The Mardi Himal Trek itinerary runs 7 days from Kathmandu — one drive day to Pokhara, five days on the trail through Forest Camp, Low Camp, and High Camp to Base Camp at 4,500m, and one drive back. A 9-day version adds the Ghorepani and Poon Hill sunrise before joining the same ridge route. This guide covers both, day by day, with real altitudes and what each stage actually demands.
What’s Inside This Guide
- Both Options at a Glance
- Standard 7-Day Itinerary from Kathmandu
- 9-Day Poon Hill Circuit
- Chitwan Extension After the Trek
- How to Customise
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Planning Guides
Mardi Himal Trek Itinerary — Both Options at a Glance
| Day | Standard 7-Day Route | 9-Day Poon Hill Circuit |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Drive Kathmandu → Pokhara (820m) | Drive Kathmandu → Pokhara (820m) |
| Day 2 | Drive to Kande, trek to Forest Camp (2,550m) | Drive to Nayapul, trek to Tikhedhunga/Ulleri |
| Day 3 | Forest Camp → Low Camp (2,970m) | Ulleri → Ghorepani (2,860m) |
| Day 4 | Low Camp → High Camp (3,540m) | Poon Hill sunrise (3,210m) → Tadapani |
| Day 5 | High Camp → Base Camp (4,500m), return to Low Camp | Tadapani → Low Camp (joins standard route) |
| Day 6 | Low Camp → Siding, drive to Pokhara | Low Camp → High Camp (3,540m) |
| Day 7 | Drive Pokhara → Kathmandu | High Camp → Base Camp (4,500m), return to Low Camp |
| Day 8 | — | Low Camp → Siding, drive to Pokhara |
| Day 9 | — | Drive Pokhara → Kathmandu |
The standard 7-day route suits trekkers with a firm one-week window who want the ridge experience without a detour. It delivers every key stage — Forest Camp, Low Camp, High Camp, and Base Camp — within a clean Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu schedule. The 9-day circuit suits trekkers who can extend by two days and want both the Poon Hill sunrise and the Mardi Himal ridge in one trip. It’s what we most often recommend when dates allow.
Standard 7-Day Itinerary from Kathmandu
Day 01 — Drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m)
Altitude: 820m | Drive: 6–7 hrs (tourist bus) | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: Hotel, Pokhara
The drive west out of Kathmandu follows the Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers before Pokhara opens up on the shore of Phewa Lake, with the Annapurna range filling the horizon behind it. We keep this a travel day on purpose, so the actual trek starts tomorrow with you rested rather than road-worn.
Day 02 — Drive to Kande, Trek to Forest Camp (2,550m)
Altitude: 2,550m | Drive: 1 hr | Trek: 4–5 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Forest Camp
A short drive from Pokhara to Kande, the trailhead for Mardi Himal. The trail climbs almost immediately through Pothana and into dense oak and rhododendron forest, gaining height steadily. Forest Camp sits well inside the treeline — cool, shaded, and the first proper night on the ridge.
Day 03 — Trek from Forest Camp to Low Camp (2,970m)
Altitude: 2,970m | Trek: 4–5 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Low Camp
The forest thins gradually as the trail follows the narrow ridge north, rhododendron giving way to smaller shrubs and the first real gaps in the canopy. Machapuchare appears through the trees today for the first time — a preview of what the next two days deliver in full.
Day 04 — Trek from Low Camp to High Camp (3,540m)
Altitude: 3,540m | Trek: 3–4 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, High Camp
A shorter day, deliberately so — the trail breaks out of the treeline completely, and the altitude gain from here needs to stay controlled. High Camp sits right at the edge of the alpine zone, with Machapuchare, Annapurna South, and Hiunchuli now filling the skyline with nothing in the way.
Day 05 — Sunrise Hike to Mardi Himal Base Camp (4,500m), Return to Low Camp
Altitude: 4,500m high point / 2,970m overnight | Hike: 6–7 hrs round trip | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Low Camp
An early start, well before dawn, for the steep push along the exposed ridge to the viewpoint and on to Mardi Himal Base Camp. Water is only available at High Camp, so you carry what you need for the whole push. At 4,500 metres you’re standing directly beneath Machapuchare’s south face — not looking at the mountain from a distance, but underneath it. The same route back down to High Camp, then a further descent to Low Camp for the night.
Day 06 — Trek from Low Camp to Siding, Drive to Pokhara
Altitude: 820m | Trek: 4–5 hrs | Drive: 2 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch | Stay: Hotel, Pokhara
A long descent through forest down to Siding, a Gurung village at the base of the ridge, followed by a drive back to Pokhara. Hot showers, real beds, and lakeside restaurants after five days on the trail — the first proper rest since Kathmandu. Tip your guide and porter tonight, in cash.
Day 07 — Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu
Drive: 6–7 hrs (tourist bus), or 25 minutes by domestic flight | Meals: Breakfast
The return drive to Kathmandu, retracing Day 1 in reverse — or the short domestic flight if you’d rather skip the road on a clear morning. Seven days, one genuine close-up ridge experience, and you’re back in the city in time for dinner.
9-Day Poon Hill Circuit
The 9-day version starts from Nayapul rather than Kande and adds the classic Ghorepani and Poon Hill approach before joining the standard Mardi Himal route at Low Camp on Day 5. From there, Days 6 through 9 mirror Days 4 through 7 of the standard route exactly.
Day 02 (9-day) — Drive to Nayapul, Trek to Tikhedhunga / Ulleri
Trek: 5–6 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Ulleri
A drive from Pokhara to Nayapul, then a trail that follows the Modi Khola before climbing the famous stone staircase to Ulleri — steeper than most days on the standard route, and the honest reason this variant needs two extra days.
Day 03 (9-day) — Trek from Ulleri to Ghorepani (2,860m)
Altitude: 2,860m | Trek: 4–5 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Ghorepani
Rhododendron forest thickens as the trail climbs steadily toward Ghorepani, a village built almost entirely around trekkers heading to Poon Hill the next morning.
Day 04 (9-day) — Poon Hill Sunrise (3,210m), Trek to Tadapani
Altitude: 3,210m sunrise point | Hike: 1–2 hrs | Trek: 5–6 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Tadapani
A pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill for one of the widest mountain panoramas in the Annapurna region — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, and Machapuchare all catching first light at once. After breakfast back in Ghorepani, the trail continues to Tadapani.
Day 05 (9-day) — Trek from Tadapani to Low Camp
Trek: 5–6 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Low Camp
The trail cuts east from Tadapani, joining the Mardi Himal ridge route at Low Camp. From here, the 9-day circuit follows the exact same route as the standard 7-day trek — High Camp, Base Camp, the return through Siding, and the drive back to Kathmandu, over the following four days.
Chitwan Extension After the Trek
Chitwan National Park is three hours south of Pokhara — one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, and jungle safaris in the Terai lowlands. Since the trek already ends in Pokhara, adding 1–2 nights in Sauraha after either itinerary creates a genuinely complete Nepal trip: mountain ridge, then jungle. Tell us your dates and we’ll include Chitwan in your quote.
How to Customise This Itinerary
- Add an extra acclimatisation night at Low Camp or High Camp if you want a slower pace — no charge beyond the additional teahouse night
- Combine with Annapurna Base Camp — both routes pass through the same lower valleys; trekkers with 14–16 days can link them into one longer trip
- Fly Pokhara–Kathmandu instead of the road on the return leg — a 25-minute flight replacing the 6–7 hour bus, on request
Tell us your dates and we’ll build the right version for you →
Frequently Asked Questions
The standard route is 7 days from Kathmandu — one drive day to Pokhara, five days of trekking from Kande to Siding via Forest Camp, Low Camp, High Camp, and Base Camp, and one drive day back. The 9-day Poon Hill circuit starts from Nayapul instead, adds the Ghorepani and Poon Hill sunrise, and joins the standard route at Low Camp on Day 5.
Day 5 — the round trip from High Camp to Mardi Himal Base Camp and back to Low Camp. It’s a pre-dawn start on an exposed, steep ridge, water is only available at High Camp before you set out, and the round trip runs 6 to 7 hours. Trekking poles make a real difference on the descent.
Yes — the trek already ends in Pokhara, three hours from Sauraha on the edge of Chitwan National Park. We arrange the transfer and accommodation on request, so adding 1–2 nights for jungle safaris after the ridge doesn’t add complicated logistics.
Related Planning Guides
- Mardi Himal Trek Cost — Full budget breakdown and what’s included
- Mardi Himal Trek Difficulty and Packing — What the ridge demands and what to bring to High Camp
- Best Time for the Mardi Himal Trek — Month-by-month season guide including rhododendron bloom timing
- Mardi Himal vs Annapurna Base Camp — Honest comparison of altitude, duration, cost, and trail character
- Mardi Himal Trek Package — Full 2026 package with group pricing and booking
Know the Days, Walk the Ridge
Seven days or nine, this itinerary trades none of the ridge’s close-up mountain views for extra distance — the whole point of Mardi Himal is how quickly it gets you underneath Machapuchare, not how far it takes you to get there.
We’ve guided this route across dozens of departures since 2018, based in Kathmandu — not a booking platform reselling someone else’s itinerary. When you message us, you’re talking to the team that actually runs this trek.
View the full Mardi Himal Trek package →
Questions about the itinerary, the Poon Hill add-on, or which version fits your dates? Message us on WhatsApp — we typically reply within 12 hours.
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