Annapurna Base Camp with Mardi Himal Trek from Pokhara

A short drive of about an hour from Pokhara on the Baglung Highway brings you to Kande (1,770 m), the roadhead where the Mardi Himal trail begins.

The walking starts immediately with a steep stone staircase climbing out of the road. It is a sharp introduction, but it is short. Above the initial climb the gradient eases and the trail enters oak and rhododendron forest, passing through Australian Camp and Pothana — small clusters of lodges on the ridge with open views south over the Pokhara valley and north to Machhapuchhre when the cloud lifts.

From Pothana the path contours along the ridgeline through thickening forest to Pitam Deurali (2,100 m), where the Mardi Himal trail branches away from the main Ghorepani route. This junction is the moment the trek gets quiet: almost all the traffic continues west, and you turn north onto the ridge. Roughly 4–5 hours of walking. Overnight at Pitam Deurali.

A gentle day of around 500 m of climbing, spent almost entirely under tree cover on the Mardi ridge.

The trail runs north along the crest through dense, moss-hung forest of oak, maple and rhododendron. In spring the rhododendrons flower red and pink through this whole section; in autumn the light comes through the canopy in shafts. The path is narrow, soft with leaf litter, and rolls up and down rather than climbing steadily. Langur monkeys and Himalayan birdlife are common, and the forest is quiet enough that you often hear them before you see them.

There are no villages on this stretch — the ridge is too steep and too high for farming — so the day is pure woodland walking. Views are limited by the trees, which is exactly why the openness of the days ahead feels so dramatic.

Forest Camp (2,600 m), also called Kokar, is a small line of lodges in a clearing. Around 5 hours of walking. Overnight at Forest Camp.

The biggest climbing day of the Mardi section, gaining nearly 1,000 m and breaking out above the treeline.

The morning continues through forest, climbing more steeply now, to Low Camp (2,970 m). From here the character of the trek changes completely. The tall trees give way to stunted rhododendron and juniper scrub, and Machhapuchhre (6,993 m) — the Fishtail — appears directly ahead, so close and so steep that it seems to lean over the ridge.

Above Low Camp the trail follows the narrow crest with the ground dropping away sharply on both sides, through Badal Danda (3,210 m) and onto open alpine grass. Annapurna South and Hiunchuli come into view to the west. The last section to High Camp is exposed and can be windy.

High Camp (3,580 m) sits on the ridge with an uninterrupted mountain panorama. Take it slowly today — this is a real altitude gain. Around 5–6 hours. Overnight at High Camp.

The highlight of the Mardi Himal section, and a long day: a pre-dawn climb to 4,500 m followed by a substantial descent.

You leave High Camp in the dark, head-torches on, to be high on the ridge for sunrise. The trail climbs a narrowing spine of grass and rock — steep in places, with drops on either side — passing the Lower Viewpoint (4,100 m) and continuing to Mardi Himal Base Camp (4,500 m). As the sun comes up, the light hits Machhapuchhre first and then works west along the range.

From the base camp the view is extraordinary: Machhapuchhre rising almost vertically in front of you, with Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Mardi Himal (5,587 m) around the horizon. You are standing on a grass ridge with glaciers on three sides.

After time at the top you retrace the ridge to High Camp for breakfast, then descend to Badal Danda (3,210 m). Roughly 7–8 hours in total. Overnight at Badal Danda.

A long descending day that drops around 1,400 m and moves you off the Mardi ridge and into the Modi Khola valley for the Annapurna Base Camp half of the trip.

The morning retraces the ridge down through Low Camp and back into the forest, losing height quickly on trails that can be slippery after rain. Below the forest the route turns west, leaving the Mardi ridge to join the main sanctuary trail, and the landscape shifts from alpine to subtropical — bamboo, ferns and terraced farmland, with the air noticeably warmer and heavier.

The final descent to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m) is on stone steps through the village terraces above the Modi Khola.

Jhinu is best known for the natural hot springs a steep twenty-minute walk below the lodges, on the riverbank. After four days on the ridge and a heavy descent, they are worth the extra effort. Around 6–7 hours of walking. Overnight at Jhinu Danda.

The first day of the Annapurna Base Camp section, turning north up the Modi Khola into the corridor that leads to the sanctuary.

From Jhinu the trail crosses the Modi Khola on a long suspension bridge and climbs to New Bridge, then follows the river upstream through farmland and scattered houses. The valley here is deep, green and steep-sided, with waterfalls coming off the walls on both sides.

At Chhomrong (2,170 m) the route reaches the last large permanent village on the trail — a Gurung settlement built in tiers on the hillside, with Annapurna South and Hiunchuli filling the view north. Chhomrong is the gateway to the sanctuary and the last place with real shops.

From Chhomrong a long stone staircase drops to the Chhomrong Khola and climbs the far side to Lower Sinuwa (2,340 m) — a knee-testing sequence that most trekkers remember. Around 5–6 hours. Overnight at Lower Sinuwa.

A steady climbing day up the narrowing throat of the sanctuary, gaining nearly 900 m.

The trail climbs through Upper Sinuwa and enters the bamboo and rhododendron forest that gives the next lodges their names — Bamboo (2,310 m) and Dovan (2,600 m). This is damp, dense, shaded walking beside the roar of the Modi Khola, with the valley walls closing in until only a strip of sky is visible overhead.

Above Dovan the forest thins. The route passes the shrine at Himalaya (2,920 m) and then the Hinku Cave, a large rock overhang once used as shelter, before the vegetation gives out almost entirely and the terrain becomes rock, scree and avalanche debris.

Deurali (3,230 m) sits in this steep, narrow, dramatic section of gorge. Altitude begins to matter from here, so drink well and keep the pace easy. Around 5–6 hours. Overnight at Deurali.

The day the valley opens and you walk into the Annapurna Sanctuary itself.

The trail climbs from Deurali over moraine and old avalanche runout, following the Modi Khola to its source. After around three hours the gorge suddenly widens at Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3,700 m), and for the first time the mountains stand clear all around rather than overhead. Machhapuchhre is directly above; it has never been officially climbed and remains closed as a sacred peak.

The final two hours to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m) cross open alpine meadow, climbing gently. Take it slowly — this is the highest point of the trek and the air is thin.

The sanctuary is a near-complete ring of mountains: Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, Tharpu Chuli and Machhapuchhre enclosing a glacial basin. Sunset and sunrise here are the reason people come. Around 5–6 hours. Overnight at Annapurna Base Camp.

An early start for sunrise, then a long descent of more than 1,800 m back down the sanctuary corridor.

Most trekkers are outside before dawn. The first light strikes Annapurna I and moves around the ring of peaks one by one, and on a clear cold morning the whole basin turns gold. It is worth the cold hands.

After breakfast you retrace yesterday's route down through Machhapuchhre Base Camp and Deurali, then into the gorge and back below the treeline. Descending is fast but hard on the knees, and the trail is rocky and uneven in places — poles help considerably.

Below Deurali the vegetation returns quickly: first scrub, then rhododendron, then the thick bamboo forest around Dovan. The air warms and thickens with every hour, which after two nights at altitude feels remarkably good.

Bamboo (2,310 m) is a small cluster of lodges in the forest beside the river. Around 6–7 hours. Overnight at Bamboo.

The last walking day, followed by the drive back to Pokhara and the end of the trek.

From Bamboo the trail descends through forest to Sinuwa, then drops the long staircase to the Chhomrong Khola and climbs the punishing set of steps back up to Chhomrong (2,170 m) — the same stairs as on the way in, in the harder direction. From Chhomrong the route descends steadily through terraced farmland to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m).

If the schedule allows, there is a last chance for the riverside hot springs before the drive.

From Jhinu the path continues down to the roadhead, where a jeep meets you for the drive back to Pokhara (822 m) — a few hours on rough road through the foothills before it joins tarmac near the valley.

You arrive in Pokhara in the afternoon or early evening, back at lake level after ten days that took in both the Mardi ridge and the sanctuary. Overnight in Pokhara.