The most common worry about Dashain is that Nepal closes. It does not, but it does divide: everything that belongs to the state or to ordinary local life stops, and nearly everything that exists for visitors carries on.
This is the service-by-service list. Dates are in our Dashain calendar; in 2026 the shutdown runs from Saturday 17 October and normal service resumes on Monday 26th.
Three Phases, Not One
| Phase | Days | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Build-up | Day 1 to day 6 | Everything open. Markets packed, transport out of Kathmandu filling up, offices working but distracted |
| Shutdown | Phulpati to two days after the tika | Offices and banks closed. Local shops shutting day by day, with the tika day the quietest |
| Return | From the third day after the tika to the full moon | Shops reopening, people travelling back, offices closed until the holiday ends |
Most problems come from treating the whole fortnight as the shutdown, or from not realising the shutdown has started.
Open and Closed at a Glance
| Service | During the shutdown | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Government offices | Closed | Includes the immigration department and district offices |
| Visa on arrival at the airport | Open | Runs every day, as normal |
| Banks | Closed | Reopen after the holiday block |
| ATMs | Working, unreliable | Not refilled; empty first in small towns |
| Money changers in Thamel and Lakeside | Mostly open | Shorter hours, closed on the tika day |
| Hotels and guesthouses | Open | Reduced staff on the tika day |
| Trekking lodges | Open | Peak season |
| Restaurants in tourist districts | Mostly open | Some close on the tika day or open in the evening only |
| Local eateries and tea shops | Closed for several days | Their owners are celebrating |
| Supermarkets and local shops | Closed on the main days | Stock up before Phulpati |
| Trekking gear shops | Partly open | Buy or rent before the festival |
| Heritage sites and Durbar Squares | Open | At their liveliest |
| Museums | Many closed | Check the day before |
| Domestic flights | Running | Full; book early |
| Long-distance buses | Reduced | Almost none on the tika day |
| Taxis and ride-hailing | Scarce on the tika day | Hotels can arrange cars in advance |
| National park gates and checkposts | Open | Entry permits sold as usual |
| Pharmacies | Some open | Hospital pharmacies run all day |
| Hospital emergency departments | Open | Outpatient clinics closed |
| Embassies | Varies | Each keeps its own calendar; many close for the main days |
Government Offices, Permits and Visas
This is the closure that catches trekkers. The Department of Immigration issues restricted-area permits for Manaslu, Tsum, Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Dolpo and Kanchenjunga, and it needs your original passport on a working day. During Dashain there are none. The same office handles visa extensions.
Permits that are sold at a gate or checkpost — national park entry at Monjo for the Khumbu, at Dhunche for Langtang — are unaffected. Conservation-area permits for Annapurna and Manaslu should be bought before the holiday. The detail, with a timetable, is in trekking permits during Dashain, and the permits themselves are explained in Nepal trekking permits explained.
If your tourist visa expires during the holiday block, extend it beforehand. Overstaying carries a daily fine, and the airport will collect it regardless of why the office was closed. See our visa guide.
Banks, ATMs and Cash
Banks close for the holiday block. ATMs stay switched on but are not refilled, and in a week when the whole country is withdrawing festival money they run out — first in the hill towns, then in Pokhara's Lakeside, last in central Kathmandu.
- Withdraw what you need for the whole festival period before Phulpati.
- Take trekking cash with you from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The few ATMs on trekking routes — Lukla, Namche Bazaar, Jomsom — are unreliable at the best of times.
- Cards are accepted at larger hotels and restaurants in Thamel and Lakeside throughout.
- Bring some US dollars or euros in cash as a reserve. Private money changers in the tourist districts open most days.
How much to carry is covered in what a Nepal trip costs during Dashain.
Shops, Restaurants and Supplies
Thamel in Kathmandu and Lakeside in Pokhara exist for visitors and mostly keep going. Expect shorter menus and slower service — kitchens run on half their staff — and a patchy tika day, when many places open only for dinner. Hotel restaurants are the dependable option that day.
Outside the tourist districts, small restaurants, tea shops and grocers close for anything from three days to a week. Supermarkets shut on the main days. If you need trekking snacks, a SIM card, a gas canister, a rented sleeping bag or a prescription filled, do it before Phulpati. Our trekking packing list is the thing to check against.
Heritage Sites, Temples and Museums
The seven World Heritage sites of the Kathmandu valley stay open, with ticket counters staffed. So do the stupas at Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, and Pashupatinath. This is the best week of the year to see them in use — the detail is in Kathmandu during Dashain, and a seven-site day tour is far quicker than usual with the roads empty.
Durga and Kali temples are extremely busy on the eighth and ninth days, with long queues and animal sacrifice. Museums are the exception to the open rule: several close for the main days, and it is worth checking the day before rather than making the journey.
Hotels, Lodges and Tours
Hotels run through the festival with reduced staff. Trekking lodges are open on every main route; in the Khumbu, Langtang and Manaslu's upper valleys the owners are Buddhist and the festival passes almost unremarked. On routes through Hindu villages some lodges are run by a skeleton crew on the tika day, and you may find the owner pressing a tika on every guest at breakfast.
Guided tours and activities operate if booked in advance: the Everest mountain flight leaves every clear morning, a Chitwan safari runs as normal, and paragliding in Pokhara flies through the festival. What becomes hard is arranging them on the day. Before the holiday starts, make sure you have a phone number for your operator that will be answered during it.
Health
Hospital emergency departments in Kathmandu and Pokhara work around the clock, and their pharmacies with them. Outpatient clinics close for the holiday. Street pharmacies open erratically. Bring what you need, and read buying medicine in Kathmandu and Pokhara before you arrive rather than on the ninth day. Helicopter evacuation from the mountains operates throughout; your travel insurance assistance line is unaffected by a Nepali holiday.
The Tika Day Itself
Vijaya Dashami is the one day to plan as if nothing will be available. There are almost no buses, very few taxis, and most shops are shut until the afternoon at the earliest. Flights still run. Hotels still serve meals. It is a good day to be on a trail, in a village, or walking a city that for once has no traffic — and a poor day for a long road transfer. See getting around Nepal during Dashain.
