The Prithvi Highway, the road between Kathmandu and Pokhara, has been cut and reopened several times since the end of August. This weekend it happened twice over. A section subsided at Galaudi in Dhading on Friday evening and was reopened on a track cut into the hillside on Saturday night. Then on Sunday morning a flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki, which joins the Trishuli beside the highway at Benighat, put the riverbank below under alert.
We are writing at about midday Nepal Time on Sunday 11 October 2026. The state of this road has been changing by the hour, so take what follows as the position at that time, with the source of each statement given, and ring the traffic police on 103 before you set out.
The Short Answer
| Is the road open? | Reported open at Galaudi since Saturday night, on a temporary track. The Department of Roads planned one-way working from 21:00 on Saturday and two-way traffic by 18:00 on Sunday if the weather held |
| Has Sunday's flood closed it? | We have found no report of that as of midday. The riverbank is under alert: very high risk down to Benighat and high at Mugling, according to the Flood Forecasting Division's 09:25 message |
| Should I travel today? | If you can fly, fly. If you must go by road, go in daylight, expect queues at Galaudi, and keep away from the river |
| Who to ask | Traffic police 103. Flood information 1155 |
The Road, Section by Section
The drive is about 200 kilometres. It climbs out of the Kathmandu valley, drops to the Trishuli, follows that river west for some 60 kilometres, and leaves it at Mugling for the hills that lead to Pokhara. Almost every closure this year has been on the river section.
| Section | What it follows | This weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu – Naubise – Galchhi | Over the valley rim at Nagdhunga and down to the Trishuli | A gas tanker overturned and leaked at Machhedi, near Galchhi, on Friday, which held up the repair crews |
| Galchhi – Gajuri – Malekhu | The Trishuli | Galaudi, near Gajuri: the road cracked and sank on Friday evening. Reopened on a new track on Saturday night and still described as risky |
| Malekhu – Benighat | The Trishuli, to the point where the Budhi Gandaki joins it | Riverbank under a very high flood alert on Sunday |
| Benighat – Mugling | The Trishuli below the confluence | High alert at Mugling. No major effect seen downstream of Arughat as of Sunday morning, according to the Flood Forecasting Division |
| Mugling – Dumre – Pokhara | Away from the Trishuli, through the hills of Tanahun | No disruption reported this weekend that we have seen |
| Mugling – Narayangadh, for Chitwan | The Trishuli, south through its gorge | Medium alert for riverside areas of Chitwan and Nawalparasi |
What Happened at Galaudi
On Friday evening, 9 October, the highway gave way at Galaudi in Gajuri Rural Municipality, Ward 5. The chief of the district traffic police, Shishir Thapa, told the Kathmandu Post that about 100 metres of road had cracked and a 20-metre section had sunk, with the cracks reaching the edge of the carriageway; a later report in Nagarik put the damaged length at about 160 metres. The cause given by the police and the Department of Roads is the Trishuli cutting away the ground beneath the road. All traffic was stopped, and the District Administration Office in Dhading suspended movement on the section until further notice.
The same evening a gas tanker overturned and leaked at Machhedi, near Galchhi, on the Kathmandu side. The Department of Roads said the leak made it hard for its teams to reach the damage.
The repair was to cut into the hillside and build a new track on the inner side of the road, a method the engineers call back-cutting. Guru Prasad Adhikari, who heads the eastern section of the Nagdhunga–Naubise–Mugling road project, said on Saturday that it was expected to open by evening. The department's plan was one-way traffic from 21:00 on Saturday, widening work from 07:00 on Sunday, and two-way traffic by 18:00 on Sunday if the weather and other conditions stayed normal. Late on Saturday night Nagarik reported that vehicles which had been stranded were moving again.
Two cautions came with the reopening. The repaired stretch is still considered at risk, and the traffic police and the department asked for extra care on it, especially at night.
What the Budhi Gandaki Flood Changes
Before dawn on Sunday a flash flood came down the Budhi Gandaki from northern Gorkha. That river meets the Trishuli at Benighat, beside the highway, so everything it carried is now passing along the road's river section. The details of the flood itself are in our report on the Budhi Gandaki flood.
- The alert. At 09:25 the Flood Forecasting Division sent a message rating the risk as very high down to Benighat, high at Mugling, and medium for the riverside areas of Chitwan and Nawalparasi. People have been told to stay off the banks, not to go down to watch or film, and not to collect driftwood.
- The reassurance. The head of the division, Binod Parajuli, said on Sunday morning that no major effect had so far been seen downstream of Arughat. Arughat is well above Benighat.
- The road itself. As of midday we had found no report that the flood had closed or damaged the highway.
The reason to stay cautious for several days, not just today, is the pattern of this season. At Krishnabhir in August and at Galaudi on Friday, the road did not go under water. It collapsed because the river had eaten away the ground it stands on, and in both cases that showed itself after the high water, not during it. A river carrying a flood's load of mud and boulders past the same banks is a reason to keep checking.
A Season of Closures
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 26 August | Flash flood on the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli, the disaster that began this season's troubles |
| 30 August | The road collapses at Krishnabhir, in Benighat Rorang, after the Trishuli erodes its base. The Mugling–Kathmandu section is blocked |
| 5 September | A 12-hour closure for repairs |
| 13 September | One-way traffic on trial at Krishnabhir |
| 17 September | Two-way traffic resumes after an 18-day closure |
| Late September | Heavy rain brings landslides at Krishnabhir and Jyamire and cuts the road to one lane; the Narayangadh–Mugling road is closed overnight on the 24th for landslide risk. The highways into Kathmandu are reported open again on the 29th |
| 9 October | Subsidence at Galaudi and the tanker accident at Machhedi. Highway closed |
| 10 October | New track opened at Galaudi at night |
| 11 October | Budhi Gandaki flood. Riverbank alert from Benighat to Mugling and beyond |
The point of the list is not that the road is unusable. It has been open far more days than it has been shut. The point is that this autumn it cannot be treated as a fixed quantity, and a plan that depends on it needs slack.
Flying Instead
The flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara takes about 25 minutes and has not been affected by any of this. It is one of the most frequent domestic routes in the country; Buddha Air alone lists more than sixteen flights a day. In peak season, and in a week when the road is in the news, seats go quickly, so book as soon as you know your dates.
- To Pokhara for Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Poon Hill and Mustang: fly, and the road problem disappears.
- To Besisahar for the Annapurna Circuit: fly to Pokhara and drive east to Dumre and up to Besisahar. That approach does not use the Trishuli section at all.
- To Chitwan: fly to Bharatpur.
- To Lumbini: fly to Bhairahawa.
Baggage allowances, delays and how domestic flights fit into a trek are covered in our guide to domestic flights.
Other Roads, and Why Not Today
When Krishnabhir was closed in September, the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) listed these ways of reaching Pokhara by road:
- Benighat – Fujel – Laxmibazaar – Anbu Khaireni
- Galchhi – Sunaulabazaar – Dhadingbesi – Ghyampesal – Gorkha Bazaar – Anbu Khaireni
- South through Hetauda and Chitwan, then up to Mugling
On Sunday none of them is a clean alternative. The first two run from Dhading into Gorkha, which means crossing the Budhi Gandaki or the river just below its mouth, inside the stretch rated very high risk. The third comes back to the Trishuli between Narayangadh and Mugling, which is under alert as well. These are also narrow hill roads that add hours in the best conditions. Until the alert is lifted, the alternative to the highway is the aeroplane.
If You Go by Road
- Check on the morning. Ring 103, and ask your hotel or bus company what came through from the other direction overnight.
- Travel in daylight. The authorities have asked for particular care at night on the repaired section, and a queue is easier to sit out before dark.
- Leave early and expect one-way working. A single lane at Galaudi means convoys and waiting.
- Carry water and food for a day that may be several hours longer than the usual six to eight.
- Stay out of the riverbed at stops. Do not walk down to the water to look.
- Keep a spare day between the road journey and an international flight or a fixed trek start.
Sources
Written from reports published between 9 and 11 October 2026. We have not driven the road this weekend.
- The Kathmandu Post — Road subsidence halts traffic on Prithvi Highway near Gajuri, and Krishnabhir road reopens
- OnlineKhabar English — Prithvi Highway closed after gas tanker leak and subsidence
- Nagarik News (Nepali) — highway reopens at Galaudi and flood risk very high as far as Benighat
- Karobar Daily (Nepali) — the Department of Roads' plan for one-way and two-way traffic
- The Tourism Times — TAAN's list of alternative roads to Pokhara
