Annapurna Base Camp Trail Hit: The Ghurjung Bridge, Modi River Floods and What ABC Trekkers Need to Know (2026)

The short version: in mid-July 2026, monsoon floods on the Modi River damaged part of the main Annapurna Base Camp trail in Kaski district — most notably the suspension bridge at Ghurjung — and cut vehicle access to Ghandruk. The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, Gandaki chapter (TAAN Gandaki) urged the government to restore the infrastructure and asked guides, porters and trekkers to stay out of high-risk areas and use alternative routes. If you are booked for the autumn season, this is a reason to check trail status before you travel — not to cancel.

What happened at Ghurjung and Ghandruk

After several days of continuous rain, the Kimrong (Kumrung) Khola and the Modi River rose sharply in Annapurna Rural Municipality, wards 10 and 11, in Kaski district. Officials believe a landslide temporarily dammed the river upstream before the blockage gave way, sending a surge of water downstream.

According to TAAN Gandaki, as reported by OnlineKhabar, the surge damaged the suspension bridge crossing at Ghurjung, on the main trail up to Annapurna Base Camp, with some reports saying the bridge was swept away. The trail near Syauli Bazaar was eroded, and the main road to Ghandruk was closed to vehicles after the swollen Modi River tore away a paved section of the Nayapul–Birethanti–Ghandruk road near Syauli Bazaar. Two hotels at Banthanti, in the Ghandruk area, were damaged by the floods and landslides. Reports said around 300 domestic tourists who had travelled up for a three-day public holiday were stranded in Ghandruk while access was cut.

To be precise about what is confirmed: the sources describe the Ghurjung bridge as damaged, with reports it was swept away. We are not going to flatly claim the crossing has "collapsed" beyond what the sources support. No deaths or injuries were reported, and no authority has published a date for when the bridge, trail and road will be fully restored.

This is NOT the same as the 26 August Rasuwa flood

It is easy to conflate the summer's flood news, so let's be clear: this is a separate event from the deadly Bhote Koshi flash flood in Rasuwa that struck on 26 August 2026 on Nepal's northern border with Tibet. That later disaster hit the Langtang gateway and a corridor of hydropower plants and caused significant loss of life.

The Annapurna damage described here happened in mid-July, in a different region (Kaski district, the Annapurna Sanctuary approach), on different rivers (the Kimrong Khola and Modi River, not the Bhote Koshi). Different date, different place, no reported casualties. Both are chapters in the same wider story of a hard monsoon — you can read the longer view in our piece on the 2024–2026 monsoon flood pattern — but do not treat them as one event.

TAAN Gandaki's advice — and ours

TAAN Gandaki urged the government to restore the damaged bridges, trails and roads and to reopen the route as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the association asked guides, porters and trekkers not to enter high-risk areas, to use alternative routes to reach safety, and to coordinate with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and the tourist police for current, on-the-ground conditions.

That matches how we run trips. During and just after the monsoon, ground conditions in these valleys change week to week: a bridge that is out today may have a temporary crossing next month, and a road that is closed to jeeps may reopen once a washed-out section is rebuilt. The single most useful thing a trekker can do is stop reading month-old reports as if they were live, and instead confirm the specific section — Ghurjung, Syauli Bazaar, the Ghandruk road — with someone who checked it this week.

Who should adjust their plans

Trekking now, in the monsoon: take this seriously. July–August is the wettest, most landslide-prone window in the Annapurna foothills, and this event is exactly why we advise extra caution. Go with a licensed guide, avoid high-risk sections, and coordinate with ACAP and tourist police as TAAN Gandaki advised.

Booked for autumn (Oct–Nov), the main ABC season: you almost certainly do not need to cancel. The monsoon ends and skies clear into the autumn; damaged infrastructure is typically repaired or bridged before the peak season. Ask us — or your operator — for a status check as your departure approaches, and keep your itinerary flexible around the Ghandruk road and the Ghurjung crossing.

Still deciding: Annapurna Base Camp remains one of the finest, most accessible treks in Nepal. For the wider national picture on whether it is a good time to come, see our overview: Is trekking in Nepal safe? The 2026 data.

Cover photo: Volker Meyer via Pexels (Pexels License).