The Grade 1 Scrambler

A four-day trek up to Mardi Himal Base Camp in central Nepal. Summary verdict: the main trek isn’t that special but the mountain scenery and hiking above High Camp can be phenomenal, though very weather-dependent

Trek Stages:

• Day One: taxi from Pokhara to Kande; hike up from Kande via Australian Camp then Pittam Deurali then Forest Camp to Low Camp
• Day Two: hike from Low Camp to (nearly) High Camp
• Day Three: hike from High Camp to Viewpoint to Mardi Himal Base Camp and back
• Day Four: hike from High Camp to Viewpoint, then back to Low Camp and then branch down to Sidding for a jeep ride back to Pokhara

Other Details:

Map link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-march-10-2025-668f332

Time: varies a lot depending on your fitness; the trek shown in this video took four days but that included climbing up to the Viewpoint on two separate mornings

Grading: this is a hard trek with significant height gain at altitudes up to c. 4,300 m / 14,000 feet, and along some relatively narrow ridges

Notes: regulations say you should go with a guide and for safety reasons it’s sensible to do that above Viewpoint; more generally, care needed due to weather, altitude and steep drops

Gear: see video for discussion of items to take

Video guide: