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
Gokyo to Lukla helicopter flight
Gokyo
4,790 m
Lukla
2,845 m
- Flight time
- 20 mins
- Seats
- 4
- Baggage
- 12 kg
- From
- $450
Flight overview
Flying Gokyo to Lukla helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gokyo to Lukla helicopter flight | 8:00 AM | 4 | 20 mins |
Gokyo sits at 4,790 metres on the shore of the third lake, beside the Ngozumpa Glacier, in a valley west of the main Everest trail. Getting out on foot means either retracing the whole valley to Namche or crossing the Cho La at 5,420 metres.
The helicopter takes twenty minutes down the Dudh Kosi to Lukla, and it is the reason a lot of people who would otherwise skip the Gokyo valley go there at all.
The Cho La question
The Cho La is a real mountain pass with ice, a steep descent on the eastern side and genuine consequences in bad weather. Some trekkers cross it happily. Others arrive at the foot of it after ten days on the trail, look at it, and decide they would rather not. This flight is the alternative that does not involve four days of retracing your steps.
A narrower valley
Gokyo cancels more than Lukla. The valley is tight, cloud sits in it, and there is one departure a day. If your itinerary ends with this flight and then an international connection, put a buffer day in.
- From
- Gokyo
- To
- Lukla
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The Gokyo valley is narrower than the Khumbu and less forgiving of cloud. There is one scheduled morning departure and a marginal forecast grounds it more readily than the equivalent Lukla flight. Build a spare day into any Gokyo itinerary that ends with a flight.
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 4,790 metres from a pad beside the lake, with the approach made along a narrow valley.
Twelve kilos of baggage per passenger on a shared seat. Payload is limited and a group of four may be split.
The pad is at the edge of the village on open ground by the water. Cold, exposed, and windy from mid-morning. Keep your down layer out of the loaded bag.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
Yes, and that is the main reason people book it. The Cho La at 5,420 metres has ice on it and turns back a fair number of trekkers who reach it tired.
Less reliable than the Lukla shuttles. The valley is narrow and holds cloud. Plan a spare day rather than booking an international connection tightly behind it.
Yes, but treat it the same way as flying into any high village: no acclimatisation behind you, and a serious altitude gain. Two nights lower down first is the sensible approach.
We fly that leg directly, fifteen minutes, for people who want both valleys without crossing the pass. See the Gorakshep to Gokyo route.
Yes, about an hour with a fuel stop. See the Gokyo to Kathmandu route.
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