Lukla
2,845 m
Everest Base Camp
5,364 m
25 mins each way
6:45 AM
$600
per seat
$2,000
aircraft
CAAN licensed
Free weather reschedule
Rescue capable
Ama Dablam Base Camp to Lukla helicopter flight
Ama Dablam Base Camp
4,600 m
Lukla
2,845 m
- Flight time
- 15 mins
- Seats
- 4
- Baggage
- 12 kg
- From
- $500
Flight overview
Flying Ama Dablam Base Camp to Lukla helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ama Dablam Base Camp to Lukla helicopter flight | 7:30 AM | 4 | 15 mins |
Ama Dablam base camp is a meadow at 4,600 metres below the south-west ridge, an hour above Pangboche. In autumn it fills with climbing teams working the fixed lines. The rest of the year it is a field.
The flight to Lukla takes fifteen minutes. It is expedition work: loads in at the start of the season, loads out at the end, and evacuations from the mountain when they are needed.
A technical mountain with steady traffic
Ama Dablam is popular and it is hard. Every autumn produces a number of injuries and altitude cases, and the base camp pad is where most of them come off the hill. We coordinate with the expedition leader and the rescue insurer before launching.
Moving equipment
Teams routinely want to move far more than the passenger allowance. That is a charter conversation rather than a seat booking. Tell us the total weight and how many lifts you are prepared to pay for, and we will plan it properly.
Off season
The pad is generally not usable outside the autumn season. If you are planning a spring trip that depends on landing here, talk to us first.
- To
- Lukla
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The base camp pad is established for the autumn climbing season and is generally not usable outside it. Confirm with us that the site is active before planning around this route.
Pricing
What this flight costs, and what it does not include
Both figures are the price we quote on WhatsApp. A shared seat puts you on a scheduled departure with other travellers. A private charter is the whole aircraft on your schedule.
Included
- Confirmed seat or aircraft on the stated departure
- All government taxes on the charter
- Passenger liability insurance
- Pilot and crew
- Free rescheduling if the flight is held for weather
Not included
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- Meals, accommodation and ground transport
- National park permits and TIMS cards
- Excess baggage above the stated allowance
- Anything arising from a delay outside our control
We publish how these prices are set and when they move. Read the price transparency policy.
Operators
CAAN licensed operators
We charter aircraft only from operators that hold a current air operator certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Each one below is reviewed by us before we put passengers on their aircraft.
Air Dynasty Heli Services
Manang Air
Simrik Air
Mountain Helicopters
Altitude Air
Heli Everest
Kailash Helicopter Services
Prabhu Helicopter
Upcoming departures
The next flights on this route
All departures are subject to visual flight rules and weather. Seat counts are confirmed with operators each morning.
Landing site
Where you land at Lukla
- Helipad
- Tenzing-Hillary Airport helipad
- Area
- Khumbu, Everest region
- Altitude
- 2,845 m
- Coordinates
- 27.68690, 86.72970
The airstrip is 527 metres long, slopes uphill at around twelve degrees, and ends in a rock face. Helicopters use the pad adjacent to the apron rather than the runway itself. Stay behind the marked line until the rotor has stopped and approach only from the front, where the crew can see you.
Safety
What you need to know before you board
A seasonal expedition pad on meadow ground at 4,600 metres. Payload is moderate; four passengers at twelve kilos is the working assumption.
Climbing equipment counts against the allowance and expeditions routinely exceed it. Declare totals in advance so we can plan the lifts.
For a casualty on the mountain rather than at base camp, contact the dispatch desk directly. What is possible depends on where they are, what the weather is doing and whether a long-line operation is required.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
No. It is established by expedition teams for the autumn season. Outside that, check with us before planning anything around it.
It depends entirely on where the casualty is and what the conditions are. Camp 1 and Camp 2 have been reached in the past under the right circumstances. Contact us directly rather than assuming.
Twelve kilos per person on a shared seat. For an expedition de-rig, talk to us about a charter and we will price the lifts.
Many teams do; it is an hour. Flying from base camp makes sense when you are moving a lot of equipment or somebody is hurt.
Autumn, roughly late September to late November, with the main summit window through October and early November.
Hold a seat
Request this flight
No payment now. Tell us the date and the group, and we will come back with a confirmed aircraft, a confirmed price and a deposit link.
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