UPDATED September 2017: A 7.9 earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015. Nearly all of the earthquake damage has been repaired since then, making Nepal a safe place to go.
UPDATED September 2017
For Tibet and Nepal tour and travel information, send an email to: thelandofsnows@gmail.com
Tibet Nepal Overland Border Open
In late August 2017, the Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa announced that the main Tibet Nepal Overland Border crossing was open again after being closed for nearly 2 1/2 years. It is now possible to travel the overland route connecting Lhasa, Tibet with Kathmandu, Nepal. For more information on this recent border opening, read the following link: Tibet Nepal Overland Border Open
Guge Kingdom in Western Tibet
Nepal Safe For Travelers
I have been to Nepal numerous times since the April 2015 earthquake. I assure you that Nepal is very safe for travelers. Nearly everything in the Kathmandu Valley has been rebuilt. In addition, all major trekking routes are open and safe. I spent several weeks trekking through the Everest Region of Nepal in March and April 2016 and saw almost no damage from the 2015 earthquake. The trails were completely fine and all guesthouses and restaurants were fully operational. It was difficult to even see damage from last years earthquake as nearly everything that was damaged has been repaired. Pokhara and the Annapurna Region did not suffer any damage and are also completely safe to go to. Time magazine reported earlier this year that the best way to help Nepal recover is to go there on vacation. Read the following links regarding traveling to Nepal (I personally recommend visiting Nepal!!):
Nepal prays for the return of tourists
Heritage sites in Nepal reopen
Nepal tourism is open for business
Again, the Nepal situation today is safe again after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. Some Nepal earthquake relief efforts are still underway in very remote villages, but nearly all of these are out of the trekking and tourist regions. When more information becomes available on the Tibet Nepal Border reopening, I will immediately update this site and my Facebook page. For more information, including advice on which travel agency in Tibet to use, please email me at: thelandofsnows@gmail.com
Earthquake victims in Tibet living in relief tents
This is just devastating. I was only in this region about a week ago – stayed at the Chongalungma tent camp but got snowed out. Overlanded to Kathmandu, and flew home last week. I can’t believe this has since happened. I feel shocked and blessed at the same time. I only hope the people we met and shared our time with are all safe and ok. I heard from my guide earlier yesterday, but nothing since, and he was heading to Kailish. Now I am worried about him. Thank you so much for the updates.
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Can you tell me if the area around Leh is affected as we have a son teaching the you monks near the border with Tibet.
No, Leh was not affected as it is more than 1000 kilometers from the earthquake epicenter.
Lobsang
I have friends living and working in the Hotel Himalayan Eco-Resort Kodari. Is there any news about the area or building and residents? Sita and Hermanta Thapa.
Any word on road closures to Ngari?
All roads east of Shigatse are currently closed to travelers so that emergency vehicles and aid supply can reach the quake affected areas of Tibet. Only the road between Nyalam and the Nepal border and the roads in Kyirong county (closed county) suffered damage. All other roads in Tibet, including to Ngari, are unaffected. However, it is still hard to say at this point when travel permits will be issued for travelers wanting to go west of Shigatse.
Lobsang
Please send us news of tibet, cannot get any news of the casualties and damage there
What about Leh and Ladhak region? Is it alsi effected by earthquake
Leh, Ladakh is over 1000 kilometers away from the Nepal earthquake epicenter. It is not affected by the recent earthquake.
Lobsang
Lobsang, thanks for keeping westerners informed through your on-the-ground updates. Very much appreciated.
My 16 EBC/Kailash tour, due to start this Sunday (May 3rd) has been cancelled. However, you mentioned that rumours suggest permits for Kailash may be issued soon? How accurate are these rumours?
Also curious, how was your group given permission to visit EBC today when all others have been denied?
Thanks Lobsang!
Michael,
It is too early to say what the travel regulations will be 2 weeks from now. The Kailash region was NOT affected by the earthquake. The roads west of Shigatse are currently closed so that emergency vehicles and aid supplies can be easily transported to the quake hit areas of Tibet.
I have lived and worked in Tibet for more than 13 years. I was extremely fortunate to go to EBC due to established relationships at the checkpoints at Lhatse and Lulu. I then went directly to the police station in Old Tingri to talk to officers there, who gave my group and I permission to go to EBC.
Lobsang
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Friends of mine are in Kodari which is less than 500m from Dram/Zangmu. They are reporting over 90% of buildings collapsed and massive casualities – there is absolutely no way that Zangmu is much different……
You’re right….it isn’t different. Since I was in Shigatse Prefecture (Tingri County) when the earthquake happened, I saw thousands of troops and vehicles being dispatched to Nyalam and Kyirong counties. I am sure the situation in the Tibet border region is quite severe and dire.
Lobsang
i am looking to locate Kelly May Hatch who was on your tour Lhasa, Tibet and Everest Photography Journey: April 19—May 1, 2015 any news on her whereabouts and her welling would be appreciated
Kelly is fine. She is in Tibet, not Nepal.
Lobsang
We have planned to drive from London to Mumbai by road. We are due to cross from Tibet to Nepal at the Zangmu border on 22 Sept 2015. Will the border crossing be open by then.
Raj
The overland route connecting Tibet with Nepal suffered heavy damage in the recent earthquake. While other areas of Tibet are unaffected, the Tibetan areas near the Nepal border have heavy damage causing the the road from Tibet to Nepal to be closed. It is hard to say how long this closure will last.
Lobsang
Kodari holds a special place in my heart. When we went to Kailash in 2013 we halted in Kodari both ways. We befriended a group of young children who spent the entire day with us. One of them was Kumar. All my prayers for his safety and that of his family and everyone else in that picturesque little town. The memory of those beautiful children is still so fresh in my mind. God be with them all.