Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour: Mount Everest Flyover

Fly over Mount Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse in four hours from Kathmandu

An Everest Base Camp helicopter tour from Kathmandu flies you over the highest peaks of the Himalayas and lands at Hotel Everest View for a one-hour stop, all in a single morning. The tour departs at 5:30 AM from your hotel, includes round-trip transfer, life insurance and oxygen on board, and returns by early afternoon. Weather determines whether the flight runs. If it doesn't, you get a full refund.

Step-by-step itinerary

Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour

• Transfer from hotel to Kathmandu Airport
• Check-in at helicopter counter
• Flight to Lukla
• De-fuel at Lukla
• Flight towards Everest Base Camp
• Overfly Kalapathar Everest Base Camp
• Flight to Shangboche, Everest View Hotel
• Breakfast stop at Everest View Hotel
• Return flight to Kathmandu via Lukla
• Arrival at Kathmandu Airport
• Drive to hotel

The experience

You're picked up from your hotel at 5:30 AM and driven to Kathmandu airport, where you board an Airbus H125 helicopter with five to six other passengers and a pilot. The flight leaves at 6:30 AM, stops at Lukla to refuel, then heads toward Everest Base Camp. By 8:25 AM you're flying over the base camp itself (no landing, just the view), and then the aircraft banks toward Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori, all visible from the air. The whole flyover takes roughly an hour.

At 8:55 AM the helicopter lands at Hotel Everest View, sitting at 3,880 meters with a direct line to Mount Everest across the valley. You have about an hour there. Breakfast is optional and costs USD 31 per person if you want it. The stop is subject to weather. If clouds roll in, the pilot may skip it and head straight back. Either way, you're airborne again by 9:35 AM, retracing the route to Kathmandu with a possible refuel stop at Lukla depending on fuel and weather. You land back at Kathmandu airport around 12:50 PM and are driven to your hotel by 1:15 PM.

The tour runs only on clear days. If weather grounds the flight, you receive a full refund. Bring a warm jacket: temperatures at altitude run around minus 8 degrees Celsius in winter and near freezing in summer. The helicopter carries oxygen in case of emergency, and life insurance is included. If you're flying with more than three passengers, the operator may split the group so everyone gets a window seat for the Everest base camp portion.

What’s included

• Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off by car.
• all government taxes, VAT and helicopter fuel surcharges.
• life insurance during the flight.
• oxygen on board.
• a one-hour landing and stop at Hotel Everest View for views and optional breakfast.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 05:15

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Under 6: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 15

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 23 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Welcome Nepal Treks P.ltd

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're arriving in Kathmandu with limited time or no plans to trek: the helicopter pickup from your hotel means you don't need a car or a guide to reach the mountain, and the entire trip fits into a single morning before you have the rest of your day free.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What do I actually see flying over Everest Base Camp?

The flyover passes directly over Everest Base Camp itself at 8:25 AM, then continues toward Mount Everest and the surrounding peaks. Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori are all visible from the air on a clear day. You're flying, not landing, so you photograph and film from the helicopter.

How early do I need to wake up, and when am I back at my hotel?

Hotel pickup is at 5:30 AM, and you're back at your hotel by around 1:15 PM. The entire tour runs roughly seven and a half hours door to door, with about four hours of that in the air or on the ground at stops.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The helicopter only flies on clear days. If weather prevents takeoff or forces a cancellation, you receive a full refund. The operator recommends booking this tour early in your stay in Kathmandu so you have time to reschedule if needed.

Is the breakfast at Hotel Everest View included?

Breakfast is optional. If you want it, you pay USD 31 per person at Hotel Everest View during the one-hour stop. The stop itself is included, but the meal is not.

Do I need to bring my passport on the helicopter?

You need to bring your passport to check in at the helicopter counter at Kathmandu airport. A copy or photo on your phone works for the rest of the day. You don't need the original document with you during the flight.

How many people fly together, and do I get a window seat?

The helicopter carries five to six passengers plus a pilot. If your group has more than three people, the operator may split you into two flights so everyone gets a window seat during the Everest base camp flyover.