By Alan Arnette6 min read

Autumn 2025: Nepal Unrest as Climbing Begins

Singha Dubar palace on fire in Kathmandu

The autumn Himalayan climbing season is well underway, with minimal impact from the violence and protests that occurred in mid-September in Kathmandu. The autumn Himalayan climbing season is well underway, with minimal impact from the violence and protests that occurred in mid-September in Kathmandu. Here’s what’s behind the protest and an overview of what’s happening in the mountains.

Nepal Unrest Update

Curfews have been lifted, and relative calm has been restored following military intervention.
September 2025 reports widespread civil unrest and violent protests in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and rural areas. These protests were predominantly led by Gen Z citizens protesting opposition to government policies on social media censorship, corruption, and economic issues, with attacks targeting symbols of wealth and political power.
The protests targeted political leaders and government institutions more than tourists or the general public. Clashes with police in Kathmandu and other cities resulted in at least 72 deaths and over 2,100 injuries, with casualties reported among both protestors and security forces. Government buildings and residences were set on fire. While some areas had significantly damaged property and infrastructure, tourist destinations such as Thamel, Patan, and Bhaktapur remained largely unaffected.
Following the unrest, the then-Prime Minister resigned, and an interim government under Nepal’s first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, was formed on September 12-14. 
As of mid-September 2025, Nepal is officially declared safe for tourists. The Nepal Tourism Board confirmed normal operations in major cities, tourist areas, trekking routes (Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Mustang). However, several notable hotels burned or were severely damaged, including:
•Hilton Kathmandu: It was set on fire and severely damaged, with guests and staff safely evacuated. The damage was estimated at around $56 million. The hotel remained closed following the protests.
•Hyatt Regency Kathmandu: It was also attacked during the protests. Damage was sustained, but no injuries were reported. It was temporarily closed and planned to remain shut until further notice.
•Varnabas Museum Hotel: Attacked and announced a closure until the end of 2025 for maintenance following the damage.
The Hotel Association of Nepal reported that over 20 hotels were damaged during the unrest, with losses estimated at 25 billion Nepali rupees (approximately $177 million). 
Ama Dablam and Manaslu expeditions in Nepal were minimally impacted, and reports on social media show teams at base camps and their fixed line steadily getting set on Manaslu.
14Peaks Manaslu Autumn Expedition 2025 Base Camp
14Peaks Manaslu Autumn Expedition 2025 Base Camp
Protests targeted government institutions and political leaders, not tourists. Tourist areas such as Thamel, Patan, and Bhaktapur remained peaceful during the unrest
The US issued a Level 3 advisory, recommending that citizens reconsider travel.’ Other countries followed suit with cautionary advice, though Nepal’s government has reassured the public of safety and readiness to welcome tourists.
Travelers are advised to avoid demonstrations, stay updated on local news, exercise usual travel caution for petty theft, and consider local guides for trekking.

Mountain Headlines

Record Revenue

Everest News reports that Nepal’s autumn climbing season is off to a record-breaking start! In just two weeks, from September 1 to 14, the government collected USD 1.19M in royalty (16.74 crore NRS)—more than double last year’s—even after fees rose on September 1, 2025.  Manaslu leads with 371 climbers, surpassing last autumn’s 308, while other peaks also draw attention:

• Everest: 4 climbers
• Lhotse: 2 climbers
• Makalu: 2 climbers
• Dhaulagiri: 20 climbers
• Nuptse: 11 climbers
• Putha Hiunchuli: 9 climbers
• Himlung Himal: 2 climbers
• Kumbhakarna (Jannu): 2 climbers
• Api: 7 climbers
• Saribung: 8 climbers
• Lhayul Peak: 15 climbers
• Chhuama Peak II: 1 climber
• Khayang: 1 climber
• Aichyn: 2 climbers

So far, 457 climbers from 47 expedition teams—including 347 men and 110 women—have received permits.

Everest

Back for another attempt at setting a no O’s Fastest Known Time (FKT) for an Everest climb is American runner Tyler Andrews. Meteorologist Chris Tomer tells me,

“Tyler should see a weather window between September 23 to 27. Summit wind looks reasonable under 20mph.  Jet is off the summit and well north of Everest.  Main concern will be snow chances.”

He tried three times this past spring to set the record but had issues with each attempt. He will certainly have no crowds to deal with since there are a few other climbers on the mountain this Autumn, including Poland’s Andrzej Bargiel and a Sherpa team. Bargiel hopes to ski down from the summit. He’s already spent time at the South Col and skied back to EBC.

Manaslu

Climbing the Seven Summits (CTSS) Manalsu 2025 Base Camp
Climbing the Seven Summits (CTSS) Manalsu 2025 Base Camp

Nepal issued permits to 371 climbers, overtaking the 2024 total of 308. With China increasing the price to climb Ch0 Oyu, Manslu is seeing record crowds. Seven Summits Treks, as usual, has a huge team. This year, they have 62 clients on Manalsu, primarily Chinese. SST has done an extraordinary job of catering to that market.

Teams are already making rotations as high as Camp 2, while the ropes have reached Camp 3. Summits could occur as soon as next week.

Katia Expeditions noted the problems with communications:

Well, this has been one of the crazy weeks. Manaslu Expedition has officially started. And at the same time our multi-intellectual Govt banned social sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Doesn’t matter, VPN is the key to all restrictions
The well-known Spanish climber, Carlos Soria Fontán, at age 86, has returned to Nepal to attempt Manaslu, 50 years after his first expedition there.

Cho Oyu

Garrett Madison is leading his Madison Mountaineering Cho Oyu expeditions:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) expedition team.

Today is Tuesday, September 16th and we just finished our Langtang trek! We spent a week up in the Langtang Valley trekking up around the Langtang village(3430m/11,253ft) and some of the higher peaks. Beautiful trek up there, very lush, green, very wet – the monsoon is still lingering at this time of the year.

We just returned down. We’re going to drive back to Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft) tomorrow and hopefully our Chinese visas will be issued the following day, and we can drive into Tibet!

So, everyone’s doing well. We had a very fun time up there trekking, good exercise, good acclimatization, some good views, and just a nice all around experience. So, all is well here in the Langtang Valley of Nepal and we’ll check in soon!

Adventure Consultants is also on Cho:

The Adventure Consultants Cho Oyu team is on the move. Just days ago Kathmandu was experiencing political unrest, but with a new Interim Prime Minister now in place, the city is steadily returning to normal. Shops and cafés have reopened, and life has regained its rhythm. Against that backdrop, the team arrived in Nepal, completed visa applications for China, carried out gear checks, and enjoyed a welcome dinner with their Sherpa crew.
With those formalities complete, now the focus is firmly on the mountains. The team left Kathmandu and drove to the nearby Langtang where they will acclimatise. Here waterfalls cascade from steep cliffs, rivers thunder through the forest, and even Nepal’s national bird, the danphe, flashed its brilliant blue feathers as it took flight along the trail. Rain has added power to the rivers and falls, making for a dramatic backdrop to the first days of the journey.

Makalu

Belarus climbers Denis Aleksenko of Russia and Artem Tsentsevitsky of Belarus arrived at Makalu Base Camp. You can follow them on Telegram.

Dhaulagiri

Hungarians David Klein and Marci Nagy have reached base camp.

Ama Dablam

There is also activity on he popular pointy peak, Ama Dablam.

Shishapangma

There are no climbers scheduled to climb the only 8000er entirely within Tibet.

Safe climbing to all.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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