Kenya itineraries curated for Indian travellers — safari, coast, bush →
Augyro Tours
Live route status · last checked

Kailash Mansarovar · 2026 Season

Kerung is closed. Four ways into Kailash are still open.

The 26 August flood destroyed the Rasuwagadhi–Kerung crossing — the route most private yatras use. This page tracks every remaining way in, and updates when something changes.

6

routes into Kailash tracked

1

closed since 26 Aug

4

ways in still working

Corridor status schematicRASUWAGADHISIMIKOTKATHMANDULIPULEKH PASSNATHU LA PASSTATOPANIKAILASH
Schematic — six approach corridors converging on Kailash. Status colour matches the board below.

Route status

CLOSED

Rasuwagadhi – Kerung

Kathmandu → Syabrubesi → Rasuwagadhi → Kerung → Saga → Darchen

The bridge and customs infrastructure were destroyed on 26 August, and the approach road is broken in multiple places. Treat this as closed for the 2026 season, not delayed. After the July 2025 flood on the same river, the replacement Bailey bridge was not installed until 27 December 2025 and the border did not reopen properly until early 2026. Several Kathmandu operators are now advising clients that disruption could run to March 2027.

Verified

OPEN

Simikot – Hilsa

Kathmandu → Nepalgunj → Simikot → Hilsa → Purang → Mansarovar

The most direct remaining Nepali entrance, several hundred kilometres west of the flood zone and completely unaffected by it. Operators are actively rerouting to it. The constraint is capacity, not damage — the Simikot–Hilsa leg is helicopter-dependent and weather-dependent, seats are finite, and every displaced Kerung group is now competing for them.

Verified

OPEN

Kathmandu – Lhasa by air

Kathmandu ✈ Lhasa → Shigatse → Saga → Darchen

Flying into Tibet and continuing overland is currently the most reliable way in. Longer and more expensive than Kerung was, with more acclimatisation days built in. Requires Chinese visa and Tibet Travel Permit processing, arranged through a registered Tibet operator rather than at the border.

Verified

QUOTA

Lipulekh Pass

Delhi → Dharchula → Lipulekh → Taklakot

Unaffected by the flood. This is the official Ministry of External Affairs yatra, administered by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam. Fixed quota, government selection, applications well ahead of season — it is not a route you can book into at short notice this year.

Verified

QUOTA

Nathu La Pass

Gangtok → Nathu La → Taklakot

Also unaffected, also an official MEA route, administered by Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation. Bus-accessible and less physically demanding than Lipulekh. Same constraint: fixed quota and government selection.

Verified

UNCONFIRMED

Tatopani – Kodari and Korola

Alternative Nepal–Tibet crossings

The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal has asked authorities to open these crossings to absorb displaced pilgrims. Nothing is confirmed. Do not build an itinerary on either until both governments announce it — we will update this line the day that changes.

Verified

What happened

On the morning of 26 August 2026, an ice-rock avalanche came off the Langtang massif near the China border and dammed the Lhende Khola. The blockage failed. The surge ran roughly 100 km down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli, destroying the border bridge, the customs complex at Timure, and hydropower infrastructure along the corridor.

Nepal's disaster authority, USGS and ICIMOD have converged on the same explanation and ruled out a glacial lake outburst. Hundreds of pilgrims were at or near the crossing when it happened.

A second, larger debris blockage remains upstream on the Tibetan side — measured at over 120,000 m² by China's geological disaster centre, with glacial-hazards specialists describing the debris as loose and unstable. That is why we are checking this corridor daily rather than weekly.

Watch our breakdown of the corridor →

If you already have a 2026 booking

  • Do not accept a Kerung departure date

    Any operator still selling a Kerung crossing for this season is selling something they cannot deliver. Ask them directly which border you will cross.

  • Ask about the permit, not the itinerary

    Every remaining route needs a Tibet Travel Permit, and Lhasa entry additionally needs a Chinese visa. Permit lead time is what determines whether your dates are real.

  • Get the refund terms in writing before rebooking

    Rerouting to Hilsa or Lhasa costs more. Establish who absorbs that difference before you agree to move.

  • Check status again 72 hours before departure

    The upstream blockage has not been cleared. Conditions in this corridor have changed twice in fourteen months.

Get told when a route changes

We monitor this corridor using satellite terrain and hydrology data — the same platform we build for tour operators and hotel groups. When a crossing opens, closes, or is officially confirmed, we message the list the same day.

Route alerts on WhatsApp

No cost, no packages, no sales calls. One message when something actually changes.

Join route alertsI have an affected booking

Also from Augyro

We operate curated Kenya itineraries for Indian travellers — safari, coast and bush, priced in INR, paid via UPI directly to our IDFC First account. See our Kenya trips →

Sources

Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority; USGS event us7000tbwb; ICIMOD; Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal; China Ministry of Water Resources; Kathmandu Post; Al Jazeera. Route status compiled from operator advisories and official statements, verified daily.