Get up close and personal with mighty Everest and see the world's highest mountain in style.
Include a private helicopter flight to Everest in any of ourfully-customizable Nepal tours.
A helicopter flight to see Everest usually begins with an early morning start from Kathmandu Airport.
Within minutes you're "up and away" and heading above the Kathmandu Valley.
Before you know it a gigantic wall of snowy peaks forms your horizon! If this is your first view of the mighty Himalayas, it's a pretty cool introduction.
These are the mountains of the Langtang and Ganesh Himal .
The closest peaks of the Himalayan range to Kathmandu, but of which you only get tantalising glimpses of at ground levelling Kathmandu.
All in the space of a few minutes you begin to turn into the main valley that leads to Everest -The Khumbu. But, not without first passing close by the immense rock walls of Gauri Shankar, which at 7181m is of course towering above you!
Seconds later you get your first view of Everest. From the cockpit of a helicopter, it's an unforgettable sight as the summit of Everest rises high above the Nuptse Ridge and with Lhotse in view too.
Now, here's the important bit. There are a also daily, scheduled flights by plane to see Everest and it's round about this point that they have to turn around. But, not you.....you're in a helicopter that can hover and turn around "on a dime".....so, you're going closer to Everest.....much closer!
Still, this is the Himalayas and you're flying by sight and the weather conditions dictate everything. If all is good, your pilot may now take a detour and head up the Gokyo Valley. Moments later, you're hovering above Gokyo Ri (5360m) for one of the classic 'trekkers views' of Everest. You got there in around 20 minutes....the poor trekker has toiled hard for several days!
Now you can fly above Everest Base Camp and in seconds be hovering above the most famous Everest view point - Kala Pattar (5600m). Probably by this stage you've gone into photography overdrive.
It's less than 30-40 minutes since you took off from Kathmandu and yet, here you are at Everest Base Camp....in a helicopter!!! And there before you in all its glory is the highest mountain in the world.
Now because of the extremely high altitude, you need to start heading to lower elevations. You are after all in a helicopter, not a pressurised jet airliner with pumped in oxygen. So, to make the very most of the experience, you'll head down and land at the Everest View Hotel above the Sherpa Capital of Namche Bazaar. The hotel lies at an altitude of 3880m....heading down to something that high is a little odd. Still, what a great place to stop and have breakfast!
From the terrace of the Everest View Hotel you can enjoy your breakfast "al fresco", with Champagne if you wish....that's if you can take your eyes off the jaw-dropping views from this high vantage point. In front of you is Everest and Lhotse and to your right, iconic Ama Dablam.
Now the bad news....it's time to leave :-( But....the good news is that you should be back in Kathmandu in time for a late lunch :-)
As all our Nepal vacations can be customised to suit, whether you're wanting a luxury Nepal vacation or going trekking in the Annapurnas a private helicopter to see Everest just requires incorporating a free day in Kathmandu, or somewhere close by like Bhaktapur or the Shivapuri Hills.
This must surely be the ULTIMATE WAY TO SEE EVEREST.
Private helicopter charters, including private airport transfers and breakfast at the Everest View Hotel start at around $5,000 (total, not per person). The helicopters can accommodate 4-5 passengers
For more, contact : [email protected]
