A good checklist turns a stressful build-up into a calm one. The Mardi Himal Trek is short and straightforward, but there are still dozens of small tasks between booking and walking out of Kande: permits, insurance, gear, money, health checks, apps and more. Miss one, such as insurance that stops at 3,000 meters or forgetting to withdraw cash in Pokhara, and it can cause real problems on the trail.
This checklist covers everything to sort out before your trek, arranged roughly in the order you will need to do it. Tick items off as you go. For a more detailed preparation timeline, see how to prepare for the Mardi Himal Trek.
Bookings
- Choose your season and dates (see the best time for the trek)
- Choose your itinerary: 3, 5, 7 or 9 days
- Book your trek with a registered agency
- Book international flights, leaving a buffer day at the end
- Book Kathmandu–Pokhara transport if not included
- Book hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara if not included
- Confirm what your package includes: permits, guide, porter, meals, transport
Documents
- Passport valid for at least six months beyond your trip
- Nepal visa, or confirmation that you can get one on arrival
- Passport-sized photos, several copies
- Photocopies and digital scans of your passport and visa
- Travel insurance policy document and emergency number
- Passport scan and photo sent to your agency for permits
- Flight tickets and hotel confirmations saved offline
See documents to carry on the trek.
Insurance
- Policy covers trekking to at least 4,500 meters
- Includes emergency helicopter evacuation
- Includes medical treatment abroad
- Includes trip cancellation and interruption
- Emergency contact number saved in your phone and written on paper
See our travel insurance guide.
Health
- Travel clinic or doctor visit six to eight weeks before departure
- Routine vaccinations up to date; discuss recommended vaccines for Nepal
- Discuss altitude, any health conditions and medication such as acetazolamide
- Enough personal prescription medication for the whole trip, plus extra
- Personal first aid kit packed
- Dental check-up if due
See our pre-trek medical checklist.
Fitness
- Training started six to eight weeks before (or longer if needed)
- Regular cardio, stairs and leg strength
- Several long hikes with a daypack and hills
- At least one back-to-back weekend of hiking
- Training tapered in the final week
See our fitness guide.
Clothing
- 2 walking base layers
- 1 set of thermal base layers for evenings and sleeping
- 1 fleece
- 1 down or synthetic insulated jacket
- 1 waterproof shell jacket
- Rain trousers (essential in the monsoon)
- 2 pairs of trekking trousers
- 3 to 4 pairs of trekking socks, plus a thick pair
- Underwear, quick-drying
- Sun hat, warm hat, buff
- Liner gloves and insulated gloves
Footwear
- Broken-in waterproof trekking boots
- Camp shoes or sandals
- Gaiters (winter and monsoon)
- Microspikes (winter)
Equipment
- Sleeping bag rated to around minus 10°C (colder in winter)
- Sleeping bag liner
- Daypack, 25 to 35 liters, with rain cover
- Duffel bag for porter, or 40 to 50 liter backpack if carrying yourself
- Dry bags or stuff sacks
- Trekking poles
- Headlamp and spare batteries
- Water bottles or bladder, 2 liters capacity
- Water purification tablets, filter or UV pen
- Sunglasses, category 3 or 4
See our complete packing list.
Toiletries and Hygiene
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Biodegradable soap
- Quick-dry towel
- Toilet paper and a bag to carry used paper out
- Hand sanitiser
- Wet wipes
- Sunscreen and lip balm with SPF
- Menstrual products if needed
Electronics
- Phone and charger
- Power bank
- Plug adapter for Nepali sockets
- Camera, spare batteries and memory cards
- Headphones
Apps and Digital Preparation
- Offline map app with the Annapurna region downloaded
- Translation app with Nepali offline
- Insurance app or emergency contact details
- Messaging apps to contact your agency and family
- Copies of documents saved offline
- Entertainment downloaded for evenings
See offline maps and GPS apps.
Money
- Bank informed of travel
- Debit or credit card that works in Nepali ATMs
- Backup cash in a major currency
- Nepali rupees withdrawn in Pokhara for the trek
- Budget for tips at the end of the trek
See ATMs and money for the trek.
In Pokhara: The Day Before
- Attend the pre-trek briefing with your guide
- Confirm permits are ready
- Rent any missing gear
- Buy snacks for the trail
- Withdraw cash
- Charge all devices
- Pack duffel for the porter and daypack for yourself
- Leave spare luggage at your hotel
- Eat a good dinner and sleep early
See your arrival day in Pokhara.
The Items People Forget Most Often
After many seasons on the trail, our guides see the same forgotten items again and again. Some are small but make a big difference to comfort; others can affect safety.
Warm gloves. Many trekkers bring only thin gloves, then struggle on the pre-dawn climb to Base Camp when temperatures are well below freezing and the wind is biting. Insulated gloves or mittens are essential from October to April.
A proper headlamp. A phone torch drains your battery in the cold and leaves you with only one hand free on steep ground. A headlamp with fresh batteries is safer and more practical for the Base Camp morning and night-time toilet trips.
Enough cash. There are no ATMs above Pokhara, and cards are rarely accepted in lodges. Running out of money halfway up means no hot showers, no snacks and an awkward situation when it is time to tip.
Blister care. A few strips of blister tape or plasters, applied at the first sign of a hot spot, can prevent a painful blister that makes every step miserable.
Trekking poles. They seem optional until the long descent to Siding, when your knees start to complain. Rent a pair in Pokhara if you do not own them.
Insurance details. Your policy is useless if nobody can find the emergency number. Save it in your phone and write it on paper in your daypack.
Checklist by Timeline
It helps to spread these tasks out rather than leaving everything to the final week.
Three months before: choose dates and itinerary, book your trek and flights, check your passport's validity, and start training.
Two months before: visit a travel clinic, buy insurance, start gathering and testing gear, and break in your boots.
One month before: reach your peak training, test every piece of gear on long hikes, and send your documents to your agency.
Two weeks before: taper training, finalise packing, download apps and offline maps, and arrange money.
The week before: rest, check the weather and confirm your arrival details with your agency.
In Pokhara: attend the briefing, rent missing gear, withdraw cash, buy snacks and pack your bags.
Seasonal Additions
Add these items depending on when you trek:
- Winter (December to February): heavier down jacket, insulated trousers, warmer sleeping bag, mittens, balaclava, microspikes, gaiters, hand warmers and an insulated water bottle.
- Spring (March to May): lighter layers for warm days, a rain shell for afternoon showers, extra sunscreen and, in early March, microspikes if there has been snow.
- Monsoon (June to August): rain trousers, pack cover, extra dry bags, leech socks, insect repellent, salt for leeches, an umbrella and extra socks.
- Autumn (September to November): warmer gloves and hat in November, and a light rain layer in September.
See our winter packing list and monsoon packing list.
Package vs Independent Trekkers
If you book a package, your agency handles permits, the guide, transport, accommodation and meals, so your checklist is mostly personal: documents, insurance, gear, health and money for extras. If you arrange more yourself, add tasks such as collecting permits, booking transport to Kande and from Siding, arranging accommodation in Pokhara and budgeting for every meal on the trail. Either way, a licensed guide is required for foreign trekkers. See package vs independent costs.
Before You Leave Home
A few final tasks at home make travel smoother. Share your itinerary, agency contact details and insurance information with a family member or friend, and agree when you will check in. Set up an out-of-office message if you will be offline. Make sure someone can access your documents in an emergency. Check your airline's baggage rules, especially if you are carrying trekking poles or a large backpack. And pack your boots and essential medication in your hand luggage in case checked bags are delayed.
After the Trek
It is worth planning the end of the trek too. Leave at least one spare day before your international flight in case of road or weather delays. Arrange laundry in Pokhara, return rented gear and settle any payments. Tip your guide and porter, and consider writing an honest review that mentions how they treated you. Then celebrate: a lakeside meal in Pokhara after a week on the ridge is one of the great pleasures of trekking in Nepal. See things to do in Pokhara after the trek.
Checklist for Families and Groups
If you are trekking with children or a group, add a few extra items. For children, pack an extra warm layer, familiar snacks, a small first aid kit with child-appropriate medication agreed with your doctor, and something to keep them entertained in the evenings. Agree in advance who carries what and who is responsible for shared items such as the first aid kit, water treatment and power banks. For groups, share a single document with everyone's passport details, insurance numbers and emergency contacts, and give a copy to your guide. Nominate one person to handle group payments and tips to avoid confusion at the end. See Mardi Himal with kids and planning with a group of friends.
How to Use This Checklist
The easiest way to use a checklist is to copy it into a notes app or print it, then tick items off as you go. Start with the tasks that take longest, such as insurance, training and passport renewal, and leave the quick jobs such as buying snacks for Pokhara. Pack your bag once a week or so before departure, weigh it, and remove anything unnecessary. On the evening before the trek, go through the daypack section one last time: those are the items you will need on the trail, and forgetting one is more of a problem than forgetting something in your duffel.
Finally, remember that a checklist is a tool, not a test. If you forget something minor, you can almost always buy or rent it in Pokhara, borrow it from a fellow trekker or manage without. The essentials that cannot be replaced on the trail are your documents, insurance, medication, boots and warm layers, so check those twice.
Your Daypack Checklist for Each Trail Day
Each morning before leaving the lodge, run through this short list for your daypack: water bottles filled and treated; rain shell and a warm layer; sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm; snacks and some cash; phone, power bank and camera; personal first aid kit and medication; toilet paper and hand sanitiser; headlamp. On the Base Camp morning, add your down jacket, insulated gloves, warm hat and, in winter, microspikes. A quick daily check takes a minute and prevents most small problems on the trail.
What You Can Safely Leave Out
Checklists can tempt you to pack too much. On a four or five-day trek, you do not need a full change of clothes for every day, more than one pair of trekking trousers beyond a spare, large toiletry bottles, books when an e-reader will do, a laptop, jewellery or city clothes. Leave these at your hotel in Pokhara. A lighter bag makes the stone steps easier, reduces your porter's load and leaves room for the things that really matter: warmth, water, snacks and a camera. See what not to pack.
Common Checklist Mistakes
- Leaving insurance until the last minute, then finding it does not cover 4,500 meters.
- Assuming ATMs or cards will work on the trail.
- Packing for Pokhara's warm weather instead of High Camp's cold.
- Booking a flight home on the same day the trek ends.
- Forgetting to break in new boots.
- Not telling anyone at home where you will be.
Ready to Go
When every box is ticked, you are ready for the trail. On our treks we send a tailored checklist and check your gear at the briefing in Pokhara, so nothing important is missed. Explore the 9-day Mardi Himal Trek or the 5-day trek from Pokhara, or contact us with questions.