Trek Climb Ski Nepal’s wealth of trekking and climbing expedition experience tells us that getting into and out of Lukla can be a significant stalling point for expeditions in the Everest region. With our Nepalese team working for options at the first sign of flights being cancelled due to bad weather in Lukla, you can rest assured that we’ll be working hard to get your expedition off the ground.
Without clear weather, fixed-wing flights do not operate into or out of the Everest region. The only airport for any expedition into the Everest Valley is Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. It is not uncommon for a backlog of expeditions to sit around for days waiting in Kathmandu for the weather to clear, or in Lukla when you are craving a clean hot shower and the comforts of your hotel back in Kathmandu. We’ve seen it happen regularly where people will be waiting in excess of a week for the weather and backlog of flights to clear. For many people this means a major compromise to their intended itinerary given the amount of days they’ve lost waiting. It can often mean the difference to reaching Everest Base Camp or not.
Helicopter flight into Lukla
As we’ve experienced this situation on many occasions, it’s an easy option for our guests to unanimously decide to use helicopters to get their expedition off the ground. After all the training, build up and anticipation everyone is keen to get moving and not to jeopardise the teams itinerary. The added benefit of using a helicopter, besides the amazing scenery, is the excitement of being amongst a group who are actually getting away whilst everyone is else is literally in a holding pattern stuck in the domestic terminal.
When you choose who you’re going to travel with, be sure they have well-rehearsed back-up plans in place in the event of bad weather. It worth paying a little extra to be sure that they have.
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