Best adventurous day tour from Kathmandu in Nepal

PRESS RELEASE
Published July 30, 2023

Whether you have been several times to Nepal or whether you are thinking of going for the first time, there is plenty of excitement to be had in the mountains there.

While many love to trek around the Himalaya others prefer a more comfortable tour.  For those of you of the latter persuasion a helicopter tour to Everest Base Camp might just inspire you.

How to Organise the Tour

Full details of the Everest Base Camp Heli tour, the cost and the ‘must dos’ can be found here.  Its straight forward to make an enquiry, discuss the finer points, and book on line or by chat with the young and dynamic team who is offering these tours.

The tours operate all year round and cost around USD 1,175 depending on the season.  Helicopters seat five or six passengers, and the pilot is your guide for the duration.  Helicopters can be either chartered or you can buy a seat on a group tour.  Safety if of the utmost importance and you will be given details of what to wear and bring on the tour.

Breakfast Included

The other name for the Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour is Breakfast on Everest.  While you are not exactly sitting atop Mt Everest for breakfast, guests certainly have a front row seat on the dining terrace of a high altitude hotel where, as you can guess, breakfast is served.

Prior to breakfast the itinerary goes something like this: you are collected at your hotel in Kathmandu early in the morning and  introduced to your pilot and fellow travellers before climbing aboard a high-altitude helicopter.  Flying over the Kathmandu Valley, near by villages and farm land is only the start.  Once you reach the mountains you land at the Tenzing Hilary Airport at Lukla to refuel.  This is the gateway to the Everest Region and Sagarmatha National Park.

Moving on, the tour takes you over Namche Bazaar, Tengboche Monastery and other small settlements before entering an area of rough terrain, glaciers and some of the highest mountains in the world.  Down below you may see trekkers making their 14 day trek to base camp while you are whirling above them on your own very special adventure.

You may have seen the in press recently that there is discussion about moving base camp further down the mountain due to the fragility of the location.  It in fact sits at the edge and on the Khumbu Ice Falls – a notoriously dangerous sea of moving ice.  And it is for this reason the helicopter tours do not land at base camp.

The stunning alternative is landing on the top of a ridge with a 360 degree panorama of the mountains, with Mt Everest being to the forefront.  Here, at 5,645m you can safely disembark and take in the views.  Wrapping up warmly and wearing strong shoes or boots is highly recommended for this trip, and now you know why.  Even those who are trekking for two weeks climb this ridge, known as Kalapattar, to get the fantastic views.  You can rest assured although you are now at very high altitude, there is no problem for the average person as you remain at this height for only a short time.  In case of problems, the helicopter does in fact carry oxygen.  It is hard to wrench oneself away from such beauty, but rest assured there is more to come.

The breakfast in the Breakfast on Everest comes in one of two ideally located hotels which overlook the spectacular mountains.  It is good to discuss the mobility of your party members with the agency before hand so they can select the correct hotel for you.  From your breakfast table the mountains are particularly stunning, probably more so when you have a good strong cup of tea or coffee in your hands.

Saying goodbye to the mountains, you are returned to Kathmandu, again flying over Sagarmatha National Park, the foothills and into the Valley which is home to the capital city.

This tour is available year round. Less than perfect weather does not affect helicopters the same way it affects planes, but you can enquire with the agent the best time for you.  Each season offers something different, from the snowy winter to the bright blue skies of the spring, but whenever you fly it is guaranteed you will have the trip of a lifetime.

CDN Newswire