Overview
The Mardi Himal trek from Kathmandu is a six-day teahouse trek that folds the Kathmandu to Pokhara transfers into the classic Mardi ridge walk beneath Machhapuchhre. After the drive to lakeside Pokhara you head to the roadhead at Kande and climb through Australian Camp and rhododendron forest to Forest Camp, then climb the next day past Low Camp and Badal Danda straight to the ridgeline High Camp at 3,580 metres. An early morning climb reaches the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 metres for a close wall of Machhapuchhre, Mardi Himal, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli, before you descend to Siding and return to Pokhara and Kathmandu. It is graded moderate, walked on well-made trails with simple lodges each night, and stays far quieter than the classic Annapurna routes. This from-Kathmandu version includes the road transfers both ways, so it suits trekkers basing themselves in the capital.
The itinerary
- Scenic 6 to 9 hour drive through river valleys and hills
- Check in at lakeside Pokhara and relax
- Optional 30-minute flight in place of the drive
- Short drive from Pokhara to the trailhead at Kande (1,770 m)
- Climb through Australian Camp (2,060 m) and Pothana into rhododendron forest
- Overnight at Forest Camp, also called Kokar, at about 2,550 m
- A long climbing day from Forest Camp, straight past Low Camp without stopping the night
- Moss-hung oak and rhododendron forest gives way to the open ridge and views of Machhapuchhre
- Continue past Badal Danda (3,210 m) and its spring rhododendron
- Overnight at High Camp (3,580 m)
- Early climb along the narrowing ridge to the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 m
- Close panorama of Machhapuchhre, Mardi Himal, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli
- Return to High Camp for breakfast, then descend to Low Camp
- Descend through forest and farmland to Siding village
- Local jeep track down through terraced Gurung country
- Drive back to lakeside Pokhara for the night
- Return drive to Kathmandu, or an optional 30-minute flight
- Last views of the Annapurna range along the way
- The trip concludes on the return to Kathmandu
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Things to carry
- Layered clothing including a warm down jacket for High Camp and the viewpoint
- Broken-in trekking boots and warm socks
- A sleeping-bag liner, hat, gloves and a buff
- Sunglasses, sun hat, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm
- A refillable water bottle with purification, a daypack and a power bank
Good to know
Complete guide
Mardi Himal is the short trek that people who know the Annapurna region recommend when you want big mountains without the crowds. In a week it climbs a single forested ridge to a viewpoint that sits almost directly under Machhapuchhre, the fishtail peak that towers over Pokhara. Doing it from Kathmandu means the transfers to and from Pokhara are built in, so you can start and finish where you land. Here is how the trek works and what to know.
What the Mardi Himal trek from Kathmandu covers
The route runs Kathmandu to Pokhara, then up from the roadhead at Kande through Australian Camp, Pothana and Forest Camp, along the ridge past Low Camp and Badal Danda to High Camp at 3,580 metres, with an early morning climb to the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 metres before you descend to Siding and drive back through Pokhara to Kathmandu. The two ends are travel days by road or optional flight; the heart of the trip is four days of ridge walking. If you are already in Pokhara and want to skip the transfers, a Pokhara-start version covers the same trail in four days, and the longer Annapurna Base Camp trek from Pokhara follows a different trail into the Sanctuary.
How hard it is and how the altitude feels
This is a moderate trek rather than a technical one, but the days are honest: a steady forest climb that turns into open ridge, and a cold pre-dawn push to 4,200 metres on the final morning. The second trek day is the big climb, from the forest straight up to the top night at High Camp at 3,580 metres, so take it slowly; serious altitude sickness is uncommon at this height, though you may feel the thinner air on the ridge. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and tell your guide early about any headache. A few weeks of hill walking beforehand makes the biggest difference.
Permits, guides and teahouses
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area permit. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run, and we arrange all of this. Nights are spent in small teahouses along the ridge, family-run lodges with simple twin rooms and a warm dining room, so you carry only a daypack. Lodges thin out higher up, so bring a sleeping-bag liner, a power bank and small cash for charging, Wi-Fi and hot water.
A gentler alternative in the same region
If the ridge and the early climb to 4,200 metres feel like a lot for a first trek, the same region has an easier introduction. The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek reaches a famous sunrise viewpoint over Annapurna and Dhaulagiri on shorter walking hours and lower altitudes, and pairs naturally with a later return for Mardi Himal or the wider Sanctuary.
