Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill and Mardi Himal Trek, 15 Days is a 15-day trek over three Annapurna highlights for fit walkers who want Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal in one trip. It reaches 4,500 m (Mardi Himal Base Camp) and is graded Moderate: two climbs above 4,000 m, long stone-step descents, and a rest day in Pokhara between the two halves. It costs from USD 1,490 per person (Budget, couple). The price per person is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size, and it falls as the group grows.
Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill and Mardi Himal at a glance
| Duration | 15 days from Pokhara to Pokhara (9 days to Poon Hill and ABC, a rest day, then 5 days on Mardi Himal) |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 4,500 m / 14,764 ft (Mardi Himal Base Camp). Annapurna Base Camp 4,130 m. Poon Hill 3,210 m |
| Grade | Moderate. Thirteen walking days of 3 to 7 hours, several with big height gains and long descents. No technical skill needed |
| Best months | Mid October to mid November, then March and April |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private |
| Starts and ends | Pokhara. Kathmandu to Pokhara is not included (road or a 25 minute flight, we book it at cost) |
| Permits | Annapurna Conservation Area and TIMS for both legs. Included |
| Hotels | 2 nights in Pokhara (days 9 and 10) are included. The night after the trek is not |
| Start dates | You choose. See the windows for 2027 below |
| From price | USD 1,490 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 2,430, Luxury USD 4,690 |
Why I built it this way
This is the long way round the Annapurna foothills, and my favourite way to show them. You start with Poon Hill at sunrise, walk across to Chomrong and up into the Annapurna Sanctuary, and finish with the quiet ridge to Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 m. Two base camps and one famous sunrise, all from Pokhara, with two hotel nights in the middle so your legs and your washing can recover.
The idea is not new. Our guide to Poon Hill and Mardi Himal explains how Poon Hill joins the Annapurna Base Camp trail at Tadapani and Chomrong. What I have done is add the Mardi ridge after it, and put a rest day in Pokhara between the two halves. If you only have a week, choose our Annapurna Base Camp trek of 7 days. If you want ABC and Mardi without Poon Hill, look at our 12-day Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal trek. If you want Poon Hill and Mardi without ABC, look at our 9-day Poon Hill and Mardi Himal trek.
It is a long trip and some days are hard. The Chomrong staircase, the 7 hour day to Deurali and the long descents are all tough on the knees. Mardi day 2 climbs about 1,060 m in one day without a rest night, which is steeper than I like. I keep that day because the ridge only works that way, and I take it slowly. Read How Difficult Is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek? Honest Rating for 2026/2027 and Mardi Himal Trek: The Complete Guide to Itinerary, Cost, Permits and Difficulty before you decide.
Hotel nights in Kathmandu are not included, so you choose your own (our family homestay is USD 15 per person per night). Two Pokhara nights are included. Every booking helps pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum. The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Best time to go, month by month
Rain and temperature in Pokhara are 1991 to 2020 averages, and the base camp nights come from our Annapurna Base Camp month-by-month guide. There is no weather station on the Mardi ridge, so what I say about it comes from our guides. They are not forecasts.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Cold and clear, with snow on the upper trail. Pokhara 19.9 C by day and 7.1 C at night, 21.6 mm of rain. Deurali nights near minus 7 C and base camp near minus 14 C. | Hard, not for a first winter trek |
| February | Cold, snow can sit above 3,000 m. Pokhara 22.7 / 9.7 C, 35.1 mm. Base camp nights near minus 12 C. | Hard |
| March | Spring begins. Rhododendron starts low down, mornings are clear. Pokhara 27.1 / 13.1 C, 63.7 mm. Base camp nights near minus 9 C. | Good |
| April | Warm, flowers on the ridges, more afternoon cloud, busier. Pokhara 30.0 / 16.1 C, 141.7 mm. | Good |
| May | Hot low down, cloud and storms build. Pokhara 354.7 mm and 18.3 rain days. | Possible with care |
| June | Monsoon: cloud, rain, leeches and slippery trails. Pokhara 648.2 mm. | No |
| July | Monsoon and the wettest month: 941 mm at Pokhara, 25.6 rain days. | No |
| August | Monsoon. Views are mostly lost: 839.4 mm at Pokhara. | No |
| September | The rains are easing but the trails are still wet and leechy: 635 mm at Pokhara. | No |
| October | Drying out and clearer each week: 159.2 mm at Pokhara. Busy around Dashain. | Best, from mid month |
| November | The clearest skies of the year: 17.2 mm at Pokhara. Cold nights at base camp and High Camp. | Best |
| December | Clear and cold, 11.5 mm at Pokhara. Possible early in the month, hard from mid month. | Early December only |
Mid October to mid November is the best window, and March and April the second. Both base camps are cold at night in every season. One price applies all year.
Starting dates for 2027
You choose your start date, because every trip is private. These are the windows I would pick for 2027. Festival dates for 2027 are the expected ones from public calendars, and the government confirms them each year.
| Window in 2027 | What to expect | My advice |
|---|---|---|
| March 2027 (Holi expected 22 to 23 March) | Spring starts. Clear mornings, cold nights at the top. Rhododendron begins low down, best on the Poon Hill days. | Good, from mid March |
| April 2027 (Nepali New Year 14 April) | Warmer, with flowers on the ridges and more afternoon cloud. The lodges fill up. | Good |
| Early October 2027 (Dashain expected 6 to 10 October, not yet announced) | The rain is leaving. Dashain fills the buses and some lodges close. Ask us what is open. | Avoid the Dashain days |
| Mid October to mid November 2027 (Tihar expected 29 to 31 October) | The best weeks: dry and clear, cold at the top. Busy on the main trail, quieter on Mardi. | Best |
| December 2027 to February 2028 | Clear and very cold. Snow on the upper trail can close the way to base camp. Tell me your dates and I will say what our guides know. | Only with care |
Tell me your dates and I will tell you what I know for that week. If you want to walk in winter, ask me first.
Permits and costs
We apply for every permit and pay for all of them. You send us your passport details early. The Annapurna Conservation Area permit and TIMS card are bought once for each half of the trip, because you leave the area and enter it again.
| Permit or fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area permit | NPR 3,000 | Included, paid for each leg |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (NPR 1,000 SAARC) | Included, we issue it through our agency |
The price per person falls as the group grows, and a child pays the same as an adult. Private or group, the price per person is the same. Here is the full table. These prices hold for 2027.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 2,725 | USD 3,610 | USD 7,985 |
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 1,490 | USD 2,430 | USD 4,690 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 1,010 | USD 2,010 | USD 4,210 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 885 | USD 1,855 | USD 4,085 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 885 | USD 1,845 | USD 4,085 |
Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival), Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending and any extra porter (USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge). You pay a 10% deposit to book and the balance in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros, in cash or by card, and card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge.
Getting there and getting back
The trip starts and ends in Pokhara. From Kathmandu you can take the tourist bus (seven to eight hours) or a 25 minute flight, and we can book either for you at cost. On day 1 we drive to Nayapul. On day 11 a short drive takes us to Kande. On day 15 your vehicle meets you at Siding and drives you to Pokhara. The Pokhara to Baglung road lost about 150 m at Sahasradhara on 27 September 2026, and repairs began on 29 September (position as at 7 October 2026). Our Pokhara trailheads are on that road. We check 48 hours before departure, and if the road is not open we move your dates free of charge.
Visa on arrival is USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months. Read Nayapul: The Trailhead for Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and Khopra Danda and Dhampus and Kande: The Two Roadside Starts for Mardi Himal and Australian Camp for the trailheads. Pokhara flights can be delayed by cloud, so keep a spare day before your international flight.
Safety and altitude
You sleep at 3,174 m at Deurali, 4,130 m at Annapurna Base Camp and 3,580 m at High Camp, and you walk to 4,500 m. Our own guideline is not to raise your sleeping height by more than 300 to 500 m a day above 3,000 m. Three days go beyond it: Chomrong to Deurali (1,004 m), Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp (956 m) and Forest Camp to High Camp (1,060 m). There is no acclimatisation night on those days. That is why we take them slowly, and why the rest days in Pokhara matter. Drink plenty of water and tell your guide at once about a headache or nausea. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen level every evening with a pulse oximeter. If a reading is low or symptoms appear, we do not go higher, and if they worsen we go down.
The long stone staircases and descents are hard on the knees, and the Mardi ridge is narrow in places. Trekking poles help. Buy travel insurance at home that covers trekking to 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
What to pack
- Broken-in walking boots (not trainers) and sandals for the lodge
- A down jacket or warm fleece for the base camps, thermal layers and a waterproof jacket
- A warm sleeping bag rated to about -10 C, or ask us to lend one
- A warm hat, gloves, sunglasses and SPF 50 sun cream
- A head torch for the pre-dawn starts on Poon Hill and Mardi
- A day pack of about 25 litres. Your duffel goes with the porter
- Trekking poles for the long descents
- A swimsuit and small towel for the hot springs at Jhinu Danda
- Plasters, blister care and any personal medicines
- Our full list is in Nepal Trekking Packing List: What to Bring, What to Skip, What to Buy in Kathmandu
Budget, Standard or Luxury
All three tiers walk the same route on the same days. What changes is how you sleep, what you eat and who carries your bag.
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | Shared rooms in simple teahouses | Private twin rooms, attached bathroom where the lodge has one | Private deluxe rooms, ensuite where the lodge has one |
| Porter | None. You carry your own pack. An extra porter is USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge | One porter for every two trekkers, 20 kg each in total. A solo guest has no porter: the guide carries up to 10 kg | One dedicated porter for every trekker |
| Pokhara hotel (2 nights) | Simple hotel, twin share | 3-star hotel, private room | Deluxe hotel, ensuite |
| Meals | Not included on the trek | Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, tea or coffee and seasonal fruit once a day | All meals, fruit and nuts, tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice and water whenever you want |
| Vehicle | Private car or van sized to your group | Private car or van sized to your group | A more spacious private vehicle |
| Guide | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) |
Read before you book
- Poon Hill vs Mardi Himal: Which Short Trek Should You Choose? (2026/2027 Comparison)
- Annapurna Base Camp in 5, 7 or 9 Days: Which Itinerary Should You Choose?
- How Difficult Is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek? Honest Rating for 2026/2027
- Mardi Himal Trek: The Complete Guide to Itinerary, Cost, Permits and Difficulty
- Chhomrong: The Last Big Village Before the Annapurna Sanctuary
- Annapurna Base Camp Permits: ACAP and TIMS Explained
- Poon Hill & Ghorepani Guide: Sunrise Trek in the Annapurna Region
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
