Gorakshep
5,164 m
Lukla
2,845 m
25 mins
6:30 AM
8:30 AM
11:00 AM
$600
per seat
$1,800
aircraft
CAAN licensed
Free weather reschedule
Rescue capable
Kothe to Lukla helicopter flight
Kothe
3,600 m
Lukla
2,845 m
- Flight time
- 18 mins
- Seats
- 5
- Baggage
- 15 kg
- From
- $350
Flight overview
Flying Kothe to Lukla helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kothe to Lukla helicopter flight | 8:00 AM | 5 | 18 mins |
Kothe sits at 3,600 metres on the floor of the Hinku valley, among the last trees on the walk in to Mera Peak. It is not a destination. It is the pad that solves the weight problem.
A helicopter at Khare, nearly five thousand metres up, might take three people and ten kilos each. The same machine at Kothe takes five people and a full allowance. For a Mera team with equipment, walking down a day to Kothe is often cheaper and always simpler than splitting the group across two lifts from Khare.
The flight
Eighteen minutes over the ridge into the Dudh Kosi and down to Lukla. It replaces two to three days on foot, including the Zatrwa La.
Cloud
The lower Hinku is narrow and wooded and it fills early. The morning departure is the real one. A slot that slips past ten frequently turns into tomorrow.
- From
- Kothe
- To
- Lukla
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
At 3,600 metres, Kothe is low enough that the aircraft can carry a proper load, which makes it the staging pad of choice when a group at Khare is over weight. The valley is narrow and wooded and fills with cloud early, often before ten.
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
Heli Everest
Altitude Air
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 valley-floor pad in trees. Approaches are made along the valley and the crew will want the site clear.
Full fifteen kilo allowance applies here, which is why Kothe is useful to Mera groups.
Cloud builds early in the lower Hinku. A flight scheduled for eight that slips to ten often does not go at all.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
Weight. Kothe is 1,350 metres lower, so the aircraft can carry a full load of people and equipment in one lift. Walking down from Khare to Kothe takes a day and usually saves money.
Two to three days, including the Zatrwa La.
Fifteen kilos, the full allowance, because the pad is low enough to permit it.
Often before ten in the morning. The eight o'clock departure is the one that flies.
A handful of lodges on the valley floor among the last of the trees. Enough for a night, not much more.
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.
Related
Other flights from and to these places
Need a helicopter? We answer in minutes.
Dispatch desk staffed 24 hours, every day of the year. Bookings, weather holds and emergency evacuations.