The Longest Way Home Travel Blog

While I kept my paperback Nepal guidebook up to date with new editions, a lot has changed in Nepal and the world in recent years leading into 2026. My first paperback book was published back in 2016 in Nepal. I then came out with a second edition in 2018 which hit the number one bestseller …

Continue reading “Why I Completely Rewrote My Nepal Guidebook for 2026 (And What’s New Inside)”

A road-free Annapurna Circuit option was there all along – but in 2026 it became easier to organize I still remember the dynamiting in 2008, I stood on a steep trail along the Annapurna Circuit and watched road builders blast apart the mountainside. The dust took a long time to settle. The damage is now …

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The Seductive Promise of Digital Freedom We live in an age of unprecedented convenience. With a few taps on our smartphones, we can access maps of the entire world, navigate remote wilderness areas, and venture into terrain that once required local guides or years of experience to traverse safely. The promise is intoxicating: freedom, independence, …

Continue reading “The Deadly Truth About Free Trekking & Map Apps: A Fatal Tragedy in Nepal”

Nepal Allows Solo Restricted Area Permits with Guide On March 22nd the Ministry of Home Affairs – Department of Immigration – in a significant update for trekkers and adventure travelers, Nepal has revised its rules for visiting restricted areas. The government has removed the long-standing requirement that at least two foreign travelers must apply together …

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The “Balen” Landslide: Is Nepal’s New Majority a Golden Ticket for Tourism? This won’t be too long because I really don’t want nor like writing about politics. However, the events of last September that resulted in the previous government collapsing, the death of 77 people, and the national outcry over long-standing corruption had an immediate …

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Holi in Nepal this year falls on March 2nd in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and March 4th in the Terai. But that’s only half the story. A general election on March 5th turns the whole week into something travellers need to plan for carefully. This year some tourists will be in Kathmandu on a Monday morning, …

Continue reading “Holi Nepal 2026: Festival, Election & How to Survive Both”

Welcome to another year of Nepal deciding the perfect time for chaos is right when trekkers arrive As the Nepal Trekking 2026 season gets underway, trekkers are facing what I’ve now dubbed “The Ghost Season” thanks to March 5th elections, a trekking app tragedy that’s finally forcing some accountability, and of course, the annual tradition …

Continue reading “Nepal Trekking Updates 2026: Election Chaos, App Dangers, and the Usual Permit Madness”