Trekking during Dashain and Tihar: buses, flights and closures

Trekking continues through Dashain and Tihar, but transport and offices do not. In 2026, Dashain ran from Ghatasthapana on 11 October to Kojagrat Purnima on 25 October, with tika on 21 October, and a government holiday listed for 17 to 23 October. Tihar is next: one operator gives Kaag Tihar on 7 November and Bhai Tika on 11 November. A guide updated in June 2026 says trails stay open and teahouses are usually staffed, but domestic flights and Pokhara and Chitwan buses fill, most government offices close, and some small family places shut. Buy permits and book flights and long-distance buses before the holiday, carry spare rupees, and expect lodges to be busy in the autumn season. Dates here are checked 25 October 2026 against secondary sources, not an official calendar. We are not an agency.

When are Dashain and Tihar in 2026?

Dashain is the longest festival in the Nepali calendar and Tihar follows about two to three weeks later. Dates move each year with the lunar calendar. For 2026, as of October:

Hindutone cites the Ministry of Home Affairs holiday list as setting a Dashain holiday from Saturday 17 October to Friday 23 October 2026, applying to government offices and public bodies. It is a secondary report, not the ministry page, and it notes that the exact auspicious tika time is announced separately. The Calendarific list, by contrast, shows Vijaya Dashami on 20 October. We follow the majority, 21 October, and flag the gap in the conflicts section below.

How do Dashain and Tihar affect buses?

Millions of Nepalis travel home, and long-distance buses fill. The Longest Way Home, updated in June 2026, says "public transport can get booked out quickly at the start of Dashain" and that Pokhara and Chitwan buses fill. It says the crunch is in the first few days, quoted as "the first three days" in one passage and "2 to 3 days" in the FAQ, and advises booking local long-distance buses at least a day or two before leaving. Tourist buses are usually easier to book than local services. Best Heritage Tour says buses are "often overbooked" as people return to ancestral villages.

For trekkers this matters on the road legs: Kathmandu to Besisahar for the Annapurna Circuit, Kathmandu to Pokhara and the night road in Kathmandu to Manthali. We found no source on whether the bus fare rises, so treat any surcharge as something to ask about.

Do domestic flights sell out?

Domestic flights also fill. The Longest Way Home says to contact a travel agent a week or two before arriving in Nepal. Best Heritage Tour goes further and says flights to Lukla or Pokhara "sell out months in advance for the festival dates", but it is an agency marketing post and cites no airline data, so we label that as unverified. Either way, flights for 7 to 11 November are worth booking now. Our Lukla flight guide and flight cost table cover the basics, and if a flight stops, see helicopter seat sharing from Lukla.

What closes during the festivals?

• Government offices. The Longest Way Home says "virtually all government offices close", so finish visa extensions and trekking permits beforehand. The listed holiday window for Dashain was 17 to 23 October. We found no official notice for Tihar office closures, so ask before relying on a counter being open on 8 to 11 November.
• Permits. The same guide says permits can be obtained before Dashain or through an agent. Our permit pages: where to buy trekking permits and trekking permits explained.
• Restaurants and shops. The guide says hotels, restaurants and the tourism industry "start to operate on a skeleton staff basis", with some small family-run places closing entirely. Best Heritage Tour adds that many shops in Thamel and local restaurants may close during the main three days of Dashain.
• Banks and ATMs. We found no source on bank hours, so withdraw cash early; see ATMs and cash on Nepal treks.

What about the trails and teahouses?

The guide says "trekking trails remain open, and teahouses are usually staffed", and that some staff may take leave. Dashain and Tihar fall in October and November, which is the busy autumn season for Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit, so festival effects stack on top of normal peak crowding. We found no source that counts trekkers or lodge occupancy during Tihar specifically.

Practical consequences:

• Expect lodge owners and guides to be away or celebrating on tika and Bhai Tika days. Some will offer festive meals; Best Heritage Tour mentions teahouse hosts sharing them. Be polite and flexible.
• Keep the next morning's start early. If a village's lodges are short-staffed, meals can be slower.
• Our guides on finding a bed in peak season, teahouse etiquette and season prices help.

Which routes feel the festivals most?

The pinch is mostly on the way in and out, not on the trail itself. On the Everest route the weak point is the flight or the night drive to Manthali, because a fixed number of seats serves everyone, trekker or Nepali family. On the Annapurna Circuit it is the long road legs from Kathmandu and Pokhara. Our Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit route pages show where those legs fall in a normal schedule. The Longest Way Home suggests spending the festival's first days in a big city or in the mountains, where its effects are less disruptive than in towns people are travelling to or from, which fits a plan of leaving on the trail early.

Does the calendar change your start date?

A simple count shows how Tihar overlaps a typical trek. Tihar runs from 7 to 11 November in the operator's calendar, five days. A 14-day trek starting on 1 November would be on the trail for all of it, and one starting on 8 November would be in the first days of the trek when Bhai Tika falls. That is arithmetic on the dates above, not a recommendation: you may prefer to be walking, because the trail is open, rather than waiting in a city where offices are shut. If you need permits or a bank, do them on 6 November or earlier, or after 11 November. Our last-minute trek guide covers tight schedules, and rest days and acclimatisation shows where a spare day costs least.

How should you plan around the festivals?

1. Buy permits and book internal flights and buses a week or more before any holiday window.
2. Start the trek before a festival rather than in the middle of a transport crunch, or travel on the quiet days after tika.
3. Carry spare rupees and food for a delay.
4. Tell your guide or agency your dates and ask what is open on the route.
5. Build a spare day at the end of the trek, as in Lukla flight delays, and read the logistics checklist.
6. If you are new to booking, our step-by-step booking guide lists what to confirm.

Cultural note: do not photograph tika ceremonies without asking, and accept food or tika politely if offered.

Where sources conflict or are silent

• Vijaya Dashami: most sources say 21 October, Calendarific says 20 October. Maha Navami is 19 or 20 October depending on the source.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs list is reported by a third-party site; we did not read the ministry document.
• Tihar dates come from one operator blog, with no official calendar found.
• We found no source on Tihar office, bank or permit-counter closures, or on lodge occupancy during either festival.
• The claim that flights sell out "months in advance" is from an agency marketing post.
• Bus fare changes during the festivals are not covered by any source we read.

Find someone to travel with

Festival-week transport is easier shared: a jeep or Hiace split between partners costs less per head. Browse open trips, post one, or read the trekking partner page. We are a matching platform, not an agency: we do not book transport.