Highlights
- Aerial view of the Great Himalayas in eastern Nepal
- Dense forests of Sagarmatha National Park
- Sherpa settlement areas are located in high-altitude
- Stunning view of Mt. Everest Summit from Kala Patthar
- Lunch or breakfast at Everest View Hotel, the world’s highest-placed hotel
- Best aerial tour in the world
- Accessible for all age groups
Tour Overview
Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour is the easiest way to have an aerial view of the Great Himalayas in the shortest time. Flying just like a bird above the sky, you can enjoy the breathtaking view of the entire Everest region. It is one of the must-do activities for a lifelong memory while on a Nepal tour. You witness the lush valleys, diverse landscapes, high-altitude Sherpa villages, and snow-capped mountains without any difficulty.
Flight over Mount Everest allows you to have a lifetime achievement to reach the vicinity of the world’s highest peak in no time. You can have a view of glaciers, icefalls, and dense forests of Sagarmatha National Park on this tour. Trekking to Everest Base Camp is not everyone’s cup of tea. The Everest Base Camp trek requires a good deal of physical fitness and mental determination.
Everest Helicopter Tour begins from the Kathmandu Airport and takes you to the Eastern Himalayas of Nepal. While flying to Mount Everest, you can have the mesmerizing vistas of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas around Kathmandu. The glittering peaks of Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Langtang regions come to your sight. After having the in-flight scenery of the natural and cultural wonders of the Kathmandu Valley, you move towards Lukla.
The helicopter then, lands at Lukla, also called Tenzing Hillary Airport for fuelling purposes. You can have a short break at Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region trekking. Then, you fly towards Everest Base Camp by enjoying the stunning vistas of the snowy peaks of the region. Here, you have two options: Everest Helicopter Tour with landing at different locations within the Everest region or without landing anywhere.
EBC Helicopter Tour Cost
Everest Heli tour without landing gives you the best aerial view of the high Himalayas in the world. The helicopter flies across Namche Bazaar, Tenboche, Lobuche, Gorakshep, and Everest Base Camp. While on board, you get an astounding view of the socio-cultural and natural features of these places. Then, the helicopter flies back to Lukla and stops for a while to refuel it. After that, you fly back to the Kathmandu Valley to have the enchanting view of the Everest region once more.
The Everest Base Camp Helicopter tour with landing is quite different from this tour without landing at any place around the Everest region. The cost of an Everest Helicopter tour with landing is a little higher than without landing. And the duration is also longer than that of an Everest Helicopter tour without landing. But the rewards are more precious, although it is costlier and longer though. The most important thing is that you can enjoy Everest Base Camp in a day. Most probably it's for Busy Travellers.
When the helicopter refuels at Lukla, it starts flying towards Everest Base Camp or Kala Patthar. You can reach there within 15 minutes while trekking takes around 10 days. The plane lands there for about 5 minutes, which may cause acute mountain sickness. Within the given time, you can have a 360-degree panoramic view of the Everest Summit and other peaks.
Views from Kala Patthar
While landing at Kala Patthar, you can see the glittering peaks of Mt. Everest 8,848 m) as if smiling at you. Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Nuptse, and other peaks can be seen from here. You can capture this lifetime achievement in your camera and the mind for lifelong memory. The snaps you capture here are the testimonials that you have been to Everest Base Camp once in a lifetime!
Then, the shuttle starts to fly back towards Syangboche or Everest View Hotel near Namche Bazaar. Flying for about 15 minutes, the helicopter lands at the world’s highest-altitude hotel. You can have a nearly 20-minute break here at Everest View Hotel. You can have your breakfast or lunch at this hotel by enjoying the close-up view of Mt. Everest and neighboring peaks.
After you enjoy a lot with the splendid vistas of the Himalayas, the shuttle flies towards Lukla. It refuels here and begins the retreat flight towards the Kathmandu Airport. The 45-minute flight lets you relish the scenery of the soaring peaks once again. When you land at the Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be transferred to the hotel. In this way, the Everest Helicopter tour with landing comes to an end by offering you the best helicopter tour in Nepal.
Who Can Do Everest Helicopter Fly?
As you don’t have to walk along the steep rugged trails up and down, an Everest helicopter tour can be done easily. Unlike the Everest Base Camp trek, it doesn’t require physical fitness and other hardships as well. Similarly, you don’t have to have a considerable vacation to spend in Nepal for this helicopter excursion to the Everest region.
What you have to do is board the helicopter and get ready to focus on the rewards to have. Therefore, the Everest Helicopter Tour is accessible to anyone from children to senior citizens. If you have just one day’s vacation in Nepal and want to see the Mountain Giants of Everest region, it is possible. Within three hours, you can fly towards Kathmandu to enjoy the gorgeous Himalayas.
What is the best time for Everest Helicopter Tour?
The best seasons for the Everest Helicopter Tour are spring and autumn. The days are fine with the perfect visibility that you can have the 360-degree aerial view of the Great Himalayas. Flying to the Everest region in these seasons is the best idea to have a lifelong memory of the snowy peaks around Mt. Everest. In these seasons, there are multiple flight services from Kathmandu Airport. We highly recommend you book a trip to these two seasons.
You should be flexible about delays, postponements, and cancellations of flights due to unavoidable weather conditions. Flying over Mt. Everest in winter and rainy seasons may not be apt for those having a very limited vacation. You cannot have the astounding vistas of the snow-capped peaks, the Khumbu Glacier, and the Khumbu Glacier in these seasons. Therefore, it is not much good idea to plan the Everest Helicopter Tour at this time.
As it does take a short time, you can do Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour any time of the year. What is required is a fine day with clear visibility. In winter, the thick fog and mists may obstruct the visibility so it is difficult to do this tour. Besides this, you can never predict the weather conditions of the high-altitude places. In the rainy season as well, the heavy showers and unexpected fog and mists can be a hurdle for the flight.
Weight for Everest Tour by Helicopter
According to the latest rules and regulations, a maximum of 5 persons and a pilot can fly in a helicopter tour to Everest. However, the weight limit is strictly implemented in this flight. As long as the flight is over 4,500 m, the weight limit is 240 kg. If the total weight of the passengers is 240 kg, the helicopter directly lands at Kala Patthar. But if the weight crosses the given limit, the helicopter lands at Periche. Then, takes two shuttle flights up to the vantage point of Mt. Everest Summit.
What to Bring Everest Helicopter Tour?
Carrying a rucksack is not necessary during Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour as it lasts for only 3 hours. You need to be careful about the clothing and snacks including water for the tour. If you are traveling in winter, you should put on a down jacket, woolen hat and thick trousers. But if you are touring in other seasons, you should wear a warm jacket, sun hat, cotton socks and sunglasses.
Bringing a fully charged high dimension camera with battery backup and a mobile phone is another thing you must do. You should have extra storage devices like memory cards or laptops as well. Using sun cream and packing dry food and enough water bottles are also equally important.