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Charter Nepal

Heli Trekking in Nepal

Trek up, fly down. How a heli trek works, what it saves you, and which of the four routes suits you best.

Heli Trekking in Nepal

A heli trek is an ordinary Himalayan trek with the walk back replaced by a helicopter. You still walk up, slowly, sleeping in lodges and giving your body time to adjust to the altitude. That part can't be rushed safely, and honestly, it's the best part of the trip. Once you're at the top, a helicopter collects you and takes you back to Kathmandu or Pokhara.

What it saves

  • **Days.** The walk down usually takes a third to half as long as the walk up: that's two to four days on our routes.
  • **Knees.** Long descents on stone steps are what most trekkers find hardest, and your knees will thank you.
  • **A view.** You fly back over the whole valley you've just walked up.

Choosing a heli trek

Everest Base Camp, 11 days

The classic: up through Namche and Tengboche to Base Camp and Kala Patthar (5,545 m), then a helicopter back from Gorak Shep. It's the highest and the hardest of the four. Everest Base Camp trek with helicopter return.

Gokyo Lakes, 11 days

Quieter than the Base Camp trail, with turquoise lakes and, from Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), the best single viewpoint in the region. Gokyo Lakes trek with helicopter return.

Annapurna Base Camp, 10 days

Lower (4,130 m) and greener, through Gurung villages into the Annapurna Sanctuary. If it's your first Himalayan trek, this is the one we'd pick. Annapurna Base Camp trek with helicopter return.

Langtang valley, 8 days

The shortest of the four, with no flight at the start: just a valley of forest and yak pastures close to Kathmandu. Langtang trek with helicopter return.

Questions

Why not fly up and walk down instead?

Because flying straight to 4,000 or 5,000 metres without acclimatising is dangerous. Altitude sickness strikes when you go up too fast. Walking down is safe; flying up and sleeping high is not.

Is the helicopter shared?

On our heli treks, yes: the price includes a seat on a shared helicopter. If you'd rather have it to yourselves, we can quote for a private one.

What if the weather stops the helicopter?

You wait at the lodge for the next clear morning, which is why our itineraries keep a spare day. If the weather stays bad, you walk down with your guide and we refund the unused flight.

Our heli treks

  • 11 days▲ 5,545 m

    Lukla – Namche – Everest Base Camp – Kala Patthar

    Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return

    Walk up to Everest Base Camp the classic way, with time to acclimatise, then skip the four-day walk back down. After sunrise on Kala Patthar, a helicopter flies you from Gorak Shep straight to Kathmandu.

    from US$2,450per person

  • 11 days▲ 5,357 m

    Lukla – Namche – Gokyo – Gokyo Ri

    Gokyo Lakes Trek with Helicopter Return

    The quieter side of the Everest region, with turquoise glacial lakes, the Ngozumpa Glacier and, from Gokyo Ri, four of the world's six highest mountains in a single view. Walk in, then fly out from Gokyo over the glacier.

    from US$2,350per person

  • 10 days▲ 4,130 m

    Pokhara – Ghandruk – Chhomrong – Annapurna Base Camp

    Annapurna Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return

    Trek up through rhododendron forest and Gurung villages to the Annapurna Sanctuary, spend a night at Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m) and see dawn break over the peaks. Then it's just twenty minutes by air back to Pokhara.

    from US$1,690per person

  • 8 days▲ 4,773 m

    Syabrubesi – Lama Hotel – Langtang – Kyanjin Gompa

    Langtang Valley Trek with Helicopter Return

    A short Himalayan trek that starts just a day's drive from Kathmandu. Walk up the Langtang valley through forest and Tamang villages to Kyanjin Gompa, spend a morning on Kyanjin Ri, then take a helicopter straight back to the city.

    from US$1,390per person