Prithvi Highway: Kathmandu–Pokhara road open again after a repair closure at Galaundi

Correction and update — 22 October 2026

On 16 October we said the Galaundi section of the Prithvi Highway in Dhading was being closed every night from 11pm to 5am. That was wrong. The Dhading administration’s notice, as reported by OnlineKhabar and Kantipur on 12 October, covered a single night: from 11pm on Monday 12 October to 5am on Tuesday 13 October, for repairs where the Trishuli river had eaten into the road. We have found no later closure notice, and the road is open as far as reports show. The administration warned that the section remains risky and that more repair work is needed, so further short closures are possible at little notice. Travel by day where you can, and keep a Kathmandu–Pokhara flight as a back-up. (OnlineKhabar and Kantipur, 12 October)

Update — 16 October 2026: the road is open, with an overnight closure at Galaundi (corrected 22 October, see above)

The Kathmandu–Pokhara Prithvi Highway is open, but it remains fragile. After a 20-metre section sank at Galaundi, Gajuri (Dhading) on 10 October, two-way traffic resumed on 11 October. From 12 October the Dhading administration is closing the Galaundi section every night from 11pm to 5am for repairs. Earlier, landslides at Chambas closed the road for five days in late September (OnlineKhabar, 11 and 12 October; Kantipur, 30 September). Plan daytime road journeys, allow extra time, and keep a Kathmandu–Pokhara flight as a back-up.

Our 25 September update below, which reported the road closed indefinitely, is kept as published; the road has since reopened. We have not found a current report on the Narayanghat–Muglin road, so treat the 25 September line on it as dated.

Update — 25 September 2026: the highway closed again (since reopened — see above)

The Prithvi Highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara is closed again. Continuous rain from the afternoon of Thursday 24 September brought down landslides at seven places in Dhading district: Krishnabhir, Parewabhir, Jamireghat, Jahare, Jabang Khola, Tigrang Khola and Kamerebhir. “The road is completely blocked in both directions at Krishnabhir and Tigrang Khola,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Prakash Dahal, information officer at the Dhading District Police Office, was quoted by Onlinekhabar on 25 September.

The local administration had planned to reopen the road at 5am on Friday 25 September, but abandoned the plan. “Despite efforts to clear the landslide debris, continuous rainfall has created further problems,” Superintendent of Police Sumit Khadka told Khabarhub, adding that the highway “has now been closed indefinitely”. Khabarhub reports that the two other main roads into Kathmandu, the Kanti Lokpath and the BP Highway, were also blocked on 25 September. No reopening time has been given.

This is the second closure in a month. The road reopened on 17 September after 18 days shut (see the update below), and Onlinekhabar reported two-way traffic running again as late as 24 September after debris was cleared at Krishnabhir and Jyamire. Our 17 September update and the original report of 6 September follow unchanged.

What to do: if you have a road transfer between Kathmandu and Pokhara in the next few days, ask your operator now whether it can fly you instead, and book the flight early. When the road closed in late August, Pokhara–Kathmandu flights filled quickly (see the original report below). Confirm road conditions on the morning you travel, and avoid travelling on this road in heavy rain even after it reopens. For the wider picture on the Kailash route and the Rasuwa roads, see our Nepal floods report, and for trip planning see Nepal.

Later on 25 September: Dhading police said the fresh landslide at Krishnabhir struck the temporary diversion built after the 30 August collapse, so the planned 5am reopening did not happen, Republica reported. The Kathmandu Post reported that traffic at the five other slide points is restricted to one lane. Nepal Police headquarters has also barred vehicles from the Prithvi Highway between 8pm and 5am from Thursday 24 September, citing heavy rain forecast for 25–27 September. In Chitwan, the Prithvi Highway and the Narayanghat–Muglin road are closed until further notice, Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal told the Kathmandu Post, so the route via Mugling is not an alternative for now. We have found no report of a reopening.

Update — 17 September 2026: the road reopened (since closed again — see above)

The Prithvi Highway reopened to two-way traffic at Krishnabhir at 6am on Thursday 17 September. The Dhading District Administration Office announced the reopening, as reported by Republica. The Kathmandu Post reports that a new 270-metre gravelled track has been built above the section the landslide destroyed. Sajana Adhikari, chief of the Malekhu–Mugling Road Project, said gravel-laying was completed on Wednesday evening. All types of vehicles are now allowed. Stranded gas tankers and trucks had been using the track on a trial basis since Sunday 13 September.

The road is open, but it has not fully recovered. The Kathmandu Post reports that several sections between Nagdhunga and Mugling are still narrowed to one lane by flood damage and landslides. The district administration warns that parts of the highway remain vulnerable to collapses, landslides and falling rocks, and has asked travellers not to take risks in rain. Republica dates the collapse at Krishnabhir to the Bhotekoshi floods of 26 and 30 August, so the road was closed for 18 days.

A correction to our original report. On 6 September we wrote that a 252-metre temporary track had opened, “reconnecting the highway”. That track did not reopen the road to general traffic, which remained closed until 17 September. We have not yet seen a report confirming that Pokhara’s tourist buses are back on their full Kathmandu schedule, or that the pressure on Pokhara–Kathmandu flights has eased. If you have a transfer booked, confirm with your operator whether it is running by road again.

The rest of this article is our report of 6 September, kept as it was published. The detours and the “about a week” estimate it describes no longer apply.

What happened (report of 6 September)

Floods in the Bhotekoshi river on 26 August triggered erosion along the Trishuli, which took out a section of the Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir in Dhading. The Prithvi Highway is the main road between Kathmandu and Pokhara and the spine of Nepal’s tourist circuit, and its loss has rearranged how people move between the two cities.

About 150 tourist buses working the Pokhara–Kathmandu route have been left idle, the Kathmandu Post reported on 6 September. The tourist bus park at Mustang Chowk in Pokhara, normally busy from early morning to late at night, is largely deserted. Buddhi Sagar Paudel of the Prithvi Highway Bus Operators’ Company said 24 buses used to leave for Kathmandu in the morning and eight at night, with a further 14 from Prithvi Chowk, eight from Lamachaur and two each from Hemja and Zero Kilometre. Only tourist buses to Chitwan and Lumbini are still running.

Everyone is flying instead

Air traffic on the short Pokhara–Kathmandu hop has nearly tripled. Jashoda Subedi, spokesperson for Pokhara International Airport, said 1,300 passengers travelled between the two cities on 25 August. On Friday more than 3,500 did, across 28 Buddha Air flights, 18 Yeti Airlines flights and four operated by Shree Airlines. For scale, the route’s all-time peaks — Dashain, New Year — run to about 4,400 a day.

"Passenger loads had fallen after the Prithvi Highway improved, so airlines would merge flights or operate with relatively few passengers," Subedi said. "Now occupancy has risen sharply. Flights are packed, and tickets are difficult to get." If your itinerary assumes you can buy a Pokhara–Kathmandu seat on the day, that assumption is currently wrong.

What the road looks like now

Seven days after the washout, a 252-metre temporary track was opened at Krishnabhir, reconnecting the highway. Bijaya Jaisi, director general of the Department of Roads, said substantial work remained before normal traffic could resume — about a week. The track was cut by the Nepal Geo-Technical Society into the hillside rather than along the river, to reduce the risk of further flood damage.

Under the temporary arrangements, large passenger buses and freight entering Kathmandu must use the Tribhuvan Highway, while vehicles heading towards Hetauda take the Kanti Lokpath. Vehicles carrying fewer than 14 passengers can enter the Kathmandu Valley through Bhimphedi, Kulekhani, Sisneri and Dakshinkali, returning via Pharping, Phakhel, Kulekhani and Bhimphedi. The tourism industry is looking at its own workaround because large vehicles cannot use the Tribhuvan Highway between Hetauda and Naubise.

The Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Gandaki chapter inspected one such route on Saturday: cross the suspension bridge from Krishnabhir to Jamire on foot, take a jeep about 11 kilometres to Benighat, and transfer to buses coming out from Kathmandu. "A diversion track is currently being built at Krishnabhir, and we have been told it will be operational within a week," said Sangeeta Paudel, chair of NATTA Gandaki. "But it is unclear how long it will withstand traffic once it opens."

What it means if you are going

This lands as Nepal’s autumn trekking season begins, and the disruption has already hit close to 1,000 tourism businesses and workers. If you have a Kathmandu–Pokhara transfer booked as a road journey, ask your operator now whether it is flying you instead and who is paying for it. If you are booking independently, book the flight early rather than at the airport. Treat any "one week" estimate as an estimate — the people giving it are saying openly that they do not know how the new track will hold.

Sources

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

• Prithvi Highway collapse leaves Pokhara’s tourist buses idle as air traffic soars — The Kathmandu Post, 06 September 2026
• Kathmandu supply lines rerouted after floods block main highway — The Kathmandu Post, 06 September 2026
• Prithvi Highway blockage ends Thursday as Krishnabhir link restored — The Kathmandu Post, 17 September 2026
• Krishnabhir Road reopens, two-way traffic operating from 6 am — Republica, 17 September 2026
• Prithvi Highway resumes two-way operation — Onlinekhabar, 24 September 2026
• Landslides disrupt Prithvi Highway at 7 locations in Dhading — Onlinekhabar, 25 September 2026
• Landslides halt traffic on all major highways to Kathmandu — Khabarhub, 25 September 2026
• Landslides at Krishnabhir obstruct BP Highway — Republica, 25 September 2026
• Night-time vehicle movement restricted on major highways amid heavy rain forecast — Republica, 24 September 2026
• Major highways hit by landslides as heavy rain persists — The Kathmandu Post, 25 September 2026
• Two-way traffic resumes on Prithvi Highway at Galaundi in Dhading — OnlineKhabar, 11 October 2026
• Galaundi section of Prithvi Highway to be closed for six hours at night for repairs — OnlineKhabar, 12 October 2026
• Damaged highways disrupt Dashain travel, airlines prepare late-night flights — The Kathmandu Post, 10 October 2026
• Another landslide at Dhading’s Chambas, Prithvi Highway blocked — Kantipur, 30 September 2026
• Traffic ban on Galaundi section of Prithvi Highway on Monday night — Kantipur, 12 October 2026