Nepal

Is Nepal safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes, if you respect the mountains. Nepal has little violent crime: WHO's model gives about 2.3 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary (WHO modelled estimate, 2021), close to the last national figure of 2.13 (2020, UNODC) and lower than in India. The serious risks are physical. On 26 August 2026 an ice-rock avalanche on Langtang Lirung sent a flood down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers that killed at least 1,341 people, with hundreds of foreign tourists among the missing. Roads, mountain flights and altitude add to the danger. We score Nepal 57, a little below India and above Pakistan.

The Bhote Koshi flood

The flood struck mid-morning on 26 August 2026. Debris from an avalanche on the northern slopes of Langtang Lirung entered the Lhende river, which joins the Bhote Koshi at the Rasuwagadhi border crossing with Tibet, and the surge ran through eight districts down to Chitwan. By early September, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority counted 1,341 bodies and nearly 5,000 people still missing, among them 589 foreign tourists. More than 13,000 people were rescued.

Rasuwa is the road gateway to the Langtang valley, Gosaikunda and the route to Kailash in Tibet, so trekkers and pilgrims were caught up. The US now says do not travel to the Rasuwagadhi, Timure and Syafrubesi area for any reason. The Everest and Annapurna regions were not affected.

The flood is the worst recent example of a risk that is always present. Nepal sits on one of the world's most active fault lines, the 2015 Gorkha earthquake killed about 9,000 people, and the June to September monsoon brings floods and landslides that cut roads every year.

Altitude and the mountains

Altitude sickness is what most often turns a trek into an emergency. It can strike above about 2,500 m, and many popular routes go far higher: Everest Base Camp is at about 5,360 m and the Thorong La pass on the Annapurna Circuit at 5,416 m. Climb slowly, add rest days, and descend if headache, vomiting or confusion get worse. Our pages on Mount Everest and mountaineering explain the death rates for climbers, which are far higher than for trekkers.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also warns of a scam: some guides take clients up too fast, then call in a costly helicopter evacuation and take a cut from the insurer. Book through a registered agency, check your insurance covers helicopter rescue to at least 6,000 m, and do not trek alone; foreign independent trekkers must now hire a guide in national parks.

Flights and roads

Every Nepali airline is on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary of June 2026, from Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines to Nepal Airlines and the helicopter firms. The UK says none meets international safety standards, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary counts at least 100 air crash deaths in the past five years, including the Saurya Airlines crash at Kathmandu in July 2024 that killed 18. Short mountain runways like Lukla and fast-changing weather leave little margin. If you fly, choose the first flights of the day, when the weather is usually clearer, and do not pressure a pilot to fly in cloud.

Roads are the other risk. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 28.2 road deaths per 100,000 in 2021, higher than Thailand's 25.4 and almost twice India's 14.6. The FCDO says bus accidents are common and deadly, with overloaded, poorly maintained buses on narrow mountain roads. Take tourist buses or a private jeep, travel by day, and avoid the roads in heavy monsoon rain.

Politics after the Gen Z protests

On 4 September 2025, the government banned 26 social media platforms. Young protesters filled the streets, police opened fire on 8 September and killed 19, and by the end of the month at least 75 people had died and more than 2,000 had been injured, according to the Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned on 9 September. Elections in March 2026 gave a landslide to the Rastriya Swatantra Party under Balendra Shah. Nepal fell 26 places on the 2026 Global Peace Index to 111th, though there is no recent history of terrorism. Strikes and protests still happen at short notice.

Crime and health

Serious crime is rare, but the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports sexual assaults on women in Thamel and Sanepa, robberies after dark in poorly lit streets, and pickpockets in airports and on buses. Kathmandu's winter air is polluted, dengue is present in the lowlands and the valley, and there is no national ambulance service. Hospitals in Kathmandu and Pokhara are the best option, and they often want payment first.

How we scored it

Violent crime (84) and petty crime (70) are Nepal's strengths. Natural hazards (25) is the weakest factor after the August 2026 flood, followed by road safety (31), scored on WHO's 2021 estimate, and health (45). Conflict (66) reflects the deadly 2025 protests and a political system that is still settling. Confidence is medium because the flood figures were still changing and the last national homicide figure is from 2020.