On August 26, 2026 a flash flood tore through Nepal's Rasuwa district, one of the most serious natural disasters the region has faced in years. In the weeks since, headlines have made it easy to assume the whole country is affected, so we spoke to someone with decades on the ground there to get a clearer picture.
Dharma Adventures is a niche Destination Management Company, offering personalised services since 1991 to clients looking for experiences in Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. The company is highly respected and connected in these areas. We spoke with Pawan Tuladhar, Founder and Owner of Dharma Adventures, about what's actually happening on the ground after the recent floods, and what it means for travellers with a trip to Nepal on the horizon.
Dharma Adventures is a niche Destination Management Company, offering personalised services since 1991 to clients looking for experiences in Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. The company is highly respected and connected in these areas. We spoke with Pawan Tuladhar, Founder and Owner of Dharma Adventures, about what's actually happening on the ground after the recent floods, and what it means for travellers with a trip to Nepal on the horizon.
Pawan Tuldahar, Founder of Dharma Adventures
Can you give us a general overview of what happened, and whether tourism is continuing?
"The flood hit at a particularly cruel moment: late August is peak season for people crossing the Nepal-Tibet border at Rasuwagadhi, and on the morning of the flood, crowds from Rasuwa district were already waiting at the checkpoint for it to open when the water came through. In the first few days, the scale was hard to grasp - communications to remote settlements were down, and it took time just to establish who was missing, including a number of foreign tourists who were in the area. In short: yes, tourism continues. This was a serious, localised disaster, not a nationwide shutdown".
Which areas are affected? Is it a large part of the country?
"No, this was a geographically concentrated disaster along one river corridor (the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli) and not something that touched the country as a whole".
"The flood hit at a particularly cruel moment: late August is peak season for people crossing the Nepal-Tibet border at Rasuwagadhi, and on the morning of the flood, crowds from Rasuwa district were already waiting at the checkpoint for it to open when the water came through. In the first few days, the scale was hard to grasp - communications to remote settlements were down, and it took time just to establish who was missing, including a number of foreign tourists who were in the area. In short: yes, tourism continues. This was a serious, localised disaster, not a nationwide shutdown".
Which areas are affected? Is it a large part of the country?
"No, this was a geographically concentrated disaster along one river corridor (the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli) and not something that touched the country as a whole".
What's actually closed:
"The road connecting Kathmandu to the Tibet border route via Betrawati, Syabrubesi, and Timure was badly damaged in the flood and remains closed. Langtang and Gosaikunda fall along this corridor and should be avoided for now too - not because the trails themselves were damaged (they sit in a different river drainage), but because the road access to the trailhead runs through the same affected stretch. Officials have advised against travel to this corridor while it's being rebuilt".
What's running normally:
"The rest of the country: Kathmandu, Pokhara, and the major trekking regions like Everest, Annapurna, and Manaslu saw no direct flood damage. The airports in Kathmandu and Pokhara are operating without disruption. Chitwan, further downstream, was somewhat affected but not devastated. There's no reason for a traveller with an itinerary outside the affected districts to reconsider their trip".
Border/crossing status:
"The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border is closed for now, with repair work underway on both the Nepal and Tibet sides. It'll take time to rebuild, but it's a single, defined stretch - not a reflection of conditions anywhere else in the country".
"The road connecting Kathmandu to the Tibet border route via Betrawati, Syabrubesi, and Timure was badly damaged in the flood and remains closed. Langtang and Gosaikunda fall along this corridor and should be avoided for now too - not because the trails themselves were damaged (they sit in a different river drainage), but because the road access to the trailhead runs through the same affected stretch. Officials have advised against travel to this corridor while it's being rebuilt".
What's running normally:
"The rest of the country: Kathmandu, Pokhara, and the major trekking regions like Everest, Annapurna, and Manaslu saw no direct flood damage. The airports in Kathmandu and Pokhara are operating without disruption. Chitwan, further downstream, was somewhat affected but not devastated. There's no reason for a traveller with an itinerary outside the affected districts to reconsider their trip".
Border/crossing status:
"The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border is closed for now, with repair work underway on both the Nepal and Tibet sides. It'll take time to rebuild, but it's a single, defined stretch - not a reflection of conditions anywhere else in the country".
Is tourism still going on?
"Nepal's own trekking season naturally quiets down during monsoon season, because some flooding generally occurs during these months. The border crossing to Tibet runs on a different calendar: late August is actually peak season for people heading through the Rasuwa area, which is why the flood hit at such a painful moment. October brings the start of high season for Nepal's main trekking routes, and bookings there are moving as normal. A handful of clients were alarmed, but most travellers coming to Nepal are experienced and well-travelled. They tend to check which specific areas are affected rather than canceling outright".
Is it safe to send tourists? Is everything operating normally?
"The disaster was caused by a glacier and rock collapse high in the mountains. It's the kind of event operators are watching more closely now, simply because glacial instability is becoming more frequent across the Himalaya, but it's not treated as a sign that the region generally is newly dangerous. It was an unprecedented event in this specific location, and operators are treating it with more caution than before, without reading it as reason for concern".
"Nepal's own trekking season naturally quiets down during monsoon season, because some flooding generally occurs during these months. The border crossing to Tibet runs on a different calendar: late August is actually peak season for people heading through the Rasuwa area, which is why the flood hit at such a painful moment. October brings the start of high season for Nepal's main trekking routes, and bookings there are moving as normal. A handful of clients were alarmed, but most travellers coming to Nepal are experienced and well-travelled. They tend to check which specific areas are affected rather than canceling outright".
Is it safe to send tourists? Is everything operating normally?
"The disaster was caused by a glacier and rock collapse high in the mountains. It's the kind of event operators are watching more closely now, simply because glacial instability is becoming more frequent across the Himalaya, but it's not treated as a sign that the region generally is newly dangerous. It was an unprecedented event in this specific location, and operators are treating it with more caution than before, without reading it as reason for concern".
What's the way forward? How long until the region recovers?
"Tourism is continuing as normal across nearly all of the country. The harder recovery is rebuilding infrastructure and processing the scale of loss and trauma in the affected communities. This will likely take several months, possibly longer for the hardest-hit villages".
"Tourism is continuing as normal across nearly all of the country. The harder recovery is rebuilding infrastructure and processing the scale of loss and trauma in the affected communities. This will likely take several months, possibly longer for the hardest-hit villages".
What's the best way to support the country right now?
"Simply, keep traveling here. Tourism is the industry that supports the most families in Nepal, and nothing about it has been compromised - the government and local communities want to welcome visitors and even rely on it more than before.
There's also a broader layer to this: Nepal has almost nothing to do with what's driving global warming, but it's one of the places feeling the consequences most directly - that's part of why continued travel and continued support matter here specifically. Rebuilding the physical structures will take time. For the families and communities who lost someone, there's no such timeline for that. The only thing left is to show up for each other and offer support in every way possible - whether that's continuing to travel to Nepal, staying informed, or donating. Every bit of help matters".
Organisations doing relief work on the ground, for readers who want to help directly:
· Himalayan Hands - a small Nepal/Tibet-focused nonprofit, operating since 2014, responding to natural disasters alongside its ongoing education and water projects
· Dharma Karma Society (Dharma Adventures' own CSR arm) - contact via info@dharmadmc.com
· Prime Minister's Relief Fund - official government channel
"Simply, keep traveling here. Tourism is the industry that supports the most families in Nepal, and nothing about it has been compromised - the government and local communities want to welcome visitors and even rely on it more than before.
There's also a broader layer to this: Nepal has almost nothing to do with what's driving global warming, but it's one of the places feeling the consequences most directly - that's part of why continued travel and continued support matter here specifically. Rebuilding the physical structures will take time. For the families and communities who lost someone, there's no such timeline for that. The only thing left is to show up for each other and offer support in every way possible - whether that's continuing to travel to Nepal, staying informed, or donating. Every bit of help matters".
Organisations doing relief work on the ground, for readers who want to help directly:
· Himalayan Hands - a small Nepal/Tibet-focused nonprofit, operating since 2014, responding to natural disasters alongside its ongoing education and water projects
· Dharma Karma Society (Dharma Adventures' own CSR arm) - contact via info@dharmadmc.com
· Prime Minister's Relief Fund - official government channel
Laura Hoffmann
