Mardi Himal & Landruk-Ghandruk Descent

This itinerary follows the same proven ascent as the Classic trek through High Camp and the Base Camp summit day, but treats the descent as an opportunity rather than a formality. Rather than the direct, purely functional walk out to Siding, this route descends instead toward Landruk — a well-established village on the much older Annapurna Base Camp trail corridor — before continuing to Ghandruk, one of the largest and most celebrated Gurung settlements in the entire Annapurna region, complete with a Gurung culture museum and deep historical ties to the British and Indian Gurkha regiments. The trade-off is real: this route adds a day to the Classic itinerary's schedule, and Landruk and Ghandruk see considerably more trekking traffic than the quieter upper Mardi trail, since both sit on the busier ABC and Poon Hill circuits. What it buys in return is a genuine cultural bookend to a trip that would otherwise end at a purely functional jeep pickup village — a chance to properly experience Gurung architecture, hospitality, and the region's deep Gurkha military history before returning to Pokhara. This is the route to recommend to trekkers who want Mardi Himal's quiet upper trail without giving up a proper village finale.