BACK AGAIN: Change of plans in Kathmandu

OCTOBER 11, 2026

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KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Oh my god, we’re back again.

The streets are a symphony of honking horns and revving engines in concert with shouts of shopkeepers and tourists alike. I am enveloped by the aroma of spices and freshly burned incense intermixed with the odor of kicked up dust, concrete, and the lingering exhaust fumes.

It’s the heart of Kathmandu’s Thamel District just as I remember it, only instead of feeling overwhelmed by the collective chaos of the busy city, the streets now feel familiar. I recognize the bridges, streets, shopfronts, and, most importantly, several friendly faces.

It feels like we never left, and just like old times, we already have a change of plans.

We were somewhere over Croatia when we heard news of a flash flood along the Budhi Gandaki River that had destroyed bridges and buildings along the very route we were scheduled to drive Tuesday to reach the Manaslu Circuit Trek trailhead. The damage left villagers and trekkers alike stranded. At the time, there were no reported fatalities, but five locals were still missing.

Just moments after hearing this news, we received word from our trekking team: Plan B is already in motion.

It’s still in the process of being finalized, but it involves a helicopter flight putting the entire team up in the mountains beyond the affected areas. After more than 60 calls to folks across the entire circuit, the trail from the village of Deng and beyond appears to be in good condition based on their firsthand feedback.

With all the cancellations of treks in the past few months, being able to continue is welcome news not just to trekkers, but also to the guides, porters, and guesthouse owners.

Two of our guides, whom we now consider great friends, tragically lost several family members in the devastating flash flood near the Nepal-Tibet border in late August. As the news spread, clients began rescheduling or canceling their plans in the aftermath.

Seeing them again is worth the journey in itself. As we always do while in Nepal, we will remain flexible and adhere to their guidance.

Our entire team met tonight to regroup and make sure we are all on the same page moving forward.

We’re all in.

With our renewed commitment, our conversations quickly spiraled into reminiscing on old times: the delays at the Ramechhap Airport, the shared sicknesses, and our combined dedication to keep going despite our many obstacles during our 2024 Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek.

That dedication remains for this new challenge, despite one of our guides confirming the highest accommodation along the circuit will be even more basic than EBC’s Gorakshep. We’ll have to see if he is just kidding.

Probably not.