Why is the Everest Helicopter Tour also known as the Helicopter Tour landing at Everest Base Camp? There are a few landings in the mountain to minimize loads, breakfast, views, and refueling. So, what are those landing spots, and how many landings are there during the EBC Hili tour? Here is a detail about the landings of the helicopter tour for you:
Everest Helicopter Tour Landing Spots
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The Everest Helicopter Tour with Landing is a mountain flight trip from Kathmandu. It has several Landing Spots at vantage viewpoints from where you can see superb views of the high mountains of the Everest Himalayas.
The helicopter also lands for refueling during the flight and for breakfast, except for just landing for the scenery. The chopper for the Everest Base Camp Tour Lands six times in total after you take off from Kathmandu Airport. There are three landings on the way up and three after visiting the base camp before you land back in Kathmandu. So, what places does the Helicopter Land during the tour to Everest Base Camp, then? Let's check them out here:
Landing 1 - Lukla (2840m)
Lukla airport
Lukla is the first landing of the Mt.Everest Base Camp Heli Tour after taking off from Kathmandu Airport. It takes around 45 minutes to fly there, where you see beautiful landscapes, valleys, traditional villages, and stunning mountains like Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Gauri Shankar, and Jugal, including the Tibetan mountain Sisapangma (above 8000m).
There is a wide helipad in Lukla with several helicopter landing spaces. The helicopter lands for 10–15 minutes to fill up on fuel to fly higher. You will see Tenzin-Hilary Airport here, a very famous airport and one of the most dangerous airports in the world. It has a short and craggy runway. Many base camp trekkers begin their walking journey for the Everest Base Camp Trek by landing at this airport.
Landing 2: Pheriche (4210m)
You will fly toward Pheriche from Lukla for the second stop. It takes another half-hour's flight. The helicopter flies through the Dudhkoshi River and Khumbu valleys now. You will fly over beautiful Sherpa settlements and see colorful buildings. You cross Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, and Pangboche. You can also see historic Buddhist monasteries and other monuments during the flight.
You can also see high Himalayan alpine forests, some wild animals, and birds with beautiful white mountains such as Numbur, Kongde, Kusum Kangaroo, Thamserku, Amadablam, Khangteka, Peak XV, Chhopulu, Island Peak, Lhotse, Nuptse, Taboche, and Cholatse, including Everest, during this Everest helicopter tour with a landing before your second landing.
You will have five people in one helicopter from Kathmandu until landing number 2 in Pheriche, and you will split the group into two different suttles to keep load balance. Now, the first suttle flies with 2 or 3 people, leaving some people in Pheriche and flying toward Kalapatthar. And rest. Wait for the second supper in this place.
Point to Note: You will land in an open place, and there is no place to escape the cold wind. Pheriche is a windy valley, so wear warm clothes and a windstopper.
Landin 3 – Kalapatthar (5550m)
Kalapatthar landing during the EBC helicopter tour is one of the best spots, from where you can see stunning mountain views. You will feel like you are standing in a piece of heaven, seeing such unreal mountain views and the nearest view of Mt.Everest. You will definitely feel it worthwhile to pay for this scenic flight tour to the base camp once you land at Kalapatthar. You see Mt.Everest very close, along with sharp-shaped Nuptse, Lhotse, Lola, Changatse, Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pyramid-shaped Pumori, and many other tall mountains. After spending 10–15 minutes at Kalapatthar and taking beautiful pictures, you fly over the base camp and Khumbu glacier and see the Khumbu ice fall. Now you fly back to Pheriche, and the people who dropped you off on the way up do the same.
Point to Note: It will be cold and windy in Kalapatthar, so you need to wear a warm jacket, a winter hat, winter gloves, and sunglasses.
Landing 4—Pheriche for Suttle Change
This fourth landing back in Pheriche during the Mt. Everest helicopter tour will change the schedule. The people who dropped off on the way up to the base camp and Kalapatthar do the same activities as those from the first expedition. You can see many yaks around this valley with stunning views of Mt. Ama Dablam, Cholatse, and Taboche close to you while you land in Pheriche for changing sultans.
Landing 5 – Everest View Hotel (3880m)
After finishing two different shuttles from Pheriche, all of you who flew from Kathmandu together will return to the Everest View Hotel for the 5th landing of the EBC helicopter tour. You will have a more extended break at this spot because you will have a warm breakfast in this mountain luxury hotel.
The Everest View Hotel on Syangboche Hill is so stunning that you can see amazing views of Taboche, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Amadablam, Khangteka, and Thamserku from the terrace of the hotel. After enjoying such beautiful views and breakfast. You will meet lots of Everest Base Camp trekkers here. The hikers visit this place during their acclimatization practice hike from Namche Bazaar on the rest day while on the base camp trek.
Note: Do not forget to take some Nepalese cash with you for the breakfast and national park permit.
Landing 6: Back in Lukla (2840m)
You will land in Lukla after taking off from the Everest View Hotel to refuel again. You will see the most beautiful Sherpa town in the Everest region, Namche, right after taking off while flying toward Lukla. It is the final landing spot of the Everest base camp helicopter tour; with the landing, you will fly to Kathmandu to have a fantastic Everest experience for another 45 minutes.
Conclusion
The Everest helicopter flight tour has six landings in four places: Lukla, Pheriche, Kalapatthar, and Syangboche. Everest views the hotel after taking off and before landing back at Kathmandu airport. You can enjoy excessively captivating Himalayan views from Syangboche and Kalapatthar landings and will certainly be delighted by this Everest Heli tour with a landing trip.