Mardi Himal, the ridge walk that ruins other treks for you
Five days on a high grassy ridge with Machhapuchhre filling the sky. It's newer, quieter and steeper than the classics, and it's the best short trek we run.
By the Lakeshore team · 8 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Fifteen years ago Mardi Himal hardly existed as a trekking route. There were herders' shelters on the ridge and a rough path, and that was all. Now there are lodges at Forest Camp, Low Camp and High Camp, and it has quietly become the trek we recommend most often to people with under a week. Our guides walk it on their days off, too.
The reason is geometry. Most Nepali treks follow valleys up, so the mountains appear at the end. Mardi puts you on top of a ridge for two full days, so instead of waiting for the view at the finish, you walk with it for the whole second half of the trek.
The catch is that it's steep, the ridge is exposed to the weather, and above Low Camp there's no easy way off. It's a short trek, but not a soft one.
Four days that keep getting better
We drive you to Kande, and from there you climb through Australian Camp and Pothana into moss forest, old oak and rhododendron with beards of lichen hanging off them. Forest Camp at 2,600 m is closed in and green, and you see almost nothing. Some people find that first day underwhelming. Stick with it.
On day two you come out of the trees somewhere above Low Camp and everything opens up at once. Machhapuchhre is suddenly above you instead of ahead, and Mardi Himal and Annapurna South stack up to the left. From here to High Camp you walk a narrow grass ridge with drops on both sides and nothing blocking the view in any direction.
High Camp is at about 3,550 m. For Upper View Point, at roughly 4,200 m, you set off before dawn on a path that's steep and loose in places. On a clear morning you can look down the Modi Khola gorge toward the Annapurna Sanctuary and know exactly where you'd be standing on the other trek.
Why we like it more than Poon Hill
Poon Hill is the famous short trek and it deserves its reputation, but on an October morning there can be three hundred people on that viewpoint. Mardi's High Camp holds maybe forty, and that changes how the mountains feel more than you'd expect.
Mardi is also more interesting underfoot. Poon Hill is stone staircases and villages, while Mardi goes from forest to ridge to something close to alpine, and you feel the landscape change in a way you don't on a three-day trek. To be fair to Poon Hill, it's easier and warmer, the food is better, and the weather matters less. If you've never trekked and want a good time more than a challenge, take Poon Hill. If you've done some walking and want the trek you'll still talk about in five years, take Mardi.
What catches people out
Water is the practical one. Above Low Camp there are no springs, so the lodges carry water up and charge for it. Fill up at Low Camp and carry two litres.
The second is wind. The ridge is open on both sides, and the afternoon wind at High Camp bites even in October. A windproof layer matters more here than an extra fleece.
The third is the descent. Most itineraries drop from High Camp to Siding village in one long day, around 1,900 m of continuous downhill on a forest path that punishes knees. It's the hardest single day of the trek and it comes when you're tired and mentally done. Take poles. The jeep back to Lakeside is waiting at the bottom.
Best months
March and April bring rhododendron in the lower forest and long, settled mornings. October and November have the clearest air of the year, and on a good November day you can see an absurd distance from the ridge.
December and January are cold but often very clear, and High Camp goes quiet in the best way. Some lodges cut back their service, so we check before we send anyone up.
We don't run Mardi in the monsoon. In cloud, on a slippery path, with no view from the ridge, there's no version of this trek that's worth your money.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Is five days enough?
Yes. Five days on the trail is the standard and it works. Six lets you sleep twice at High Camp and have a second go at the View Point, which we recommend if you can spare the day.
How hard is it compared to Annapurna Base Camp?
Shorter, but steeper each day, and colder at night because the ridge is exposed. ABC has more total distance and those brutal Chhomrong stairs. Most people who've done both say Mardi felt harder day to day and easier overall.
Do I need crampons or technical gear?
Not in the normal seasons. In deep winter the last push to Upper View Point can hold hard snow and microspikes are useful. We carry a set and will tell you if the day calls for them.
Can I combine it with Annapurna Base Camp?
Yes, through Siding and Ghandruk, and it makes a very good two-week trip. It also means a lot of descent day after day, so we only suggest it to people who've walked multi-day trails before.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether Mardi Himal Trek is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830