Try one day on the trail before you book a long trek
In about six hours from Lakeside you can find out whether multi-day walking in the Himalaya suits you, on the first stretch of the Mardi Himal trail.
By the Lakeshore team · 5 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
A surprising number of people book a two-week trek without ever having walked uphill for more than an hour, and some of them are miserable by day three.
That's avoidable, because you can test the whole idea in a day from Lakeside: the gradient, the stone steps, the heat, the boots, the food, and whether you enjoy it at all. This is what we suggest to anyone who tells us they're not sure.
The test day
Drive to Kande, walk up to Australian Camp, carry on to Dhampus and drop down to Phedi. That's five to six hours, with around 400 m of climbing and rather more of descent, on stone staircases and hill paths.
This matters because it is the first section of the Mardi Himal route. You are on a working Himalayan trekking trail, walking the same steps you would climb on day one of the full trek. By the end you will know the four things that decide a trek: whether your boots fit, whether the descent hurts your knees, whether you like the pace, and whether the view does anything for you.
Four things the day tells you
Downhill is the surprise. Almost everyone worries about going up, and almost everyone is undone by coming down. Quads burn, knees ache and toes get jammed into the front of the boot. If the descent from Dhampus hurts, that's useful to know, and the fix is a pair of trekking poles.
Pace is the second. Trekking here is much slower than walking at home, and people who find that frustrating tend not to enjoy two weeks of it.
Heat is the third. Nepal's lower hills are warm and humid, and the first two days of most treks are the sweatiest.
The fourth is whether the view moves you at all. Some people come over the rise at Australian Camp and go quiet. Others take a photo and check their phone. Both are fine, and only one of them should book fourteen days.
If a full day is too much
Sarangkot at sunrise, then walk down through the villages instead of driving. It's two to three hours, all downhill, and you still learn what descending does to your knees.
The World Peace Pagoda by boat, then forty minutes up and forty down in the shade. It's the gentlest version there is, and it still tells you something.
Either is enough to choose between a three-day trek and a ten-day one, which is usually the choice people are really making.
What we do with the answer
If the day went well, we'll happily talk you through the longer routes and get you booked on something.
If it didn't, we'll say so and point you at Ghandruk, three easy days with no altitude to worry about, or at Chitwan, Bandipur and a week of day walks instead. Selling a two-week trek to someone who didn't enjoy the first six hours is never the right answer.
The people we've talked out of a trek have never come back angry about it. Several people who were talked into one have come back with opinions.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a guide for the test day?
Not for Australian Camp or Sarangkot, because the paths are clear. Taking one means you can ask the questions that matter, and that's most of the value of the day.
How fit should I be before even trying this?
If you can walk for two hours at home without dreading it, come and find out. That's all it takes.
Can I book the trek afterwards?
Yes, usually for the next morning. Permits are the only thing that takes time, and we can normally sort them in an afternoon. Nothing to pay online.
What if I hate it?
Then you've spent one day and a taxi fare finding out, instead of a fortnight and a flight.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether Australian Camp Sunrise Hike is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830