Mardi Himal is a trekking peak standing at 5,587 metres (18,330 ft) in the Annapurna region of Nepal.
Practical guides to trekking in Nepal — permits, costs, seasons, altitude and packing — written by the guides who walk these trails.
Two fifteen-day Himalayan circuits, both over a 5,000 m pass, thirty kilometres apart. Compared honestly on roads, crowds, permits, lodges, culture and cost — with a clear recommendation depending on what you want from a long trek.
A restricted valley running toward Tibet off the Manaslu Circuit, where killing animals has been prohibited by Buddhist vow for generations. Mu and Rachen gompas, Milarepa's cave, and a culture almost untouched by trekking.
Eight to ten hours from a single basic lodge at 4,460 m over a 5,106 m pass and down 1,500 m to Bimthang. What the Larke La day involves, how Dharmasala works, and what happens if the pass is closed.
A full Himalayan circuit around the world's eighth-highest mountain, over the 5,106 m Larke La, through a restricted Tibetan-Buddhist valley with a fraction of the Annapurna Circuit's traffic. The best long teahouse trek in Nepal.
Five glacial lakes at 4,620 m beneath Dorje Lakpa, a pilgrimage site with almost no trekking infrastructure, east of Langtang. High, quiet, and among the least-visited accessible treks in central Nepal.
Five days from Kathmandu to a prayer-flagged summit above the Hyolmo Sherpa villages of Helambu, with Langtang Lirung, Dorje Lakpa and the Jugal Himal on the skyline. The best short trek from the capital.
A circuit through the Ganesh Himal foothills between Langtang and Manaslu, over the Pangsang pass, through Tamang and Gurung villages that see perhaps a few hundred trekkers a year. Road-accessible, moderate, and genuinely off the map.
The 2015 earthquake destroyed Langtang village and much of the valley's trekking economy. A decade on, the lodges are rebuilt and the trekkers have not fully returned. What happened, what the valley is like now, and why it is worth your week.
You do not need a flight or a fortnight to see the Himalaya from Kathmandu. Short treks and valley-rim walks reachable in a few hours from the city, from a half-day ridge to a six-day Tamang village circuit.
A cultural trek through Tamang villages west of Langtang, with homestays, natural hot springs at Tatopani, and a ridge view into Tibet from Nagthali. Lower, warmer and gentler than the valley, and almost empty.
A chain of glacial lakes at 4,380 m, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists and the destination of a mass August pilgrimage. Route, the Laurebina La, how it combines with Langtang, and what Janai Purnima is actually like.
The closest big Himalayan valley to Kathmandu — no flight, no restricted permit, and a glacier-head village at 3,870 m with a 4,773 m viewpoint above it. Route, difficulty, season, and why this valley deserves more trekkers than it gets.