Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal share the same mountains, the same conservation area, and the same season, but they are very different walks. One takes you into the Sanctuary; the other rides a ridge across from it. Here is an honest, side-by-side comparison to help you pick the right one.
If you have four to seven days, want a quieter trail, and like the idea of a steep ridge walk that looks across at Machhapuchhre, choose Mardi Himal. If you have a week or more and want to stand inside a glacial amphitheatre ringed by eight-thousanders, choose Annapurna Base Camp. Both sit in the Annapurna Conservation Area, both need the same permits and a guide, and both are graded moderate. The full breakdown is below, and you can see our Mardi Himal trek overview and day-by-day itinerary for the Mardi side of the picture.
The two routes line up neatly on most measures. Mardi is shorter, quieter, and a touch higher at its top viewpoint; ABC is longer, busier, and better served by lodges. Note one quirk: although Mardi's base camp viewpoint reaches around 4,500 m, the highest teahouse on the Mardi trail (High Camp) sits at around 3,550 m, so you climb to the top and descend the same day.
Cost ranges are indicative only: package prices vary by operator, group size, and season. The permit fees (ACAP and TIMS) are the same on both routes, so the cost difference comes mainly from the number of days.
Both treks are graded moderate, but the difficulty has a different shape. Mardi Himal climbs a forested ridge fast: in four or five days you go from low farmland up to High Camp at around 3,550 m, then push to the upper viewpoint (around 4,200 m) or base camp (around 4,500 m) and back. The daily ascent can feel sharp, and the final morning to the viewpoints is a real climb. Because you do not sleep above 3,550 m, the altitude exposure is shorter, which keeps the acclimatisation manageable for fit walkers.
Annapurna Base Camp tops out lower, at 4,130 m on the floor of the Sanctuary, but the trek is longer and the cumulative effort is greater. The approach climbs the Modi Khola valley with long stone staircases around Ulleri and Chhomrong, and the last stretch from Machhapuchhre Base Camp (around 3,700 m) up to ABC is where altitude starts to bite. So Mardi is the punchier short climb to a slightly higher point; ABC is the longer endurance walk to a lower one. For how the seasons affect both, see our best season guide.
This is the difference that matters most for many trekkers. Annapurna Base Camp takes you deep into the Annapurna Sanctuary, a high glacial amphitheatre almost completely enclosed by a ring of 7,000 and 8,000 metre peaks. At ABC you stand inside that bowl with mountains rising on every side, including Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machhapuchhre. It is an immersive, surrounded-by-giants experience that few treks anywhere can match.
Mardi Himal is a ridge walk, so it gives you the view from the outside looking in. You climb a high spur and look across at Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) at close range, with its distinctive twin summit dominating the skyline, and you look down on the valleys and terraced hillsides far below. It is a more open, airy, top-of-the- world feeling, with the drama of the ridge itself underfoot. ABC surrounds you; Mardi shows you the massif side-on and from above. Both are unforgettable, just in different ways.
Annapurna Base Camp is one of Nepal's most popular treks, so in spring and autumn the trail and lodges can be busy, especially at the choke points around Chhomrong and at ABC itself. The upside is that the route is well developed: lodges along the ABC trail tend to be larger and better equipped, with more food choice and more reliable facilities. Mardi Himal, opened to teahouse trekking only in recent years, is noticeably quieter. Its teahouses are more basic and the ridge has fewer of them, which is part of its charm if you want a calmer trail.
On cost, Mardi usually works out cheaper, and the main reason is simply the length. Fewer days means fewer nights, fewer meals, and fewer days of guide and porter wages, while the permit fees are identical on both routes. If you are watching the budget or the calendar, Mardi is the leaner trip. You can see scheduled group departures on our fixed departures page, and the destination itself on our Mardi Himal Base Camp page.
You do not always have to choose. Because the two treks share the same region, you can link them into one longer trip. There is no purpose-built high ridge between them, so the connection is made by descending the Mardi trail to Sidhing or Low Camp, crossing to Landruk and Ghandruk, and then climbing the standard ABC trail via Chhomrong, Deurali, and Machhapuchhre Base Camp. The classic link runs through Landruk and Jhinu Danda, where the hot springs make a welcome stop.
A combined Mardi plus ABC trek takes roughly 10 to 12 days, depending on your start and end points and rest days. It packs the quiet ridge and the Sanctuary into a single itinerary, and it is one of the best ways to see this corner of the Annapurnas. We cover the link route, villages, and timings on our nearby treks page. If you are still weighing options, our other comparisons cover Poon Hill vs Mardi and Khopra Danda vs Mardi.
You have four to seven days, you want a quieter trail, you prefer a steep ridge walk with side-on views of Machhapuchhre and the valleys below, you are watching the budget, or you want a shorter first Himalayan trek that still reaches a high base camp. Mardi is the leaner, calmer, slightly higher option.
You have a week or more, you want to stand inside the Annapurna Sanctuary surrounded by 7,000 and 8,000 metre walls, you like a longer steady-paced walk through varied valleys and villages, and you do not mind a busier trail in peak season in exchange for better-developed lodges. ABC is the classic Sanctuary experience.
Still undecided? Both are excellent, and there is no wrong choice. Tell us your dates and fitness and we will help you match the right trek to your trip, including the combined option.
It depends on what you mean by hard. Mardi Himal is shorter but climbs a steep ridge quickly, so the daily ascent can feel sharp, and its high points sit a little higher than Annapurna Base Camp: the base camp viewpoint is around 4,500 m and the upper viewpoint around 4,200 m, against ABC at 4,130 m. Annapurna Base Camp is longer and involves many more days and long stone staircases around Ulleri and Chhomrong, so it asks more of your stamina over the trip as a whole. Both are graded moderate. Mardi is the punchier short climb; ABC is the longer endurance walk.
Yes. There is no single dedicated high ridge linking the two, but you can descend the Mardi trail to Sidhing or Low Camp, cross to Landruk and Ghandruk, then climb the standard Annapurna Base Camp trail via Chhomrong, Deurali, and Machhapuchhre Base Camp up to ABC. The classic link runs through Landruk and Jhinu Danda. A combined Mardi plus ABC trek takes roughly 10 to 12 days depending on your start and end points and rest days. We cover the connection in detail on our nearby treks page.
Mardi Himal is usually cheaper, mainly because it is a shorter trek. Fewer days on the trail means fewer nights of accommodation, fewer meals, and fewer days of guide and porter wages, which are the main drivers of cost on both routes. The permits are identical (ACAP and TIMS), so the saving comes from days rather than fees. Exact package prices vary by operator, group size, and season, so treat any single figure as indicative and ask for a current quote.
Yes. Both Mardi Himal and Annapurna Base Camp sit inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so both need an ACAP entry permit (NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals) and a TIMS card (NPR 2,000 for individual trekkers). Since 1 April 2023, a licensed guide is mandatory for trekking in the Annapurna Conservation Area, so solo trekking without a guide is no longer permitted on either route. Permit fees can change, so confirm the current rates when you book.
They offer different kinds of views, and both are spectacular. Annapurna Base Camp puts you inside the Sanctuary, a glacial amphitheatre ringed by a near-complete wall of 7,000 and 8,000 metre peaks, so the mountains stand all around you. Mardi Himal is a ridge walk: you look across at Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) at close range and down on the green valleys far below, rather than standing inside the bowl. If you want to be surrounded by giants, choose ABC. If you want the dramatic side-on profile of Machhapuchhre and open ridge horizons, choose Mardi.
Mardi Himal is the stronger pick for first-time trekkers on a tight schedule. It can be done in as little as four to five days, it is quieter, and it still delivers high-mountain scenery and a base camp finish. Annapurna Base Camp is a better fit if you have a week or more and want the full Sanctuary experience, with more developed lodges along the way. Both are achievable for fit beginners with a guide.
We run small-group trips from Pokhara every Saturday from September to May. We also run private trips any day. A $50 deposit holds your place. Pay the rest on arrival in cash or by card.
