Heavy monsoon rain has washed out parts of Nepal's Manaslu region, knocking out a key section of the Manaslu Circuit at the very start of the autumn trekking season. Early Sunday, the Therang Khola river burst its banks in the Namrung forest area, sweeping away four houses and both suspension bridges trekkers rely on to cross between valleys. Local authorities have now closed the district to trekkers and are asking anyone heading towards Manaslu or the 5,106m Larke Pass — the circuit's high point — to postpone their trips.
It's a serious blow for a route that rivals the Annapurna Circuit in popularity, especially since October and November are usually peak season. Workers are racing to reopen an old trail that could reconnect the Nubri Valley, but there's no timeline yet. Climbing teams bound for Manaslu Base Camp are sidestepping the problem by flying in by helicopter, hopping as far as the village of Samagaon and acclimatising on nearby peaks before walking up to Base Camp.
The flooding is part of a wider weather picture. Rains are forecast to continue all week, with alerts along most Nepali riverbeds — including the Bagmati, which runs through Kathmandu and is currently above alert level, with some parts of the city already flooded. Unlike the earlier disaster near Langtang, this is plain rain-driven flooding, not a glacial lake outburst.
That earlier catastrophe still looms over the region. Two weeks ago, a GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) tore through Rasuwa district near the Tibetan border. Nepal held a national mourning day this week; the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority now puts confirmed deaths at 1,357, with around 5,300 people still missing — including 587 foreigners. Chinese authorities have since flagged two more glacial lakes forming below Langtang Lirung on the Tibetan side, and surveillance there has been stepped up.
Meanwhile, the fall climbing season on Manaslu itself is getting underway. Nepal's Department of Tourism has received applications from 348 foreign climbers for permits so far, a number that may still edge up. Most commercial outfitters arrive in Base Camp this week, and the Sherpa rope-fixing team has already been working on the route to Camp 2.
If you've booked a Manaslu trek in the coming weeks, don't cancel blindly — but do check in. Conditions on the ground are changing by the day, so ask your operator about route status or contact a tourism office in Kathmandu or Pokhara before flying in. Helicopter access from Kathmandu to Samagaon means climbing expeditions can still go ahead, and travellers already in the region should simply steer clear of river valleys during the current wet spell. The broader lesson for anyone trekking in Nepal this autumn: the mountains are open, but this monsoon season has been unusually destructive, and a quick route check is worth more than any guidebook.