“After a brief of security instructions, our helicopter took off into the horizon leaving the city scape of Kathmandu and on to rolling hills.”
We started our journey flying into Lukla from Kathmandu via a helicopter on the morning of April 25th, 2025. One of the main advantages of taking a shared helicopter is that it guarantees a direct stop to Lukla in 45 mins. A plane however flies direct only a few times a week and the for rest of the time you have to drive to Ramechhap, which is a half-day’s drive on bad roads. I’ve heard it’s quite the grind!
The domestic flights often cancel or get delayed due to bad weather conditions and it can be frustrating to indefinitely wait around for the next available flight. A helicopter service is more efficient and flexible as it could take a different route to avoid bad visibility, for example. Overall, they’re much more reliable when you go with the right operator. The cost of a shared heli is roughly $500-$550 per person. It’s definitely worth the cost as you would otherwise end up either waiting around without much information or arrange to stay for an additional night in Kathmandu. Delays and cancellations can cost you up to 2-3 days, not to mention all the stress even before you’ve started your hike.
We got through security, weighed our duffels at the weighing station and checked in our luggage. We proceeded to get some coffee before heading to the waiting area. Just as I was about to finish the few last sips of my coffee, we were asked to proceed to the heli pad area. The waiting continued there but it was fun to watch the helicopters take off and land.
After a brief of security instructions, our helicopter took off into the horizon leaving the city scape of Kathmandu and on to rolling hills. We soon saw villages and terraced landscapes in the distance below. After about 10 mins, the panorama changes into beautiful views of snow-capped peaks in the far horizon and you get to see the more remote villages as little specs of settlements sprinkled onto the mountains below.
The descent into Lukla is exhilarating. The terraced fields and little rooftops get closer and bigger until the helicopter expertly navigates and lands at Tenzing-Hillary Airport, the gateway to the Everest region.
Response
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[…] On Day 10, you could take a helicopter from Gorakshep back to Kathmandu via Lukla. This will certainly shave off the 2 days of return hike. So you’ll need 10 days + 2 buffer days to account for flight delays. Read my blog about helicopters, regional flights and their reliability: Helicopter ride to Lukla – Rooftops, Terraced fields and snow-capped mountains in the horizon […]
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