Highlights
- Get more from the aerial views of Sagarmatha national park, a high-altitude country of Sherpa people who live behind the shadow of snow-capped mountains
- Take a selfie with mount Everest without stress: Stunning view of some of highest peaks on earth from Kala Patthar – Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse
- Sip your tea with an amazing panorama view of Everest and its brothers from Everest View Hotel
- Feel the thrill of the flight taking off and landing in the busy Lukla Airport
- Start saving your time today with just a half-day helicopter tour to Everest Base Camp
Reviews
Itinerary
PHASE 1: KATHMANDU TO LUKLA
Start your exciting helicopter tour to Everest Base Camp early as the skies are clear in the morning and the clouds usually come in the afternoon.
Be ready at 6:00 AM, driver pick you up from your hotel and take you to the airport. Waiting for boarding and getting on a helicopter and fly east towards Lukla.
Enjoy the great view from the helicopter’s window along the journey:
- Kathmandu Valley – the mandala shape of Bouddanath Buddhist Stupa appears down below
- The green hill country with rice paddies and several Himalayan peaks of Ganesh, Manaslu, Langtang in skyline ahead
After 45 minutes of flight, the helicopter land at Lukla airstrip at an altitude of 2,820m. This airport has another name Tenzing – Hillary Airport (Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to make it to the top of the world – Mount Everest on May 29th, 1953)
Helicopter park at Lukla Airport for refueling then depends on weather condition, aircraft prepare to take off for Kala Pathar
Average Driving Duration: 30 minutes
Average Flight Duration: 45 minutes
Average Landing Duration: 45 minutes
PHASE 2: LAND AT KALA PATHAR
From Lukla, it takes 25 minutes for the helicopter to fly to Everest Base Camp and land in Kala Patthar.
Kala Pathar provides the best “helicopter pad” for a panoramic view of Himalayan peaks. Helicopter land on the summit of Kala Patthar for 10 minutes
Why 10 minutes?
Since you reach an elevation of 5,555m in just a short time – you might get sick of altitude if you stay longer.
What do you see?
Several Khumbu settlements of Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, and the View of Mount Everest (8,848m) – earth’s highest mountain and Khumbu Glacier from the Kala Patthar summit
Note: Maximum of 3 people can be helicoptered between Base Camp and Pheriche as the helicopter is equipped to reach that height with a certain weight. You might need to split the group at this phase.
Average Flight Duration: 25 minutes
Average Landing Duration: 10 minutes
PHASE 3: LAND AT SHYANGBOCHE & EVEREST VIEW HOTEL
Leaving Kala Pathar, retrace your journey above the clouds back to Shyanboche airport with views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and other Himalayan Peaks beside the famous Mount Everest and Lhotse.
Shyangboche airstrip (3,790m) was only built to serve the Hotel Everest View. At this elevation, it is too high for most trekkers who want to start their hike to Everest Base Camp.
So currently no airlines have planes climb to this altitude, most aircraft landing and departing at Shyangboche are helicopters
At Everest View Hotel, enjoy your breakfast and a cup of hot tea with a great Panorama View of Everest, definitely a highlight of the Everest Base Camp helicopter tour.
Average Flight Duration: 15 minutes
Average Landing Duration: 45 minutes
PHASE 4: BACK TO KATHMANDU
Take a last look at Everest mountain and flight back to Kathmandu via Lukla
From Kathmandu airport, you can end your journey by going back to Hotel or continue a half-day tour visiting some UNESCO World Heritage Site that you have seen from a helicopter such as Boudhanath Stupa, Bhaktapur Durbar Square.
Average Flight Duration: 1 hour
Average Driving Duration: 30 minutes
Payment conditions
Inclusion
- Private transfer between Airport and Hotel
- Helicopter Ride to Everest Base Camp on a shared group tour
- Airport tax and fees
- Taxes & service fees
Not include
- Tips and personal expense
Top1Trekking charges a non-refundable deposit amount at the time of booking. The remaining amount you will pay on arrival.
Currency rate
All bookings are charged in US DOLLAR (USD)
After booking with Top1Trekking
After booking your tour with Top1Trekking, you will be contacted within two working days by one of our travel consultants, who will be your main contact point for all of your travel information before, during and even after your trip.
Your travel consultant will provide you with details about your booking and your remaining payment (if not paid in full). You will also receive more information about what to expect during your holiday.
Trip Information
HELICOPTER INFORMATION
AirBus 350 Series will be used for the tour, a powerful – lightweight helicopters which can:
- Land up to an altitude of 7,000m/23,000ft
- Take off and land easily in limited space
- The capacity of 1 pilot and up to 6 passengers
WHAT TO BRING?
You will face the cold when landing at Kala Patthar & Everest View Hotel. A large number of gears is not necessary but a few items:
- Waterproof/Windproof jacket
- Fleece jacket OR down jacket
- Sunglass & suncream
- Water bottle
- Camera and mobiles with extra batteries
- A warm hat, scarf, gloves (important for travel in winter)
- Your passport and passport copy
BEST SEASON
A helicopter ride to Everest Base Camp is possible from September to May with the best time falling into Autumn and Spring.
- Autumn (September to November): brings the most stable weather, clearer skies, and magical views. The temperature in the early morning at Kala Patthar can range from -5 to -10 Celsius
- Spring (Mar to May): Rhododendron bloom at the lower elevation you can see from the helicopter window between Namche Bazaar and Tengboche. Weather is comfortable with 15 to 20 Celsius during the day and -0 to 5 Celsius at night time.
- Winter (December to February): Best time if you want to see snow in the region. The cold can be an obstacle with minimum -20 celsius
Everest Helicopter Tour FAQs
No, the Helicopter is equipped to fly to a maximum altitude of 7,000m. More advanced helicopters can fly higher than the summit of Everest but making a landing at such altitude is tricky as helicopters can spark avalanches or landslides. [1]
In history, there is one test helicopter pilot, Didier Delsalle make the impossible landing on the summit of Everest on May 14th, 2005. The chopper then take-off after 3’’50’’ “on the summit. [2]
Tour starts at an elevation of 2,820m in Lukla Helicopter then it flies up to 5,000m or above 6,000m in some places, the helicopter land at 5,555m at Kala Pathar
No, Helicopter will fly above Everest Base Camp and Khumbu Glacier and land in Kala Pathar, one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Everest. You only really see Mount Everest from Kala Patthar.
Yes, we have groups that depart regularly during the peak season. Please contact us for advice and confirmation of flight dates.
Yes, we offer a private helicopter service, quite reasonable price with experienced pilots. One helicopter contains up to 5 guests. Please contact us for a good price.
Yes, you can add Gokyo Lakes with extra fees
Yes, the weather affects the flight especially in the rainy season (June to August), the remaining seasons are quite stable but the weather on the mountain sometimes is not predictable, We always update the latest weather to ensure guests’ safety.
Depending on the circumstances. If the tour is canceled due to weather conditions before the helicopter takes off in Kathmandu, you will be refunded. If it has started, it is canceled part of the journey because of the weather conditions you will not be refunded
The total tour time is about 4-5 hours. Depending on the boarding time and weather conditions, the tour usually starts around 6:00 am and ends around 1-2 pm.
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