The history
Mardi Himal is a peak beneath the more famed Fishtail (Machhapuchare) peak. It is of 5587m in height. It was first climbed in 1961 by Basil Goodfellow. The trek to Mardi Himal was opened in 2012. There are tea houses through the entire trail offering flexible schedule for trekkers. The highest place with a tea house is the High camp situated at an altitude of 3550m. From thereon, one could hike up to Mardi View point (4250m) and beyond that, a trail running on the top of a ridge takes one to Mardi base camp (4500m). The trail for Mardi Himal runs almost parallel to the famed Annapurna base camp (ABC) trail & from the top of the Mardi ridge, one can also get bird’s eye views of Deurali & Machhapuchare base camp. The Mardi trail offers an off beaten track with lesser crowds than its more famous counterparts like ABC. It is also a less riskier option suitable for beginners.
The Australian camp
“Thulo Kharka” used to be a special pasture used by the locals of Dhampus village & other lower areas as a grazing ground for their buffaloes & cows. The pasture also provided panoramic mountain views of the surrounding Annapurna Himalayas. In the late 1980s, this prompted many Austrian travelers to camp there. The frequent visits of Austrian travelers gave the pasture it’s initial name “Austrian camp”. However, over a period, that evolved into “Australian camp” mainly because it was easier for locals to pronounce. A perfect blend of local culture, natural beauty & panoramic mountain views makes it a hidden gem in the Himalayas of North-Central Nepal. It’s also an impressive day hike destination from Pokhara.
When I started planning for Mardi Himal trek, I always had Australian camp in mind. The lure of walking for just an hour & a half to reach there & relax for an entire day was unavoidable. It could also provide a much needed short start for many first timers in our group.
30th March, 2024
I woke up to a cloudy morning in Pokhara with none of the Annapurna family members visible except for a faint outline of Fishtail. I already had the luggage segregated last night. After completing my morning rituals, I went out for a walk beside the Fewa lake with Niladri, Mishti & Dhananjoy. It was a quiet & cool morning with the boats lined up along the banks, forming a pattern. Though the mountains weren’t visible, the lake didn’t disappoint. The slight ripples on the water surface caused the shadows of the boats to oscillate. Distant sounds of tolls from the bells of the Tal Barahi temple added to the calm atmosphere. After strolling around for about half an hour, we returned to our hotel to have breakfast.
By that time most of the group members had assembled at the breakfast table. Jokes, banters & leg pulling went on as we enjoyed our breakfast. Our guide Kumar arrived with his team of support staff (which comprised of another guide Shishir & six porters). The vehicle which was to carry us to the trek starting point also arrived on time. Our bags got stacked overhead and we made our way into the vehicle, which started it’s journey through the streets of Pokhara. We switched streets from one to another and finally boarded the highway to move out of the town. By this time, the sun made its appearance but the mountains didn’t oblige. As we exited Pokhara, lush green fields greeted us, which bathed in the bright sunshine. Plants were ripe with seeds of barley waiting to be harvested. The morning breeze created ripples through them. As the vehicle meandered through the serpentine mountain roads, we suddenly got a glimpse of Mt Fishtail. Though it was a faint outline against the morning sky, people were excited nevertheless. It is a familiar structure to many of us who’ve visited the Annapurna region earlier. The vehicle stopped briefly at a market to pickup fresh apples but we didn’t know who they were for. Finally, we reached Khande, the starting point. We disembarked there, strapped our backpacks & got ready for a group photo shoot before starting the trek. Kumar handed a walkie talkie set to us (one of three siblings), the other two were to be carried by the guides at the front & rear of the group. Shishir was to lead the group, while Kumar was to bring up the rear (a pattern that was followed throughout the trek).
The initial part of the trail moved through narrow alleys between village houses and then moved higher up to enter the forests of rhododendron trees, some of which bloomed with red flowers. It was an appropriate start to a trek from which we had high expectations of natural beauty on display. The path still bathed in bright sunshine as we gradually moved up the trail. Shutters kept rolling on as members got going.
As we moved up, the number of rhododendron flowers increased causing more photographic interruptions, but we had ample time at our disposal. The fact that the walk was to take just about an hour, added to the relaxed mood. Some parts of the trail had staircases (to accelerate the hike) interspersed with gradual hikes. People didn’t complain at first, but they had a very different opinion about sections of the trail that came up for later days where stairs increased drastically.
After plodding up for sometime, from a bend, we got a glimpse of a flag stuttering in wind that swept through a pasture lying high up on the slopes. We also saw a few tents scattered around the flag. Someone from the support staff pointed at the place saying “Australian camp”. That sounded like music to our ears. It was only an hour since we started the hike and we were almost at our destination. There won’t be any further walking for the day & we’d have the entire afternoon at our disposal to relax & enjoy the place. That doesn’t happen frequently & it certainly won’t happen on any other day of this trail. We settled in our respective rooms, which were scattered along the boundary of a huge lawn with one side of the lawn opening towards the mountains which were behind the clouds. The sun disappeared & clouds held the sway. A cold breeze swept through the lawn and we entered the dining place to have our much awaited tea. After tea, lunch was ordered and the sun came out again as a part of a hide & seek game that was to continue for rest of the afternoon. People made themselves comfortable on the chairs spread out in the lawn. Some others brought out cards & started playing. It was leisure written all around.
As the afternoon bore on, the clouds darkened. A few drops started falling. I hoped for a spell of rain or snow to have the clouds cleared for at least the next morning. Without such a spell, it was impossible to be treated with the famous mountain views of Australian camp. Ever darkening clouds forced us into the dining place once more where we assembled for snacks, tea, gossip & cards. Dining rooms are the hubs of these tea houses. Travelers spend most of their time there because of the warmth & coziness. Rooms are just used to sleep at night. It was no exception here too. As we chatted around sipping tea, we suddenly heard a tattering sound on the roofs of the dining place. It was a hail storm. Hail stones of considerable size kept pouring down throughout the place. People went crazy and some went outside to capture the stones. The storm’s intensity prompted them to retreat quickly. The storm raged for about half an hour and then subsided. It also depleted some intensity of the cloud and suddenly a colorful rainbow popped up in the sky. People went ecstatic as they scouted for their mobile phones & cameras to capture the moment, which they knew was momentary.
As soon as the storm subsided, clouds started clearing up and Annapurna South, Fishtail & Hiunchuli made their appearance on the northern horizon. As if it was a desperate attempt from the mountains to make their presence felt while the clouds still held their ground.
As the sun embarked on its journey below the horizon, clouds lit up with its fading rays & the mountains played a perfect backdrop. After the sun went down, the mountains opened up in their full glory of dazzling white. Finally darkness set in & we moved inside once again. After sometime dinner got served & as we ventured towards our respective rooms, a quick glance at the sky revealed numerous stars. Apart from the star studded display at night, it also raised our hopes of having a clear morning view for the next day. We subsided into our respective rooms. I was staying with Dhananjoy (a pattern that’d repeat for the entire trek). Sleep eluded me for a larger part of the night (probably due to excitement) & I kept switching sides. I also ventured out into the lawn at night to keep an eye on the sky, which still stayed clear. Finally sleep crept in. We were sleeping at 2065 m.
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