Everest Base Camp Heli Shuttle Trek

  • Last Updated on Nov 5, 2022

Everest base camp heli shuttle trek offers helicopter flight options from Kathmandu or Gorakshep. The comfortable EBC Heli shuttle trek is mainly focused on those hikers who don't want to walk downhill after reaching the Everest base camp on foot.

After reaching base camp and Kala Patthar, the dream of viewing the world's highest mountain of the world, Mount Everest is fulfilled. As an alternative option, they would prefer to skip the downhill trek through the same route.

It is because the trekking route is the same when returning back from the famous base camp of Mount Everest. Recently, Everest base camp trek with helicopter return or Everest trek by heli shuttle flightis one of Nepal's most popular trekking choices for Everest visitors.

It is one of the most rewarding itineraries for visitors searching for 9 days to 10 days of vacation to reach basecamp. The tour is enhanced by beginning with a helicopter flight from Kathmandu to Lukla airport and concluding with a helicopter ride back up to Kathmandu.

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The journey to the Everest trek by heli shuttle begins with entering the Himalayan gateway of Lukla village. It is also known as the Sir Edmund Hillary path. Everest trekking trails came into the spotlight after he summited the world-famous mountain Mount Everest in 1953.

Everest region is the shelter of the Himalayan people's sherpa. It is rich in beauty and the local culture of the sherpa people adds extra beauty to the famous trekking to Everest in Nepal. Trekking to Namche Bazar is another major attraction of the Everest heli out trek.

Namche Bazar is the headquarters of the Solukhumbu district. It is at an elevation of 3450 meters from sea level. There are more than 500 roofs of local residences and is known as the trekking and trading hub of the Everest region.

Where you will meet many trekkers going uphill and returning from the base camp of the Everest trek. There are many nice and well-accommodated hotels and restaurants in these villages. You can enjoy an evening pub and bar with drinks in the Himalayas.

After spending two nights at Namche village, the journey continues towards another beautiful town - Tengboche. Tengboche is another best attractions of the Everest trek and fly back by heli. Visiting the world-famous monastery and enjoying the mountain views of Everest are spectacular.

Tengboche or the word (Thyangboche) is a village in the Khumbu region. It is famous as Pasang Lhamu rural municipality of province no. 1, Nepal. Tengboche village lies at an altitude of around 3900 meters from sea level.

In this village. Here, the largest Buddist monastery (Gompa) named Tengboche monastery is situated. Tengboche offers the best sight of the Himalayan ranges such as Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Thamserku, and Ama Dablam.

Everest Base Camp Heli Shuttle Trek More Information

Spending beautiful moments at Tengboche and entering the monastery, meeting the ‘Gurus’ gives more peace of mind during this trek. And continues towards Dingboche as the next stopover point.

It is the main gateway for climbing an Island peak, located at an altitude of 4410 meters above sea level. Island peak (6160 meters) is one of the most famous and common peaks to climb with trekking to EBC.

There are hundreds of houses, hotels, and lodges in this village, where you can encounter a variety of cultures, traditions, and lifestyles of locals. You will have one spare day in this village as an acclimatization day before heading to the Everest helicopter shuttle trek.

Hiking to Everest base camp followed by the Dingboche villages and crossing the Thukla villages is day 7 of this trek, which halts at Lobuche. Lobuche villages remain busy during the season because many peak climbers or trekkers after and before crossing the Cho La pass stay overnight in this village.

It is the main gateway for climbing the Lobuche East or Lobuche west peak. Spending quality time meeting climbers or hikers and interacting with them makes the journey interesting and meaningful.

The last but major day of the Everest base camp heli shuttle trek as a return option begins with an early morning breakfast at Lobuche town. The hike is gentle with the walkthrough flat land at the beginning following the easy trail most of the time.

There is only a 30 minutes uphill trail until you reach Gorakshep on this EBC heli shuttle trek, and to check-in the hotel/lodge, you will descend a few minutes to enter the beautiful village. As soon as you check into the guest houses after 2 and half hours of hiking to Gorak Shep, you will continue your hiking to Everest base camp.

Trekking to the base campsite of Mount Everest from Gorakshep takes a minimum of 3 hours. Spending some time at base camp and returning for the overnight shelter at Gorak Shep ends your oneway trekking part of the heli shuttle trip to Everest base camp trek.

Next morning, you can walk to Kala Patthar if you like, otherwise, the helicopter will take off from Gorakshep and bring you back to Kathmandu.

Trek to Everest Base Camp Heli Shuttle Trek Itinerary

  • Day 01: Regular flight to Lukla from Kathmandu and trek to Phakding.
  • Day 02: Trek to Namche Bazar from Phakding.
  • Day 03: Acclimatization at Namche Bazar.
  • Day 04: Trek to Tengboche.
  • Day 05: Trek to Dingboche.
  • Day 06: Acclimatization at Dingboche.
  • Day 07: Trek to Lobuche.
  • Day 08: Trek to Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp to Gorak Shep.
  • Day 09: Helicopter Flight from Gorakshep to Kathmandu.

Detailed Itinerary for Everest Base Camp Heli Shuttle Trek

Day 01: Regular flight to Lukla from Kathmandu and trek to Phakding.

Today is the first day of the Everest base camp heli shuttle trek, in which we will fly from Kathmandu to Lukla by flight which will take about 30 minutes to complete. When you reach Lukla, you will meet local guides and porters hired by the company.

They may be on the same flight which depends on the choice of the traveler. After completing all the formalities in Lukla, you will be heading toward Phakding which will take about 3 hours to reach.

During the trek to the Phakding village, you will experience amazing mountain views such as Nupla (5,885m), Karyolung (6,511m), Jongla (5,813m), and Kusum Kanguru (6,367m). You will also have enough time to explore the settlements, local people, and their culture, traditions, lifestyle, etc. Overnight stay at Phakding.

Day 02: Trek to Namche Bazar from Phakding.

After completing all the morning routines and breakfast, we will trek for 6 to 7 hours towards Namche Bazaar which will offer various mountain views in comparison to the first day. Crossing the pine, fir, and rhododendron forest, we will reach Monji (path to Sagarmatha National Park).

Additionally, we have the opportunity to visit the Sherpa Social Exhibition Hall and the Everest National Park Gallery, which makes your trek exciting and instructive. The difficulty level is moderate as an altitude of 3450m till now.

Walking at moderate speeds, you will come across the views of Mount Everest (8,848.86m), Lhotse (8,511m), Nuptse (7,879m), Ama Dablam (6,856m), and Tawache (6,542m). After walking further for a few time periods through the pine forest, you will reach Namche Bazaar.

Day 03: Acclimatization at Namche Bazar.

Today, you will be staying at Namche Bazaar to adjust your body to the environment and high altitude. It is one of the best days for this fly out trek with a helicopter shuttle trek package.

You will be spending your stay exploring Namche village and market, Syangboche Airport, and Sagarmatha National Park, and enjoying the stunning mountain views. The total altitude that you traveled till this day is 3,840m at an easier trip obscurity level.

Day 04: Trek to Tengboche.

After having breakfast, you will be heading towards Tengboche which will take around 6 hours to complete. During your trek to Tengboche, you will be passing through monasteries, Buddhist temples, stunning views of snowy mountains, rivers, flora, fauna, and many more.

The maximum altitude till today is 3,860m with a moderate difficulty level of trekking. Upon reaching Tengboche, you will stay in local tea houses or lodges.

Day 05: Trek to Dingboche.

Climbing through the wooden scaffolds, with a perspective of more mountains, gradually climbing the wet road and cold climate, we reach our fifth-day destination, Dingboche. During your trek to Dingboche, you will observe Chortens, mountain views, Dingboche monastery, Mani walls, etc.

In the evening, we walk around with moderate difficulty level through Pheriche, we reach Dingboche, visit the Dingboche religious community and stay overnight. The total walking time of the day is a maximum of 6 hours with an easy trekking path at an altitude of 4400 meters.

Day 06: Acclimatization at Dingboche.

This day, we will be staying at Dingboche and enjoying the natural and artistic beauty of the village. After our morning meal, we will be roaming around Dingboche where you will witness pleasing views of mountains like Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Taboche, etc. 

Along with stone walls covering Imja valley, the World’s Highest Billiard Parlor, and so on. We will spend the whole day exploring the places and interacting with the locals as well.

Day 07: Trek to Lobuche.

Today, we will be heading towards Lobuche with around 5 hours of trekking. During your trek to Lobuche, we will pass through wooden bridges, Khumbu Glacier, and yak pastures along with mountain views and settlements.

From this point, Mount Everest cannot be seen properly as it lies behind the vertical Nuptse - Lhotse wall. Stay overnight at Lobuche.

Day 08: Trek to Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp & Back to Gorak Shep.

Today is the second last day of the trek where we will climb to Everest base camp to observe the close view of Mount Everest and surrounding mountains. It is the second-best day for this trek, as you will be reaching the base camp of the highest mountain in the world - Mount Everest.

We will trek toward Gorak Shep from Lobuche, then towards base camp at an altitude of 5,380m. We will spend some hours over there, observing and enjoying the environment, and then descending back to Gorakshep. The total walking hour is around 4 to 5 hours with a moderate difficulty level. Staying a night in Gorak Shep.

Day 09: Helicopter Flight from Gorakshep to Kathmandu.

On our last day, we will fly back to Kathmandu from Gorakshep, after morning breakfast. On the way back to Kathmandu, you observe mountain views, green hills, cascades, glaciers, lakes, and many more. The flight back to Kathmandu will take approximately 45 to 50 minutes to complete.

Spare Days Recommendation 

The above itinerary is based on the trip starting and ending in Kathmandu. To start this Everest base camp climb with a regular flight, you are recommended to arrive a minimum of 1 or 2 days in advance.

And, keep a minimum of 1 or 2 spare days after the trek. It is not recommended to plan your trekking with a tight schedule. Because the weather in the Everest region does not get clear, even in the main seasons.

So, to cover the delay in an itinerary because of the bad weather, it is recommended to have spare days. You can utilize these spare days either in mountains or in Kathmandu cities.

Anuja Sharma

Anuja Sharma

Adventure is worthwhile in itself.

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