Nepal is open for the autumn season, and glad you are coming.
Everest, Annapurna and Thorong La are open. Langtang treks stay paused while the Rasuwa road is rebuilt; Mustang and Manang roads are still being repaired.
News desk
Every story, newest first.
Culture & Heritage
A gene that lets Sherpas thrive on thin air did not evolve in modern humans at all. It came from the Denisovans, tens of thousands of years ago.
World Destinations
A clear, no-hype guide to catching the aurora next winter — the best destinations from Tromsø to the Yukon, the September–March season, why the solar cycle still favours 2026, and honest expectation-setting.
Flights & Access
A 527-metre runway that ends in a cliff, an 11.7% uphill slope and no second attempt. Meet the airstrip every Everest trekker has to land on first.
Deals & Routes
Basic economy is the same seat with the extras stripped out — no seat selection, restricted carry-on, last to board, no changes. Here is what you give up, when it is genuinely fine, and how to work out the true cost.
Gear & Tech
Carry the batteries in the cabin, register before you fly, and learn the no-fly zones — the general drone-travel rules that vary by country, plus why Nepal restricts drones.
Records & People
A certified 56-degree drop makes Pokhara’s ZipFlyer the steepest zip line on Earth. What a 1.8-kilometre descent from Sarangkot actually involves.
Visas & Entry
The Visa Waiver Program travel authorisation explained — who qualifies, the fee that jumped in late 2025, why it is not a visa, and the copycat sites to avoid.
Money & Insurance
A cruise looks like the safest holiday there is, which is exactly why a standard travel policy can leave you exposed. Here's what a cruise add-on covers that ordinary insurance misses — missed departure, cabin confinement, itinerary changes and the expensive at-sea medical evacuation — and what to check before you buy.
World Destinations
The best-value places to ski in 2026 — Bulgaria, Bosnia, Slovakia, Poland, Georgia and Andorra — what makes each one cheap, and the trade-offs in size and snow.
Records & People
The summit of Everest is 450-million-year-old limestone from a tropical seafloor, packed with fossils. How it got there, and where trekkers can see it.
Deals & Routes
For the routes most people fly, waiting until the last minute usually means paying more, not less. Here is when a genuine last-minute bargain is actually possible — and the smarter way to save.
Industry & Tourism
A 60-year membership award, a chapter Award of Excellence, and the world's highest marathon on display in Malaysia — Nepal's late-summer tourism push signals a pivot from trekking-only to trekking-plus-wellness.
Records & People
At 3,762 metres in Mustang, natural gas keeps a flame burning beside a spring at Muktinath, a shrine Hindus and Buddhists have shared for centuries.
Gear & Tech
The 3-2-1 backup rule made simple for the road: switch on phone cloud sync, carry a spare SD card or small drive, keep maps and documents offline, and never trust one device — especially where trekking Wi-Fi is slow and mobile data thins out at altitude.
Visas & Entry
A step-by-step guide to the short-stay Schengen visa in 2026 — which consulate handles you, the appointment and biometrics, the €90 fee, the documents you need, and the refusal reasons to avoid.
Money & Insurance
Baggage cover in 2026, decoded: delayed vs lost vs damaged luggage, the per-item and single-article limits nobody reads, why valuables are excluded, and the Montreal Convention rule that makes your airline pay before your insurer.
Safety & Advisories
Distraction teams, the bump, moped snatches and ATM skimming rely on the same few weaknesses. Here is where theft really happens, what actually protects you, and what to do if it happens — including in Kathmandu.
Records & People
Updated 2 October. A record 493 climbers held Manaslu permits, but storms closed the season on 22 September with no summit reported and four deaths.
Records & People
For nearly 70 years, climbers who reach Kanchenjunga have stopped a few feet short of the true top, a promise kept out of respect for a sacred mountain.
Deals & Routes
Every airline draws the cabin-bag line in a different place. Here are the verified 2026 size and weight limits for Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, BA and US carriers — plus the EU's push for a free cabin bag and the one Nepal flight stricter than them all.
Gear & Tech
Since 27 March 2026 the global rule is two power banks each, carry-on only, never recharged in flight. The 100/160 Wh tiers and how to convert mAh.
Records & People
Rope-fixing, a solo push, a client summit, then solo again: Nepali guide Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa's four ascents in May 2025 are now the certified record for the most Everest summits in a single season.
Records & People
Weeks after Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja died on Broad Peak, his home municipality wants Annapurna renamed in his honour. It still needs Kathmandu’s sign-off.
Visas & Entry
Both get you in legally, but they cost different things: a queue and cash on the day, or lead time weeks ahead. Who offers which, and the copycat sites.
