Mardi Himal Route Map: Stages, Camps & Altitude

The Route in One Paragraph

A short drive from Pokhara puts you at the trailhead at Kande (1,770 m). You climb through pine and rhododendron to Australian Camp (2,060 m) and Pothana (1,990 m), where the trail leaves the busy Annapurna foothill routes and turns north up the Mardi ridge into deep, mossy forest. From there the route follows the spine of the ridge through Forest Camp / Kokar (2,520 m), Low Camp (2,970 m), Badal Danda (3,210 m) and High Camp (3,580 m). Above High Camp the forest is long gone and the trail runs along an increasingly narrow crest past a View Point (about 3,900 m) to Mardi Himal Base Camp at roughly 4,500 m, in an amphitheatre directly beneath Machhapuchhre. Most trekkers descend the eastern side to Sidhing (1,700 m) and drive back to Pokhara.

Because it is a ridge rather than a valley, Mardi Himal has an unusual quality among Nepal treks: the views open gradually and then never stop. From Low Camp upward you are walking with the Annapurnas in front of you almost continuously.

Standard 5-Day Route Table

Distances are approximate trail distances; ridge trails vary more between GPS tracks than valley routes because of the switchbacks. Walking hours assume a moderately fit trekker with a daypack.

Total walking is roughly 40 to 45 km with cumulative ascent of about 3,000 m. Fit trekkers compress this into four days by combining days two and three; adding a night at Badal Danda makes it six and gives you the best acclimatisation profile on the route.

What Is Actually at Each Camp

The camps are lodge clusters, not villages, and they differ a lot. Knowing which is which shapes where you choose to sleep.

• Australian Camp (2,060 m): a genuine viewpoint with several lodges, popular as an overnight for people doing a one-night trip from Pokhara. Busy, and not on the Mardi ridge proper.
• Pothana (1,990 m): the junction village. The Annapurna Base Camp and Landruk routes carry on; the Mardi trail turns off here. Easy to miss the turn — it is signed, but modestly.
• Pitam Deurali (about 2,100 m): a small cluster shortly after the turn-off, and an alternative first night for late starters.
• Forest Camp / Kokar (2,520 m): deep inside mossy old-growth forest with no view at all. Atmospheric, damp, and cold at night. A handful of lodges.
• Low Camp (2,970 m): where the trek changes. Trees start thinning and Machhapuchhre appears straight ahead. Several lodges, generally the best food on the ridge.
• Middle Camp (about 3,100 m): two or three lodges, often overlooked, a good option when Low Camp is full in peak season.
• Badal Danda (3,210 m): "cloud hill", an open meadow shoulder with a superb outlook. Quieter than Low and High Camp, and our pick for the extra night if you have one.
• High Camp (3,580 m): the launch point for the Base Camp day, sitting on the bare ridge. Limited lodges, fills up fast in October and April, and cold. Book ahead or arrive early.
• View Point (about 3,900 m): not a lodge — a marked high point on the ridge above High Camp. Many trekkers who turn back early stop here and still get a magnificent view.
• Base Camp (about 4,500 m): a small stone shelter and prayer flags, no lodging. This is a day objective, not a place to sleep.

The Final Ridge: The One Section That Deserves Respect

Mardi Himal has a reputation as an easy short trek, and for four of its five days that is accurate. The stretch from View Point (3,900 m) to Base Camp (4,500 m) is the exception, and it is worth knowing what you are walking into.

The trail narrows to a crest with significant drops on both sides. In dry conditions it is a straightforward if airy walk on a path perhaps a metre wide in places. In snow, ice or after rain it becomes genuinely serious — the surface is grass and loose soil over rock, and it does not hold an edge. Notes that matter:

• Start from High Camp before dawn, around 4 to 5 am. This is partly for the light and partly because the ridge is far more pleasant before the wind gets up.
• Trekking poles help more here than anywhere else on the route. Two, not one.
• Turning back at View Point is a legitimate outcome, not a failure. On a snowy morning it is the correct outcome. The view from 3,900 m is 90% of the view from 4,500 m.
• Do not attempt it in cloud. The route-finding is simple in clear weather and thoroughly unpleasant when you cannot see the crest ahead.
• Cumulative gain of 920 m and loss of the same in one day at this altitude is what makes day four a seven to nine-hour effort rather than the four hours the distance suggests.

See the difficulty and fitness guide for how to prepare for this day specifically.

Exit Options: Sidhing, Lwang Ghalel or Back the Way You Came

Sidhing (1,700 m) — the standard descent

Drops off the eastern flank of the ridge from Low Camp or Badal Danda through forest and terraced farmland. Three to four hours of steep, knee-testing descent to a road head where jeeps run back to Pokhara in two to three hours on rough road. The most common finish, and it means you do not repeat any of the ascent.

Lwang Ghalel — the tea-garden alternative

A slightly longer eastern descent that passes through Lwang Ghalel, a Gurung village with organic tea gardens and a community homestay programme. Adds a few hours or an extra night, and the cultural payoff is real — this is one of the better village-homestay experiences in the Annapurna foothills. Worth it if you are not rushing back.

Back down to Kande — the retrace

Returning the way you came via Pothana and Australian Camp. Slightly longer than Sidhing, on better trail, with the advantage of a paved road at the end rather than a jeep track. Sensible in monsoon when the Sidhing jeep road can be poor.

Continuing to Annapurna Base Camp

From Low Camp it is possible to descend west to Landruk and join the Annapurna Base Camp trail, combining the two treks into a 10 to 12-day trip. A good option for trekkers who want Mardi's solitude and ABC's sanctuary in one visit, and it uses the same ACAP permit.

For a shorter pairing, the Poon Hill trek sits immediately west and the two are often walked back to back with a rest day in Pokhara between them.

Water, Supplies and the Practical Ridge Problem

One practical consequence of walking a ridge rather than a valley: there are no rivers. Every drop of water at every camp above Forest Camp is either carried up, piped from a spring some distance below, or collected as rain. That has three effects:

• Water costs more the higher you go, and bottled water at High Camp is noticeably more expensive than at Kande. Carry a filter or purification tablets — you will save money and a lot of plastic.
• Supplies at High Camp are limited in a way they are not on valley treks. Menus shorten, prices rise and specific items run out. Do not count on buying snacks above Low Camp.
• Washing water is scarce. Hot showers exist at Low Camp and below; above that, expect a bucket at best. Plan accordingly rather than being surprised.

There is patchy mobile coverage along most of the ridge — Ncell and NTC both reach Low Camp and High Camp on clear days — and several lodges sell wi-fi. Do not rely on it for anything important.