Mardi is considered as a beginner trek. It can be completed in 4 to 5 days. People from far and wide trek to the various trekking routes of the Annapurna in huge numbers. Annapurna base camp, Annapurna circuit, Tilicho Lake etc are few of the many popular trekking destinations around Annapurna. However, the Mardi base camp, also being one of the treks in Annapurna region, is less crowded.The journey of Mardi Trek entails beautiful forests and peaks. There are several options for starting point of the Mardi Trek. We chose Kande as our first point of Trek. Here are photos from my trek to the majestic Mardi.
Started the first day of the trek as the sun was setting. Due to delay in shopping few essentials we started late. We planned to stay at Pothana for the night which was 2 hrs walk from Kande.
The morning view of Annapurna from Pothana as the sun kisses the peak.
A group photo before leaving Pothana. The second day of the trek started and we headed towards Deurali. The peak behind us is Fishtail Mountain.
Authentic Nepali Vegetarian food was served at Deurali for lunch. The lunch was delicious. After a while we left Deurali to reach Forrest Camp where we were supposed stay at night.
Hills that we left behind on the way to Forrest Camp.
We reached Forrest Camp in the daylight. We enjoyed the stay there and the next morning we were all set to move towards the Low Camp. We planned to reach the High Camp at the end of day 3 of our trek.
The climb from Forrest Camp to Low camp was about 2 to 3 hours long and I found myself quite tired after the walk because the path was quite steeper than before but then we got to see this and all the pain just washed away in the moment. After the lunch there we resumed our journey toward High Camp.
On the way , this view catches our eyes. We kind of fell short of words to admire the beauty of the view. The place is called Badal Dada and the peak is Annapurna.
Few more clicks of the Annapurna and Fishtail peaks as we make our way to High Camp.
The third day of this wonderful trek was coming to an end as we reached nearer to High camp after waving a goodbye to the sun. It was almost dark when we arrived at High Camp. The place was very cold as the altitude was higher than we were used to. We dinned quickly and got ourselves quickly inside the warm blankets. We were tired but also excited to see what the next day unfolds.
We started quite early for the fourth day. We wanted to enjoy the sunrise at the view point. The path was quite dangerous and we were travelling in the dark with the help of torches. We made it to the view point safely. It was extremely cold up there. We waited for the sun to rise.
The first light of the sun turning the sky orange was so mesmerizing. I wish I could have stayed in the moment forever.
The national flag of my country Nepal at the view point .
Fishtail mountain seen from the view point.
Annapurna clicked from the view point.
The scenery from the point was breathtaking. It is so beautiful and magical. We couldn't go further to the base camp since the weather is very inconsistent in these areas. So we decided to end our ascending journey and start descending. I suggest every trek lover to once feel the adventure of this trekking route. I will trek to Mardi again when possible. I would love to behold the beauty of those glorious white peaks once again. We reached the base of the trek( Sidhing) in the same day at around 8 pm at night. Overall the four day journey to Mardi is very much refreshing.
A map of trek route to Mardi Base Camp borrowed from google.
