Mardi Himal Vs Annapurna Base Camp: Which Trek is Better for You

ABC Vs Mardi Himal: Quick Overview

Should you go for Annapurna Base Camp or Mardi Himal Trek? Here is a quick comparison:

	Annapurna Base Camp	Mardi Himal Trek
Trek Duration	6-8 Days	4-5 Days
Difficulty Level	Moderate: lots of stairs up and down	Easy: some stairs, trail mostly through forests
Highest Altitude	Annapurna Base Camp 4,130 m	Mardi Himal Viewpoint 4,200 m, Mardi Himal Base Camp 4,500 m
Views	Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and Machhapuchhre	Machhapuchhre (Fishtail), Mardi Himal, Annapurna South, and Hiunchuli
Permits	ACAP	ACAP
Level of Crowds	Busy with trekking groups, especially in high season	Less trekking groups, less crowded
Costs	Rs. 3,000 (USD 22) per day for solo trekkers (more if you hire a guide + porter)	Rs. 3,000 (USD 22) per day for solo trekkers (more if you hire a guide + porter)

Mardi Himal Vs Annapurna Base Camp

Here is everything you need to know about how Mardi Himal and Annapurna Base Camp trek differ, including the trek duration, difficulty level, views, level of crowds and more!

In case you want to trek both, it is also possible to connect Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal!

Trek Duration

ABC Trek Duration

Trekking Annapurna Base Camp Trek usually take between 6-8 days.

I trekked ABC in 7 days but I met many other trekkers who completed it in 6 days. I took it slow in the first few days to make sure I acclimatize properly, but the groups who went faster, did fine too.

Mardi Himal Trek Duration

Mardi Himal can be completed between 3-5 days, however, completing it in 3 days is really rushing it. If you trek it in 3 days, you would have very long days of trekking and would make you exhausted.

I found Mardi in 4 days is the good middle ground. With a 4-day itinerary, you trek around 5 hours each day. If you extended it to 5 days, then you’d have days where you only trek for 2 hours, which would make it too drawn out.

Distance

The Mardi Himal Trek route is around 50 km, while the Annapurna Base Camp trek is between 70-80 km.

Trek Starting Point

Both the Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal trekking routes start near Pokhara.

Annapurna Base Camp Start Point

Ghandruk has become the most popular starting point for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek.

The ABC trek used to start from Nayapul, however, since there are jeeps going all the way to Ghandruk, you can save one day of trek along the jeep road, and start ABC from Ghandruk.

Another option is to start the trek in Jhinu Danda, however, most trekkers start the trek in Ghandruk and finish in Jhinu Danda.

Mardi Himal Trek Start Point

The Mardi Himal Trek route starts in Kande, and there are buses going regularly from Pokhara to Kande.

The best is to take a bus early morning around 7 am from Hari Chowk (Pokhara) to Kande, and start the first day of trek as early as possible.

Difficulty Level

The Annapurna Base Camp is more difficult than the Mardi Himal Trek.

The Annapurna Base Camp trek is longer and the trail goes through many ups and downs on stairs which is hard on the knees. However, if you take it slow, 5 hours trek per day, then it does not feel too exhausting.

The Mardi Himal trek is easier than ABC. The trail has some sections with stairs, but it also has many parts that go through a forest and the ascend is more gradual, rather than a straight uphill.

In my experience, Mardi Himal was like a walk through a forest and found it much easier than ABC. However, even though ABC was harder, I enjoyed ABC more and had a much bigger sense of accomplishment than after completing Mardi Himal.

Highest Altitude

The highest altitude on the Annapurna Base Camp Trek is at 4,130 m (13,550 ft) once you get to ABC village. The best is that you can spend the night at ABC village (if you feel fine with altitude) and be right there next morning for the sunrise!

On the other hand, the highest point on the Mardi Himal trek is the Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 m (14,760 ft).

The highest village on the Mardi trail is High Camp, where all trekkers stay. Then from High Camp, you can go for the sunrise views at the Mardi Himal Viewpoint (4,200 m/ 13,780 ft) the next day. From the Viewpoint, you can continue on to the Mardi Himal Base Camp.

Best Time to Trek

Generally, the best time to trek in Nepal is in Autumn (October-November) for the majority of trekking routes, including ABC and Mardi Himal.

However, if you want less busy trails and good views, then the best time is from the end of November to mid-December.

Spring used to be a good time to trek in Nepal to get good views. However, there has been a lot of smog and haze in Spring in recent years which worsened the views of mountains. So, for trekking in Spring, the best time is in early Spring from mid-February to early March.

Views

The ABC and Mardi Himal trekking routes go through the Annapurna Region so you would get views of the Annapurna range. However, the views can be hindered by clouds and fog – depending on when you trek.

If the views are clear, then from ABC you can see Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and the Machhapuchhre (Fishtail).

As for views on the Mardi Himal trek, the great thing is that you can get a close up view of the Machhapuchhre! Additionally, you also get views of Mardi Himal, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli.

Trekking Permit

You only need one permit, the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) for both the ABC and Mardi Himal trek.

You can get the ACAP in the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu, at the ACAP Office in Pokhara, or online.

The online system was introduced in 2024, and you can only get permits for the trekking routes in the Annapurna, Gaurishankar and Manaslu region.

Cost

The prices are generally the same on both ABC and Mardi Himal.

I found the prices for accommodation be slightly cheaper on ABC as it has more trekkers visiting, but with a little bit of negotiation, you can get the same prices on the Mardi trek.

On average, I spent Rs. 3,000 (USD 22) per day on both the ABC and Mardi Himal trek. It included the price for room, food, transport, permit, wifi, charging, hot shower and hot drinking water.

If you want to hire a trekking guide or porter, you should budget an extra USD 35 per day for a guide, and USD 20 per day for a porter.

In addition, for extra snacks or beer in the evening, it is also good to budget extra USD 10 per day. I didn’t drink beer and had trekking snacks with me, so I didn’t spend on these.

Crowds

The Annapurna Base Camp is busier with trekkers, including big trekking groups. Mardi Himal is not yet as popular as ABC, so there are not that many trekking groups.

If you prefer a quieter trek, then the Mardi Himal is a good option. Mardi is also pretty popular with Nepali trekkers, so on the Mardi Himal trek, the only groups you find are the Nepali friend groups trekking.

While there are many trekking groups on the ABC trek, it also makes it pretty funny in the teahouses. You usually meet different groups in every teahouse, and once you get to ABC village, it is the best vibe with all the trekking groups – something that was missing at High Camp on the Mardi trek!

Teahouses

The teahouses are about the same on the Mardi and ABC trek.

There is one exception that on the ABC route, the teahouses don’t have a fireplace in the dining hall, so you don’t have a chance to warm up at night.

On the other hand, the teahouses have a fireplace on the Mardi trek, so you can get warm up very nicely in the evenings!

The teahouses in Nepal mostly have twin rooms, but usually all teahouse have 1 or 2 single rooms, and a couple of dormitory style rooms with 3-4 beds.

In the teahouses, you can get wifi, charging and hot shower for extra charges. It’s usually around USD 2 for each. In some cases, the wifi is down for a couple of hours in the highest villages, but otherwise, you can always connect to the internet.

Solo Trekking/ Guide Rules

Nepal tried to implement a rule to ban solo trekking in Nepal, however, in reality it is not enforced, and you can solo trek without hiring a guide.

I solo trekked both ABC and Mardi Himal, and I found it to be totally fine. The trails are well-marked, and you meet other trekkers on the trail so you never feel completely alone.

However, if it is your first time trekking in Nepal, it is recommended to hire a trekking guide for safety reasons.