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
Everest Base Camp helicopter tour from Kathmandu
Kathmandu
1,400 m
Everest Base Camp
5,364 m
- Flight time
- 4 to 5 hrs return
- Seats
- 5
- Baggage
- 5 kg
- From
- $1,200
Flight overview
Flying Everest Base Camp helicopter tour from Kathmandu
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everest Base Camp helicopter tour from Kathmandu | 6:30 AM | 5 | 4 to 5 hrs return |
| Everest Base Camp helicopter tour from Kathmandu | 7:30 AM | 5 | 4 to 5 hrs return |
The Everest Base Camp helicopter tour is the shortest possible route to standing on high ground with Everest in front of you. You leave Kathmandu in the dark, fly up through the Khumbu as the light comes onto the peaks, land above five thousand metres, and are back in the city for lunch.
The flight follows the same corridor as the Lukla transfer before continuing up the valley past Namche, Tengboche and Pheriche, then over the Khumbu Glacier. You see Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam from the air, and you overfly base camp and the icefall.
Where you actually land
The high landing is normally at Kala Patthar, at 5,545 metres, or at Gorakshep just below it. Kala Patthar is in fact the better place to be: from base camp itself, the bulk of Nuptse hides most of Everest, while from Kala Patthar the summit pyramid is fully in view. We overfly base camp on the way past.
We say this plainly because the phrase “land at Everest Base Camp” is used loosely in this market. Base camp sits on a moving glacier, its pads are built and abandoned each season by expedition teams, and no agency can guarantee a landing there on a scenic flight.
Breakfast at 3,880 metres
On the way back the aircraft puts down at Syangboche for breakfast on the terrace of the Everest View Hotel, above Namche. It doubles as a sensible altitude step on the way down and it is, for a lot of people, the part of the day they remember.
Shared or private
A shared seat puts you with up to four other passengers on a fixed departure. A private charter lets you set the time, choose how long you spend at each stop, and be certain who is sitting next to you. For photographers and for families, the charter is usually worth it.
- From
- Kathmandu
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The whole tour depends on getting into the Khumbu before the cloud builds, which is why both departures are early. We do not sell an afternoon Everest tour. Anyone who does is selling you a flight that will mostly be cancelled or, worse, flown into deteriorating conditions.
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
- Landing at Kala Patthar or Gorakshep, conditions permitting
- Breakfast at the Everest View Hotel
- Passenger liability insurance
- Free rescheduling if the flight is held for weather
Not included
- Domestic airport service charge, NPR 400 per passenger, paid at the terminal
- Sagarmatha National Park entry fee
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- Supplementary oxygen, available on request
- 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 Everest Base Camp
- Helipad
- Everest Base Camp, seasonal pads on the Khumbu Glacier
- Area
- Khumbu, Everest region
- Altitude
- 5,364 m
- Coordinates
- 28.00260, 86.85280
Base camp sits on moving glacier ice. Pads are established seasonally by expeditions and shift year to year. Landings are only made during the spring and autumn seasons, by prior arrangement, and only when the surface has been confirmed.
Safety
What you need to know before you board
This tour takes an unacclimatised passenger from 1,400 metres to above 5,000 metres in under two hours. That is a large and rapid altitude change, and a proportion of people feel it: headache, breathlessness, light-headedness.
Time outside the aircraft at the high landing is deliberately short, ten to fifteen minutes, for exactly this reason. Move slowly. Do not run for a photograph. Supplementary oxygen is carried and available on request without anyone making a fuss about it.
If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have had recent surgery, tell us at booking and speak to your doctor first. We would rather lose the sale than fly someone who should not be at that altitude.
Landings at base camp itself are not guaranteed and are often not possible. See the question below.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
Usually not, and you should be careful of anyone who guarantees it. Base camp sits on moving glacier ice with seasonal pads maintained by expeditions. Most tours land at Kala Patthar, at 5,545 metres, which has the better view of Everest anyway, or at Gorakshep. We overfly base camp and the Khumbu Icefall on the way.
Four to five hours from leaving Kathmandu to getting back, including the high landing and breakfast at the Everest View Hotel. The flying itself is about two hours of it.
Some people feel a headache or shortness of breath at the high landing. Serious altitude sickness is unlikely because the exposure is so brief. Oxygen is on board. Keep your movements slow and tell the crew if you feel unwell.
Five kilos, which is a camera and a jacket. This is a sightseeing flight, not a transfer, and the aircraft needs its payload for people and fuel at altitude.
October and November for the clearest air, then March to early May. December and January are often crystal clear but brutally cold at the landing. We do not recommend the monsoon months of June to August for this tour at all.
We do the flight, overfly what is safely reachable, and land lower. If the weather prevents the tour reaching the Khumbu at all, you have not had the tour, and we rebook or refund it.
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