Compare every helicopter operator in Nepal, on one page

A shared seat on the Everest Base Camp helicopter tour starts at about USD 499 per person, and the whole five-seat helicopter starts at about USD 3,800. The shared price puts you on a departure other travellers are already filling; the private price buys the aircraft, so a group of four or five usually pays less per head that way. Prices vary between operators on the same route by around fifteen per cent, which is the reason to compare rather than book the first quote you are sent. Landing tours that touch down above Base Camp cost more than fly-past tours that do not.

About four hours from hotel pickup back to hotel drop-off, of which roughly ninety minutes is flying. The morning runs: Kathmandu at first light, a fuel stop at Lukla of seven to fifteen minutes, up the Khumbu valley, ten to fifteen minutes on the ground at Kala Patthar at 5,545 m, then breakfast at Hotel Everest View before the descent. Most passengers are back in Kathmandu between 10:00 and 11:00.

No, and no operator in Nepal does. Helicopters land at Kala Patthar, a ridge at 5,545 m about two kilometres from Base Camp, because it is the highest place in the area with ground firm and level enough to take an aircraft. Kala Patthar is also the better view: it looks straight at the Everest south face, which Base Camp itself does not. Tours advertised as landing at Base Camp mean this landing. A very small number of medevac and expedition flights touch down on the glacier itself, under permit and never with sightseeing passengers on board.

The risk is real and it is managed by rules rather than by luck. Every operator on this site holds a current Air Operator Certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, and an expired certificate removes them from the site the same day. The aircraft used for high-altitude work — the Airbus AS350 B3e and H125 — are certified to 7,010 m, well above where they land. The genuine hazards are weather and weight, and both are answered conservatively: flights go at dawn or not at all, every passenger is weighed at check-in, and above 5,000 m the group is carried in two shuttles rather than one heavy lift.

October and November are the clearest and most reliable weeks of the year, followed by March and April. December to February is cold but exceptionally clear and much quieter. June to September is the monsoon: flights still operate and some mornings are spectacular, but cancellations are common and you should keep a spare day in your itinerary. Whatever the month, the flight departs at first light — Himalayan valleys build cloud and wind from mid-morning, every day of the year.

It matters more than almost anything else. A helicopter can lift much less as it climbs higher, so every operator sets a weight limit for each passenger. It is usually 75 kg including your day bag, and you will be weighed at check in. If your group weighs more than you told us, the operator may fly you up in two trips or turn the flight down.

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 if you cannot wait. Weather in the Himalaya can close a valley with very little warning. During the monsoon, from June to August, delays are normal rather than unusual.

Yes, and you do not have to arrange it. The operator flying you covers the helicopter and everyone on board with their own insurance. We check that their flying licence and their insurance are still valid before they can take a single booking, and any operator whose papers run out stops getting work the same day. Their name is on your booking and on your invoice, so you can always see who is flying you.