Mardi Himal Trek Itinerary: A Day-by-Day (2026)

The stage distances and elevation gains below come from a third-party GPS track of the route that we haven’t verified — an indicative shape for the line, not our own measurement. What’s honest to say up front: we haven’t walked Mardi Himal ourselves yet. Per-stage timings, lodge names, and photos are first-hand slots for when keitreks does — held to the same standard as the treks we’ve already walked and measured, Annapurna and Everest Base Camp. Below: the Kande-to-Sidhing line stage by stage, then how to pace it.

⚠️ The Upper Viewpoint sits at about 4,200 m. That’s lower than the Circuit’s Thorong La (5,416 m), so altitude risk is lower — but not zero, and the viewpoint morning is a cold, exposed push. This is planning information, not medical advice — read the altitude guide before you go.

Quick answers

Before day one: the trek starts near Pokhara

Mardi Himal’s biggest logistical advantage over the Circuit is how little travel-in it needs. From Pokhara it’s a short drive to the Kande roadhead (~1,725 m) — you can leave Pokhara in the morning and be walking uphill the same day. There’s no multi-day bus approach, which is a large part of why this trek fits into a shorter trip.

One expectation to set, honestly, before we’ve walked it: your overnight stops may not match a printed plan exactly. The camps here are simple and seasonal, and which teahouse you land in depends on availability. Treat the stages below as the route’s indicative shape from a sourced track, not a lodge-by-lodge contract.

The route, stage by stage

Stage distances and elevation gains are sourced from a third-party GPS track we haven’t verified; the footers are inline km · +m · sleep spans, same as our other route guides. Timings are deliberately left out until we walk it first-hand — inventing hours would break the measured promise. The common line runs Kande → up the ridge to the Upper Viewpoint → down to Sidhing.

Stage 1 · Kande → Australian Camp A short, steep start straight up to the first ridge, with the valley opening out behind you. An easy half-day that gets you onto the trail without a big commitment. 2.9 km · +315 m · sleep 1,990 m

Stage 2 · Australian Camp → Forest Camp (Ojhar) The long forest day and the biggest distance of the trek — sustained, shaded climbing through rhododendron and oak along the ridge. Steady rather than steep, but it adds up. 10.4 km · +620 m · sleep 2,450 m

Stage 3 · Forest Camp → Low Camp Shorter and noticeably steeper. The trees begin to thin and the first big views open up toward Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). A meaningful altitude gain into the 3,000 m band. 3.6 km · +590 m · sleep 3,040 m

Stage 4 · Low Camp → High Camp Onto the open upper ridge below Machhapuchhre — exposed, scenic, and cooler. Short in distance but you’re above 3,500 m now, so take it at an altitude pace, not a fitness pace. 3.9 km · +470 m · sleep 3,510 m

Stage 5 · High Camp → Upper Viewpoint (~4,200 m) → descend The crux morning: a pre-dawn push up the ridge to the Upper Viewpoint for the Annapurna and Fishtail panorama, then a long descent back off the high ground the same day. Cold and early — this is the day the trek asks the most of you. 2.0 km up · +384 m to the viewpoint (~4,200 m) · then long descent

Stage 6 · Descent → Sidhing → Pokhara Down off the ridge to the road head at Sidhing (~1,800 m) and out to Pokhara by road. A long descending day; many split the drop with a night lower on the ridge if legs are tired. ~16 km descent · finish Pokhara

(When keitreks walks Mardi Himal, this becomes a fully first-hand day-by-day with real timings, lodge names, and our own photos — the same standard as everywhere else on the site.)

How many days do you actually need?

The sourced total is about 41 km with ~2,700 m of ascent, and how you slice it decides the trip length:

The one call that matters most: don’t rush the High Camp-to-viewpoint morning. It’s the highest, coldest, earliest part of the trek, and a spare night up top buys you both acclimatisation and a second chance if the first dawn is clouded in.

How to pace it (what we’d plan for)

Two things shape the pacing, and neither is total distance:

• The Forest Camp stage is the long one. At ~10.4 km it’s more than three times the length of most other stages. It’s not steep, but it’s a full day on your feet — plan an early start and don’t treat it as a warm-up.
• The top is where altitude enters. From Low Camp (3,040 m) up, you’re gaining sleeping altitude into a band where acclimatisation matters. Above 3,000 m the standard rule still applies: try not to sleep more than ~300–500 m higher than the night before, and if headache, nausea or dizziness set in and worsen, descend — it’s the only reliable fix. Mardi tops out well below the Circuit’s pass, but 4,200 m is high enough to take seriously. (Full detail: altitude & acclimatisation guide; or see how Mardi’s ascent rate compares night by night in the altitude planner.)

Because the viewpoint day pairs a cold high climb with a long descent, descent-trained legs help here as much as cardio — the same pattern we flag on ABC, where the walk-out does more damage than the climb.

The optional extension: Mardi Himal Base Camp

Most people turn around at the Upper Viewpoint. The true Mardi Himal Base Camp sits higher along the ridge at roughly 4,500 m — a steep, exposed extra push beyond the viewpoint. It adds altitude and time and is weather-dependent; treat it as a stretch goal for the relaxed itinerary, not a default. We’ll add measured detail on that upper section once we’ve walked it.

Permits and guides (2026)

• Permit: you need the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) — NPR 3,000 for foreigners (NPR 1,000 SAARC, free under 10). A TIMS card is officially still listed for the region but isn’t enforced in practice. Full, dated detail: Annapurna permits & the guide rule.
• Guide: contested — verify before you go. Mardi Himal sits inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, which Nepal’s 2023 guide rule officially covers (the Everest region, not Annapurna, opted out); in practice the region is widely walked independently and enforcement is inconsistent. Full detail: Annapurna permits & the guide rule.

Bottom line

Mardi Himal is the short, accessible Annapurna-region line: about 41 km from Kande to Sidhing, four to six days, up a forested ridge to a ~4,200 m viewpoint below Fishtail, with minimal travel-in from Pokhara. The stages and climbs above are sourced from a GPS track we haven’t verified; the timings, lodges and photos land first-hand when we walk it. If you want a lower, gentler first Himalayan trek than the Circuit, this is one of the best-shaped itineraries in Nepal.

Sources & notes

• Stage distances and elevations: sourced from an unverified third-party GPS track of the route (~41 km, ~2,700 m total ascent, high point ~4,200 m at the Upper Viewpoint) — an indicative shape, not our own measurement. Reference track used for route shape and numbers only — not redistributed; a first-party, verified GPX is added if and when keitreks walks it.
• Not yet walked by keitreks — per-stage timings, lodge names, and photos are first-hand slots for the future trek. Per-stage hours are intentionally left out until then.
• Permit and guide-rule figures: sourced and current to July 2026 (see the permits guide); re-verify permit specifics at the office, as Nepal’s rules change often and are enforced unevenly.

Educational planning content, not medical advice — altitude illness is serious; read our altitude guide before you go. Some links are affiliate links; we only recommend what we’d use ourselves, at no extra cost to you. © 2026 keitreks · The numbers are measured. The trail is next.

Related: Mardi Himal trek guide · Annapurna Base Camp itinerary · Altitude & acclimatisation · Permits & the guide rule