This 12-day Everest Base Camp trek with helicopter return follows the classic route to Base Camp and replaces the usual three to four-day walk back with a helicopter flight from Gorak Shep. Eight days are spent trekking through the Khumbu to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and Kala Patthar (5,545 m). The walk to Base Camp is the same as on the standard trek; only the return is different.
You still follow the same trail, spend several nights at altitude and climb Kala Patthar on foot. After completing the high-altitude section, you fly from Gorak Shep to Lukla in around 15 minutes, depending on weather and flight conditions, instead of walking about 65 km back. This makes the trek easier to fit into a shorter holiday without cutting the main walking route.
The trek begins with a flight to Lukla and continues through Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Deboche, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep. The scenery changes from forest and river valleys to open alpine ground, glacial moraines and rocky terrain as you gain altitude.
Our itinerary includes acclimatisation days in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche. These breaks give your body time to adjust before the higher sections of the trek. Most trekking days involve five to seven hours of walking, with longer days for Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.
An early climb to Kala Patthar offers one of the closest trekking viewpoints of Mount Everest. After returning to Gorak Shep, you board the helicopter and fly over the Khumbu Glacier, Khumbu Icefall and valleys you have crossed on foot.
The trek takes place inside Sagarmatha National Park, so you need a Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit and a Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entry Permit. We arrange both before the trek. No climbing permit is required because this is a trekking route, not a mountaineering expedition.
This itinerary suits trekkers who want to complete the classic walk to Everest Base Camp but do not have the extra days for the return journey. You still earn the Base Camp experience on foot; the helicopter simply changes how you leave the Khumbu.
