The flash flood that came down the Budhi Gandaki on Sunday 11 October 2026 took road and footbridges along the first days of the Manaslu Circuit, in the busiest fortnight of the trekking year. Nobody yet knows how long the lower valley will be out of use. If you were due to walk it this autumn, the useful question now is what else gives you the same things.
This is our answer, written the same day. The status of each route comes from the advisory issued by the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) on 8 October, as reported by The Tourism Times; we give the date because conditions this season have changed within days. What happened on the Budhi Gandaki is in our report on the flood.
What You Are Replacing
It helps to be clear about what drew you to Manaslu, because no single route replaces all of it.
| What Manaslu gives you | In detail |
|---|---|
| A complete circuit | In one valley and out another, with no backtracking |
| A high pass | The Larke La at 5,106 m, a long glacial crossing that needs no climbing skills |
| Tibetan Buddhist villages | Nubri: flat-roofed houses, mani walls, monasteries, yak pastures |
| Few other trekkers | A restricted area, far quieter than Annapurna or Everest |
| Lodges all the way | No tents or camp crew needed |
| About two weeks | 15 days on our standard itinerary |
Decide which two or three of those matter most, and the choice below becomes easy.
The Shortlist
| Trek | Days | High point | Permit | Reported status, 8 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Circuit | 15 | Thorong La, 5,416 m | Conservation area permit | Open; groups crossing the pass |
| Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake | Longer | Thorong La, 5,416 m | Conservation area permit | Tilicho reopened after snow clearance |
| Nar Phu Valley | 14 | Kang La, 5,320 m | Restricted area | Accessible over a temporary bridge |
| Upper Mustang | 16 | About 3,860 m | Restricted area | Accessible on foot and by vehicle |
| Everest Three Passes | 17 | Three passes above 5,300 m | National park permit | Everest region open and safe |
| Kanchenjunga Circuit | 21 | Base camps to 5,143 m | Restricted area | Open and safe |
Annapurna Circuit: The Nearest Equivalent
If what you wanted was a great circuit over a high pass, this is the direct substitute. It climbs the Marsyangdi valley, which is the next one west of the Budhi Gandaki, crosses the Thorong La at 5,416 metres — 300 metres higher than the Larke La — and descends to Muktinath and the Kali Gandaki. It needs no restricted-area permit and no minimum group, the lodges are better, and the stages can be adjusted to almost any schedule.
- What you gain: a higher pass, more comfortable lodges, Manang's acclimatisation walks, and far more flexibility.
- What you lose: solitude. There is a road in both valleys, and October is its busiest month. The culture of upper Manang is Tibetan-influenced but more visited than Nubri.
- Status: TAAN reported several groups over the Thorong La in the five days before 8 October, after snow was cleared. The road was open to Chame, with local jeeps above Bhratang, following flood damage in late September. TAAN advises starting on foot from Dharapani.
- To add: the side trip to Tilicho Lake at 4,919 m, reported reopened.
How the two circuits compare in a normal year is the subject of Manaslu or the Annapurna Circuit, and the route itself is in our Annapurna Circuit guide.
Nar Phu: The Closest in Spirit
If it was the restricted valley and the Tibetan villages you wanted, Nar Phu is the nearest thing to Nubri that is open. It leaves the Annapurna Circuit at Koto and goes north into two stone villages, Phu and Nar, that were closed to outsiders until 2002. It then crosses the Kang La at 5,320 metres back to the main circuit near Ngawal. The rules are the same as for Manaslu: a restricted-area permit, at least two trekkers, a licensed guide and a registered agency.
- What you gain: a wilder and emptier valley than Manaslu, and a pass that is higher.
- What you lose: comfort. Lodges are basic, stages are long, and this is a harder trek than the Manaslu Circuit.
- Status: accessible according to TAAN, after a temporary wooden bridge was installed near Ratodanda, with two groups heading for the Kang La at the time of the advisory.
- Worth knowing: this is the valley below Himlung Himal, where an avalanche at base camp on 27 September killed fifteen expedition staff. The standard trekking route does not go to that base camp, but it was a hard autumn here too.
The route and its permit are described in our Nar Phu guide.
Upper Mustang: The Culture Without the Pass
If the Tibetan Buddhist world was the point and the pass was the price, Upper Mustang gives you more of the first and none of the second. It is a walk through a high desert of eroded cliffs and cave dwellings to the walled town of Lo Manthang, mostly below 4,000 metres. It lies in the rain shadow north of the Annapurna range.
- What you gain: the most intact Tibetan culture in Nepal, moderate altitude, and a landscape unlike anything on Manaslu.
- What you lose: the big-mountain circuit and the pass. And money: the permit is USD 500 for ten days.
- Status: accessible on foot and by vehicle according to TAAN, with the road open between Muktinath and Dana. The simplest approach is to fly from Pokhara to Jomsom.
See our Upper Mustang guide.
Everest Three Passes, and Kanchenjunga
Everest Three Passes is for those who chose Manaslu as the hard option. It is a 17-day loop over the Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La, all above 5,300 metres, taking in Everest Base Camp and the Gokyo lakes. It is more demanding than Manaslu and much busier on the Base Camp section, though the passes themselves are quiet. The region is reached by air and has been untouched by this season's floods. See our Three Passes guide.
Kanchenjunga is for those with three weeks who wanted remoteness above all. The circuit visits both base camps of the third-highest mountain in the world, through a restricted area that sees a fraction of Manaslu's numbers. It is in the far east of the country, a flight and a long drive from Kathmandu, and was listed as open and safe. See our Kanchenjunga guide.
If You Have Less Time
Losing Manaslu often means losing days as well, to rebooking and uncertainty. Two routes from Pokhara fit into what is left, and both were reported operating as usual.
- Annapurna Base Camp puts you in a ring of 7,000 and 8,000-metre peaks at 4,130 metres without a pass.
- Mardi Himal is a quiet ridge walk to 4,500 metres under Machhapuchhre, nine days from Kathmandu.
Neither is a substitute for a circuit, and both are a better use of a week than waiting in Kathmandu for news.
What About Langtang?
Langtang would normally be on this list: close to Kathmandu, Tibetan-influenced, uncrowded. This year the road to Syabrubesi has been closed since the flood of 26 August took the bridges at Betrawati and Syabrubesi, and it was still closed on 8 October. The trails are reported safe, and the valley can be reached on foot through Helambu and Gosaikunda, but that turns a week's trek into a much longer one. It is a route for someone who wants that long walk in, not a quick replacement.
Switching a Booking: Permits, Dates and Insurance
- Permits do not transfer. A restricted-area permit is issued for one area and fixed dates. A change of route means new permits, and Nar Phu, Upper Mustang and Kanchenjunga each have their own. The process is in our restricted-area permit guide.
- Ask what has already been issued. If your Manaslu permit has not been applied for yet, switching is simple. If it has, ask your agency what can be recovered.
- Mind the holidays. The immigration office that issues restricted permits closes for the main days of Dashain and Tihar, in 2026 roughly 17 to 25 October and 8 to 11 November. A switch to another restricted area needs your passport in Kathmandu on a working day.
- Read your insurance. A change forced by a natural disaster may be covered as curtailment or cancellation; it depends on the wording and on when you bought the policy. See our insurance guide.
- Check the altitude. The Thorong La and Kang La are higher than the Larke La. If your cover or your preparation was for 5,106 metres, check both.
- Fly to Pokhara for anything in Annapurna or Mustang. The state of the road is in our Prithvi Highway update.
If you are booked with us on a trip in the Manaslu region, write to us and we will work through these with you. The current state of every region is in our route-by-route status.
Sources
- The Tourism Times — TAAN's advisory of 8 October 2026
- The Kathmandu Post — damage from the Budhi Gandaki flood
- Xinhua — the Himlung base camp avalanche
