If you land in Pokhara with somewhere between three days and two weeks, these three treks are almost certainly your shortlist. They start from the same city, use the same permits, and cost within a few hundred dollars of each other — and they are genuinely different experiences.
Short version: Poon Hill if you have three or four days, Mardi Himal if you have five to nine and want a ridge, Annapurna Base Camp if you want to stand inside a ring of 7,000 and 8,000 m peaks.
Side by Side
| Poon Hill | Mardi Himal | Annapurna Base Camp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days from Pokhara | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Days from Kathmandu | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Highest point | 3,210 m | Up to 4,500 m (sleep 3,580 m) | 4,130 m |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Hardest part | The Ulleri staircase | 1,800 m forest climb, exposed ridge | Stone staircases, long descent |
| Crowds | Highest in Nepal for a short trek | Moderate and rising | High but spread out |
| Altitude risk | Minimal | Low | Low |
| The view | Dawn panorama of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna | Machhapuchhre almost overhead from a ridge | A 360° amphitheatre of peaks |
| Lodges | Excellent, with bakeries | Simple, basic at High Camp | Good low down, basic at Base Camp |
| Works in winter | Yes, very well | Yes, below High Camp | With avalanche caution |
| Cost | Lowest | Low | Moderate |
What Each One Is Actually Like
Poon Hill
Two days up through rhododendron forest to a lodge village at 2,885 m, a 4.30 a.m. climb to a 3,210 m hill, and a sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South that is genuinely one of the best in Nepal. Then down through Gurung villages. Comfortable lodges, hot showers, bakeries, and several hundred other people on the summit platform in October.
Mardi Himal
A sustained climb through moss-hung cloud forest, then a breakout above the treeline onto an open ridge that you follow north for two days with Machhapuchhre rising almost vertically ahead. High Camp at 3,580 m is cold and basic; the dawn walk to the upper viewpoint at up to 4,500 m is the best single morning of the three. Quieter than the others, and getting less so.
Annapurna Base Camp
Four days up a deepening gorge where you see almost no mountains, then the valley opens into the Annapurna Sanctuary — a glacial amphitheatre ringed by Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna and Machhapuchhre, all of them apparently overhead. The most dramatic arrival of the three, and the hot springs at Jhinu Danda on the way out.
Choose By What Matters to You
| If your priority is… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Three or four days only | Poon Hill from Pokhara | The only one that fits, and it still delivers two eight-thousanders at dawn |
| A first trek with a family | Poon Hill | Short days, good lodges, no altitude risk |
| A ridge walk and close mountains | Mardi Himal | Machhapuchhre overhead and two days above the treeline |
| Avoiding crowds | Mardi Himal, or better Khopra Danda | A fraction of the Ghorepani traffic |
| The most dramatic scenery | Annapurna Base Camp | The Sanctuary is unlike anywhere else in Nepal |
| Going as high as possible | Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 m | Or Mardi's 4,500 m day walk without sleeping that high |
| Trekking in winter | Poon Hill or Mohare Danda | Low enough to be comfortable with the clearest air of the year |
| Community-owned lodges | Mohare Danda or Khopra Danda | Profits go to village school and health funds |
Or Combine Them
All three share trailheads, so combinations are easy and usually better value per day than any single trek.
- ABC with Ghorepani and Poon Hill, 12 days — the Sanctuary plus the sunrise viewpoint. Our most-booked Annapurna combination.
- ABC with Poon Hill from Pokhara, 8 days — the same pairing without Kathmandu days.
- Mardi Himal with ABC, 14 days — two base camps, a high ridge, and the hot springs between them. The best fortnight in the region.
- Mardi plus ABC from Pokhara, 10 days — the same double route, Pokhara to Pokhara.
A practical note on fitting any of them around the rest of a trip. All three start within two hours of Pokhara, so a trek can sit between a Chitwan safari and a few days in Kathmandu without awkward transfers. Poon Hill leaves room for both in a two-week holiday; Annapurna Base Camp from Pokhara leaves room for one; the fourteen-day Mardi and Sanctuary combination is the holiday.
And one honest note: if you have ten days and want the Annapurna skyline with genuine solitude, none of these three is the best answer. Khopra Danda and Mohare Danda are, and our Khopra guide explains why.
