Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal in One Trek: Is the 12-Day Combination Worth It?

Last updated 9 October 2026.

Short answer: the 12-day combination is worth it if you are fit, have the days, and want both the Annapurna Sanctuary and a high ridge in one trip. If you have fewer days, or you are not sure about long walking days at altitude, pick one trek and do it well.

I put the two treks into one booking for people who do not want to choose. You can see the full plan on our Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal Trek, 12 Days from Pokhara page. It is the same walking as our seven-day Annapurna Base Camp trek and our five-day Mardi Himal trek, joined with one guide and a rest night in Pokhara between them.

Is the 12-day combination worth it?

It is worth it for the right walker. The two routes feel different. Annapurna Base Camp takes you deep into a ring of peaks, with Annapurna I at 8,091 m on the northern horizon. Mardi Himal takes you up a forested ridge to open ground, with Machhapuchhre ahead and Annapurna South beside you. If you do only one, you miss the other kind of mountain day.

The cost of doing both is time and effort. You have two high days, and you finish with a long descent. I would not suggest it for a first trek at altitude. If you want help choosing between them, my comparison of ABC and Mardi Himal sets out the differences side by side.

Quick facts

What happens on each day?

Day 1. Drive to Nayapul, about 90 minutes, then a short jeep ride to Kimche and about three hours up stone steps to Ghandruk, 1,940 m.

Day 2. Ghandruk to Chomrong, 2,170 m, about 4 hours.

Day 3. The Chomrong staircase, about 2,500 stone steps down and up, then Bamboo, lunch at Himalaya Hotel, and on to Deurali, 3,174 m. About 7 hours.

Day 4. Deurali to Machhapuchhre Base Camp, 3,720 m, and on to Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130 m. 2 to 3 hours.

Day 5. Sunrise at Annapurna Base Camp, then down to Bamboo, 2,310 m. About 6 hours.

Day 6. Bamboo to Jhinu Danda, 1,780 m, by a quieter path that avoids the Chomrong staircase. About 4 hours. The hot springs are ten minutes below the village.

Day 7. About 4 hours down to Nayapul, then the drive to Pokhara and your rest night.

Day 8. Drive to Kande and walk past Australian Camp, 2,060 m, to Forest Camp, 2,520 m. 4 to 5 hours.

Day 9. Through Low Camp, 2,970 m, to High Camp, 3,580 m. 5 to 6 hours.

Day 10. We leave before dawn for Mardi Himal Base Camp, 4,500 m, and come back to High Camp for lunch and a rest.

Day 11. The long descent through Low Camp and rhododendron forest to Siding, 1,885 m. 6 to 7 hours. It is hard on the knees, so I recommend trekking poles.

Day 12. Your vehicle drives you from Siding to Pokhara, 3 to 4 hours.

How hard is it?

The first half is the harder one. Day 3 is about 7 hours with the staircase, and the air is thin on the Sanctuary days. The second half starts gently and gets harder at High Camp, then ends with the long descent on day 11. You need to walk several hours a day on steps and uneven ground, with no technical skill. For the first half in detail, read my seven-day ABC trek page and the ABC month-by-month guide.

What does each half give you that the other does not?

Annapurna Base Camp gives you the amphitheatre: Annapurna I, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli close around you, and sunrise turns the whole bowl gold from the top down. You also get Gurung villages, bamboo forest and the hot springs at Jhinu Danda.

Mardi Himal gives you a ridge. From High Camp, Machhapuchhre rises directly ahead, with Annapurna South and Hiunchuli to the west. From the base camp on a clear morning you stand between Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South, with Annapurna I and III in view. For the second half in detail, read my five-day Mardi Himal trek page and the Mardi Himal complete guide.

How does altitude build up?

You sleep at 4,130 m at Annapurna Base Camp on day 4, then come down to 1,780 m by day 6 and 820 m in Pokhara on day 7. By the time you reach High Camp at 3,580 m on day 9 you have had a rest night low down, and the walk to 4,500 m on day 10 is a day trip from High Camp, not a night. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen level with a pulse oximeter each evening. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and tell your guide at once if you get a headache or feel unwell.

When is the best time to go?

March to May and late September to November. The monsoon is wet and cloudy. The second half is through forest and onto an open ridge, so a clear morning matters on day 10.

The road at the end of each half can change after heavy rain. We check the roads 48 hours before departure, and if one is not open we move your dates free.

Who should pick one trek instead?

Pick the seven-day Annapurna Base Camp if you want the Sanctuary and have less than 12 days. Pick the five-day Mardi Himal if you want a quieter ridge and a shorter trip. If this is your first time above 3,500 m, I would start with one of them. If you are fit and have the time, the combination is the best way I know to see both sides of the Annapurna foothills in one trip.

What is included and what is not?

The trip includes a licensed guide, the Annapurna Conservation Area permits and TIMS cards for both routes, private vehicles from Pokhara to Nayapul and back, and from Pokhara to Kande and from Siding back to Pokhara, lodges with a private room where the lodge has one, and all meals on the trek on Standard and Luxury. On Standard there is one porter for every two trekkers, and on Luxury a dedicated porter for each trekker. A solo Standard trekker has no porter, and the guide carries up to 10 kg. Budget has no porter, and trek meals are not included on Budget.

Hotel nights in Kathmandu and Pokhara are not included, including the rest night on day 7. We can reserve a 3-star hotel (USD 100 per room per night) or a 5-star hotel (USD 150) as an add-on when you book. Buy your travel insurance at home, and make sure it covers trekking to 5,000 m, including helicopter rescue.

Group size is 2 to 20, and you can also travel solo. The deposit is 10 per cent and it is non-refundable, with no refund if you cancel. You can reschedule free of charge with at least 72 hours notice, to any date within one year. The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries 3.5 per cent and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. We tell you your guide's name after you book.

Questions people ask

Do I need to be very fit? You need to be fit and used to several hours of walking a day on steps. The route has two high days and a long descent.

Can I split the two halves? You can book either trek on its own. The combination keeps one guide and one booking.

What do I carry? A day pack with warm layers, a rain jacket and a head torch. Good walking shoes and trekking poles help on the descents.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.