Nepal floods: Kailash route via Rasuwagadhi closed, Kathmandu and Pokhara open

Update — 16 October 2026: the Kathmandu–Pokhara road is open again

The Kathmandu–Pokhara Prithvi Highway is open again, with the Galaundi section in Dhading closed every night from 11pm to 5am for repairs (Dhading administration, 12 October). The Rasuwagadhi–Kerung crossing had still not reopened as of late September, and we have found no confirmation that the Galchhi–Syaphrubesi road reopened by Dashain (Kantipur, 26 September).

Our 25 September update below, which reported the Prithvi Highway closed again, is kept as published; the road has since reopened.

Correction, 22 October: the Galaundi closure was for one night, from 11pm on 12 October to 5am on 13 October, not every night as stated above (OnlineKhabar, 12 October).

Update — 25 September 2026: a mid-October target for the Rasuwa road, and the Prithvi Highway is shut again

The Rasuwagadhi–Kerung crossing to Tibet remains closed. Nepal’s Department of Roads is working to reopen the Galchhi–Syaphrubesi road — the road into Rasuwa and the Langtang region — by Dashain in mid-October, its Director General, Dr Bijay Jaisi, told Radio Nepal and Khabarhub on 22 September. The Nepal Army is to install a 72-metre Bailey bridge at Betrawati. Beyond Syaphrubesi, Radio Nepal reports, the flood “completely damaged” about 15 kilometres of road towards Rasuwagadhi, so the border crossing itself has no reopening date.

Separately, the Prithvi Highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara — which reopened on 17 September — was closed again on 25 September by landslides at seven places in Dhading, with no reopening time. See our Prithvi Highway report for details. Our 17 September update and the original report of 1 September follow unchanged.

Nepal’s Home Ministry has urged people to avoid all but essential travel during heavy rain forecast for 25–27 September, and the Department of Tourism has asked mountaineers, trekkers and support staff to take caution and plan journeys around forecasts, ANI reported on 23 September; the ministry singled out the area around Pokhara. The Narayanghat–Muglin road, the other main road between the hills and the plains, was also closed until further notice on 25 September. If you have a trek or an overland transfer in Nepal this weekend, check with your operator before setting out.

Update — 17 September 2026: the crossing is still shut, and the season is closing

Three weeks after the flood, the Rasuwagadhi route to Tibet has not reopened. The Kathmandu Post reported on 13 September that about 40 kilometres of the Galchhi–Rasuwagadhi road were destroyed. The Department of Roads is cutting a new track above the washed-out section, and officials aim to have a temporary route to the Chinese border before Dashain. No reopening date has been given. China’s National Immigration Administration has not announced the resumption of Shigatse electronic border permits: its notices page still shows the 28 August suspension as the latest notice on the subject.

Cross-border movement has shifted to other crossings. Nepal’s Department of Immigration, as reported by IANS on 15 September, recorded 3,904 people entering Nepal through Tatopani between 26 August and 14 September and 391 leaving for China, with 387 entering and 178 leaving through Hilsa. The department said many of them were pilgrims and visitors returning from Tibet. We have found no operator or official statement that Kailash departures via Nepal have formally resumed.

The timing matters for anyone still holding a booking. The Kailash Mansarovar season via Nepal typically runs from mid-May to September, as the Kathmandu Post noted when this year’s quota was set. A trip that could not leave in late August or early September is unlikely to be rescheduled this season. Ask your operator about a refund or a 2027 transfer rather than waiting for a reopening date.

Nepal’s main leisure destinations are still open. One thing has changed since we first published: the Prithvi Highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara was cut at Krishnabhir from 30 August, and reopened to two-way traffic on 17 September. The human toll of the flood is far higher than the figure below. Nepal’s disaster authority put it at 1,395 dead and 5,130 missing by the evening of 14 September, according to IANS. The report below is our 1 September account, unchanged.

Added later on 17 September — Indian nationals. The latest official figures from the Ministry of External Affairs come from its spokesperson’s briefing of 8 September. He said 275 Indian nationals were missing in the disaster, a figure that includes 49 people who went missing on the Chinese side, and that 169 Indian nationals had been rescued so far. We checked the MEA transcript directly. The MEA’s next briefing, on 15 September, gave no further update. These figures replace the 158 rescued that we reported on 1 September.

Added later on 17 September — trekking. The Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) said on 11 September that the Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Rolwaling, Dhaulagiri, Dolpo, Rara, Jumla, Humla and far-western trekking areas were unaffected by the flooding, as reported by The Tourism Times. It said Langtang, the Kyanjin valley and Gosaikunda are safe, but the direct road via Betrawati, Dhunche and Syabrubesi remains closed. Until it reopens, TAAN suggests reaching Langtang on foot from Kathmandu via Sundarijal/Helambu, Thadepati, Ghopte and Gosaikunda. On the Manaslu circuit, locals built an alternative trail and a wooden bridge at Therang Khola in Namrung after the Suksam bridge was swept away, and trekkers heading to Samagaon and the Larkya Pass can continue (The Tourism Times, 9 September). Both are reports of a trade association’s statement; confirm your route with your trekking agency before you go.

What happened (report of 1 September)

A flash flood on 26 August 2026 along the Trishuli river in Nepal’s Rasuwa district destroyed the Rasuwagadhi–Kerung border crossing, the main road transit point between Nepal and Tibet. ThePrint reported on 31 August that authorities had put the death toll at 939, with about 4,000 people missing and more than 10,000 rescued.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 158 Indian nationals had been rescued as of 2100 hrs on 31 August 2026. A 19-member Indian forensics team is working in Kathmandu and an Indian tunnel-rescue team is coordinating with the Nepali Army at the Chilime and Langtang hydropower sites.

The Kailash Mansarovar route

TTG Asia reported on 1 September that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nepal has been significantly affected and departures are paused. China’s National Immigration Administration formally suspended the issuance of electronic border permits for Shigatse City, which covers the Gyirong (Kerung) port, on 28 August. Indian operators quoted in the report describe cancellations for the remainder of the season; no reopening date has been given.

What is open, and what to do

The damage is concentrated in the Rasuwa corridor north of Kathmandu. TTG Asia lists Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Muktinath, Pashupatinath and Janakpur as open and operating. Langtang trekking, which uses the same valley road towards Syaphrubesi, should be treated as closed until local authorities say otherwise.

If you are holding a Kailash booking for September or October, contact your operator about the alternative routes and refunds; if you are travelling to the Kathmandu valley, Pokhara or the Terai, your trip can go ahead. Indian nationals in Nepal who need help should use the Embassy of India, Kathmandu emergency helplines published on the embassy website. This is a developing situation and figures are as reported on the dates cited.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Nepal floods: 158 Indians rescued, India steps up relief and rescue efforts — ThePrint, 31 August 2026
• Nepal floods disrupt pilgrimage; key hubs open — TTG Asia, 01 September 2026
• Embassy of India, Kathmandu — flood emergency helplines — Embassy of India, Kathmandu
• Flood damage leaves Rasuwagadhi road facing long repairs — The Kathmandu Post, 13 September 2026
• Rasuwa devastation pushes Kailash pilgrims to alternative Nepal-China routes — IANS, 15 September 2026
• Announcements — National Immigration Administration (latest Shigatse notice: suspension, 28 August 2026) — National Immigration Administration, China
• China caps Indian pilgrims to Kailash via Nepal at 24,000 — The Kathmandu Post, 28 May 2026
• Prithvi Highway blockage ends Thursday as Krishnabhir link restored — The Kathmandu Post, 17 September 2026
• Transcript of Bi-Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (September 08, 2026) — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 08 September 2026
• Most trekking destinations safe, but access routes still disrupted: TAAN — The Tourism Times, 11 September 2026
• Manaslu trek reopens with alternative trail, bridge at Therang Khola — The Tourism Times, 09 September 2026
• Roads to be restored within mid-October (Galchhi–Syaphrubesi) — Radio Nepal, 22 September 2026
• Flood-damaged Galchhi–Syafrubesi road to reopen by Dashain — Khabarhub, 22 September 2026
• Landslides halt traffic on all major highways to Kathmandu — Khabarhub, 25 September 2026
• Nepal activates emergency response following warning of weekend downpour, issues travel advisory — ANI, 23 September 2026
• Major highways hit by landslides as heavy rain persists — The Kathmandu Post, 25 September 2026
• Galaundi section of Prithvi Highway to be closed for six hours at night for repairs — OnlineKhabar, 12 October 2026
• Government searches for a route to Rasuwagadhi, locals seek a safe place — Kantipur, 26 September 2026