Lukla – Kathmandu Charter

A shared seat on the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter starts at US$599 per person, and the whole five-seat helicopter starts at US$2,600. 4 CAAN-certified operators quote on this route and their prices differ, which is why they are listed side by side above rather than averaged into one figure. The price you are offered depends on your date, your group's total weight and how many aircraft are free that morning. Nothing is charged until you accept a quote.

Operators on this route commonly include: airport transfers in kathmandu or pokhara, all domestic airport and landing fees, down jacket loan on request, supplemental oxygen on board. Normally not included: meals beyond those named in the itinerary, national park entry permits, travel insurance (helicopter evacuation cover strongly advised). Inclusions vary between operators, and each quote above lists its own — compare those rather than assuming, because the cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest flight.

Operators on this route cap passengers at about 75 kg including your day bag, and you will be weighed at check-in. Helicopter performance drops sharply with altitude — this route reaches 12,000 ft, so the limit is a safety figure, not a guideline.

About 55m door to door. Departures are early: Himalayan valleys cloud over as the day warms.

Year-round

You are not charged for a flight that does not happen. The operator will offer you the next time that works or give all your money back. No good operator flies into poor conditions in these valleys.

Nothing on this page books a flight. You send one enquiry with your date, how many people and their weights. The flight desk asks every licensed operator that can fly it and comes back with their prices, usually within four hours. You compare those prices side by side and accept the one you want. Only accepting makes a booking, and only then do you owe anything. The figures on this page are a guide, taken from the prices operators publish.