“I may not have climbed Mt. Everest, but I have touched it with my heart”,

Comment of a tourist after experiencing the mountain flight. But Everest is not all about a mountain flight in Nepal, which has made it one of the most popular activities for tourists in Nepal. These flights offered by Nepalese domestic airlines offer a fantastic alternative not just to view Mt. Everest but almost the Himalayan panorama. Very few experiences can compare with this ecstatic close encounter with the famed mountains of the Nepal Himalayas unraveling as the aircraft apparently inches eastward. Most of the flights take the west to east direction unveiling the beautiful mountains one after another. The first one to appear is the Ganesh Himal with its four peaks followed by Langtang (7,234m), Shisha Pangma (8013m), Gauri Shankar (7,134m), Melungtse (7,181m), Cho Oyu (8,201m), Gyachungkang (7,652m), Pumori (7,161m), Nuptse (7,855m), Mt. Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,516m), Chamlang (7,139m), and Makalu (8,643m)

The helicopter used by the airlines are Air Bus B350E series with 5 seating capacities aircraft. They can carry only 3 persons to land at base of Kala Patthar (5,300 m / 17,384 ft.) for enjoying the Everest vista while others will have to get down at the mid-way point at Periche (4,200m) where there is a high altitude clinic and a very nice Lodge where the remaining passengers may get off and allow the helicopter to make the shuttles carrying 3 persons at a time.

An ideal plan would consist of landing at Lukla allowing us the chance to refuel or check the craft. After the short break and refueling in Lukla the chopper will continue further up towards Periche (4,200m / 13,776 ft.), where there is a Doctor on standby at the central clinic managed by Himalayan Rescue Association. The doctor will be more than willing to help assist anyone suffering from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) or any health related problem!

After the trip to the foot of Mount Everest, we will fly back to Everest View Hotel in Syangboche (3,880m /12,726 ft.) which is a world famous property developed and completed in 1970 by a team of Japanese adventurers, explorers, climbers and researchers following the successful bid on Mount Everest including the historical skiing down the slopes of Mount Everest by a Japanese skier Mr. Yuichiro Miura.. Who recently became one of the oldest man to climb Everest !!

At the Everest View Hotel, a hearty breakfast can be enjoyed by the guests prior to flying back to Kathmandu by the waiting chopper/s.