LP News on Nepal

I've been watching the news, I've checked Wunderground and seen the wet weather forecast. Travel agents in Nepal say there's no problem, that it stopped raining 2 days ago. I'm due for the 8 day overland to Lhasa in a couple of weeks and the agent says there's no problem, my friend was planning to do an Annapurna trek and they say it's ok too.

I've just checked LP's Nepal webpage and it carries the news below:

Airline Grounded - Floods -
Nepal Airlines has temporarily cancelled all international flights. The planes are expected to be out of service for at least the first week of August. The airline is making alternative arrangements for travellers holding tickets for flights in this period. Travellers should check details with their travel agent or Nepal Airlines.

Heavy monsoon rainfall has left large parts of the country inundated. Floods and landslides have caused fatalities and left thousands homeless. Travel in districts of Banke, Bardiya, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Jhapa, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Saptari and in the region known as the Tarai will be difficult if not impossible. Travellers in Nepal should seek local advice regarding their travel plans.

Any further insights, please? Thanks!

The grounding of Nepal Airlines (formerly Royal Nepal , how fast the mighty have fallen ...) appears to be unrelated to the monsoon flooding . What 750 000 Nepalis "affected " , according the the bbc, means remains to be seen.

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<hr> the agent says there's no problem, my friend was planning to do an Annapurna trek and they say it's ok too.<hr></blockquote>

At the risk of sounding cynical , travel agents in Kathmandu will say what it takes to sell.

Agree with vistet re. what travelagents will generally say, even under dramatic conditions. They can't afford to lose clients.

That said, although I noticed that over here (Netherlands) the Red Cross now opened its bankaccount to receive donations for the flood victims in SE-Asia including Nepal, there's no way to tell you from here what the road conditions are to get you to Lhasa. Or if your friend can still walk in the Annapurnas without drowning or slipping in the mud and ending up in hospital. But Lhasa is up north (and climbing to much higher altitudes); more or less the same applies to the Annapurnas. Therefore I think you will probably be okay.
Estel, your TT- profile doesn't say what country you come from (i.e. your nationality). But in case your country has an embassy or a consulate in Kathmandu why don't you just give 'm a call or send them an email? You can ask directly what they know of the situation. Or perhaps they can put you in touch with other people in Nepal, who know more about the local situation and the roads you'll need to travel.

Nepal Airlines for many years already had only 2 airplanes, so if one of them was grounded for maintenance or repairs they had only 1 left for international flights... Anyway, vistet gave you an excellent link as to why both airplanes are out of service at present. Nothing to do with the weather situation. But it seems indeed this is no 'ordinary' monsoon: the UN are preparing to get help over to 'hundreds of thousands of Nepalis', see in here f.e.:

DNA India .com August 2 "UN launches flood relief operations in Nepal"

By the way, here is a clear map with all the districts of Nepal: click link .

You can use it to look up yourself where the most affected regions are situated.
Kathmandu - KTM - is in the middle of the lightblue part (Central Region).

Severe flooding spoken of in the news is primariy in the southern sectors of Nepal along the Indian border although valley areas in the middle hill Districts also have problems. It is common to have flooding in this area during the monsoon to some extent but this year is particularly bad. Last year there wasn't enough rain in some areas to grow the usual rice crops. Biratnagar, in southeastern Nepal had 223 mm of rain in 24 hours a day or two go! Many of the roads in the middle hills area bordered by steep hillsides are affected by landslides - this, too, is not uncommon during the monsoon season. The Arniko Hwy to Kodari and the Tibet border has sections that are subject to slides each year at this time - and can sometimes result in transportation being blocked. When that happens bus passengers heading to the border are required to walk through the slide area and be picked up on the other side by another vehicle. Local porters are available (for some Rupees) to carry your luggage. Once you get through this area, cross the border and finish the climb to Nyalaam beyond Zhangmu, you are on the Tibetan plateau and in a bit of a rain shadow, so the area is much less affected by monsoon rains. But getting there can be a challenge at times. Predicting in advance what conditions will be like is difficult because the situation can change so quickly. If you are doing the standard 7night/8day overland trip to Lhasa and flying back to Kathmandu - you can expect there could be some delays...and, if there is not, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Normally, Kathmandu has some rain every day during monsoon but also sunny breaks. This year, unusually, there have been long periods of cloud cover and little sunshine. Mountain views will no doubt be very limited for your friend trekking in the Annapurna area. Some trails become difficult to tell whether they are trails or streambeds. Wet clay surfaces and moss and lichen covered rocks on steep sections are trecherous - as slippery as an ice surface! Hiking poles and good boots are essential.
Sorry that this is not good news but best to be prepared. Chances are if your trips are booked and paid for, that you don't have a lot of choice but to go and make the best of the journey. Sometimes the most challenging trips turn out also to be the most memorable ones. Go with a positive attitude and with the proper gear so that you are as comfortable as possible and ability to meet the difficulties with a smile.

Elsie, where would be without you.... :-)

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<hr>Severe flooding spoken of in the news is primariy in the southern sectors of Nepal along the Indian border <hr></blockquote>

I've seen in the news that the Gorakhpur district is one of the most affected by the floods. Leaving for India on a few days, I had planned to go to Nepal overland. Is it possible to do so or should I start looking for flights?

Also read about Lucknow area, does anyone know about the roads between Delhi and Varanasi?

Thanks for your help!

Thanks all for your helpful comments. Thank you Stilltrekking for your practical explanation about the route to Tibet, to the point and encouraging as ever. In fact I've read quite a few of your posts, from which I've drawn lots of useful info abot how to use my time in Nepal. My main concern isn't really about money, it's about safety.

If things are truly bad I could always forego the advance sum paid for the trip. Most of my trips have been challenging and I've done lots of crazy stuff on my trails, but I don't wish to take so many risks nowadays. I've been caught in monsoon floods before and the experience only becomes 'nicely memorable' if you manage to get out of it in good stead, hence my questions. However, the monsoon seems to be shifting south, therefore northen Nepal might have dodged the worst of the rains. Between that information and your comments I realise we should be allright on our way to Friendship Road; which sounds rather selfish when you think there are millions of people wandering around in flooded areas.

Dear Old Hand, I from Spain. The Spanish consulate in Nepal is somewhat elusive and won't generally reply to emails or phonecalls. The Nepali Consulate in Spain is quite helpful and they will reply to any administrative questions you may have. However they are also travel agents and if you ask them anything related to travel, they reply by offering their travel services. Fun, isn't it?

I'd also be interested in the answer to FerK's question, please.

Tashidelek

Just learned yesterday that the grounding of Royal Nepals two planes serving international flights is for their regular maintenance checks. Comforting to know these are done and I suppose it is logical to schedule these during a low passenger load time.