15 Days Incredible Mardi Himal Trek

Do not forget to bring two pp sized photo for the trek. 

We need photos for your trekking permit, TIMS and for others official purposes and we assure that we will keep it safe.

Other activities in addition to the trek

If you would like to book extra activities such as Paragliding (90pp), Bunjy jump (70pp), Mountain flight (USD 185pp), Heli Tour (USD 800pp –based on 5 pax) Bhaktapur Sightseeing many more programs. You can book by contacting us at [email protected] For longer excursions such as Bhutan, Tibet, India, and any other treks also, we can help but please contact us immediately at [email protected] We do many more thing on your request at reasonable price.

Ensuring your  safety

Travel insurance & rescue when travelling to a remote destination like Nepal is strongly advised. It should provide adequate protection for the full duration of the tour. Your insurance policy must cover all the activities that you will be undertaking during your stay in Nepal such as helicopter rescue, cancellation, air ambulance, injury, death, lost baggage, theft, liability, medical treatment, and cover repatriation and personal expenses. If a client becomes ill, all hospital expenses, doctors’ fees, and repatriation costs are the client’s responsibility. For the reliable travel insurance, we have the suggestion of some of the best insurance companies: QBE Insurance or Europe assistance or World Nomads  or Travel Direct- TID . We have an agreement with Helicopter Company to do the payment of Helicopter evacuation after we collect the payment with you once you have been rescued. And the reimbursement responsibility from your insurance company will go up to you. Be sure your policy specifically covers helicopter evacuation and does not exclude mountaineering or alpinism.

Getting to and from Mardi Himal 

Mardi Himal Trekking commences from Pokhara after our flight or drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Our first trek is to the Forest Camp. From there, we hike all the way up to the Badal Danda through lush rhododendron and beautiful terraced fields and settlements. It is also a popular vantage point to witness beautiful Machhapuchhre and the entire Annapurna range. The trail then ascends up to the High Camp of magnificent Mardi Himal. Our 5-6 hours climb takes us to Mardi Himal Base Camp from where we can witness mighty Mardi Himal, alluring Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South, Gangapurna, Himchuli, and many other snow-fed peaks in the skyline.

Trekking difficulty of this trek

A moderate trek requires you to walk for 5-6 hours a day. Walking at higher levels is physically more demanding, but the rhythm of the walk will vary in compensation. If your health is good, you will complete a moderate trek successfully, with moderate physical fitness and strong determination. Training, particularly the jogging and climbing of stairs, are advised to boost your strength and health several weeks before your arrival. Previous hiking would be an asset, but technical know-how is not necessary.

Lodging and Food

Mardi Himal Trek is a hiking experience in the teahouse. There are named camps along the route that maintains several tea houses. Teahouses in the mountains are basic dwellings. Although the path is tea houses, it is also a camping adventure that you can do. On the trail there are only a few tea-houses.

Food on the road to Mardi Himal, like many other trekking experiences in Nepal, has little choice. Although several choices can be found to pick your food, the menu is very short and very similar anywhere. Anywhere. This is also a simple similarity everywhere in the Nepalese mountains.

Choose Dal Bhat, momo, noodles, bread etc. for a walk in the mountains with energy.

Telecommunication and charging while on trek

Light and power sockets are also available for charging batteries on a payable basis. Villages without electricity normally use a solar energy for charging lights and batteries.

NTC and Ncell operate in the Mardi Himal Trek in terms of telecommunications infrastructure. However, the functions may not be available in the entire trail, particularly at higher altitudes.

It is important to mention that in all areas of the country, telecommunications coverage will not be reliable. You may be required to wander around in some remote villages to find decent network coverage.

Thanks to poor network coverage, mobile Internet networks are not always secure and reliable. But if the networks are good, NTC and Ncell will use the 3 G services.a

Some tea houses do offer Wi-Fi, although they can charge you a few extra bucks.

Drinking water during the trek

Planning to have at least two liters of water when trekking every day is a smart way to start. Filling up water is quick. Taps in, out or in guesthouses mean that there are plenty of places to fill your bottles and/or your water bladders.This could be where you stay, a lunch stop, or a shared public tap used by locals. Use an efficient sterilization method to make sure your water is safe and not contaminated in anyway. Bottled water is available to buy throughout the trek, but we would advise against this for a number of reasons.You do not need them if you use sterilization method. Environment concerns are there and also buying water is expensive up in the mountains. 

Obtaining Trekking Permits

While trekking to Mardi Himal Base Camp, you will require two different permits — TIMS Card (Trekking Information Management System) and the ACAP permit (Annapurna Conservation Area Project). You do not need any other special authorization to enter this area.

HSJ will arrange the TIMS and Permits for all its clients. 

Single Supplementary

There will be two people accommodated in each room for the duration of the tour. If you prefer private accommodation, you'll find the option for "single supplement" of USD 250. Important:  Please note that during the trek days there are some lodges which may not have sufficient rooms to provide private accommodation. So, even if you purchase single supplement you will end up sharing a room for some days of the trek.

There is however option of sharing room with another solo traveler if you want to avoid supplementary charge. This however depends upon the willingness and comfort of another solo traveler if available.

Carrying Extra money

It’s difficult to give an exact amount of money that you should bring. Costs will vary according to how much you want to spend for shopping and where and what meals (lunch & dinner) you want to eat. Trekkers find that around $15 (for lunch & dinner) a day is reasonable for the trekking days. Only Nepali currency is accepted while on the trek. 

As for the tips, A general rule of thumb for tipping is USD 25 for the guide per traveller and USD 25 for porter between two travellers if you are fully satisfied with their service. So we suggest you allocate a minimum of USD 50 for Tipping. This is just a guideline and you may tip whatever / how much you think is appropriate for the services rendered which made your trek a memorable one

Luggage Limit per Person

For the trek, we'll have one porter for two people as per group size. The porter will carry 12-15 kg per person luggage during the trek. You need to carry your daypack to keep your personal belongings such as wallet, camera, water bottle, dry snack, headlight, gadgets etc. Safety and security of our porters are prioritized as much as of our guides and customers. 

Best time for the trek

The ideal time to go trekking in Annapurna region is from September to November. In general, the weather is dry and clear, with warm sunny days and excellent visibility. Spring during March-April-May is also considered the best time for this trek.  At this time of year, there is a reduced incidence of weather-related natural disasters, making the trekking climate much safer. Moreover, given that it's the best season, it's also the busiest. If you like less populated trails with better visibility, December, January and February are also good time for the trek with some basic precautions looking out for cold weather.

Trekking Equipments

List of Equipments you will need for trek

Clothing

• Trekking boots
• Short-sleeved Trekking shirts
• Trekking pants and jackets
• Thermals underwear
• Long-sleeved Trekking shirts
• Insulating down jackets
• Woolen cap
• Trekking Gloves
• Raincoats
  
  

First Aid

• Diamox tablets
• Sanitary pads / Tampons
• Anti-nausea Medicines
•  Band-aids
• Mosquito and insect repellents
  
  

Toiletries

•  Soap
•  Toilet Paper
•  Shampoo
•  Sunscreen
•  Moisturizer
•  Hand sanitizer
• Face Mask ( Disposable and surgical)
  
  

Accessories

• Sunglasses
• Sleeping bag (HSJ will provide sleeping bags and duffel bags which have to  be returned)
• Cameras
• Batteries
• Water Bottle
• Solar Chargers
• Hot water Thermos
  
  

Important Documents

• Passport
• Travel Permits

Guide and leader for the trek

Our local Nepali team is one of the most experienced and respected trekking outfits in Nepal. The team is fully licensed and affiliated with the Trekking agency's Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Tourism Board, Government of Nepal, Sustainable Tourism Network, Himalayan Rescue Association, and Kathmandu Environmental Educational Project. With experience, well trained, friendly guides, and courteous porters you are assured of your complete safety and wonderfully memorable experiences.

You can get a visa in Kathmandu airport upon your arrival at USD 30 (or equivalent in other major currencies) for a 15 days visa, USD 50 for a 30 days visa and USD 125 for a 90 days Multiple visas, and you can also extend it later on if you wish. They have newly installed technology (visa machine) which makes it no longer necessary to have a passport photo. Important! Please bring 3 photos for your trekking permit, TIMS and for others.

Besides trekking packages and tour operation, we arrange international air tickets to the major airports of all over the world. Himalayan social journey travel agency is the one-stop travel solution company; we offer all travel related product at the best possible rates with excellent services.

Please keep this thing in your mind that there are some airport touts and scam artists who take advantage of tourists. They might offer to carry your luggage and they want a large amount of money. Sometimes they intimidate our drivers and even take away their signs. Anyway...if you want someone to help you with your luggage you can give them NOT MORE THAN 1 - 2 DOLLARS. This is a small hassle that tourists sometimes face upon arrival at the airport. Do not stress about this but just be aware not to give more than a few dollars for their luggage handling if you choose to take someone's services. Nepalese in general are very kind and hospitable people.

Some major currencies (USD, AUD and EURO) are accepted for both visas and in general. There are plenty of ATM's in both Kathmandu and Namche and credit cards are accepted in limited shops and many restaurants. Please note that only Nepali rupees are accepted on the trek.

Generally, the orientation meeting is scheduled in the Kathmandu hotel at 4 or 5 pm and this will be informed by our representatives after your arrival. The tour starts with an orientation meeting and ends up after the scheduled trip after the breakfast.

If you plan to arrive early or depart late please make sure you make extra hotel arrangements by contacting [email protected] And if you'll be spending extra time in Nepal please let us know. We will book your extra night accommodation at same trip hotels

For each tour date, there will be several separate groups. Each group will have a maximum of 14 people with its own experienced English speaking guide. During the trek, there will be a suitable number of porters to carry your luggage.

The cost of our trip is based on a twin-sharing basis so there will be two people accommodated in each room for the duration of the tour. If you prefer private accommodation or you are a solo traveller, you'll find the option for "single supplement". Additional cost will be applicable as a Single Supplementary Charge for the single room during the trip.

No refund will be made for 20% deposit amount in case of cancellation of trip for any other else reason. Having paid the full amount of any trip, you will get your money back but still, cancellation charge (20%) is invoiced to you. And for the voucher holders, since you have purchased the voucher from the deal companies, we have to follow their cancellation policy. But for both the conditions, we are flexible to postpone your trip in any later days. Written notification of your cancellation should be made to cancel any trip.

Sometimes travellers are unable to finish the scheduled trek due to the various reasons or they ended up not completing the trek/tour for health or personal reasons. In this case please realize that we cannot offer you any refunds for unused days on the tour/tour. You have to understand that our costs are the same as we have an obligation to pay our guides and porters for the time they have committed.

All the breakfast during your trip is included but the lunches and dinners are not except welcome dinner in the first day at the local restaurant. Meals during Kathmandu stay and trekking days cost from $5 to $8 per item depending on what you choose to eat.

There will not be any problem for vegetarian, most of the lodges serve vegetarian meals. We always recommend our clients to eat vegetarian meals to avoid food poisoning, eating heavy meals and non- vegetarian meals at a high altitude is not really safe for the stomach.

You have to manage yourself for the drinking water. There are two good options for having proper drinking water during the trek. You can bring water purification tablets or fill your bottle for a nominal fee from the recognized and regulated "pure water" stations along the trek. As the alternative, you can also easily purchase bottled water at the lodges. The bottled water costs USD 2$ - 4$ per litre. It is very important that you drink at least 3 litres of pure water daily during the trek.

The width of Nepal is only about 200 km on an average, but within this short distance, the altitude of the land rises from 60 m up to 8,848 m. Hence the weather depends upon the altitude of the place in Nepal. However, in general, Nepal has four climatic seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Spring starts from March to May. The temperature of this season fluctuates between 20C to 30C (68F to 86F). Summer starts from June last to August. These are also the monsoon months with occasional evening-thunderstorms and hot temperature. Autumn starts from late September and ends by November. During this period, the climate is generally dry and mild with temperature fluctuating between 20C to 30C (68F to 86F). Winter starts from December until February. The mornings and evenings are very cold while the afternoon is pretty sunny. The temperature during these months rises from 10C to 20C (59F to 68F). At higher altitudes, it is cold during the winter months.

The trip hotel in Kathmandu does provide free storage services. So you can store your luggage and clothing that are not required for the trekking and you can collect it after your Trek and Tour.

There are telephones in some villages along the trekking routes from which you can make international calls. All our guides carry local sim cards both Nepal Telecom and N-cell in order to update the whereabouts and situation of our every client. You may pass the number of our guide to your family for the callback or you can make a call from the guide’s mobile and pay him directly for the international call too. Also, we have kept a satellite phone at Dingboche, which has a poor connection to the network of phones. Our guides use it during the case of emergency and also clients can use them by paying its rental fee. During the tour there will be easy access for International cal through cyber and communication Center. You will get Wi-Fi connection too in some of the places in the mountains for the extra cost. 

Remember to bring TWO and THREE pin travel adapters! You can also buy the adapters in the supermarkets or electronic shops in the Kathmandu. Our guide can help you with it.

It’s difficult to give an exact amount of money that you should bring. Costs will vary according to how much you want to spend for shopping and where and what meals (lunch & dinner) you want to eat. Trekkers find that around $20 (for lunch & dinner) a day is reasonable for the trekking days. You may have to pay for Wi-Fi, electricity and hot showers too (up in the mountains during the trek). Hence allocating the allowance for each day accordingly would suffice. 

• Daypack (rucksack)
• Backpack (a porter will carry it) Recommended size: about 50-litre capacity (10-12 KGS per person) if you are travelling with a friend you can share one pack between the two of you.
• Well-worn hiking boots or shoes
• A pair of sandals
• Sleeping Bag (HSJ will provide if you do not have your own)
• A one-litre hard water bottle to be filled up along the trekking trail
• Warm jacket Light-weight cotton clothing
• Waterproof jacket (a fold -away windcheater is fine)
• Light sweater
• Bath towel
• Sun hat
• Sunglasses
• Sun cream
• Knee supports (optional for the downhill portions of the trek)
• Trekking pole
• Water purification (Himalayan Social Journey will provide
• water purification tablet)
• Small First-aid-kit (Himalayan Social Journey will also provide one)
• Headlamp (preferable) or Flashlight (torch)
• Camera
• Loose stomach and nausea medicine
• Toiletries for the trek (toilet paper, soap, Towel shampoo etc...)

If you have purchased a voucher from any deal company, please come in contact with us with the voucher code (redemption code) so that the voucher can be redeemed on time. Since we need time to purchase your domestic air ticket and make other arrangements, kindly confirm your spot with your suitable date at-least 2 months prior to the commencement of the tour. Your booking on a particular tour date is subject to availability of spots. You can redeem you voucher through this link too : https://hsj.com.np/voucher-redemption

If you plan to arrive early or depart late please make sure you make extra hotel arrangements by contacting [email protected] And if you'll be spending extra time in Nepal please let us know. We will book your extra night accommodation at same trip hotels, Hotel Holy Himalaya , Himalayan Suite Hotel, Hotel Mulberry, Aloft Hotel, and Gokarna Forest Resort for your convenience. 

If you would like to book extra activities such as Paragliding (100pp), Bungy jump (70pp), Mountain flight (USD 180pp), Heli Tour (USD 800pp –based on 5pax) Bhaktapur Sightseeing many more programs. You can book by contacting us at [email protected] For longer excursions such as Bhutan, Tibet, India, and any other treks also, we can help but please contact us immediately at [email protected]

For the trek, we'll have one porter for two people as per group size. The porter will carry 12-15 kg per person luggage during the trek. You need to carry your day pack to keep your personal belongings such as wallet, camera, water bottle, dry snack, headlight, gadgets, etc. The safety and concerns of our porters is our collective responsibility. We take our responsibilities towards them and their safety concerns strictly. On your part, please carry only things that are of absolute necessities.

A general rule of thumb for tipping is USD 50-60 for guide and porter if you are fully satisfied with their service. So we suggest you allocate a minimum of USD 50 for tipping. This is just a guideline and you may tip whatever /how much you think is appropriate for the services rendered which made your trek a memorable one.

If you are considering to donate, School supplies (pens, notebooks, coloured pencils, etc...). These gifts can be directly turned over to our company when you arrive in Kathmandu. And we will manage them to distribute through our proper channels.
As for your the need of much of your trekking clothes and tour supplies and gears, they can be easily purchased in Kathmandu near our hotel at good prices. Bring hiking boots/shoes from your country. The Nepali ones are not recommended. Your guide will assist you to get anything you may need here.

We are committed to providing the best services which will give you a once in a lifetime journey. We perform our duties honestly & seriously to make your journey very smooth & pleasant. However, the entire programs in Nepal are conducted strictly under the rules and regulation of their policies. So in this case, we will give options to choose a different itinerary for an enjoyable holiday. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

The sleeping bags we provide are of good quality. They help you sustain the colder climate in Nepali mountains up to -25 degree Celsius of temperature. However if you need the one of your own, you can buy one here. Your guide shall assist you to get it here. Keep the track of the weather forecast of the area and pack your clothes accordingly. This would help you be prepared for the type of weather Nepali Mountains are accustomed to.

The size of the duffel bag that we provide is 60-70 liter.

Yes, you will have free access to the power in the city areas however with your ascends to the mountain and as you climb to higher altitudes, extra charge would be applicable for the use of power supply or wireless internet connections.