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Most trekkers start and finish the Everest Base Camp trek in Lukla. Unfortunately the Lukla flights aren't reliable due to the weather and now most of these flights don't land or take off from Kathmandu airport.
This blog provides information about flying into, and out of Lukla, and the alternatives if the weather is bad. Click here to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks.
Contents
1. Flights to Lukla for the Everest Base Camp Trek
1.1 Flights from Kathmandu and Ramechhap Airports
Most trekkers fly into Lukla to do the Everest Base Camp trek and until recently these flights all took off from Kathmandu. Congestion at Kathmandu airport has resulted in the flights to Lukla being transferred to Ramechhap airport during the peak trekking season. This is from about mid March to the end of May and during the months of October and November.
Flying from Ramechhap is inconvenient. It is about a 4 hour drive from Kathmandu at night but longer during the day due to road congestion. There are some hotels near the airport, so you can drive there the previous afternoon and stay overnight. The alternative is to leave Kathmandu between 01.00 to 02.00 to get an early morning Lukla flight!
It is very chaotic at Ramechhap airport, even when there are no delays. Unfortunately flights are frequently delayed due to bad weather at Lukla. The effect of these delays have more impact at Ramechhap than Kathmandu as there isn't enough accommodation in Ramechhap.
1.2 Flights from Lukla
Flying back into Ramechhap isn't as bad as departing, as you don't have to stay there or cope with the chaos at the check-in counters. The major drawback is the drive from Ramechhap to Kathmandu, which could take 6 hours due to road congestion during the daytime.
Flight delays are common, although less frequent during the normally clear weather from mid October to mid December. Luckily this also coincides with the peak trekking season. Always try to get on the earliest possible flight as the weather usually deteriorates as the day progresses.
If there are seats available on a different airline it is possible to transfer your ticket. Go to the airline office and get them to put the relevant stamp on your ticket which you then hand to the other airline. We did this at Lukla airport in 2014 and it only took 5 minutes.
1.3 Flight Cost & Weight Limit
Flights between Ramechhap and Lukla currently cost $149 each way and between Kathmandu and Lukla cost $180 each way. These flights can be booked online through Yeti Airlines, although it shouldn't cost any more to book it through a trekking agency.
The weight limit for these flights is 10 kilograms but the charge for excess weight is only about NPR 195 per kilo. If you are travelling with a guide he would usually have less than 10 kilograms of luggage and you can use his surplus weight allowance.
1.4 Cancelled Flights and Rebooking
If your flight is cancelled you will have to rebook on the next available flight. In peak season only the later flights, which are at greater risk of being cancelled due to weather, will normally have availability. Your chances of getting rebooked onto an early flight will often depend whether your agency, or hotel at Ramechhap or Lukla, has good connections with the airlines.
2. Ramechhap Accommodation & Transportation
2.1 Hotels within walking distance of Ramechhap Airport
Some of the hotels within walking distance of the airport are:
Freedom Resort - This hotel gets reasonable local Google reviews and is an 11 minute walk to the airport. Rooms cost NPR 3,500 and tents NPR 2,500. The tents can be hot. Rooms and tents can be booked online through the above link.
Lalu Hotel - The local reviews are also reasonable but there is no online booking.
Hotel Manakamana Airport View - It also gets reasonable local reviews but again there is no online booking.
2.2 Transportation to Ramechhap Airport
The first flights take off about 06.15 so if you don't spend the night in Ramechhap you would have to leave Kathmandu around 01.15 to get there in time. This early start would probably be only a couple of days after a sleep disturbed international flight and when you are still suffering from jet lag. This isn't an ideal start to the Everest Base Camp trek.
Mini buses and buses leave around 02.00 each night and can be arranged through the trekking agencies in Kathmandu. They cost about $35 per person, but you would not arrive in time for the earliest flight.
A private car arranged through a local trekking agency would cost from around $110 and a jeep about $160. Hiring a taxi yourself would be cheaper.
3. Accommodation at Lukla
When flights are delayed for several days there isn't enough accommodation at Lukla for trekkers finishing the Everest Base Camp trek, even though there are many more hotels than at Ramechhap.
Some hotels, like the very comfortable Lukla Numbur Hotel and the more basic Sunrise Lodge have connections with the airlines which makes a big difference. They can often arrange for you to get on an early flight the next day and the early flights have a better chance of taking off.
At the Lukla Numbur Hotel we didn't have to go to the airport until they told us that the incoming flights were going ahead. When we arrived at the airport the hotel owner and guide had already got our boarding passes for us.
4. Drive/Hike between Kathmandu & Lukla in 2 Days
The flights to Lukla for the Everest Base Camp trek are often grounded due to bad weather. It is often difficult to determine if the weather will clear or if the flights will be grounded for several days.
The alternatives are taking a helicopter or doing a fairly gruelling drive and hike combination between Kathmandu and Lukla. The latter option is cheaper than flying when using shared jeeps or buses, but probably not when using a private jeep.
In May 2022 we had a 06.00 flight from Lukla to Kathmandu but we woke up to rain. By 10.30 a.m. it looked like the weather wouldn't clear and an Australian at our lodge decided to hike and then take a jeep to Kathmandu.
The weather suddenly cleared at 12.30 p.m. and our flight took off from Lukla at 1.30 p.m. We were surprised, and pleased, to see the Australian on the flight! He had luckily seen the weather improve and quickly hiked back up!
4.1. Logistics
The 2 day drive and hike could be split as follows:
Drive on the tarred road between Kathmandu and Salleri. It could take 7 hours by private jeep, longer by shared jeep and almost 12 hours by bus (NPR 1,700 at March 2023). Stay in a lodge at Salleri. Phaplu is an alternative to Salleri but the lodges there aren't good.
Drive 6 hours by jeep on the rough dirt track between Salleri and Tham Danda (just north of Bupsa). Click here to see a 16 minute video of the jeep ride. I wouldn't want to drive on this track after a lot of rain. The cost of a shared jeep was NPR 2,200 in March 2023. Then hike the same day between Tham Danda and Lukla, which takes about 5.5 hours.
If you are travelling from Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar you can bypass Lukla. The hike from Tham Danda to Namche Bazaar can be done in 2 days with an overnight stop at Ghat or Phakding.
4.2. Approximate Costs of Getting from Kathmandu to Tham Danda
Cost of a shared jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri was reported to be NPR 3,700 in April 2022.
Cost of a bus from Kathmandu to Salleri was NPR 1,700 in March 2023.
Cost of a shared jeep from Salleri to Tham Danda was reported to be NPR 2,200 in March 2023.
A private jeep from Kathmandu to Tham Danda is about $420.
These are ball park figures that depend on the fuel costs, road conditions, type of private jeep and your negotiating skills!
5. Use of Helicopters for the Everest Base Camp Trek
The weather in Lukla can be too bad even for helicopters! It is the quickest option if flights have been grounded but not the cheapest! The normal cost is about $400 a person, but if a helicopter has spare seats you can sometimes be lucky to get a seat for as low as $150.
The weather was terrible the day of our flight from Kathmandu to Lukla in May 2022. By mid morning we had given up on flying out of Kathmandu and decided to pay $400 per person for a helicopter.
The helicopter couldn't take off as the weather was too bad in Lukla. This proved to be lucky as at 12.30 we were told to board the plane as the weather in Lukla had cleared.
We later met some young Swiss trekkers who had taken a helicopter that day and had only paid $150 each. As the weather was too bad for the helicopter to land at Lukla they were flow to Phakding instead, saving a few hours of walking to Namche Bazaar.
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