Mardi Himal Trek from Pokhara

• Five Days, Pokhara to Pokhara: A complete high-ridge Himalayan trek with no Kathmandu days and short road transfers at each end.

• Mardi Himal Base Camp (4,500 m): Climb before dawn to base camp with Machhapuchhre rising almost directly overhead.

• Above the Treeline on the Ridge: Walk the open ridge from Forest Camp to High Camp with the Annapurna range filling the horizon.

• Spring Rhododendron Forest: Climb through dense cloud forest between Kande and Forest Camp, spectacular when in bloom.

• Finish Through Siding Village: Descend to a traditional Gurung village well away from the main trekking circuit before the drive back to Pokhara.

March to May and October to November are the two seasons to target. Spring is particularly good here because the forest below Forest Camp is almost entirely rhododendron, and in late March and April the climb passes through continuous flower. Autumn brings the clearest air of the year and the most reliable Machhapuchhre views from the ridge.

December and early January also work, with cold but exceptionally clear conditions and very few other trekkers on the ridge — you will need warmer kit and should expect snow above Forest Camp. The monsoon from June to August is worth avoiding entirely, as the ridge sits in cloud, the forest is leech-heavy, and there is nothing to see from base camp.

For a month-by-month look at weather and trail conditions, see our guide to the best time to trek in Nepal.

This is a moderate trek that suits reasonably fit walkers without previous Himalayan experience, though the five-day format packs the effort tightly with no rest day. The two hard sections are the climb from Forest Camp to High Camp, gaining close to 1,000 m, and the pre-dawn base camp push, which adds another 900 m on exposed ground.

The final day is the one people underestimate: the descent from Badal Danda to Siding drops almost 2,000 m and takes six to seven hours on steep, often rough trail. Four to six weeks of hill walking with a loaded daypack is sensible preparation, and trekking poles are strongly recommended for that last descent.

To build that fitness step by step, follow our 12-week training plan for a Nepal trek.

The compressed five-day format means you gain altitude faster than on the nine-day version, sleeping at 2,100 m, 2,600 m, and 3,580 m on consecutive nights before climbing to 4,500 m. That is a steep profile, and mild headache or breathlessness at High Camp is common rather than unusual.

The base camp morning is a climb-high, sleep-low day — you gain over 900 m and descend to Badal Danda at 3,210 m to sleep, which helps considerably. Drink at least three litres of water a day from the first day, walk the ridge sections at a pace that lets you talk comfortably, avoid alcohol at High Camp, and tell your guide if a headache does not settle after rest and fluids. Turning back partway to base camp is a perfectly normal decision and costs you nothing but the summit view.

Prevention, symptoms and treatment are covered in depth in our guide to altitude sickness in Nepal.

The ridge is far colder and windier than the forest below it, and the base camp morning is the coldest part of the trek. Bring waterproof trekking boots, three base layers, a fleece, an insulated down jacket, a windproof and waterproof shell jacket and trousers, trekking trousers, a warm hat, sun hat, gloves, and wool socks. A sleeping bag rated to -10°C covers High Camp.

Also pack a 30-litre daypack, trekking poles for the Siding descent, a headlamp with spare batteries for the pre-dawn start, high-SPF sunscreen and lip balm, sunglasses, a reusable bottle with purification tablets or a filter, a small first aid kit with blister care, insect repellent for the forest, a quick-dry towel, toiletries, and a power bank. Keep the porter-carried duffel under 15 kg.

For the complete kit list, organised by the altitude you will reach, see our Nepal trekking packing list.

All four nights are spent in ridge teahouses. Pitam Deurali, Forest Camp, and Badal Danda have simple but comfortable lodges with twin rooms, blankets, and warm dining rooms. High Camp is the most basic and coldest stop on the trek — small twin rooms, shared toilets, scarce water, and heating only where everyone eats. There are only a handful of lodges on the ridge and they fill quickly in peak season, so we start early each day to secure beds.

Three meals a day are included on the trek. Breakfast is porridge, eggs, Tibetan bread, or pancakes; lunch and dinner come from the lodge menu, with dal bhat and free refills the best value alongside noodles, fried rice, momos, soups, and pasta. Everything above Forest Camp is carried up on foot, so prices climb and the menu narrows with altitude. Water is genuinely scarce on the ridge — refill wherever you can, treat it with tablets, a filter, or a UV pen, and carry at least two litres on the base camp morning.

What the lodges are really like, from rooms and meals to showers and charging, is covered in our guide to teahouse trekking in Nepal.

• How Much Does Trekking in Nepal Cost? A Full Budget Breakdown — What a Nepal trek actually costs, line by line: permits, guides, porters, lodges, food, internal flights, gear, tips, and the extras nobody quotes for.

• Mardi Himal Trek: The Complete Guide to Nepal's Best Short Ridge Walk — A high ridge directly under Machhapuchhre, opened to trekkers only in 2012 and still quieter than anything else in Annapurna.

• Mardi Himal vs Poon Hill vs Annapurna Base Camp: Which to Choose — The three treks most visitors to Pokhara choose between, compared on days, altitude, difficulty, crowds, cost and what you actually see.

• Annapurna Treks During Dashain: ABC, Poon Hill and Mardi Himal — The Annapurna foothills are where a trekker meets Dashain head-on: Gurung villages with swings at every corner, lodge owners handing out tika.

• Short Treks from Pokhara: Himalayan Walks in 3 to 10 Days — Pokhara is the best trekking base in Nepal: the Annapurna trailheads are under two hours away, and there is no mountain flight to catch.

• Trekking in Nepal with Asthma, Diabetes or High Blood Pressure — A long-term condition rarely rules out a Nepal trek, but it changes the planning.