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Everest Sightseeing Flight (Mountain Flight)

This is a sightseeing flight of approximately one hour that takes off and lands from Kathmandu, with the aim of flying close to the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (8,848m), and circling the surrounding area to allow you to view it.

Rates (as of March 2024)

240 USD per seat (fare + fuel fee + Kathmandu airport tax)

Date of operation

Every day of the year. However, in the event of bad weather, flights may be canceled just before boarding (more details below).

Flight Schedule

Departing from Kathmandu between 6:30am and 8:30am, there are about 1-2 flights per hour

Scenic flight time

About 1 hour

Airlines

Buddha, Yeti, etc.
*If there is no particular request from the customer, we will make arrangements with Buddha Air.

Aircraft used

20-50 seater propeller aircraft

Kathmandu Airport transfers before and after your flight

The above mountain flight prices do not include transportation to and from Kathmandu Airport before or after the flight. Additional arrangements can be made for an additional fee as follows:

• Additional charge: $30 per car (1 passenger in the passenger seat, 3 passengers in the back seat ∴ Maximum 4 passengers)
• Pick-up procedure: We will pick you up at your hotel (only in Kathmandu city) early in the morning and take you to the domestic terminal at Kathmandu Airport. The car will wait in the parking lot during your flight, and after the flight, the same car will take you to your hotel.
• Note: If you catch a taxi on the street yourself, you can get around for 1,000 rupees one way, even if they charge you a little, so if you want to save money, it’s better to make your own arrangements.

Planning Notes

As is the case with all domestic flights in Nepal, whether the flight will be able to fly on time depends on the weather on the day. Even if the flight is going smoothly, the weather around the airport may worsen upon return to Kathmandu, making it impossible to land, and the plane may have to suddenly fly to Pokhara or Birgunj airport for an emergency landing and wait until the weather at Kathmandu airport improves.

For this reason, it is best to avoid plans such as taking a mountain flight in the morning and leaving Kathmandu on an international flight in the afternoon. On paper, it may seem like you have enough connections, but in reality, you may fly delayed by 1-2 hours, have a nice sightseeing trip, and then when you return to Kathmandu, the above-mentioned conditions may occur, and you may have to wait in Pokhara until the weather improves, meaning you will miss your flight.

Please be aware that if such a situation occurs, no compensation will be provided by us or the airline.

Judging whether or not to operate in bad weather

Mountain flights are operated on the condition that Mount Everest can be seen, so on days when weather conditions prevent Everest from being seen, the flight will be canceled.

The weather conditions may be good until just before takeoff, and the flight may take off as scheduled, but after takeoff the weather may suddenly change and Everest may no longer be visible, causing the flight to return to Kathmandu without the sightseeing tour and have to be rescheduled for the next day.

Flights may be canceled on days with heavy rain or thick fog, but if the weather conditions in Kathmandu are bad but the weather around Everest is good, the flight may take off as scheduled even in heavy rain. Flights also often resume after a delay of 1-2 hours.

For this reason, it is not possible for us or our customers to determine in advance whether a flight will be canceled.

Even if the weather is such that the flight is likely to be canceled, you must complete the boarding process. Please note that if you decide that the flight will not fly in this weather and leave late for boarding or cancel the flight without permission, you will not be able to receive a full refund.

Response in the event of a flight cancellation

If a flight you have booked with us is canceled, we will handle it as follows:

1. Use a transfer to the next day’s flight
   → If the flight is canceled, you will usually be transferred to a flight on the next day. There will be no additional charge. You will need to go to the airline counter at the airport and have the date on your ticket changed. If you have a guide with you, the guide will take care of this, but if you are not, you will need to make your own arrangements for a transfer flight.
2. Cancel the reservation without using the alternative flight
   → If the airline announces the cancellation and you do not use the alternative flight, you will be eligible for a refund, but the refund will not be made at the airport, but will be made by our company. In that case, we will convert the amount minus a fee of 10 USD per ticket into Japanese yen and transfer it to your designated account. If you would like to receive the money in cash while you are in Nepal, we will refund it in Nepalese rupees. Please contact us for more information.

*If you also use our transportation services, there will be no refund for the transportation fee.

Helicopter Flight

This shared Everest viewing flight started operating in October 2017. After viewing Everest and the surrounding mountains from the sky, you can have breakfast at the Everest View Hotel in Syangboche, at an altitude of about 3,900m, before returning to Kathmandu. It’s a dream-like flight. It only operates during the dry tourist season. More details will be posted once the flight is confirmed.