Mardi Himal & ABC Combined Trek

We drive to the Kande trailhead and start straight up the stone steps to Australian Camp, where the first wide view of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli opens up. From there the trail runs on through Pothana, where the ACAP permit is checked, to Pitam Deurali at 2,100 m, the junction where the Mardi route leaves the busier Annapurna Base Camp path and turns onto its own quiet ridge.

It is a short first day on purpose, giving your body an easy introduction to the climb before the longer days ahead. We overnight in a simple teahouse at the junction.

The trail leaves the main junction and climbs through cloud forest of oak, maple, and rhododendron to Forest Camp at 2,550 m. Langur troops are common in the canopy on this stretch, and the ridge starts to narrow noticeably above the tree line ahead.

A further climb through thinning forest brings us to Rest Camp at roughly 2,700 m for the night, a small cluster of teahouses that marks the start of the open ridge country.

The first big altitude day. The trail climbs steadily to Low Camp at 2,985 m, where the trees thin and the full Annapurna massif comes into view. We stop here for a pulse-oximetry check before continuing.

Above Low Camp the route breaks fully onto the open ridge, crosses Badal Danda at 3,210 m, and climbs to High Camp at 3,580 m. Machhapuchhre stands directly ahead across the valley, and the sunset from the dining hall is one of the moments most trekkers remember from the whole trip. Pace above Low Camp is deliberately slow, and anyone showing early symptoms is held lower for the night.

The Mardi summit morning. We leave High Camp around 04:30 with headtorches for the pre-dawn ridge climb to the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 m. On a clear morning the sun lifts over the eastern peaks while Dhaulagiri sits far to the west and the Annapurna wall fills the sky in front of you. This is the first of the trek's two high points.

Back at High Camp for a proper breakfast, then the long descent begins, retracing yesterday's route down through Badal Danda and Low Camp to Forest Camp for the night. Trekking poles matter on this stretch; the descent is steep and the knees feel it.

The transition day. The trail drops off the Mardi ridge through forest and lower farmland, threading down past the villages that link the ridge to the Annapurna Sanctuary road, before reaching Jhinu Danda on the bank of the Modi Khola. This is where the second half of the trek properly begins.

Jhinu is the mid-trek reward. A short walk below the village brings you to natural hot springs, and a long soak after four days of climbing and descending is exactly what tired legs need before the push into the Sanctuary.

A day of stone staircases. The climb up to Chhomrong at 2,170 m is the gateway village to the inner Sanctuary, with a long descent of steps on the far side down to the Chhomrong Khola, then back up to Sinuwa.

Sinuwa sits at the edge of the bamboo and rhododendron forest that leads into the gorge proper. The valley starts to narrow from here, and the sense of walking into an amphitheatre of peaks begins to build.

The trail dips briefly to Bamboo at 2,310 m, then climbs steadily deeper into the gorge, following the Modi Khola through Dovan and on to Deurali at 3,200 m. The forest gives way to low scrub and the air starts to feel thinner.

Deurali (the ABC-side Deurali, distinct from Pitam Deurali on Day 1) is the last stop before the high base camps. We keep the day's finish deliberately early so you arrive with energy in reserve and stay acclimatised for the final climb. Another pulse-oximetry check happens here.

The Sanctuary day. The trail climbs to Machhapuchhre Base Camp at 3,700 m, where the valley suddenly opens and you stand surrounded by Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, and the sheer fluted face of Machhapuchhre. We pause here before the final hour and a half up to Annapurna Base Camp.

Annapurna Base Camp sits at 4,130 m on the floor of a glacial amphitheatre ringed by peaks, with Annapurna I towering above. This is the trek's second high point and its emotional climax. We time the arrival for the afternoon, then aim to be up for both sunset and sunrise on the Annapurna wall.

Sunrise on the Annapurna wall, then the long descent. We retrace the inner Sanctuary route past Machhapuchhre Base Camp and Deurali, losing altitude fast and steadily back to Bamboo for the night.

Descending is easier on the lungs but harder on the knees. Poles and an unhurried pace keep the day comfortable, and the forest is a welcome change after the open glacier basin.

Back over the Chhomrong staircase, then down to Jhinu Danda for a second soak at the hot springs, a fitting close to ten days of climbing and descending. From Jhinu a local jeep takes over for the road back to Pokhara at 820 m.

We reach the lakeside by mid to late afternoon. Hot shower, a real bed, and a celebration dinner by Phewa Lake. After ten days on the trail the contrast is the whole point.