Blog
28 Oct 2025
Success for Faith in Families - Mardi Himal Base Camp
The Mardi Himal Base Camp trek is a lesser-known, but breathtakingly beautiful trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal. 14 intrepid Faith in Families fundraisers have just returned to the UK following a life-changing adventure where every team member gave it their all to support the wonderful cause that is Faith in Families, Swansea. They have raised over £20,000 so far and that total is still climbing. For context, this amount of money could be used by Faith in Families to provide 200 children with warm clothes for the winter, or provide full necessary support for 40 families in crisis.
We have loved working with Faith in Families again (their last Tribal Tracks fundraising adventure was a 100km Jordan Wadi Rum trek); they are always good fun to work with and really up for an epic challenge. Leader Smyrff loved it as well!
"A wonderful life-affirming experience which provided an exceptional balance of genuine challenge with sheer, outstanding beauty and a touch of hectic Nepali life." - Sue
FiF Mardi Himal Base Camp Team members:
Cherrie Bija - CEO of Faith in Families and the driving force behind the trek.
Philip White- Owner of White’s Carpentry.
Bethan Thomas - Founder of Cariad Mortgage Solutions and Faith in Families Trustee.
Jane Storer- A Welfare Rights Specialist and passionate advocate for social justice.
Jon Healings - Owner of Schmidt Kitchens Swansea and Letterbox of Mumbles.
Dr Sue West Jones & Hermione Vaikunthanathan-Jones - Mother and daughter trekking duo
Andrew Thomas - Founder of ATOM Electrical Contractors.
Gareth Danks - Photographer and videographer
Mandie Bennett - Owner of Schoolhouse Daycare and Teilo’s Tots Day Nursery.
Brian Byrne
Caroline Platt - Managing Director of Platts Agriculture
Scarlet Le Roux - Owner of The Little Tiler
Karen Devonshire - Faith in Families’ Chair of Trustees, who also celebrated a very special birthday on the mountain!
Here is what the trekkers faced and conquered with quick 'checking in entries' from Smyrff. Basic tea houses (and loos!), lots of gruelling ascents and descents, thin, high altitude air, but other-worldly, awe-inspiring views and life-changing experiences along the way.
Day 1 - 10km Phedi 1146m to Deurali 2170m
Started with a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Today's climb was 1000m from Phedi to Deurali, which is tonight's camp at 2170m. The group is going strong.'
Day 2 - 13km - Deurali 2170m to Low Camp 2995m
'900m climb from the Deurali camp to Low camp on Day 2 of the Faith in Families Swansea Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek. Stunning views all around us of the giant Himalayan mountains and we are now at 2995m, all the group is still going strong.'
Day 3 - 5km - Low Camp to High Camp 3600m
'Low Camp to High Camp on day 3, today's climb was 600m. Amazing scenery of the Annapurna Himalayan mountains and we are now at 3550. Mardi Himal base camp is the target with an early start for us tomorrow.'
Day 4 - 16km- High Camp to Mardi Himal Base Camp 4500m then descended to Low Camp
'Amazing day reaching Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4500m in Nepal with the fantastic charity group from Faith in Families Swansea. An early start with a climb of 900m and a descent of 1500m down to Low Camp. Working for Tribal Tracks and all the group are sampling the Gorkha Strong beer to celebrate.'
Day 5- Low Camp 2995m to Sidhing 1894m
'Arrived back in Pokhara today from low camp after reaching Mardi Himal Base Camp. Fantastic effort from the whole group on the mountain and in their fundraising for Faith in Families Swansea.'
As you can see, the trekkers definitely earned every single penny of their sponsorship money (and that beer at the end!). You can see/add to their total using this link.
"I didn’t really ever have a bucket list before going on this trip, now I’m energised to explore, now my bucket list is huge and I’m actively planning new adventures. It’s opened a new world to me, full of new friends and challenges." - Jon
Take a look at the photos on this page, largely shared with us by the wonderful Gareth Danks Photo and Video. We have hundreds more amazing photos (thank you, team!) which we will continue to share on our website and across our socials.
The team is still busy compiling videos, photos, and nominations for a post-trip award ceremony, with categories including 'Loudest Laugh', 'Gutsiest Eater',' Best Tech Support' and 'Loudest Snorer'. We're looking forward to hearing the stories and seeing the results.
A huge well done from us. It has been a pleasure working with each and every one of you.
See you on the next Faith in Families fundraising adventure!
"This trek was a very new experience for me and took me well outside my comfort zone. It was undoubtedly the toughest but most exhilarating thing I have ever done. I met people who will almost certainly be friends for life. It was the ultimate emotional rollercoaster." - Karen
Though this was a Faith in Families specific fundraising adventure, we do have an 'open' Mardi Himal Base Camp trek taking place in April 2026. There is no fundraising requirement for this trek, but you can choose to earn sponsorship for a charity of your choice if you want to. As always, feel free to email us if you have any queries.
Click here to see the day to day itinerary and sign up!
Have a question about Tribal Tracks? Get in touch, our small team will be delighted to help.
