Nepal Flood August 2026: Travel Update for Tourists

Update Saturday September 12 2026

The Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir remains closed to normal traffic. Work is continuing on the temporary track above the damaged section, but authorities are uncertain whether it can provide a safe long-term solution. The government is also upgrading an alternative route on the opposite side of the Trishuli River between Benighat and Fisling. Traffic between Kathmandu and western Nepal continues to use alternative routes.

Access toward Langtang and Gosaikunda remains disrupted. Normal road access through the Rasuwa corridor toward Dhunche and Syabrubesi has not yet been restored, and road and bridge repairs continue in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.

On the Manaslu Circuit, a temporary trail and wooden bridge near Namrung have restored pedestrian access around the section damaged on September 6. However, because the crossing is temporary and official advice has changed rapidly, trekkers should confirm the latest local instructions before departure.

Pokhara and Chitwan themselves remain open and were not damaged by the August 26 flood. Road journeys from Kathmandu remain affected by the Krishnabhir closure, while flights continue to provide the simplest alternative for Pokhara.

Road and trekking conditions continue to change, so confirm your specific route before departure.

What happened

On the morning of August 26, 2026, a catastrophic flash flood swept down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors in northern Nepal, triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal–Tibet border. The flood hit Rasuwa district hardest and caused damage downstream through Nuwakot, Dhading and parts of Gorkha and Chitwan. It is a serious disaster, with significant loss of life and communities still cut off in the worst-affected areas, and our thoughts are with everyone affected.

If you are seeing international headlines saying “Nepal is flooded,” that is misleading. This event was concentrated in specific northern river corridors, not the whole country. Most of Nepal’s tourist areas are completely outside the affected zone and are operating normally.

Flying: unaffected everywhere in Nepal

Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is open, and every domestic route is flying on schedule: Pokhara, Bharatpur (for Chitwan), Bhairahawa (for Lumbini), Everest-region airstrips, Janakpur and Biratnagar included. The flood damaged roads and bridges, not airports. If your trip involves flying between cities, this disaster does not affect you.

Land travel: what’s actually affected

This is where the real disruption is, and it’s concentrated north of Kathmandu:

• Kathmandu–Dhading road (Chisapani, Chandragiri): reopened to one-way traffic on Sept 4 after a landslide was cleared. This isn’t a route most tourists use, included here for completeness.
• Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts: all highways in the two districts are blocked. The Trishuli–Mailung–Syafrubesi road is gone in multiple places, and 30–40+ bridges have been washed away.
• Rasuwagadhi border crossing to Tibet (Kerung): the road from Betrawati to Rasuwagadhi is destroyed and impassable. Overland trips to Tibet and Kailash Mansarovar via this route are on hold until the road is rebuilt, which will take months.
• Langtang, Gosaikunda, Tamang Heritage Trail, Helambu Circuit and Ruby Valley: conditions differ by route. Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda are reported safe for trekking, but normal access through Syabrubesi remains disrupted. Helambu remains open and can be used as an alternative approach to Gosaikunda. Ruby Valley is also reported safe, with alternative access via Dhadingbesi or Arughat. The Tamang Heritage Trail remains the most affected of these routes and should not currently be treated as operating normally. Always confirm the exact route and trailhead access before departure.
• Araniko Highway: sections near Bhotekoshi and Liping remain blocked.
• Prithvi Highway, Krishnabhir section (Dhading): still closed as of September 2, with no confirmed reopening date. A 70-metre stretch of the highway has collapsed into the Trishuli River and another 120 metres is severely cracked; the Department of Roads is still deciding whether to repair the existing road or build a new track on the opposite riverbank. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has said the government aims to reopen it “within this month” (September), but treat that as a political goal, not a confirmed engineering timeline. An alternative route via Hetauda is currently being used for Kathmandu–western Nepal traffic, but it adds significant time versus the direct route. This is the section you’d use for an overland trip to Pokhara or Chitwan from Kathmandu, so treat road travel on this route as unreliable right now.

Areas at risk, but not closed: downstream districts below the flooded corridor remain under alert even though they weren’t directly hit, conditions there can still change quickly. Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan are the districts to watch. (Source: ExplorersWeb, citing Kathmandu-based trekking agency Nepal Peak Adventure.)

Pokhara

Kathmandu to Pokhara

Pokhara itself is fully open, lakeside, paragliding, boating and hotels are all operating normally.

The problem is not Pokhara, it’s the road there. The Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway remains closed to public traffic, with no confirmed reopening date yet. A temporary construction track has been cut above the damaged section, but it is not open to normal traffic.

Alternative routes via Hetauda, Bhimphedi and Kulekhani are being used, but journey times can be considerably longer, particularly with heavy traffic. Regular Kathmandu–Pokhara tourist bus services remain disrupted.

Fly Kathmandu–Pokhara instead: flights are running normally and take about 25 minutes, although demand has increased, so booking ahead is advisable.

Book a flight: Buddha Air · Yeti Airlines · Shree Airlines

Which Nepalese Airline Should You Choose?

Chitwan

Chitwan National Park, the safaris and the lodges are all operating normally. As with Pokhara, the issue is getting there overland from Kathmandu: the same Krishnabhir closure sits on this route too. Fly Kathmandu–Bharatpur instead, this route is unaffected and running on schedule.

Book a flight: Buddha Air · Yeti Airlines · Shree Airlines

Which Nepalese Airline Should You Choose?

Kathmandu Valley

The flood did not reach the valley. Heritage sites, hotels and city tours are running as usual.

Everest region

An entirely separate drainage system, zero impact. EBC and Three Passes treks are unaffected, and this region is normally reached by flight anyway.

Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Base Camp

The trekking region itself is unaffected. But most Annapurna trekkers reach the trailhead overland, by road from Pokhara to Nayapul, Dhampus, Besisahar or similar starting points, and that means the same Krishnabhir closure that’s blocking road access to Pokhara also affects getting to Annapurna. This covers the treks people most often search for: Ghorepani Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), the Annapurna Circuit, and Mardi Himal. Fly Kathmandu–Pokhara and continue to your trailhead by road from there; that local road network around Pokhara is unaffected, it’s specifically the Krishnabhir section that’s closed. Separately, the ABC trail itself took some monsoon-related damage near the Ghurjung bridge on the Modi river in July, unrelated to the August flood; it was passable but disrupted at last report, so confirm current trail status with your guide.

Practical advice if you’re traveling in Nepal now

• If your route runs through Rasuwa, Nuwakot, or toward the Tibet border, postpone, there is no overland access right now.
• For Kathmandu–Pokhara or Kathmandu–Chitwan, fly. The Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway is closed, not just delayed, and the government’s own timeline (“within this month”) isn’t confirmed by the technical teams yet. Don’t book overland transport on this route until it’s confirmed reopened. Flights on both routes are running normally.
• Confirm your specific route with your guide or hotel the day before you travel, conditions are changing daily as repair crews work on flood damage in the north and engineers assess options at Krishnabhir.

This is monsoon season, so some landslide-related delays are normal for Nepal in any year, independent of this flood. As the monsoon eases through September, road access should keep improving outside the worst-hit northern districts and the Krishnabhir closure.

FAQ

Are flights to Nepal and within Nepal affected by the flood?

No. Tribhuvan International Airport is open and operating normally, and domestic flights are operating. The flood damage has mainly affected roads, bridges and trekking access rather than airports.

Which roads are closed because of the August 2026 flood?

Several important routes remain disrupted. The Trishuli–Mailung–Syafrubesi corridor and other roads in Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been badly affected, disrupting normal access to Langtang, Gosaikunda and the Tibet border at Rasuwagadhi/Kerung. The Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir also remains closed to public traffic. A temporary construction track has been cut above the damaged section, but it is not yet open to normal traffic.

Which trekking areas are currently affected?

Conditions differ by region. Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda themselves are reported safe, but their normal road access through Dhunche and Syabrubesi remains disrupted. Alternative trekking access via Sundarijal, Helambu and Gosaikunda is possible. Ruby Valley is also reported safe, but normal access through Dhunche and Syabrubesi is affected and alternative approaches via Dhadingbesi or Arughat are recommended.

The Tamang Heritage Trail should not currently be treated as operating normally because of the disruption around Syabrubesi.

The Manaslu trekking route has reopened following the September 6 flooding near Namrung. An alternative trail and temporary wooden bridge have restored pedestrian access, and trekkers can again continue towards Samagaon and Larkya Pass.

Always confirm your exact trek and trailhead access before departure.

Can I still travel to Pokhara, Chitwan, Everest and Annapurna?

Yes. Pokhara, Chitwan, Everest and the Annapurna trekking region are open. The main problem for Pokhara and Annapurna is getting there from Kathmandu by road because the Prithvi Highway remains closed at Krishnabhir. Flying Kathmandu–Pokhara is currently the most reliable option. Everest is unaffected and is normally reached by flight.

Is Kathmandu Valley safe to visit right now?

Yes. The August 26 flood did not reach Kathmandu Valley. Heritage sites, hotels and city tours are operating normally.

Domestic carriers flying Kathmandu–Pokhara and Kathmandu–Bharatpur (Chitwan):

• Buddha Air: https://www.buddhaair.com/
• Yeti Airlines: https://www.yetiairlines.com/
• Shree Airlines: https://www.shreeairlines.com/

Which Nepalese Airline Should You Choose?

Photo Village near Pokhara, with Mount Fishtail in the background, by Martin Skřivánek on Unsplash

Sources:

U.S. Embassy Nepal travel alerts: https://np.usembassy.gov/natural-disaster-alert-continued-flood-and-landslide-risk/

Nepal Department of Roads (official site): https://www.dor.gov.np/

Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs — flash flood updates: https://mofa.gov.np/category/flashflood/

Donate to the Government of Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/ — over NPR 11 billion (US$ 73) has been collected so far (as of Sept 5, 2026).