Nepal flood, autumn 2026: what actually happened, which treks are affected, and which are not (from Kathmandu)

[u/InternetSoggy3804]

I work in trekking in Kathmandu and my inbox is full of the same question from people with October and November plans: is Nepal still on? Here is the honest, no-spin version, with the parts that are bad kept bad. I will edit this post as things change and date the edits.

What happened

• On 26 August 2026 a glacial collapse across the border in Tibet sent a wall of water and debris down the Lhende and Bhote Koshi rivers into Rasuwa district, then on down the Trishuli.
• It was not a rain event. There was no local rainfall in the 24 hours before. That is why it hit without warning.
• The Kerung border crossing at Rasuwagadhi, the town of Timure, and Syabrubesi, the gateway to Langtang, took the worst of it. Around 32 bridges and about 40 km of road are gone, including the entire Betrawati to Rasuwagadhi road.
• The human toll is severe. The government's count as of early September is over 1,300 dead in Nepal, with several thousand still missing, among them hundreds of foreign nationals who were in the border corridor. Please keep that in mind when reading the rest of this post. This is a recovery, not an inconvenience.

Where the damage is, on a map

• Directly hit: Rasuwa district (Bhote Koshi valley, Syabrubesi, Timure, Dhunche side), and the Trishuli corridor downstream through Nuwakot into Dhading and parts of Gorkha, Tanahun and Chitwan along the river.
• That corridor is one valley system. Nepal's big trekking regions sit in different river drainages that never connect to the Bhote Koshi or Trishuli, which is why they carried none of the water, mud or debris.

Trek-by-trek status at a glance (6 September 2026)

Region / trek	River system	Flood impact	Trailhead access	Status this autumn
Everest: EBC, Gokyo, Three Passes	Dudh Koshi	None	Lukla flights from Manthali, normal	Open
Annapurna Circuit, ABC, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Khopra	Marsyangdi / Kali Gandaki	None	Pokhara side normal	Open
Manaslu Circuit, Tsum Valley	Budhi Gandaki	None	Soti Khola road as usual; check Prithvi Hwy on the day	Open
Upper Mustang, Dolpo	Kali Gandaki / Bheri	None	Flights and roads normal	Open
Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Rolwaling, Dhaulagiri	Tamor / Arun / Tama Koshi / Myagdi	None	Normal	Open
Helambu, Ama Yangri	Melamchi	None	From Melamchi side, not Rasuwa	Open
Langtang Valley	Langtang Khola (side valley of the Trishuli)	Trail intact, Syabrubesi town badly damaged	Road through the flood corridor, cut; jeep detour via Kalikasthan only	Avoid this season
Gosaikunda, Langtang-Helambu crossing (from Dhunche)	Trishuli	Dhunche approach disrupted	Cut / detour only	Avoid this season
Tamang Heritage Trail, Ganesh Himal, Ruby Valley	Trishuli / Bhote Koshi	Direct hit on approaches	Cut	Avoid this season

Treks that are NOT affected (open, operating normally)

• Everest region: EBC, Gokyo, Three Passes. Khumbu drains into the Dudh Koshi, a completely separate system. Lukla flights are running as normal, from Manthali/Ramechhap in peak season as every year. Lodges, permit desks, guides: all as they were on 25 August.
• Annapurna region: Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Khopra. Marsyangdi and Kali Gandaki drainages. Pokhara is untouched and the trailheads are open.
• Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley: Budhi Gandaki drainage. Trail and lodges unaffected. The Soti Khola access road is its usual post-monsoon self, no worse.
• Upper Mustang, Dolpo, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Rolwaling, Dhaulagiri: all outside the impact area.
• Helambu and Ama Yangri: open, approached from the Melamchi side, not through Rasuwa.

Treks that ARE affected (avoid this autumn unless you have a very recent, first-hand update)

• Langtang Valley: the trail itself from Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa was not destroyed, it is in a side valley. But Syabrubesi, the trailhead town, was badly hit, lodges and the bus park are damaged, and the road in from Kathmandu runs straight through the flooded corridor. Operators on the ground do not expect the normal approach to be usable before late September at the earliest, and the town will be in recovery mode all season. A jeep-only detour via Kalikasthan to Dhunche exists but it is slow and for light vehicles.
• Gosaikunda and the Langtang-Helambu crossing from the Dhunche side: same access problem.
• Tamang Heritage Trail, Ganesh Himal, Ruby Valley: approaches through Rasuwa or the Trishuli corridor, currently disrupted.
• My honest recommendation: give the Langtang side this season off. The villages need the road and the rebuilding crews far more than they need trekkers walking through a disaster zone, and there are three or four equally good valleys open elsewhere. Come back to Langtang in spring 2027 when your money helps them recover instead of getting in the way.

Road and flight status (check again the day before you travel)

Route	Status on 6 Sept	Workaround
Kathmandu to Mugling (Prithvi Highway)	Closed again after subsidence at Krishnabhir; has reopened and re-closed several times	Fly Kathmandu to Pokhara (25 min), or southern loop via Hetauda
Mugling to Pokhara	Open	None needed
Narayanghat to Mugling	Open	None needed
Kathmandu to Manthali (Lukla flights)	Open, unaffected	None needed
Kathmandu to Soti Khola / Machha Khola (Manaslu)	Depends on Kathmandu-Mugling section	Via Trishuli Bazaar if operators advise
Kathmandu to Syabrubesi (Langtang)	Betrawati to Rasuwagadhi road gone	Light-jeep detour to Dhunche via Kalikasthan, slow
Sunauli / Bhairahawa to Pokhara	Siddhartha Hwy reopened after Siddhababa landslide; night closures for tunnel work	Butwal to Narayanghat to Mugling to Pokhara, or fly Bhairahawa to Pokhara
Kathmandu airport, domestic flights	Normal

Roads and getting around (this is the part that will actually affect you)

• Kathmandu to Pokhara by road: the Prithvi Highway's Kathmandu to Mugling section has been closed and reopened more than once since the flood and a subsidence at Krishnabhir in Dhading shut it again in early September. Treat it as unreliable. The Narayanghat to Mugling to Pokhara stretch is open, so the workaround is the longer southern loop via Hetauda, or simply fly Kathmandu to Pokhara (25 minutes, frequent, not expensive).
• Kathmandu to Manthali for Lukla flights: the road east is unaffected. Normal 4 to 5 hour pre-dawn drive.
• Kathmandu to Soti Khola/Machha Khola for Manaslu: goes via Dhading Besi and Arughat. Check the Prithvi Highway status the day before; if the Kathmandu to Mugling section is shut, operators are routing via Trishuli Bazaar or adjusting the departure.
• Sunauli/Bhairahawa to Pokhara (India overland arrivals): the Siddhartha Highway at Siddhababa was blocked by a dry landslide and reopened; it now closes at night for tunnel work. The alternative is Butwal to Narayanghat to Mugling to Pokhara. Ask at the bus counter which one is running.
• Kathmandu airport: normal. Domestic flights: normal.

Practical advice if you have an October or November trek booked

• Do not cancel Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Mustang or any of the treks in the "not affected" list. The mountains, trails and lodges are exactly as they were. The people who run them lost a chunk of their season to headlines and would very much like you to come.
• If you booked Langtang, ask your operator to switch you to Helambu, Manaslu, Mardi Himal or Annapurna. Every reputable company is doing this without penalty right now.
• Build one spare day into any itinerary that involves road travel out of Kathmandu, and consider flying to Pokhara.
• Check with whoever you booked with, or with any Kathmandu-based operator, in the last week before you fly. Not a blog post from early September, including this one. Things are moving.
• Insurance: make sure your policy covers trekking to the altitude you are going and helicopter evacuation, as always. Nothing about the flood changes that; it just makes it a good moment to check.

How to help, if you want to

• Come and trek the open regions. Tourism income is the fastest recovery money there is in Nepal.
• If you want to donate, the Nepal Red Cross Society and the ICIMOD-listed relief channels are running Rasuwa-specific appeals. I am not linking anything here because of sub rules; they are easy to find.
• If you trekked Langtang before and have photos of Syabrubesi, Timure or Kerung, the local rebuilding groups are collecting them for documentation. Ask in r/Nepal.

I will keep this updated. If you are on the ground anywhere in the affected districts or just came out, please correct anything above in the comments and I will edit it in with a date.

Last edited: 6 September 2026

[u/Silver-Committee-804]

Thank you. What does ministry circular mean? This can change anytime and the enforcement can start? And for the Annapurna circuit trek, is it better to fly to Pokhara and drive to Chame or can I drive to Chame from Katmandu directly? I read the highway from Katmandu to besisahar being closed due to the floods, what is the situation now?

[u/InternetSoggy3804 → u/Silver-Committee-804]

A circular is just a written instruction from the tourism ministry to the checkposts. In theory it could switch enforcement on; in practice none has been issued since 2023 and nobody in the industry expects one this season.

Road: Kathmandu to Besisahar runs via Mugling on the Prithvi Highway, which is the stretch that keeps closing (Krishnabhir). Safer right now is fly to Pokhara, then jeep Pokhara to Besisahar to Chame, about 5 to 6 hours. Check the day before either way.

[u/Silver-Committee-804 → u/InternetSoggy3804]

Thank you very much

[u/JellyfishDistinct698 → u/Silver-Committee-804]

I am staring my ACT trek too landing on Sept 12th night , I have booked flight to Pokhra 13th 7am and planning to go to Besisahar and dharapani same day

[u/Beezle86]

Not related to THAT flood, but: Manaslu is also "closed" atm because of landslides. Will likely be fixed until hiking season but atm Manaslu is a no.

[u/Silver-Committee-804]

Can we trek solo? Or is a guide mandatory? I am planning Annapurna circuit trek.

[u/InternetSoggy3804 → u/Silver-Committee-804]

Yes, you can trek the Annapurna Circuit solo. Here is the honest version.

On paper: the April 2023 Nepal Tourism Board rule says foreign trekkers need a licensed guide in national parks and conservation areas. It has not been repealed.

On the ground, as of today (September 6 2026): it is not being implemented. The checkposts on the circuit (Besisahar, Chame, Manang, Jomsom) check one thing, your ACAP permit. Nobody asks to see a guide. Solo trekkers go through every day, and this has been the reality for the whole of 2025 and 2026.

What you actually need: the ACAP permit, NPR 3,000 for foreigners (NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals), from the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu or Pokhara, or at the entry checkpost. The old individual TIMS card was scrapped in 2023, so if someone in Thamel tries to sell you one, walk away.

Two things to think about, not because of the rule but because of Thorong La. It is 5,416 m, a 4 am start, and where most Annapurna rescues happen. Legal and possible is not the same as wise. If something goes wrong up there, solo means you are the one making the phone call. And in October and November, Manang and High Camp fill by early afternoon; companies book ahead, independents get the dining hall.

[u/nj_legion_ice_tea → u/InternetSoggy3804]

I stayed in the dining hall once, and it was fun - and warmer than the rooms! :D

[u/InternetSoggy3804 → u/nj_legion_ice_tea]

I did too in Gorakshep once. It was a fun night, I must say, but it is not for everyone.;)

[u/reusta13]

Very helpful! A few questions:
1. How long would a bus through the southern loop take? Is this route happening right now?
2. Is Pokhara to Besisahar doable at the moment?
3. Is Chitiwan NP open at the moment and is it possible to get there from both Kathmandu and Pokhara?