp.

Moving down from High Camp towards the Forest Camp via Low Camp, you will find a junction which gives you a trail to move ahead directly to Landruk. Taking the right path, you will descend further towards a dense forest where the trail is quite peaceful. After a few hours of walking, you will reach a beautiful village of Landruk.

Today, the trail will have a steep descend at first towards Modi river for an hour and afterward, you will ascend steep climb for about 2 - 3 hours through the scattered villages before reaching a beautiful Gurung village of Ghandruk. From here, you will get good views of Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, and other snow-capped mountains.

After lunch, get some time to visit the local Gurung museum, a house of ancient artifacts and tools used by Gurung community people during ancient times. Also get dressed in local Gurung costume for a photograph if you are interested.

Walking through the huge green jungle with different trees and animals, you will reach Tadapani finally. Give your foot some rest enjoying the wonderful mountain views around.

After breakfast in Tadapani, begin walking in a more remote area of the Annapurna region through a beautiful rhododendron forest. This off-the-beaten trek route crosses beautiful Nepali villages and a variety of flora and fauna for an exciting experience.

You'll begin climbing into a beautiful rhododendron and oak forest on this upward trail. Then after a small descent, you'll continue making your way through another rhododendron forest. Pass several clearings with abandoned shacks before arriving on a bigger ridgetop clearing at Dobato, which in good weather should provide splendid views of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre.

For those with extra energy to spare, head up to Muldhai peak for sunset views. It takes about 45 minutes from the teahouse to reach the view tower and the view is stunning, one of the highlights of the trek!

Wake up early today and take a chance to climb to Muldhai Peak for a magnificent panorama view at sunrise. After spending some great moments capturing pictures, move down through the open ground and lush forest towards the wide pasture of Lower Chistibung.

To reach Upper Chistibung from here, you will walk on the trail through another forest. Upper Chistibung is a temporary herder's settlement. Keep your eyes wide open as you may get to see the national bird of Nepal, Lophophorus (Danphe) and Himalayan Thar on the grassy ridge high above the trail.

Continuing ahead, you'll embark on a steady climb above the treeline through pretty alpine meadows and pastures to reach Khopra. As you enter the ridge, look for the tip of Annapurna South in the distance.

Upon reaching Khopra, if time permits, go for an easy walk to a viewpoint overlooking the Kali Gandaki River far below in the deep valley. Based in Khopra for the night, you'll also admire the stunning snow-capped mountain panoramas including Mount Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and Annapurna South.

Starting with a sunrise breakfast in Khopra Ridge, you'll begin your descent on the hillside. Continue making your way down a steep trail with frequent views of Dhaulagiri. In fact, the mountain provides a lovely backdrop to the terraced fields and traditional houses of nearby villages.

Once you arrive in Swanta, you'll have the rest of the afternoon and evening to explore the surrounding village—an area densely laden with pine, fir, birch, rhododendron, hemlock, oak, and juniper forests, as well as wildlife and exotic birds.

After breakfast in Swanta, you'll descend on the trail through village fields to a small river for a look at the local watermill. You'll then cross over the suspension bridge and start an uphill trek to the village of Chittre where you'll connect to the main trekking route in Ghorepani. Move ahead towards Ghorepani for overnight.

You will need to wake up pretty early in the morning for approximately an hour hike up to Poonhill (referred to as Poon Danda in Nepali) from where the spectacular sunrise view can be seen. It's amazing to see the golden ray of sunlight touching the snow-covered peaks of Mt. Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Fishtail, Nilgiri South, and Singa Chuli to name some peaks. Enjoy a cup of local tea while the sun rises high.

From here, walk downhill through rhododendron forests until you get to Hile, where you will be staying for the night.

Today you will drive back to Pokhara from Hile after breakfast. Upon reaching Pokhara, you will be dropped off in your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to roam around in Pokhara Market on your own.

You can visit Phewa Lake for 1-hour boating experience or opt for a short sightseeing tour with your guide. In the evening, you can enjoy delicious meals at some of the authentic restaurants at the Lakeside market.

You will be picked up by a private vehicle after your breakfast for drive back to Kathmandu. Following the same route of Prithivi Highway and enjoying the scenic vistas, you will reach Kathmandu in around 6 - 7 hours. You will be directly escorted to your hotel in Kathmandu. The evening is free for some last-minute shopping or relaxation.

You will be picked up from your hotel 3.5 hours prior to your international flight time by one of our office representatives to escort you to the TIA. Trip concludes !!