Mardi Himal, the ridge walk that ruins other treks for you

Five days on a high grassy spine with Machhapuchhre filling the sky. Newer, quieter and steeper than the classics — and the best short trek we run.

By Dawa Gurung · 8 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

Mardi Himal barely existed as a trekking route fifteen years ago. There were herders' shelters on the ridge and a rough path, and that was it. 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.

The reason is geometry. Most Nepali treks walk up valleys, so mountains appear at the end. Mardi puts you on top of a ridge for two full days, which means the view is not a reward at the finish — it is the entire second half of the trek.

The trade-off is that it is steep, the ridge is exposed to weather, and above Low Camp there is no easy bail-out. It is a short trek, not a soft one.

Four days that keep getting better

From Kande you climb through Australian Camp and Pothana into moss forest — primeval stuff, oak and rhododendron with beards of lichen hanging off it. Forest Camp at 2,600 m is enclosed and green and you see almost nothing. Some people find that first day underwhelming. Trust the process.

Day two you break the tree line somewhere above Low Camp and the entire thing opens at once. Machhapuchhre is not in front of you, it is above you, and Mardi Himal and Annapurna South stack up to the left. From here to High Camp you are walking a narrow grass ridge with drops on both sides and nothing blocking the view in any direction.

High Camp sits at about 3,550 m. The push to Upper View Point at roughly 4,200 m is a pre-dawn start, steep and loose in places, and worth every step. On a clear morning you can see down the Modi Khola gorge toward the Annapurna Sanctuary and know exactly where you would 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. The difference in how the mountains feel is not small.

Mardi is also more interesting underfoot. Poon Hill is stone staircase and village; Mardi is forest, then ridge, then something close to alpine. You feel the landscape change in a way you do not on a three-day trek. The honest counterpoint: Poon Hill is easier, warmer, has better food and does not care much about weather. If you have never trekked and you want a good time rather than a challenge, take Poon Hill. If you have done some walking and want the trek you will still talk about in five years, take Mardi.

The things that catch people out

Water is the practical one. Above Low Camp there are no springs, so lodges carry water up and charge accordingly. Fill up at Low Camp and carry two litres.

The second is wind. The ridge is exposed on both sides and the afternoon wind at High Camp has genuine bite 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 knee-punishing forest path. It is the hardest single day on the trek and it comes when you are tired and mentally finished. Poles, again.

Best months

March and April for rhododendron in the lower forest and long, stable mornings. October and November for the clearest air of the year — on a good November day the visibility from the ridge is absurd.

December and January are cold but often crystalline, and High Camp gets quiet in the best way. Some lodges reduce service; we check before we send anyone.

We do not run Mardi in monsoon. On a ridge with no view, in cloud, on a slippery path, there is no version of this trek that is worth your money.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

Mardi Himal Trek5 days · 4,500 mRs 73,600 · See dates →Australian Camp Sunrise HikeFull day · 2,060 mRs 7,900 · See dates →Annapurna Base Camp7 days · 4,130 mRs 100,400 · See dates →

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 take a second run 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 per day, and colder at night because the ridge is exposed. ABC has more total distance and those brutal Chhomrong stairs. Most people who have 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 micro-spikes 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, via Siding and Ghandruk, and it is a superb two-week trip. It is also a lot of consecutive descent, so we only suggest it to people who have walked multi-day trails before.