Mardi Himal Permits & the Guide Rule (2026)

Permit rules are exactly where older trek articles go stale. The figures below are sourced and dated August 2026 — we haven’t walked Mardi Himal ourselves, so this is researched, not first-hand. We flag what’s settled and what’s disputed rather than pretending it’s all clean.

Quick answers

The ACAP permit (this part is settled)

Whatever you decide about a guide, one thing is not optional: the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit). Mardi Himal lies inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so the same permit that covers the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Base Camp applies here too. It’s checked at staffed checkpoints as you enter the area, and it funds conservation and local development.

• One ACAP covers the whole region — the Circuit, ABC, Poon Hill and Mardi Himal all sit inside the same conservation area.
• Buy it before you start; there’s no issuance on the trail, and checkpoints turn back trekkers without one.
• Carry the ACAP and your passport — it’s verified at the ACAP checkpoints around Dhampus / Kande as you climb onto the ridge.

(USD conversions are approximate and move with the exchange rate — the NPR figure is the one that’s fixed.)

TIMS: officially listed, rarely enforced

A TIMS card — NPR 2,000 for foreign trekkers — is officially still listed for the Annapurna region, exactly as it is for the Circuit and ABC. But in practice it’s rarely enforced on these trails, and checkpoints on the Mardi Himal route typically verify the ACAP only.

Honest take: budget the ACAP as the certain cost, treat TIMS as a maybe you confirm at the office on the day. Carry enough rupees to buy it if you’re asked; don’t be surprised if you’re waved through without it.

The guide rule — the contested one (read this carefully)

This is the rule worth getting right, and it’s the one most commonly stated wrongly online. It’s dated 2026 deliberately: Nepal’s guide and permit rules change often, and this can change again.

What the official rule says. Effective 31 March 2023, Nepal’s regulations require solo foreign trekkers on a defined list of routes to hire a licensed guide (and carry an agency-issued TIMS card). That list is administered through TIMS and nominally covers the Annapurna region — Mardi Himal included. On the official reading, Mardi Himal is not exempt.

The contrast with Everest. The point people confuse is that the Everest / Khumbu region runs its own permit system and formally opted out of the guide requirement, staying open to independent trekkers. Annapurna did not. So the “you don’t need a guide” line that’s true for parts of Everest does not automatically transfer to Mardi Himal. See our Everest Base Camp permits for the contrasting Everest position.

What actually happens on the ground. In practice, enforcement of the guide rule in the Annapurna region has been inconsistent and contested, and Mardi Himal — being short, popular and easily accessible from Pokhara — is a trek many still walk independently. That’s why you’ll find reputable 2026 sources flatly stating both “you must hire a guide for Mardi Himal” and “solo trekking is fine.” They’re describing the gap between the regulation and its enforcement, and we’re not going to resolve that gap falsely for you.

Our honest position (August 2026): a licensed guide is officially required for the Annapurna region under the 2023 rule, Annapurna is not the region that opted out (Everest is), and enforcement has been inconsistent — with Mardi Himal widely walked independently in practice. If trekking independently matters to your plan, confirm the current line directly with the ACAP or Nepal Tourism Board office when you collect your permit. The full, cross-cutting detail is in our Annapurna permits & the guide rule guide.

Guides and porters (optional, easy to arrange)

Even where a guide isn’t enforced, one is easy to arrange — and a porter often makes more difference than people expect on Mardi Himal’s steep forest climbs.

• Guides and porters are optional but easy to arrange in Pokhara, the natural staging town for Mardi Himal.
• Booking through a licensed agency matters: it ensures the guide is actually licensed and the porter is insured — a licensed guide holds a Nepal Tourism Board trekking-guide licence, which an experienced group leader does not automatically have.
• Rough day rates in 2026: a licensed guide ~USD 25–35/day, a porter ~USD 20–25/day.
• On a short trek like Mardi Himal, a porter-guide (one person doing both) is a common, economical middle option.

Where and how to get your permit

• Pokhara — the ACAP / Nepal Tourism Board counter. The most convenient option for Mardi Himal, since the trek starts a short drive away.
• Kathmandu — the Nepal Tourism Board office, if you’re arranging permits before travelling west.
• Bring: your passport, a couple of passport photos, and cash in Nepali rupees (cards aren’t reliable).
• Timing: arrange the ACAP before you start — there’s no issuance on the trail, and the checkpoints around Dhampus / Kande turn back trekkers without one.

What it adds up to

For most foreign trekkers walking Mardi Himal in 2026 the certain permit cost is just the ACAP: NPR 3,000. Add NPR 2,000 only if you end up buying TIMS, and a guide at ~USD 25–35/day (or a porter at ~USD 20–25/day) if you hire — or are required to take — one.

Note that the high point of Mardi Himal is the Upper Viewpoint at about 4,200 m, reached along the ridge below Machhapuchhre — a sourced figure, and a viewpoint, not a summit climb. No mountaineering permit is involved; the ACAP is all the trekking route requires.

Sources & notes

• ACAP fee, TIMS listing and the guide-route list: Nepal Tourism Board guidance, corroborated across 2025–2026 Nepal trekking operators. Mardi Himal falls inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so the Annapurna-region permit position applies. Full cross-cutting detail on the permits page.
• Guide-rule status: Nepal’s 2023 rule (effective 31 March 2023) nominally covers the Annapurna region via TIMS; the formal opt-out belongs to the Everest / Khumbu region, not Annapurna — see Everest Base Camp permits for the contrast. Enforcement in Annapurna is inconsistent, and Mardi Himal is widely walked independently in practice.
• Guide / porter day rates and Pokhara arrangement: 2025–2026 Nepal operator reporting.
• High point ~4,200 m (Upper Viewpoint): sourced from a third-party GPS track — a viewpoint, not a summit. Not yet walked by keitreks.
• Status: sourced, not measured by us, current to August 2026. Nepal’s guide and permit rules change often and are enforced unevenly — re-confirm at the permit office on the day. First-hand checkpoint detail to be added after we walk Mardi Himal.

Educational planning content, not legal or medical advice — verify guide and permit rules with the Nepal Tourism Board / ACAP before you travel. 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 hub · Annapurna permits & the guide rule · Everest Base Camp permits · Annapurna Base Camp: do you need a guide?