Mardi Himal Trek Cost 2026/27: Permits, Guide & Daily Budget

Quick answer: a guided Mardi Himal trek costs about USD 600–1,000 per person for 5–7 days, including transport from Kathmandu, permits, a licensed guide, a porter, all meals and teahouse rooms. Trekking with only a guide and paying as you go costs around USD 400–500 for the same days. Permits alone are NPR 4,000 (about USD 30). The biggest variables are how you travel Kathmandu–Pokhara and whether you hire a porter.

Mardi Himal trek cost at a glance

Way of trekking	Days on the trail	Typical cost per person	What it covers
Full package with a Nepali agency (our 7-day trip)	4 walking + 3 travel	USD 900–1,000	Everything below except tips, drinks and insurance
Guide only, pay as you go	4–5	USD 400–500	Guide, permits, your own rooms, meals and transport
Guide + porter, pay as you go	4–5	USD 500–600	As above, plus a porter
Booked through an international tour site	7–12	USD 950–1,600	Same trek, often resold with a margin

Nepal announced a licensed-guide requirement for foreign trekkers in 2023. Enforcement in the Annapurna region is reported as inconsistent and we could not find a current official notice, so check when you book. We budget with a guide throughout, because that is what we recommend on the ridge above High Camp.

1. Permits: NPR 4,000 (about USD 30)

Permit	Foreign nationals	SAARC nationals	Where
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP)	NPR 3,000	NPR 1,000	Nepal Tourism Board office in Pokhara or Kathmandu; double fee if issued at a checkpost
TIMS card	NPR 1,000 through an agency (NPR 2,000 independent)	NPR 600 / 1,000	Same offices

Children under 10 pay no ACAP fee. Carry two passport photos and a passport copy; your agency usually arranges both permits the day before you leave Pokhara. Current fees are kept up to date on our trekking permits page.

2. Guide and porter: USD 25–35 and 20–25 per day

Licensed trekking guide: USD 25–35 per day, which covers the guide's wages, insurance, food and lodging on the trail. For a 5-day trek that is about USD 125–175.
Porter: USD 20–25 per day, carrying up to about 18–20 kg (two trekkers' bags). About USD 100–125 for the trek.
Guide-porter (one person who guides and carries a lighter load): USD 25–35 per day, a common compromise for couples on a budget.
Tips are expected but not fixed: around USD 8–12 per day for the guide and USD 5–8 for the porter, from the group, given at the end.

Hiring through a registered agency costs a little more than finding someone in Pokhara, but the guide is insured, licensed and replaced if ill, which matters on the ridge above High Camp.

3. Teahouses and food: NPR 2,500–4,000 per day

Footprints along the Mardi Himal ridge after winter snowfall

	Lower trail (Kande to Forest Camp)	Higher (Low Camp, High Camp)
Twin room per night	NPR 500–1,000	NPR 1,000–1,500
Dal bhat (refilled)	NPR 550–700	NPR 800–1,000
Breakfast	NPR 400–600	NPR 600–800
Tea or coffee	NPR 100–200	NPR 200–300
Boiled drinking water, 1 litre	NPR 100–150	NPR 200–300
Hot shower	NPR 300–500	often not available
Phone charging	free to NPR 200	NPR 200–500
Wi-Fi	free to NPR 300	NPR 300–600 or none

Plan on NPR 2,500–4,000 (USD 18–30) a day for a room and three meals if you pay as you go. Prices rise with altitude because everything above Low Camp is carried up by mule or porter. In the October peak, High Camp lodges sometimes ask more for a room and are often full by mid-afternoon, which is one reason a package with pre-booked rooms is worth it in season.

4. Transport: USD 20–280 return

Leg	Option	Cost per person
Kathmandu – Pokhara	Tourist bus, 6–8 hours	USD 10–25 each way
Kathmandu – Pokhara	Flight, 25 minutes	USD 90–130 each way
Pokhara – Kande (trailhead)	Private taxi or jeep, 1.5 hours, shared by the group	NPR 2,500–4,000 per vehicle
Siding – Pokhara (trail end)	Shared or private jeep, 2 hours	NPR 1,500–2,500 per person, or NPR 8,000–12,000 per private jeep

The bus versus flight choice is the single biggest swing in the whole budget: about USD 20 return by bus against up to USD 260 return by air.

5. What you pay for on the trail that packages never include

Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation: USD 60–150 for a two-week policy, depending on your country and age. Not optional; a rescue from High Camp costs USD 3,000 or more. See our guide to travel insurance for trekking in Nepal.
Nepal visa on arrival: USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days.
Gear: renting a down jacket and a −10°C sleeping bag in Pokhara costs about NPR 150–250 per item per day.
Snacks, drinks, extra charging, Wi-Fi: budget NPR 500–1,000 a day if you want them.

Sample budget: 5 days on the trail, pay as you go with a guide

Item	USD
Permits (ACAP + TIMS)	30
Guide, 5 days	150
Rooms and meals, 5 days at USD 25	125
Tourist bus Kathmandu–Pokhara return	25
Taxi to Kande and jeep from Siding (share of)	30
Tips	50
Total	about USD 410

Add a porter and the total is about USD 520. Fly instead of the bus and it is about USD 650. Add two hotel nights in Pokhara and one in Kathmandu and you arrive at the price of a package.

What our 7-day Mardi Himal package includes

Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) seen from the lower Mardi Himal trail

Our 7-day Mardi Himal trek is USD 900 per person at the current discounted rate (list price USD 999), Kathmandu to Kathmandu. That covers:

Kathmandu–Pokhara and back by tourist bus (flight on request), airport pick-up and drop-off, and private jeeps to Kande and from Siding
Two hotel nights in Pokhara and one in Kathmandu with breakfast, and all teahouse nights on the trek
Three meals a day on the trail, fresh fruit, water purification tablets, welcome and farewell dinners
A licensed English-speaking guide, one porter for every two trekkers (18 kg between two), and an assistant guide for groups over eight
ACAP permit, TIMS card and all taxes

Not included: visa, insurance, tips, drinks, hot showers, Wi-Fi and charging, personal gear, and extra hotel nights. Contact us for your dates and group price.

How to trek Mardi Himal cheaper

Take the bus to Pokhara. Saves up to USD 240 per person compared with flying.
Share a guide and porter. One guide covers up to about eight people; the daily rate stays the same.
Eat dal bhat. It is the cheapest filling meal and the only one with free refills.
Go in late November or March. Rooms are easier to find and lodges are more flexible on prices than in October.
Carry your own daypack and rent the big items in Pokhara instead of buying a sleeping bag and down jacket.
Avoid the 4-day itinerary to save money. It looks cheaper but skips acclimatisation; turning back sick costs more than an extra night. The difficulty guide explains why.

Mardi Himal Trek - 7 Days

🗓 7 Days

US$ 900

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Mardi Himal trek cost in total?

About USD 600–1,000 per person for a guided package of 5–7 days from Kathmandu, or USD 400–500 trekking with a guide and paying for rooms, meals and transport yourself.

How much are the Mardi Himal permits?

NPR 4,000 for foreign nationals: the ACAP permit (NPR 3,000) and the TIMS card (NPR 1,000 through an agency, NPR 2,000 if you apply independently). Children under 10 are exempt from ACAP.

How much does a guide cost for Mardi Himal?

USD 25–35 per day for a licensed guide and USD 20–25 per day for a porter, including their food, lodging and insurance.

Can I do the Mardi Himal trek on a budget?

Yes. Bus to Pokhara, a shared guide, dal bhat and a rented sleeping bag bring a 5-day trek to roughly USD 400 per person. The cost that should not be cut is insurance with helicopter cover.