Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Fly Back to Kathmandu
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Detailed Itinerary: Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return to Kathmandu
Here’s How Your Journey Will Unfold
Arriving in the capital, Kathmandu (1,350m/4,428ft)
Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport and a Bold Himalaya representative will receive you there. They will bring you to your hotel. Kathmandu is indeed the city where centuries’ old customs come mixed with city-urbanity!
Once you are all settled into your hotel, do a walk around some of the amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Swayambhunath (the “Monkey Temple”) or holy Pashupatinath Temple, or a walk around ancient Durbar Squares. Or if you are including an extra day in Kathmandu, simply take a guided tour of all the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu Valley – each one filled with history and architecture in itself! Evening welcome dinner at a nearby Nepali restaurant and meet your guide who will present a briefing on tomorrow’s adventure. Good night – tomorrow is the start of the actual trek!
Kathmandu Valley Tour
Lukla Flight (2,860m/9,383ft), Trek to Phakding (2,651m/8,700ft) | 8km, 3–4 hours
We will depart early morning and fly to the airport on a flight that will be an excellent 30-minute journey to Lukla – it’s really your gateway to Everest. Depending on where you sit on the plane, you could see the entire Himalayan range stretching out in front of you – if you want the best views, try to snag a seat on the left side of the plane! Just in case you don’t know, Lukla airport has the world’s shortest runway, so hold on to your seat for a little rollercoaster landing experience!
Upon reaching Lukla, you experience the mountain chill and observe the Sherpa village life with its multicolored painting all around and we’ll meet up with our porters. Your Phakding trekking starts with a smooth downhill trek in the scenic rhododendron forest and serene Sherpa villages. Your first suspension bridge across the thundering Dudh Koshi River whose glacial water will be your friend for the next few days is awaiting you.
Phakding is a riverside village, and there the winds batter against the prayer wheels, and cozy teahouses welcome you with smiles. You’ll be sitting by campfires in the evening as the river bubbles and burbles away in the background, perhaps listening to the tales of wanderers who are journeying here from all directions on the earth.
Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,438m/11,280ft) | 10–12km, 5–6 hours
The hike today is a sure adventure as you enter Sagarmatha National Park, its peculiar Himalayan vegetation and wildlife and plain-out breathtaking scenery. We’ll walk behind the Dudh Koshi River, leaping over springy, bouncy bridges – like the Hillary Bridge whose vividly coloured prayer flags wave in the wind.
The air gets increasingly refreshing and the views all the more breathtaking as we climb higher. We engage in some sensible walking through the pine forest and ultimately reach Namche Bazaar. This is a bustling town, in the midst of the mountains’ centre style, with lots going on! The Sherpa town will impress and overwhelm you with its brightly painted buildings, yak treks, thronged markets, and even bakeries full of wonderful pastries – a welcome treat in high country!
From Namche, you get your first open view of massive Everest in the distance, and Lhotse, Nuptse, and lovely Ama Dablam. When the sun sets behind those titans, illuminating the peaks with golden light, you’ll really know the adventure begins!
Acclimatization at Namche Bazaar
This day’s “rest day” in Namche will not be spent lounging around! In a bid to acclimatize your body to the thinner high-altitude air, you’ll hike up part of the way to the Everest View Hotel (3,880m), and you’ll be rewarded with utterly stunning panaramic vistas of Everest, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku that will leave you excited.
Keep your eyes open on the drive – you might see some free-roaming Himalayan Thars (mountain goats) or beautiful Danphe pheasants (Nepal’s national bird). Another treasure is a stop at the Sherpa Culture Museum to learn about great mountaineers like Tenzing Norgay and the observation of the Tenzing-Hillary statue to honor the first people to reach the summit of Everest.
Afternoon: Explore Namche’s lively market where village and Tibetan merchants exchange yak cheese to handicrafts. This relaxed day is crucial to your body as it acclimatizes to the higher altitude ahead – and the views make it anything but boring!
Namche Bazaar to Tengboche Trek (3,870m/12,694ft) | 10km, 5–6 hours
We’re passing Namche on by today and trekking along a ridge that never stops having floor-of-your-throat panorama views of Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam – that’s the mountain which looks like a shark-fin, and it is picture perfect.
Then, after you descend to the Imja River and another rickety bridge, you have a tough climb up to Tengboche. The climb is strenuous but the closer you get with each step, the closer you get to one of the trekking gems – Tengboche Monastery, the largest in the Everest area.
Set against the background of white-hooded mountains, the monastery is peaceful with monks reciting their morning prayers. There are possibilities that you would even witness a Buddhist ritual being performed at the colorful temple – something that would attract your attention on your non-clerical travels.
As the sun sets, take a look and watch Ama Dablam glow golden in the light of evening – something you will never forget. You will be camping tonight in a local teahouse, heating up by a wood fire after an incredible day on the trail.
Tengboche to Dingboche (4,360m/14,300ft) | 9km, 5–6 hours
Rise to pure mountain magic – sunrise gold on Everest and Ama Dablam! Descend after breakfast through gorgeous rhododendron forest before opening out into vast mountain meadows. Traverse the Imja Khola River and you’ll reach Pangboche, the highest permanent Sherpa village. Don’t forget to call in at the ancient monastery here with its Yeti tales and sacred relics!
Above, notice how the landscape is completely different as forests give way to rock face. Yaks graze contentedly in boulder-strewn fields, their bells ringing a gentle Himalayan cadence. Your camp, Dingboche, is in a secure valley ringed by excellent views of Island Peak and Lhotse. A total contrast to frenetic Namche, this quiet village enables you to enjoy to the hilt the peace of the Himalayas. The thin air also reminds you that you’re now well above 4,000m – above most of Europe’s highest peaks!
Dingboche to Lobuche Trek (4,940m/16,207ft) | 7-8 km, 5–6 hours
You’re heading into the real Himalayan backcountry today! You start with a slow climb above Dingboche with tremendous panorama views of the entire valley. Scenery becomes increasingly barren and more mountainous as you hike on to Thukla, a small rest place at the bottom of the vast Khumbu Glacier.
After a rest, make the steep climb to Thukla Pass. Stop at the memorial to Everest climbers who perished on the mountain – grey stone monuments topped with fluttering prayer flags make for a hauntingly moving moment. Follow the rim of the Khumbu Glacier next, where huge chunks of ice groan and splinter in the sun.
Tonight, you’ll sleep in Lobuche, a tiny village with towering mountains all around.
Trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,170m/16,961ft), Visit Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,594ft) | 11–12 km, 7–8 hours
This is the day you reach Everest Base Camp! You start the day by trekking on an alien landscape of ice and rock on the massive Khumbu Glacier. Vertical ice walls and crevasses deep enough to swallow a bus show nature’s force in all its unleashed intensity at this high altitude.
Having reached tiny Gorak Shep – the final outpost of civilization – take a breather before moving up to EBC. The trail goes through loose boulders and glacial moraines, but the sight of the famous Khumbu Icefall brings you on.
When you eventually get to Everest Base Camp, you will never forget it! Here begin the climbing expeditions on the highest mountain in the world! Colorful prayer flags wave in the wind as Everest towers in the distance. Having signed and taken heaps of pictures, return to Gorak Shep in the evening and sleep, knowing you’ve experienced something really out of the ordinary!
Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar (5,545m/18,192ft), Back to Gorak Shep, Back to Kathmandu by Helicopter
Your final mountain sunrise starts in the darkness as you make the steep climb to Kala Patthar for sunrise. Every lungful of air is struggled for but repaid tenfold when you arrive at the top – this is the second-best view of Everest short of its summit! The world’s highest mountain glows golden in the increasing dawn light, and Nuptse, Lhotse and hundreds of other mountains create a 360-degree panorama that is almost surreal.
Having hiked your way down to Gorak Shep, now awaits the highlight every trekker dream of – your helicopter ride to Kathmandu! Within minutes, you’re soaring above the entire Himalayan range, seeing in a single flight what had taken you days of hiking by. The massive glaciers, giant mountains, and your entire trail appear like a live map below.
Just an hour before, you are in the comfort and warmth of Kathmandu, getting ready to savor your overwhelming success! And after arriving in Kathmandu, you can visit some attraction places of Kathmandu Valley.
Final Departure or Take Another Trek
It is your last day of your amazing Everest experience, but memories will be for life! Depending on your itinerary, utilize the airport as your home base or extend your Himalayan journey by embarking on another trek – maybe tough Three Passes Trek, breathtaking turquoise Gokyo Lakes, or even Island Peak for a 6,000m climb experience!
If you have time to spare before you leave, go around seeing more of Kathmandu sights or do some shopping for souvenirs in the busy streets of Thamel. Others congregate in a send-off feast, recalling photos and stories of their Everest experience. Wherever you are headed, home or on to more adventures, you’ve done something very special – you’ve stood at the base of the world’s highest mountain!
Inclusions
What’s Covered in Your Adventure
- 4* Accommodation in Kathmandu with twin sharing breakfast basis
- Charter Helicopter Flight back to Lukla from Gorakshep
- Best Luxurious Accommodation during the trekking route
- Best Luxurious Accommodation during the trekking route
- Full Board Meals ( Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Including Tea and Coffee
- Pasang Lhamu Ruler Municipality and Sagarmatha National Permits
- All airport pick-up and departure and all ground transport related to the trip
- First-aid medicine items
- Necessary guide & porters (2 guests = 1 porter with max 20kg weight )including all their (Food Accommodation, Salary, and Insurance)
- Our government tax & official expenses
- Sleeping Bag, Down Jacket (If you Needed Return after Trekking)
- Duffle Bag, T-shirt, and Trip certificate
- One cultural show and dinner program in Kathmandu
- Our service charge and government taxes
- International Airfares and Travel Insurance
- Desserts and Bar Bills
- Tips for the trekking crew
- Extra lunch and breakfast
Good to Know
Things to Remember
You begin with a thrilling flight to Lukla, gateway to Everest. You will be trekking along forests, Suspension bridges and along scenic Sherpa villages of Namche Bazaar and Tengboche.
The trek takes you via Dingboche, Lobuche, and finally Gorak Shep, before reaching Everest Base Camp itself. The next day, you hike up to Kala Patthar for the best close-up photographs of Everest.
Then the highlight – instead of trekking all the way back, you helicopter from Gorak Shep for a thrilling flight over Everest, the giant Khumbu Glacier, and countless Himalayan peaks, back to Kathmandu in one hour!
Choosing the optimal time of the year ensures clear sky, breathtaking views, and a trouble-free trek:
- Spring (Mar-May): Optimum time! Rhododendrons in full bloom, pleasant weather, and unrestricted views of the mountains.
- Autumn (Sep-Nov): Another wonderful time with stable climate, cool winds, and excellent visibility.
- Winter (Dec-Feb): Chilly but less touristy; the snowy trails are eerily beautiful.
- Monsoon (Jun-Aug): Skip it because of rainstorms, flight cancellations, and wet, slippery trails.
For the most pleasant weather and experience, trek during spring or autumn!
Teahouses along the trail offer warm meals and cozy accommodation with a blend of local culture and enough amenities to have a good night’s sleep:
Food Options:
- Dal Bhat – The Nepali staple dish of rice and lentils, perfect for trail energy!
- Noodles, pasta, and soups – Great warming high-altitude meals
- Pancakes, eggs, and porridge – Excellent breakfasts before a day of trekking
- Ginger lemon honey tea – Helps with acclimatization to altitude and warms you up
Accommodation:
- Simple but comfortable teahouses with warm blankets
- Hot showers and Wi-Fi in Namche and Dingboche lodges
- Rooms with breathtaking mountain views that make simple accommodation feel luxurious
Both treks will take you to Everest Base Camp, but the experience is very different:
Classic EBC Trek:
- 12-14 days trekking (return trip)
- Extra acclimatization days
- Cheaper option
EBC Trek with Helicopter Return:
- Saves 3-4 days by flying instead of walking
- No need to see the same route twice
- Less physical strain on your body after having gained high altitude
- Stunning aerial views that regular trekkers miss
If you are short on time or would prefer to experience something unique involving trekking and flying, the helicopter return trek is perfect!
Variable Pricing Based on Group Size and Services
The cost of this adventure varies according to the package, group size and services you choose:
Standard Packages
- Price Range: $1,900 to $2,700 per person
- Includes: Basic but comfortable services and accommodations
Luxury Packages
- Price Range: $4,500 to $6,500 per person
- Includes: 5-star Kathmandu hotels, luxury accommodations on the trail, and other amenities
Helicopter Capacity
- Passengers: Up to 4 people at a time
- Maximum Weight Limit: 450 kg at high altitudes (passengers share the weight)
Must go to Everest Base Camp but can’t trek all the way? There’s a helicopter tour package just for you!
Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour:
- Total Duration: Just 4-5 hours (Kathmandu-EBC-Kathmandu)
- Best For: Physically limited or time-constrained travelers
- Landing Sites: Lukla, Kala Patthar (Everest’s finest vantage point), and Everest View Hotel
Pros:
- See the world’s highest mountain in a day
- No trekking required – ideal for those with mobility problems
- Ideal for families, seniors, and those who prefer luxury
This is the easiest way to see Everest’s majesty without needing to spend money on a long trek.
Take these tips to heart and your Everest adventure will be flawless and unforgettable!
- Train beforehand – A bit of cardio and leg strengthening exercises really help
- Pack smart – Layered clothing, warm gloves, and strong trekking boots are essentials
- Stay hydrated – Plenty of water consumption keeps altitude sickness at bay
- Acclimatize properly – Take the scheduled rest days at Namche and Dingboche seriously
- Eat well – Dal Bhat and other energy-dense foods keep you going on tough days
- Listen to your guide – They know the mountains and how to be safe
- Bring cash – There are no ATMs after Namche Bazaar
- Book early – Helicopter seats fill up quickly, especially in high season!
The Helicopter Return Everest Base Camp Trek is truly the best of both worlds – the authentic experience of trekking to the base of the world’s tallest mountain, combined with the comfort and thrill of a scenic helicopter return journey. You’ll have the opportunity to hike, challenge yourself in one of the world’s most beautiful mountain regions, and return home with just amazing stories and photos that few travelers can match. Whether you’re the first-time Himalayan hiker or returning to the area for a second glance at Everest, this trek is the best of both worlds when it comes to adventure and indulgence, let alone a lifetime of memories.
FAQs
Your Questions, Answered
No athletic fitness, but some preparation is better. Begin training 4-6 weeks before your trip with frequent hikes, cardio work, and leg strengthening. The trek is endurance rather than speed. Above all, listen to your body and take it slow – the mountains aren’t going anywhere!
Altitude sickness is non-discriminatory; the fittest person can get it. We have included a strategic acclimatization day in Namche in our schedule. Drink lots of water, take your time on the trek, and inform your guide about how you feel. Some people take Diamox as a preventive measure (do consult your doctor first). No shame in descending if needed – your safety first.
Teahouses along the way are basic but lovely mountain lodges. Twin rooms with simple beds and shared bathrooms are what you can expect. As you climb higher, facilities get more basic, but all offer good food and a warm bed. Some teahouses in Namche even have hot showers and Wi-Fi. It’s all part of the real Himalayan experience – and those starry nights compensate for any absence of luxury!
The helicopter return is usually the highlight of the trek! You’ll leave Base Camp to ride to Kathmandu in 45 minutes, with breathtaking views of Everest, the surrounding high peaks, and beautiful valleys just passed through. Helicopters only hold 5 individuals at most, so everyone has a window seat. Place your camera on top of your backpack for this lifetime’s worth of view of the Himalayas.
Yes! You can customize your trek according to your desire. Options include:
- Extra acclimatization days for a relaxed pace.
- Side trips to Gokyo Lakes or Ama Dablam Base Camp.
- Upgrading to luxury lodges in Namche and Dingboche.
- Extending the trek to Everest Three Passes or Gokyo Ri before flying back.
Lukla airport is weather-sensitive. If the flight is cancelled, we have a couple of options: wait for the next flight, take a helicopter transfer (additional cost), or re-coordinate your itinerary. We recommend adding 1-2 buffer days to your Nepal adventure as weather contingency. Our team will sort everything out to keep your adventure on schedule.
Dress in layers and for the future: insulating mid-layers to keep warm, moisture-wicking base layers to keep dry, and wind/water-proof outer layer. Good, tough, well-broke-in hiking boots, a good, warm sleeping bag (-10°C rating), and trekking poles are necessities. Don’t miss sun protection (the mountain UV is potent) and a refillable water bottle with purification tablets. We provide a full packing list, and many of these things can be rented or purchased cheaply in Kathmandu.
Budget $30-40 a day on extra snacks, hot showers, internet, charging batteries, and beverages. Rates increase with altitude, so while a water bottle at Namche will be around $1 and $4 at Base Camp. ATMs are few, with only one located in Namche Bazaar, so take enough cash for the entire trek. Most teahouses will not accept anything except Nepali rupees.
Most trekkers are awed by Sherpa hospitality and culture they are exposed to. The trail is not wilderness – you pass through vibrant villages, by colorful monasteries, and meet locals who will smile and talk with you along the way. Most are surprised by the quality of food served, even at high altitude, and the friendly ambience in teahouses at night. And nothing prepares you for that initial clear view of Everest – it’s one view you’ll never forget.
While solo trekking is allowed, we strongly recommend a guide. They’re well worth every dollar for their safety benefit, altitude issues management, permits and logistics arrangement, and culture sharing. A country guide turns your trek into a trip that’s not just a hike. You’re providing good local employment, too. It’s well worth spending on significantly enhanced security and pleasure.
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