Pangboche
3,985 m
Lukla
2,845 m
15 mins
8:00 AM
$450
per seat
$1,000
aircraft
CAAN licensed
Free weather reschedule
Rescue capable
Dingboche to Lukla helicopter flight
Dingboche
4,410 m
Lukla
2,845 m
- Flight time
- 20 mins
- Seats
- 5
- Baggage
- 12 kg
- From
- $220
Flight overview
Flying Dingboche to Lukla helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dingboche to Lukla helicopter flight | 7:30 AM | 5 | 20 mins |
Dingboche sits at 4,410 metres in the Imja valley, a wide, open bowl below Island Peak and across the ridge from Pheriche. Most Everest Base Camp itineraries stop here for a second acclimatisation night, and it is at Dingboche that a number of trekkers work out that the altitude is not going to let them continue.
The flight to Lukla takes twenty minutes down the Imja Khola and the Dudh Kosi. It replaces two days of walking and fifteen hundred metres of descent.
The cheapest high pad
At our published shared rate this is one of the least expensive seats out of the upper valley, because Dingboche sits on a busy shuttle corridor and the aircraft is usually already moving. If you are flexible on the morning, it is very good value.
Dingboche or Pheriche
The two villages are half an hour apart on foot and both have pads. If you are flying because someone is unwell, walk across to Pheriche and use the aid post first: a doctor’s assessment changes what we can tell an insurer. If you are simply finished, fly from whichever one you are standing in.
Flying in rather than out
We will sell you a seat up to Dingboche, and some people take it to join a group already on the trail. Understand what you are doing: three thousand metres of gain in a morning with no acclimatisation behind it. The symptoms usually turn up on the second night.
- From
- Dingboche
- To
- Lukla
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The Imja valley is wide at Dingboche and the morning departure is usually straightforward. Wind builds through the valley after ten. One scheduled slot, early.
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 high-altitude departure at 4,410 metres with a twelve kilo baggage allowance on shared seats.
The pad is on open ground below the village and is exposed. Secure everything before the aircraft arrives.
Dingboche sees a lot of altitude illness because the trail crosses 4,300 metres here and stays high. If that is why you are flying, tell us.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
Because the shared seat rides on an aircraft already shuttling in the valley, while a charter commits the machine to a dedicated trip up from Lukla and back.
Two days, through Pangboche, Tengboche and Namche.
They are twenty minutes apart on foot and both work. Pheriche has the aid post, which matters if this is a medical departure. Dingboche is slightly higher.
You can, and we will sell you the flight, but going from 1,400 metres to 4,410 in a morning is asking for trouble. If you must, plan to come straight back down.
Yes, see the separate route. It costs around four times the Lukla fare.
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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