TRAVERSE Issue 56 - October 2026 | Page 51

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pay. A local guide who loses bookings still needs to support a family. A motorcycle tour operator whose season disappears may struggle to keep experienced staff employed. A restaurant, workshop or small shop may have survived the immediate disaster only to find that the absence of tourists becomes the next threat to its survival.
The answer is not to pretend everything is normal. It isn ' t. The answer is to understand where it is safe to travel, where it is not, and where our presence is genuinely welcome.
Nepal is a vast and geographically diverse country. A disaster affecting one region does not automatically mean that every road, town or tourism destination is inaccessible. Conditions can also change quickly, particularly during the monsoon season, which is why current information and local knowledge are essential.
For anyone who has dreamed of riding Nepal, our message is simple: don ' t automatically cancel the dream.
Check the situation. Talk to local operators. Find out which routes are open and which communities are ready to receive visitors. If the time is right, go. We say that from experience. Nepal has given us some of the most memorable experiences of our riding lives. Its mountains, its roads
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