Mardi Himal is the name given to the feature of the long rising ridge and its summit that from the southwesterly lower slope of Mount Machhapuchhare, the famous triangular skyline that is seen from the Phewa Lake at Pokhara. As we shall soon see from a closer and more westerly vantage point, the mountain hold win peak - thus its name, Machhapuchhare, which is English means "Fish tail". Machhapuchhare is the most southerly high point of the Annapurna Massif, the awesomely majestic grouping of mountains in the central Himalaya that includes 5 of the 12 highest mountains in the world - all at close of very close quarters to our route. An eight-day hiking through the forest and on above the tree line and on up to from our high altitude camp at 4,100 m. from where there are the most amazing close quarter's views of all.
Now descending first through the forest, a different route takes us steeply down to the upper Mardi Khola, the torrent that has been the ice and the snow of the Mardi Himal. Although remote and still away from all the much-used trekking routes, our expedition now takes on the moods of the warm valleys and the friendly villages. Here, as we make our way along the bank of the Mardi Khola from the hill- side village of siding, down through the lovely fields, past the simple farms and over the "interesting" bridges, there is no doubt this indeed the idyllic Nepali countryside.