Namche Bazaar
3,440 m
Lukla
2,845 m
10 mins
8:00 AM
$200
per seat
$750
aircraft
CAAN licensed
Free weather reschedule
Rescue capable
Namche to Kathmandu helicopter flight
Namche Bazaar
3,440 m
Kathmandu
1,400 m
- Flight time
- 50 mins
- Seats
- 5
- Baggage
- 15 kg
- From
- $650
Flight overview
Flying Namche to Kathmandu helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namche to Kathmandu helicopter flight | 8:00 AM | 5 | 50 mins |
Namche Bazaar is where the Everest trek usually starts to feel real, and where a certain number of people decide it is not going to work out. At 3,440 metres, two days above Lukla, it is the first place the altitude is genuinely felt, and the acclimatisation day here is where the honest conversations happen.
The flight to Kathmandu takes about fifty minutes and drops you two thousand metres. It is the fastest exit from the middle of the trek, and it skips both the descent to Lukla and whatever queue is currently forming at the airstrip.
Who flies this leg
Trekkers who are not adapting. Groups whose schedule has already slipped and who need to be in Kathmandu. Occasionally someone who came up for the Everest View Hotel and never intended to walk any further.
The cheaper alternative
If you are well and simply finished, walking down to Lukla and flying from there costs considerably less. What you are paying for on this route is the aircraft coming up the valley to collect you. If you are unwell, that is money well spent. If you are just tired, take the walk.
Getting to the pad
The helipad is above the town on the Syangboche shoulder, ten to fifteen minutes of steep uphill from the lodges. At this altitude that is a real climb. Tell us if anyone in your group will struggle with it.
- From
- Namche Bazaar
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The Namche pad sits on the Syangboche shoulder above the town and gets turbulent as the sun works on the slope. The single morning departure is scheduled early for that reason, and for the Kathmandu end, which hazes over through the day.
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
- Domestic airport service charge, NPR 400 per passenger, paid at the terminal
- 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 Kathmandu
- Helipad
- Tribhuvan International Airport, domestic apron
- Area
- Kathmandu Valley
- Altitude
- 1,400 m
- Coordinates
- 27.69660, 85.35910
Departures use the domestic side of Tribhuvan International. Traffic is heavy between seven and nine in the morning, so a helicopter slot can be held on the ground for twenty minutes even in perfect weather. Arrive an hour before your departure time with your passport.
Safety
What you need to know before you board
Standard fifteen kilo allowance applies; Namche is low enough that payload is not the constraint it becomes higher up.
The pad is a steep ten to fifteen minute walk above the town. If you are unwell or injured, tell us, because that walk is the hard part of the day and we can look at alternatives.
Approaches here can be rough by mid-morning. If you are prone to motion sickness, take something before you get to the pad rather than after.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
Because Namche to Lukla is a full day of walking, mostly downhill, and because if you are turning back at Namche you are usually turning back for a reason. Flying direct removes both the descent and the Lukla queue.
Yes, meaningfully. You are paying here for the aircraft to come up the valley and pick you up rather than meeting it at the trailhead.
It is ten to fifteen minutes of steep climbing above the town, which at 3,440 metres is more of a task than it sounds. If someone in your group cannot manage it, say so when you book.
Yes, but think carefully. Going from 1,400 metres to 3,440 in fifty minutes gives your body nothing to work with. If you fly in, plan two acclimatisation nights before going higher.
Syangboche and the Everest View Hotel sit just above the pad at 3,880 metres. Several of our tours land there, and it is a short walk from the Namche helipad.
Hold a seat
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