Lukla Elevation/Altitude

Hundreds fly to Lukla from Kathmandu or Ramechhap for trekking, peak climbing, and daily expeditions during the high trekking seasons. Lukla's elevation is 2840m, which is pretty high for people who are coming from sea level and flying directly there, so we suggest taking at least one day in Kathmandu before traveling to Lukla. Find detailed information in this post on Lukla's elevation and altitude, Kathmandu Lukla flights, the airline that operates the flights, flight duration, airport length, weather, and more.

Lukla is in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu District, Khumbu Region, Koshi Province, Nepal. It is a small Sherpa town where most Everest trekkers land before starting their Trek in the Everest Himalayas and spend the last night before flying out to Kathmandu.

Lukla is the place of goats and sheep, where people used to feed many of them. However, we still see a few. Many lodges, shops, bars, bakeries, grocery shops, Trekking gear shops, local inns, and many more with local houses exist.

Lukla has a small airport, the busiest mountain airport in Nepal. There are hundreds of people who fly every day for treks and expeditions. Lukla Airport is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world because it is located on the lap of a high hill with a short runway right above a falling cliff.

Lukla Elevation/Altitude

Lukla is located at 2,840 meters (9317.585 feet) above sea level. If you are planning a Trek to Everest Base Camp or taking a flight to Lukla, it can already be High Altitude coming from sea level, so you might feel a bit of Altitude.

Some people who are not usual visitors to High Elevations might suffer from Altitude sickness in higher areas starting at this Altitude. We recommend taking one extra day in Kathmandu and visiting UNESCO world heritage sites on a full-day Kathmandu City Tour before flying this height.

Kathmandu to Lukla Flight

Lukla Airport

There are regular Flights to Lukla from Kathmandu every day. The Flights are operating in the morning due to the weather conditions. There are no Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla during the high trekking seasons, like in March, April, May, September, October, and November, due to the air traffic at the Kathmandu Airport. But the flights operate from Kathmandu to Lukla in the other months, as mentioned here.

It would help if you drove to Ramechhap (Manthali) to fly to Lukla during the busy Trekking season, which takes 4-5 hours. Also, at the end of the Trek, you fly to Manthali from Lukla and then drive to Kathmandu.

Lukla Flight Costs 192 USD (one way) for foreigners, 18000 NPR for Indians and South Asian travelers, and 8000 NPR for the Nepalese. We provide complimentary private transport to Ramechhap with the ticket cost for more than five travelers and share vehicles for below five trekkers from Kathmandu.

Airlines that Fly to Lukla

Tara, Summit, and Sita Airlines regularly operate Flights to Lukla from Kathmandu and Ramechhap. Nepal Airlines is not operating scheduled Flights to Lukla because they facilitate the urban airports for the locals, whereas private companies are not serving their flights. Although Nepal Airlines also flies sometimes as a charter flight,

Tara Air belongs to the Yeti Airline, renowned for Lukla. It has more planes than the other airlines, but they also fully provide ticket buyers' service.

Flight Time to Lukla

According to the route, Kathmandu-Lukla Flight Time is 25–45 minutes. If it is clear weather, the plane flies straight, taking the northern air route, and reaches Lukla in 25 minutes from Kathmandu. If clouds are on the regular air route, the aircraft must take the southern airway, which takes longer.

The flight schedule begins at 6:30 in the morning, but it might be delayed sometimes due to bad weather. Earlier Flights have more chances to fly, so try to book earlier Flights to Lukla by booking in advance.

There is a weight limitation on the plane to fly to Lukla. You can take 15 Kg, including hand luggage, with one ticket, so try to minimize the weight by packing light equipment and buying something in Lukla for the Trek.

Lukla Airport Length

The Lukla Airport is also known as Tenzin-Hilary Airport and Mount Everest Airport. It has a short runway, although it is not the shortest airport in the world. The length of this airport is 527 m (2729 ft), and the breadth is 30 m (98 ft). The airport was built in 1964 under the guidance of Sir Edmond Hilary. He wanted to make the airport on flat land, but the farmers did not want to lose their farmland; they surveyed to make it where it is now. If the farmers agreed to make the airport in a flat area, it could be longer than it is now.

Fly to Lukla on a helicopter.

If the regularly scheduled flights to Lukla have not been canceled, you have another option to fly there from Kathmandu. Also, if you do not like to drive for 4-5 hours to Ramechhap to catch the flights and want to fly from Kathmandu during the high season, you can take a helicopter ride, but it costs about 300–400 USD extra (depending on weather conditions). The cost may increase if the regular flights are canceled for a few days due to the bad weather.

Kathmandu to Lukla by Road

There is no road to Lukla, but some trekkers still use the driving route to Lukla from Kathmandu. You get regular public buses to Jiri from Kathmandu every day. You can drive there and walk for 6 days, the old trekking route to the Everest Region when there was no airport in Lukla.

You can also drive to Salleri from Kathmandu by sharing a jeep and Trek to Lukla, taking three days. There is road construction up to Tham Dands, which is around four to five hours further ahead from Lukla, but there is no regular sharing of transport. If you like driving there and walking to Lukla, you must hire a private four-wheel-drive jeep, which may cost around 400 USD.

Why Travel to Lukla?

Climbers on the summit of Island Peak

People Travel to Lukla mainly to trek in the Everest Himalayas. All the trekking routes go from Lukla if you take a flight, but the trekkers use the overland road from Jiri or Salleri; it is optional to go to Lukla if they take both-way overland transportation. Besides the trekkers, the people who go for peak climbing and expeditions to any high mountains in the Everest Himalayas travel to Lukla to start their adventure journey. Check out the trekking trails that you can start from Lukla below:

Besides trekking, Peak Climbing, and Expeditions, you also reach Lukla through the Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour. The helicopter lands here after taking off and returns to Kathmandu for refueling.

Kathmandu-Lukla Distance

It is a 138-kilometer straight-line flight distance from Kathmandu to Lukla. A plane crosses this distance in 25–40 minutes. However, a helicopter takes longer because it flies slower than a plane. Of course, driving and walking routes are far from Kathmandu to Lukla.

Lukla Weather

The most searched topic online is Lukla weather and traveling there for a trek or climb. The weather in Lukla stays smooth and precise in October, November, December, March, and April. The other months might have some cloudy and rainy days, so traveling to Lukla is best during the mentioned months here. Although there might be some unfavorable Weather conditions during the high trekking seasons, always check the daily weather on AccuWeather, Ventusky, or other weather Apps and sites.

In a Conclusion

Hopefully, this post helped you learn about the elevation and altitude of Lukla, flight details, overland travel, and more. If you are traveling to Lukla for Everest Trekking, peak climbing, or an expedition, you can contact us and ask anything. We can also arrange your flight tickets or helicopter arrangements to Lukla from Kathmandu.