Hiking Alone in Nepal
Kraig AdamsFeb 2020 · Solo
- Days
- 4 days
- Cost
- See his costs
- Lodging
- Teahouses
Asia · Nepal
Mardi Himal
Annapurna region, Nepal
- Distance
- 31.8 mi51.2 km
- Days
- 4 days
- Elevation gain
- 10,581 ft3,225 m
- High point
- 13,054 ft3,979 m
- Season
- March to May or September to November
- Lodging
- Teahouses
In early February 2020 I hiked the Mardi Himal Trek in Nepal's Annapurna region, alone and without a guide. It was my first time in Nepal. I'd come to hike the Annapurna Circuit, but there had been a tragic avalanche in the region a week or two before I arrived, so I looked for something else and found Mardi Himal. From what I saw, it's probably one of the best short treks in Nepal.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 8 mi (13 km) and 2,645 ft (806 m) of climbing a day over 4 days, up to 13,054 ft (3,979 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation5,607–13,048 ft31.8 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX888 KB · free
Each day and variant (4 files)
- Day 1: Kande to Pothana (3.1 mi / 5.0 km) 89 KB
- Day 2: Pothana to Low Camp (10.6 mi / 17.1 km) 289 KB
- Day 3: Low Camp to High Camp, then up toward the viewpoint in the snow and back (7.1 mi / 11.5 km) 204 KB
- Day 4: High Camp to the Lower Viewpoint and beyond, back down the ridge to Low Camp, then east to Sidhing (10.9 mi / 17.6 km, two segments) 308 KB
The film
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Hiking Alone in Nepal
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Kande, an hour by bus from Pokhara
- Finish
- Sidhing, 2 to 4 hours by jeep from Pokhara (2 to 2.5 hours for me in 2020)
- Usual difficulty
- A steady climb on good trail, then snow and ice on the ridge in winter. Not technical
- Best time
- March to May or September to November. I went in early February, with snow above Low Camp
- Permits
- Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP): NPR 3,000 in 2026. Officially also a licensed guide and an agency TIMS card. A local municipality fee of NPR 500 is collected on the trail
- Getting there
- Kathmandu to Pokhara. Most travelers arrive in Kathmandu, where you can get a tourist visa on arrival (US$30, 50 or 125 for 15, 30 or 90 days in 2026). From there you need to get to Pokhara. There are two options: fly, or take a bus. In 2020 the bus was about $10 and took six hours. I flew, and it was about $100 each way. In 2026 the flight takes 25 to 30 minutes (Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and Shree Airlines fly it), and tourist buses usually take 7 to 9 hours. Pokhara's new international airport opened in January 2023 and now takes most domestic flights.
- Lodging
- Teahouses
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400 · a down quilt rated to about 20°F · a silk sleeping-bag liner · microspikes · trekking poles · a rechargeable headlamp · a reused water bottle · a sun hoodie, a white hat and sunglasses and 31 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Tourist Police: 1144 (toll free), or 061-462761 in Pokhara.
- Police: 100.
Phone signal
- My phone worked offline for the map.
- I carried a battery pack and extra camera batteries, and five camera batteries were more than enough for three days of filming.
Insurance
- Rescue from the ridge is by helicopter, and the US Embassy puts helicopter rescues in Nepal at typically $3,000 to $10,000: have insurance that covers helicopter evacuation, and carry the policy details.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Kande to Pothana. Walk back down to Kande and the road, about an hour. Dhampus, a village with a road, is also close.
- Day 2, Pothana to Low Camp. Back down the ridge the way you came, to Pitam Deurali and Pothana. From Forest Camp, a trail also drops east to Sidhing, where jeeps go to Pokhara (the way I went down on Day 4).
- Day 3, Low Camp to High Camp. Down the ridge to Low Camp, then Forest Camp and Pothana, or from Low Camp east down to Sidhing and the jeeps (the Day 4 descent).
- Day 4, High Camp to Sidhing. Down. High Camp, Badal Danda and Low Camp are all on the way. Sidhing has jeeps; the other way down from Low Camp is the Day 2 trail to Pothana and Kande.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 4 days, about $200, teahouses.
Hiking Alone in Nepal
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Typical: 4 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Mardi Himal, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Mardi Himal?
I walked it in 4 days: an afternoon from Kande to Pothana, then three full days, 31.8 miles with 3 nights in teahouses. You can also stretch it out to a week and stop at every camp. Add at least a day in Pokhara at each end.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Mardi Himal cost?
I spent about $200 on the trek, not counting getting to Nepal and to Pokhara. That includes the permits and insurance. I bought whatever food and drinks I wanted; you could do it for about half. See what I paid.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Mardi Himal?
March to May or September to November. I went in early February, with snow above Low Camp, clear mornings and cloud from about noon. From about December to March you need microspikes on the ridge.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Mardi Himal?
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area permit, NPR 3,000 in 2026, and it costs double at a checkpoint. The Nepal Tourism Board also lists Mardi Himal among the treks that need a licensed guide and an agency TIMS card. I went solo in 2020, before that rule.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Where do you sleep on the Mardi Himal Trek?
In teahouses. I slept at Pothana, Low Camp and High Camp and paid NPR 300 (about $3) a night for a room in 2020. The rule is that you eat where you sleep.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get to the start of the Mardi Himal Trek?
From Kathmandu, fly to Pokhara in 25 to 30 minutes or take a tourist bus, usually 7 to 9 hours. Local buses to Kande leave Pokhara's Baglung Bus Park about every 30 minutes and take about an hour. At the end, I shared a jeep from Sidhing back to Pokhara.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.