The Mardi Himal Trek is a moderate, 6-day ridge trek in Nepal's Annapurna region that climbs to High Camp at 4,500m directly beneath Machhapuchhre. Guided packages start from USD 690 per person, permits run about USD 38 (ACAP plus TIMS), and the route sees a fraction of the traffic on the Annapurna Base Camp or Poon Hill trails. This guide covers the route, the real day-by-day itinerary as it's actually run, current permit and cost figures, and who the trek suits.
Mardi Himal branches east off the main Annapurna Sanctuary trail above Pokhara and follows a single forested spur straight up toward the 5,587m Mardi Himal peak. Because the spur stays narrow, the trail rarely drops back into a valley once it clears the treeline, so the views are more or less constant from Low Camp onward. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project only opened the route to tea-house trekking in 2012, which is part of why it still feels wilder than trails that have carried traffic for decades.
What makes Mardi Himal different from Poon Hill or Annapurna Base Camp?
Three treks share the same trailhead region above Pokhara, and trekkers choosing between them are usually weighing the same trade-off: crowds versus infrastructure. Poon Hill is a 4-5 day trek to a 3,210m viewpoint, busy year-round because the walking is gentle and the reward (a 360-degree sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna) comes fast. Annapurna Base Camp is a 7-12 day trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary at 4,130m, well-developed with frequent lodges every hour or two. Mardi Himal sits between them in difficulty but stands apart in one respect: its high camp puts you within about 8km of Machhapuchhre's south face, closer to that specific peak than either of the other two routes gets.
The trade-off for that proximity is thinner infrastructure. Lodges above Forest Camp are smaller, menus shrink as you climb, and the trail can be harder to follow under fresh snow since fewer people have packed it down. First-time Himalayan trekkers who want maximum comfort usually still choose Annapurna Base Camp; trekkers who've done a tea-house trek before and want more mountain for less time on the trail tend to choose Mardi Himal.
The route and Machhapuchhre
Machhapuchhre, 6,993m and visible from Pokhara's lakeside as the unmistakable double-pronged "Fishtail," has never been officially summited. A British expedition led by Jimmy Roberts reached within 50m of the top in 1957 and stopped by agreement with their sirdar; Nepal has not issued a summit permit for the peak since, and it holds cultural significance as a mountain sacred to Shiva. Mardi Himal High Camp is the closest a commercial trekking route gets to standing directly beneath it.
The forest section between Pitam Deurali and Forest Camp is one of the least-discussed highlights of the trek. Moss-draped rhododendron and oak close in overhead for most of a full day's walk, and in March and April the rhododendron blooms red, pink, and white along the whole climb. Above Forest Camp the trees thin quickly, and by Low Camp you're walking open ridgeline with Annapurna South (7,219m) and Hiunchuli visible to the north.
Itinerary: 6 to 9 days depending on acclimatisation
Our standard package runs 6 trekking days from Kande to Pokhara, bookended by arrival and departure to make a 7-day trip. Trekkers who want a slower, lower-risk climb to altitude add one or two nights, most often at Forest Camp or Low Camp, which stretches the same route to 8 or 9 days.
| Day | Route | Hours | Sleep altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drive Pokhara to Kande, trek to Pitam Deurali | 4 | 1,900m |
| 2 | Pitam Deurali to Forest Camp | 5 | 2,520m |
| 3 | Forest Camp to Low Camp | 4 | 3,150m |
| 4 | Low Camp to High Camp | 5 | 4,500m |
| 5 | Sunrise at High Camp, descend to Sidhing | 7 | 1,700m |
| 6 | Sidhing to Pokhara (jeep) | 3 | 820m |
Day 4 is the one to plan around, because the jump from Low Camp (3,150m) to High Camp (4,500m) is 1,350m of gain in a single day, well above the 500m-per-day guideline most guides use above 3,000m. Groups that add a buffer night at Low Camp before pushing to High Camp report far fewer headaches and better sleep than groups that go straight through. Our guides watch oxygen saturation from Forest Camp onward and will hold a group at Low Camp an extra night rather than push a symptomatic trekker to 4,500m.
The descent finishes at Sidhing rather than back at Kande, which makes the trek a loop instead of an out-and-back. Sidhing is a Gurung village with a jeep connection to Pokhara, and the descent from High Camp to Sidhing in one long day (around 2,800m of loss) is harder on the knees than most people expect. Trekking poles are worth carrying for this day specifically.
Permits for Mardi Himal
Mardi Himal sits inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so it needs the same two permits as the rest of the region, and no restricted-area permit on top. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) costs NPR 3,000 (about USD 23) for foreign trekkers when arranged in advance through a registered agency; buying it at a trail checkpoint instead of in Kathmandu or Pokhara can cost double.
| Permit | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area) | NPR 3,000 (~USD 23) | Double if bought at a trail checkpoint instead of in advance |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (~USD 15) via agency | Fee structure has shifted in recent years; confirm current rate with your agency before departure |
| Restricted-area permit | Not required | Unlike Upper Mustang or Manaslu |
TIMS pricing has been inconsistent across sources in the last two years, with some agencies still quoting the long-standing NPR 2,000 group rate and others reporting a revised USD-denominated fee for individual applicants. Book through a registered agency and this becomes their problem to track, not yours. Since Nepal's April 2023 ban on unguided solo trekking in most regions, you'll be walking with a licensed guide regardless, which also matters on the upper ridge where the trail can disappear under fresh snow. Our ACAP and TIMS permit guide covers exactly where each permit gets checked on the trail.
What Mardi Himal costs
A guided Mardi Himal package with Annapurna Trekking starts from USD 690 per person in a group of 4 to 12, covering guide, permits, transport, lodges, and meals for the full 6 to 7 days. Smaller groups and solo bookings cost more per person because the fixed costs (guide, transport) are split fewer ways.
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| Solo, private | USD 990 |
| 2-3 people | USD 790 |
| 4-12 people | From USD 690 |
Independent trekkers who already hold a guide (mandatory since 2023) can expect to spend USD 200-280 on permits, food, and lodging for the 6 days, plus USD 25-35 per day for the guide themselves if hired separately from a package. Tea-house beds run NPR 400-800 (USD 3-6) below High Camp and climb from there, since everything above Low Camp arrives on a porter's back. Dal bhat, at NPR 600-900 with unlimited refills, remains the best-value meal on the route; budget USD 12-18 a day for food if you're paying as you go. Tipping sits outside any package price, at USD 8-12 per day for a guide and USD 6-9 for a porter, usually pooled among the group at the end.
Difficulty and who this trek suits
Mardi Himal is rated Moderate, harder than Poon Hill's short village-to-viewpoint walk but shorter and less committing than the full Annapurna Base Camp trek. The difficulty concentrates almost entirely in two days: the 1,350m climb from Low Camp to High Camp, and the following descent, which combines a pre-dawn start with a long day at altitude on an exposed ridge.
- Maximum altitude: 4,500m at High Camp
- Hardest day: Low Camp to High Camp, 5 hours with 1,350m of ascent
- Terrain: dense forest to Low Camp, then open, exposed ridgeline
- Fitness needed: comfortable with 5-7 hour trekking days on consecutive days; no prior altitude experience required
Walkers coming from flatter, lower treks sometimes underestimate the High Camp night, which is genuinely cold (routinely below -10°C in November and December) and thin-aired for a trek this short. Reading our altitude sickness prevention guide before you go is worth the twenty minutes, even for a trek this compact.
Lodges and food on the ridge
Lodges thin out fast above Forest Camp. Forest Camp, Low Camp, and High Camp each have a small cluster of tea houses, and High Camp in particular is basic: thin-walled rooms, shared toilets, and a menu limited by what a porter can physically carry up. Expect dal bhat, noodle soup, and eggs rather than variety, with prices rising at each stop because supply gets harder the higher you go.
High Camp's bed count is small enough that it fills on clear autumn weekends, so booking ahead through an agency matters more here than on busier routes where lodges compete harder for your custom. Carrying a refillable bottle with purification tablets or a filter keeps costs down and cuts plastic waste on a trail with no rubbish collection above Forest Camp.
Best time to trek Mardi Himal
Autumn (late September to November) and spring (March to May) are the reliable windows, matching the wider Annapurna pattern of clear, stable post-monsoon and pre-monsoon skies.
| Season | Months | Conditions on the ridge |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Late Sep-Nov | Clearest views of the season; cold nights at High Camp, down to -10°C by November |
| Spring | Mar-May | Rhododendron bloom in the forest; possible fresh snow on the upper ridge in March |
| Winter | Dec-Feb | Snow likely above Low Camp; High Camp push sometimes turned back |
| Monsoon | Jun-Aug | Muddy forest section, leeches, clouds hiding the peaks most days |
April is the strongest single month for most trekkers, combining reliable High Camp weather with the rhododendron bloom lower down. Late October carries the sharpest air of the year but also the coldest High Camp nights, so pack for temperatures well below freezing regardless of season above 3,150m.
Plan your Mardi Himal trek
Mardi Himal delivers a 4,500m ridge camp under Machhapuchhre in 6 to 9 days, from USD 690, with a fraction of the foot traffic on the classic Annapurna routes. Annapurna Trekking, the trekking brand of Swotah Travel and Adventure (founded 2016, member of TAAN, NMA, and NTB), runs it in groups of up to 12 with TAAN-certified guides and a built-in buffer night for acclimatisation. See the Mardi Himal trek page for current 2026 dates, or contact our team directly on +977 984 159 5962.
