After the Flash Floods: Nepal Is Open and Your Trip Matters

 If you have been following the news, you will have seen the images. A glacier collapsing near the Nepal-Tibet border. Floodwaters tearing through valleys. And you may be wondering: should I still go to Nepal?

Yes, and here is why.

What happened, and where

On August 26, 2026, a massive glacier collapsed near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending ice, rock and meltwater through the Bhote Koshi valley. More than 1,300 people lost their lives. Over 4,200 are still missing, according to the Nepal National Disaster Management Authority.

The affected area is a specific northern corridor. The Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the regions most travellers visit — Annapurna, Everest, Pokhara and Chitwan — are entirely outside the disaster zone zone and open as usual.

Adventure travel has always come with surprises and risks. That is part of what makes it an adventure. Climate risks are part of that reality too — in Nepal, as anywhere else in the world. We are aware of that. And we will always be upfront about it, whether you ask or not.

This was not a random event. The Himalayas are warming at nearly twice the global average. Climate change is no longer something that happens far from home. We see it in the extreme droughts and wildfires across Europe, the hurricanes in the Caribbean and the US, the intense monsoons and floods across Asia.

In October 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stood in the Everest region and said: “The rooftops of the world are caving in. Stop the madness.” Barely three years later, his words feel less like a warning and more like a verdict. That is the world your travels take place in. And it is also why your choice whether to come or not , matters more than ever.

Nepal deserves your support

Staying away has a price too. One that is less visible, but just as real.

Tourism accounts for 7 to 8% of Nepal’s national income and supports more than one million jobs. Mountain guides, porters, teahouse families, drivers. When travellers stay away from areas that were never affected, the economic damage spreads far beyond the flood zone. Some are already calling it Nepal’s next potential disaster (Kathmandu Post, September 8, 2026).

Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel said it clearly: “Your coming to Nepal this time does not mean only a holiday. It’s a big support to the country fighting this catastrophic tragedy.”

And Nepal is a country that deserves that support. Forest cover has grown from 26 to 46% in three decades,  one of the world’s most remarkable conservation stories according to the World Bank. In 2025, 73% of all new cars sold were electric. Only Norway scores higher. A country doing so much right, that lost 10% of its clean energy infrastructure in a single day through no fault of its own.

So, should you still go to Nepal?

Yes. And here is why it matters that you do.

Travel can build bridges. Between people and places. Between who you are when you leave and who you are when you come back.

“When people come to Nepal, something happens to them,” says Govinda, our co-founder. “I see it all the time. They arrive with their plans and their schedules, and then the mountains change them. Not because of something we do. But because of what Nepal is.”

In Nepal, climate change is not a concept. It is the landscape you walk through. And that changes you in ways that no documentary ever could.

At By Mountain People, we follow the science and choose our destinations and timing carefully. Our group treks run during the safest seasons: spring (mid-February to May) and autumn (October to November). For tailor-made trips, we talk it through together. And we give you the best possible advice.

That means going with an operator who knows the terrain, pays fair wages and keeps their groups small. And when you get home, let Nepal stay with you.

We would love to be that operator for you.

A final thought

Let’s be real. There is no such thing as impact-free travel. A long-haul flight to Nepal has a carbon footprint, and we will not pretend otherwise. But staying home is not the answer either. The people of Nepal need travellers like you to come. So, the question is not whether to go.  The question is how.

It all starts with awareness. Seeing where you are,, who lives there, and what is at stake. Nepal makes that impossible to ignore. And what you see there, you carry home. In the choices you make, the stories you tell and the things you start to care about.

Nepal is still here. It’s still breathtaking. And still waiting.

And it needs conscious travellers like you now more than ever.

Thinking about visiting Nepal?  View our small-scale group trips or plan your own tailor-made trip. We are happy to discuss the options together.

Valerie
By Mountain People