Mardi Himal trek cost
The total cost for trekking to Mardi Himal can be calculated by adding the accommodation, food, guide, porter, TIMS, and permits costs.
The cost for TIMS and permit cards remain the same as always as it is. It costs USD 45 per person. But other things can be considered for minimizing the total trip amount.
But it depends on you. If you hire both a porter and a guide the amount would be expensive. They charge USD 20 and USD 25 per day respectively. If you prefer to hire only a guide or a porter, the total cost would be lesser.
Similarly, if you share your accommodation, definitely the cost would be reduced. The cost for a room at a tea house in the mountain is almost USD 3-5.
The more important thing is that the cost would be cut off drastically if you pay for your food yourself because you can select food as per your affordable standard. But if you choose to pay by guide, you can have three-time meals as per your choice and if you do not eat as much as you have paid, your money will not be refunded.
The tentative cost for food and accommodations are as follows;
- Foods Approx: cost
- Breakfast USD 3-4
- Lunch/Dinner USD 4-6
- Tea USD 3-4 per cup
- Mineral water USD 3-4 per a liter bottle
Now, you can recalculate yourself and know the Mardi Himal trek cost in total.
Note: if you afford it, you can buy a full-board package trip from a trekking agency like Rising Adventure and enjoy a trip in a very luxurious way.
Accommodations on the trek
Mardi Himal trek is trekking at a higher altitude. It is a newly explored route. So, its trail does not go through the local villages like other trekking destinations in Nepal. From Landruk to the Mardi base camp, the temporary tea houses are set only for the peak season. No one stays there permanently.
Therefore, only the basic facilities can be expected in the higher elevation. The tea houses are made up of poor infrastructure with no shower gas and electricity. Unlike other trekking zones, you need to share a room with more than two people. A room will be filled with up to 6 beds. A shared toilet, shower, and dining are built up there.
So, the accommodation cost is cheaper compared to other destinations like Annapurna base camp and Annapurna circuit. But the food cost would be a little bit expensive because it is the only source of income for the local community.
In high season, it would be better to book a guest house room earlier before your trip begins because of the fewer numbers of teahouses, it gets full.
Besides, there are some campsites at the low camp and the forest camp. If you afford it, you can do a camp trek for a more adventurous experience.
Reversely, you can get more facilities in the lower elevation area as compared to higher altitude places.
You will be provided a blanket in every lodge, but it would not be enough to quit the cold in the High camp. So, having a sleep is worth it.
Foods
Normally, you can get Nepalese, Chinese, Indian, and Western food during a trek in the mountain region of Nepal and so, do the Mardi Himal trek offers.
A typical local Nepalese meal is rice, curry, lentil, and pickle. It is served everywhere in Nepal. If you wish to eat it, you can have as much as you can at the same price. But other non-Nepalese food needs to buy on a plate basis.
The other tentative name lists of food that can be found on the Mardi Himal trek are below;
- Chapati
- Tibetan bread
- Seasonal vegetable
- Mushroom, chicken, garlic, tomato, and other veg/non-veg soup
- Tea/coffee/milk
- Grilled vegetable
- Spinach
- Spaghetti
- boiled egg/omelet
- rice pudding
- oats/porridge
- pancakes
- pasta
- sweets
- spring roll
- Mars/sneaker chocolate
Mardi Himal trek packing list
It is a short trek, so please try to pack a light bag only for 4 days. The packing lists are as follows;
- Sleeping bag
- Head Lamp
- Backpack (weight basis)
- Extra battery backup (for charging a mobile)
- Water purifier
- Hiking boots
- Trekking poles
- Hiking shirts
- Trekking pants
- Raincoat
- Down jacket (season basis)
- Sun Hat
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Beanie
- Fleece jacket
- Comfortable sleeping clothes
- Towel
- Waterproof small handbag (for saving money and documents)
- Waterproof pouch for documents, money, phone, etc.
- First Aid Kit (provides by the company)
- Lip balm Soap/shower gel
- Hand sanitizer
- Toilet paper
Travel Insurance
As we all know, travel insurance helps in an emergency situation. So, Rising Adventure strongly recommends every trekker buy travel insurance before going to the Mardi Himal trek because it is a trek at a higher altitude. Though you are fit and fine, you may get high altitude sickness sometimes and may face unavoidable circumstances like landslides, bad weather, or other things. So, you required travel insurance for tackling this condition.
Be sure that, your insurance company must be reliable and trustworthy and your insurance must cover all the expenses like hospitalization charges and helicopter rescue.
Please be noted, Rising Adventure does not sell any travel insurance. It only sells trekking and tour packages in the Nepal Himalayas.
Best season
Trekking to Mardi Himal is best in the spring and autumn seasons. Normally, these are the peak trekking seasons and are preferable for doing every activity in Nepal because the weather looks bright and shiny. Spring comes just after the monsoon. So, the rain washes out every speck of dirt from the sky. The surrounding atmosphere seems neat and clean.
Similarly, autumn falls after the winter season before the rainy times. So, the days are longer. The temperature is warm on a sunny day. The sky looks crystal clear. As a result, the Himalayan panoramas can be seen very nicely.
But Rising Adventure does not recommend you to do the Mardi Himal trek at the beginning of September and march though, these months come under spring and autumn seasons respectively. Because there would be a chance of rainfall till the second week of September although spring begins. As a result, the route gets muddy. The rain may create a blockage on the track. And sometimes, it would be impossible to walk or even can not come out of the home due to the heavy rainfall. Due to the continuous rain, all the teahouses may get closed as well.
On the other hand, the colder period may remain till the second week of march even though, autumn starts. So, there would be snowfall on a trail. The route may get buried under the snow. The temperature goes down.
Overall, the months of April, May, October, and November are considered the best times for trekking in Nepal. However, a trekker may join this Mardi trek in their favorable time within these peak months.
