Mardi Himal Trek Trip Overview
The Mardi Himal Trek is a 10-day trek in the Annapurna region that avoids the crowded circuit and base camp routes by taking you off-trail toward Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 meters. This trek is an adventure where navigation happens using ridge features and community knowledge rather than marked paths. You’ll trek through rhododendron forests with panoramic views, reach High Camp at 3,550 meters, then spend a full day exploring toward Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 meters. The trek returns via a different route through the Sidhing village and Gurung communities. This trek works best for experienced trekkers seeking adventure, for people wanting an Annapurna region experience, and for anyone ready to explore and discover.
Major Highlights of Mardi Himal Trek
- Enjoy a stunning trekking peak dominating the circuit landscape at Mardi Himal (5,563m).
- Trek through Mardi Himal Base Camp (4,500m), a high-altitude exploration day with extreme views.
- Walk through the off-trail ridge beyond marked paths and have genuine exploration.
- Enjoy your time at Australian Camp, which is a legendary tea house stop with character and history.
- Enjoy forest immersion with rhododendron walks.
- Hike to Badal Danda, an optional high ridge.
- Visit Deurali village, which is a gateway settlement before the mountain ascent.
- Trek through Sidhing village, a Gurung community on descent with authentic interaction.
- Complete the ridge circuit with a different route return, creating a loop experience.
- Observe fewer crowds than the mainstream Annapurna routes.
- Observe alpine meadows and sparse vegetation at higher elevations.
- Enjoy Community hospitality as Gurung villages genuinely welcome visitors.
Mardi Himal Base Camp: The Trek’s Centerpiece
On your sixth day, you spend the entire day exploring towards Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 meters. This full-day excursion from High Camp takes you into high-altitude territory where the peak (5,563m) dominates completely. Standing at base camp, you’re in a landscape of alpine vegetation, rock and ice, thin air, and the mountain above. The hike demands respect, as we all know, 4,500 meters is high enough that altitude affects most people, the terrain is exposed, and the weather can change dramatically. However, most fit trekkers reach base camp successfully and describe it as the trek’s defining moment. Standing at the base of Mardi Himal, surrounded by the Annapurna massif, you understand why this off-trail journey was worth the effort.
Australian Camp
This trek includes Australian Camp (2,232m), a famous tea house stop that sits on a high ridge with spectacular views. Despite its name, Australian Camp was established by someone with Australian connections and has become a legendary rest point for trekkers. The camp maintains genuine character with simple infrastructure, family-run hospitality and stories accumulated over decades. Guides share the camp’s history as you rest. What makes Australian Camp special is its location, perched on a ridge with views extending across the Annapurna region and its status as a waypoint between Kande and deeper mountain trekking.
Ridge Walking: Trekking on Mountain Spines
The trek also involves substantial ridge walking. You’re moving along high ridges where valleys drop away on both sides. Ridge walking is psychologically different from valley or pass trekking. You feel more exposed, more engaged with geography, more aware of the landscape’s three-dimensionality. Views expand in all directions rather than being framed by valley walls. On clear days, ridge walking offers unobstructed mountain perspectives. On cloudy days, walking into clouds while on a ridge creates an intimate, mysterious atmosphere. The ridges on the Mardi Himal approach are never dangerously exposed; they’re walkable without technical skill but they create the psychological sensation of extreme position. By day 5, reaching High Camp, you’ve spent days on high ridges and understand mountain geography viscerally.
The Descent: Different Route Home
On the seventh day of the trek, you’ll descend through forests, which is a completely different landscape from the ridge ascent. You’re moving from sparse alpine meadows back into rhododendron and mixed forests. The descent is steep, around 7-8 hours of downhill hiking through the forest, but psychologically it’s satisfying. Day 8 continues to Sidhing village, where you interact with Gurung communities before driving back to Pokhara. This loop structure of ascending via ridges, descending via forests and villages gives you a chance to experience the region from multiple perspectives.
Sidhing Village: Gurung Community Interaction
Day 8’s trek to Sidhing village brings you into Gurung communities that see fewer trekkers than the mainstream route villages. Sidhing sits lower (1,000m roughly), showing how communities live at elevations between the high mountains and Pokhara. You’ll see villages farming on slopes, children attending school, and families managing daily lives. The cultural interaction is more genuine here than in heavily touristed areas. Guides facilitate conversations, explain Gurung traditions, and help you understand how communities relate to mountains. Time in sidhing connects the mountain experience to human reality, and you’ll understand the fact that mountains aren’t just scenic; they’re home to people.
Physical Difficulty and Off-Trail Navigation
This trek is moderately to significantly difficult with higher elevation than most Annapurna region treks (base camp at 4,500m), off-trail sections requiring careful footing, and a full-day exploration at altitude. Daily walking hours are substantial, with 4-6 hours, except on day 6. The altitude demands respect, as 4,500 meters is high enough that most people feel the effects. The off-trail nature requires mental engagement; you can’t zone out and follow a marked path.
Mardi Himal Trek offers something increasingly rare: genuine exploration in established trekking regions. Off-trail ridge walking, full-day base camp exploration, fewer crowds and guide-dependent navigation. Contact us today and we’ll assess whether you’re suited for off-trail trekking or not and if you are, we’ll arrange everything from guide selection, accommodation to pacing strategy. Your job is to train seriously, prepare mentally for navigation uncertainty, and show up ready for mountain exploration.
| Day |
Destination |
Sleep altitude |
Duration |
Distance |
Activities |
| 01 |
Kathmandu |
1345 m |
30 Min |
7 Km |
Airport transfer, hotel check-in, trek briefing |
| 02 |
pokhara |
820 m |
6-7 hrs |
200 Km |
Scenic drive, transfer to hotel near Phewa Lake, leisure time |
| 03 |
Deurali |
2232 m |
6-7 hrs |
35 Km |
Drive to Kande, trek via Australian Camp, ridge walk |
| 04 |
Forest Camp |
2600 m |
5-6 hrs |
11 Km |
Off-trail ridge trek, rhododendron forest walk |
| 05 |
High Camp |
3600 m |
5-7 hrs |
15 Km |
Gradual ascent, Badal Danda option, alpine zone views |
| 06 |
High Camp |
3600 M |
Full day |
Full Day |
Hike to MBC (~4,500 m), panoramic Himalayan views |
| 07 |
Sidhing |
1700 m |
6-7 hrs |
20 km |
Descend through the forest, scenic viewpoints |
| 08 |
Pokhara |
820 M |
4-5 hrs |
40 Km |
Village walk, Gurung culture, drive back to Pokhara |
| 09 |
Kathamndu |
1345 m |
6-7 hrs |
200 km |
Return drive, leisure, or shopping |
| 10 |
International Departure |
|
30 Min |
7 km |
Transfer to the airport for onward flight |
Trip Details Itinerary
Day 01: Arrive in Kathmandu and then transfer to respective Hotels
- Distance : 7 km
- Duration : 30 Minutes drive to hotel
- Max. Altitude :1345m.
On reaching Kathmandu via respective airlines well received by company guides and staff for short drive in the hub of Kathmandu city where your hotels located. After checking into your lovely rooms getting refreshed join in at the Hotel lobby for group briefing regarding treks and other useful information to make your stay in Nepal enjoyable and pleasant.
- Accommodation: 3 Star Hotel
- Meals Include:
Day 02: Drive to Pokhara
- Distance : 200 Km
- Duration : 6 to 8 hours
- Max. Altitude :860 m
Annapurna Base Camp trekking begins with the overland drive to Nepal Mid West taking a comfortable coach or Tourist Bus to reach scenic Pokhara, a beautiful and leading tourist place in all Himalaya range, with warm sub-tropical temperatures and close views of Annapurna Himalaya with Mt. Machhapuchare ‘Fish Tail’.On reaching Pokhara transfer to respective hotels by the Phewa Lake with views of Annapurna and Machhapuchare peak, afternoon at leisure for short walks around the lakeside.Overnight at the hotel.
- Accommodation: 3 Star Hotel
- Meals Include: Breakfast
Day 03: Drive to Kande and trek to Deurali
- Distance : 30 km
- Duration : 5 to 6 hours
- Max. Altitude :2,232 m
After breakfast, drive for about 40 mints to Kande on Pokhara Baglung highway. The trail climbs for about 1 ½ hrs to the ridge at 2,060 m. The clearing in the forest with lodge settlement is known as ‘Australian camp’. The place is scenic with a panoramic view of the Annapurna range and Pokhara valley. The trail further winds through the rhododendron forest to the mountain pass called ‘Deurali’. Deurali is overlooking into the Modi Khola valley wedged between Annapurna South and Mardi Himal / Mt Fishtail.
- Accommodation: Tea House
- Meals Include: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 04: Trek to Forest camp
- Distance : 11 km
- Duration : 4 to 5 hours
- Max. Altitude :2,600 m
After spending the beautiful morning in the ridge-top village of Deurali, we head off the main Annapurna trekking trail and follow the forested ridge to Forest camp. Since this is a new trekking destination, there are no teahouses along the way and we need to carry pack lunch and sufficient water. The day’s walk in the rhododendron forest is beautiful with a gradual uphill.
- Accommodation: Tea House
- Meals Include: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 05: Trek to high camp
- Distance : 15 km
- Duration : 5 to 6 hours
- Max. Altitude :3,550 m
The trail gradually climbs through the rhododendron forest following the ridge. The low camp has got a couple of tea houses in the clearing of the forest. The view of Mt Fishtail and Mardi Himal appears much closer. You find yourself closer to a clear blue sky with a view of layers of Himalayan foothills and a sweeping valley towards the south. Note: You can trek 1 more hr to Badal Danda (Cloud Hill) above the tree line in the consent of a guide for a better view. From Badal Danda, we leave the tree line and arrive in the shrubby alpine zone. Snowcapped peaks of Annapurna South, Huinchuli and Fishtail in a distance above the deep valley on either side. High camp is a small pasture after the climb. Here you find yourself above the clouds and closer to snowcapped peaks.
- Accommodation: Tea House
- Meals Include: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 06: Explore Mardi Himal base camp
- Distance : Explore day
- Duration : Explore day
- Max. Altitude :4,500 m
The day trip is more difficult than other days with the steep climb and long walk. The trail becomes more vertiginous at some points with uneven and steep rocky steps. The first steep climb will take about 2 hrs to the ridge top which is marked as MBC (Mardi Himal Base Camp). However, the real base camp will take about another 2 hrs along the ridge. The view is amazing all along the ridge. While Mardi Himal and Mt Fishtail appear right above us, the view of Annapurna I, Gangapurna and Annapurna III also appear at a distance.
- Accommodation: Tea House
- Meals Include: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 07: Trek back to Sidhing
- Distance : 20 km
- Duration : 5 to 6 hours
- Max. Altitude :3600m
Even though the scenery is stationary, season and sunlight make it different and interesting. Spend another morning watching the change that the sun’s rays bring. Walk down to Sidhing after breakfast.
- Accommodation: Tea House
- Meals Include: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 08: Drive back to Pokhara
- Distance : 40 km
- Duration : 5 to 6 hours
- Max. Altitude :1,500 m
The trail climbs down steeply through rhododendrons and Maple forests to the permanent settlements closer to the valley basin. Lwang is a self-sufficient Gurung village with a rich culture and happy people. The village is the best place to watch the Nepalese countryside lifestyle and enjoy organic food. The village farmers also grow organic tea on 50 hectares of land. Farmers offer homestay accommodation. The waterfall on the outskirts of the village offers one of the most exciting canyoning adventures. down to the Mardi River basin and drive back to Pokhara. It will take about 1 ½ hrs to get to Pokhara in a 4 WD. The first 1 hr is a drive on the dirt road.
- Accommodation: 3 Star Hotel
- Meals Include: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 09: From Pokhara drive to Kathmandu
- Distance : 200 km
- Duration : 6 to 8 hours
- Max. Altitude :1,345 m
After a wonderful time in the high mountains and hills, take a morning driving journey back to Kathmandu, on reaching Kathmandu after 5-6 hours of nice interesting drive, transfer to respective hotels with the afternoon free at leisure or last day shopping souvenirs and handicrafts.
- Accommodation: 3 Star Hotel
- Meals Include: Breakfast and Farewell Dinner
Day 10: International Departure for Homeward Bound.
- Distance : 7 km
- Duration : 30 Minutes drive to ariport
- Max. Altitude :
Last day in Nepal in the country of high Himalayan mountains with fascinating culture, after a memorable time on Annapurna Base Camp Trekking with wonderful adventure and experience, as per your international flight time our staff transfers you to the airport for the flight homeward bound or to your next port of call and respective countries.
- Accommodation:
- Meals Include: Breakfast
Nepal is Great! It’s a paradise for all mountain lovers