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Lukla – Namche – Everest Base Camp

Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return

Walk up to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar on the classic route through Namche and Tengboche, then fly back from Gorak Shep instead of spending three days walking down. 11 days from Kathmandu.

Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return

5,644 mhighest point, Kala Patthar

Duration
11 days
Trekking
7 days, 5–7 hours a day
Highest point
Kala Patthar, 5,644 m
Grade
Strenuous, no climbing skills needed
Sleeping
Hotel in Kathmandu, mountain lodges on the trek
Best months
October–November and March–May

The walk in is the whole reason to do the Everest trek: Sherpa villages, monasteries, suspension bridges swaying over the Dudh Koshi, and the slow, steady approach to the highest mountain on earth. The walk out, on the other hand, retraces exactly the same steps for three days. So this trip keeps the best part and swaps the rest for a helicopter.

You fly to Lukla and walk up through Phakding to Namche Bazaar, where you'll take a rest day to acclimatise, then carry on to Tengboche monastery, Dingboche and Lobuche. From Gorak Shep you walk to Everest Base Camp, and the next morning you climb Kala Patthar at dawn to watch the sun rise on Everest. Then the helicopter picks you up and flies you back down the valley you've just walked, all the way to Kathmandu.

The price depends on the season, the lodges you prefer and how many of you share the helicopter back. Send us your dates and group size, and we'll put together a quote.

Highlights

  • Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and Kala Patthar at sunrise
  • Namche Bazaar and Tengboche monastery
  • Helicopter from Gorak Shep straight to Kathmandu
  • Three days shorter than the walk out

Day by day

  1. Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu

    • Airport pickup and hotel. Briefing with your guide in the evening.

  2. Day 2: Kathmandu and trek preparation

    • Morning visit to Pashupatinath and Boudhanath stupa; afternoon free for permits and kit.

  3. Day 3: Fly to Lukla, walk to Phakding (2,610 m)

    • Early flight to Lukla (2,860 m), then 3–4 hours down the Dudh Koshi to Phakding.

  4. Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)

    • Cross the Hillary bridge and climb to Namche, with the first view of Everest on the way. 6 hours.

  5. Day 5: Acclimatisation day in Namche

    • Short hike up to Syangboche and Hotel Everest View, then back down to sleep.

  6. Day 6: Namche to Tengboche (3,860 m)

    • The trail traverses high above the river with Ama Dablam ahead. Evening prayers at the monastery.

  7. Day 7: Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410 m)

    • Through Pangboche and into the stone-walled fields of Dingboche.

  8. Day 8: Dingboche to Lobuche (4,910 m)

    • Climb past the Thukla memorials to Lobuche, beside the Khumbu Glacier.

  9. Day 9: Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164 m) and Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)

    • Walk to Gorak Shep, drop your bag, then out along the glacier to base camp and back. 7–8 hours.

  10. Day 10: Kala Patthar at dawn, helicopter to Kathmandu

    • Climb Kala Patthar (5,644 m) for sunrise on Everest, then breakfast and the helicopter flight back to Kathmandu.

  11. Day 11: Departure

    • Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

What's included

  • Airport and hotel transfers by private car
  • Hotel in Kathmandu with breakfast
  • Lodge rooms and three meals a day on the trek
  • A licensed English-speaking trekking guide, plus one porter for every two trekkers
  • Down jacket and sleeping bag to borrow
  • Guide's and porter's wages, food, insurance and gear
  • Flight Kathmandu–Lukla
  • Helicopter Gorak Shep–Kathmandu (shared seats)
  • Sagarmatha National Park and Khumbu municipality permits

Not included

  • International flights and Nepal visa
  • Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara
  • Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation cover (required)
  • Drinks, hot showers, battery charging and wifi in the lodges
  • Tips for the guide, porter and driver

Good to know

Where we meet you
Kathmandu airport, on arrival
Cancellation
If the weather grounds your flight, you can move it to the next clear day or have a full refund. If you cancel more than 10 days before the flight, we refund half of what you've paid; within 10 days, the deposit isn't refundable. Booking terms
Notes
  • From April to October, Lukla flights may leave from Manthali (Ramechhap), a 4 to 5 hour drive from Kathmandu, because of air traffic at Kathmandu airport. We'll let you know which airport before you arrive.
  • Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation up to 6,000 m.

Questions

What if someone in the group gets sick higher up?

Your guide keeps an eye out for altitude sickness every day. If someone needs to go down, the helicopter can collect them early, and that's exactly what the evacuation cover in your insurance is for.

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Price on request

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