Annapurna Base Camp Helicopter Tour
- Duration
- 1 day
- Max altitude
- 4,130 m
- Difficulty
-
Easy
Difficulty scale
- Easy Short walking days on good trails below about 3,000 m. Suitable for anyone in ordinary health, including families.
- Moderate 5 to 6 hours a day with some steep sections, reaching up to about 4,000 m. A reasonable level of fitness and a few weeks of preparation walking recommended.
- Strenuous 6 to 8 hours a day, high passes or altitudes above 5,000 m, and remote stretches. Good fitness, prior trekking experience and proper acclimatisation days are essential.
- Very strenuous Long days, multiple high passes or technical sections, sustained time above 5,000 m. For experienced, well-conditioned trekkers only.
- Best season
- Autumn (Sep–Nov) · Spring (Mar–May) · Winter (Dec–Feb)
- Group
- Private
- From
- $995.00
Overview
The Annapurna Sanctuary is a glacial amphitheatre closed on every side by peaks, reached on foot through a gorge so narrow it barely lets the daylight in. The trek takes seven to ten days. The helicopter is up the gorge and on the ground at Base Camp in twenty five minutes.
At 4,130 m this is a considerably gentler proposition than the Everest flight, and the landing itself is the better one: at Everest you look at the mountain from a distance, while here you stand inside a ring of them with Annapurna I directly above at 8,091 m.
Trip highlights
- A landing at Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130 m, inside the Sanctuary
- Annapurna I at 8,091 m directly overhead
- The Modi Khola gorge flown at low level on the way in
- Machhapuchhre, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna and Annapurna South all around you
- 4,130 m rather than 5,545 m, so much easier on the body than the Everest flight
- About two hours in total, from a Pokhara start
Day by day
The itinerary
-
Day 1: Pokhara into the Sanctuary, landing at Annapurna Base Camp 4,130 m 2 to 3 hours door to door hrs Noneincluded
Picked up from your Pokhara hotel at about 6.30am for the short transfer to the airport. Sanctuary flights go early, because the cloud builds inside the amphitheatre as the day warms.
Into the gorge
North out of Pokhara over the terraces, then into the Modi Khola. The gorge narrows to a few hundred metres between Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre, and the pilot flies it low, which is the most memorable part of the trip. Chomrong and Deurali pass below, the villages where trekkers spend their nights.
Annapurna Base Camp
The gorge opens into the Sanctuary and the helicopter sets down on the flat ground by the lodges at 4,130 m. You get about fifteen to twenty minutes, longer than at Kala Patthar because the altitude is more forgiving.
It is a complete circle of mountains: Annapurna I directly north at 8,091 m, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli behind you, Gangapurna and Annapurna III to the east, and Machhapuchhre standing on its own. Trekkers who have walked four days to get there will be having breakfast.
Optionally, a second short landing at Machhapuchhre Base Camp at 3,700 m on the way out, if the payload and weather allow.
Back in Pokhara by about 8.30am.
What's included
Included
- Included: Return hotel transfer to Pokhara airport
- Included: Helicopter flight Pokhara to Annapurna Base Camp and back
- Included: Landing at Annapurna Base Camp, weather and payload permitting
- Included: Annapurna Conservation Area permit
- Included: Supplementary oxygen on board
- Included: A Soulful Nepal representative with you at the airport
- Included: All government taxes and administrative charges
Not included
- Not included: Meals and beverages
- Not included: Getting to Pokhara. A flight from Kathmandu is about USD 120 per person, or we can arrange the drive
- Not included: Tips for the crew, your representative and driver
- Not included: Travel insurance covering helicopter travel and activity to 4,200 m
- Not included: Any additional charter cost if you ask to extend the flight on the day
- Not included: Anything not listed under what is included
Know before you go
Suitability & requirements
- ⚠ Prakash: derived from a charter cost of roughly USD 2,600 for up to five passengers plus the ACAP permit and handling. Confirm against your operator's quote out of Pokhara before this page goes public.
This flight starts and ends in Pokhara, not Kathmandu. We can add the Kathmandu to Pokhara flight or drive either side, but it is not in the price shown.
At 4,130 m most people are fine for a fifteen minute stop, though you will notice the thinner air. If you have a heart or lung condition, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or are pregnant, please tell us and talk to your own doctor first.
The Sanctuary has its own weather. Flights are cancelled at short notice and the pilot's decision is final. Full refund if nothing flies, and a refund of the difference if the landing cannot be made and only the scenic run happens.
Your team
Led by a licensed guide
Every route is led by a government-licensed guide from our team. Licences are on record with us before departure, and you'll meet your guide once your trip is confirmed.
Guide language(s): English, Nepali
Group-size pricing
Walk together, pay less
Every trip is private, so the guide, permits and transfers cost the same however many walk. Sharing them is why the per-person price falls: arithmetic, not a sale.
| Group size | per person | You save each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 trekker | $2,850.00 | base rate |
| 2 trekkers | $1,450.00 | $1,400.00 |
| 3 to 5 trekkers | $995.00 | $1,855.00 |
Per person, including permits, park fees and taxes. Nothing is added at checkout.
Weather
What to expect, month by month
- Autumn (Sep–Nov)The most reliable trekking season: clear air, stable weather and cold nights, right after the monsoon clears.
- Spring (Mar–May)Warmer than autumn, with rhododendron forests in flower and slightly hazier mountain views as the season goes on.
- Winter (Dec–Feb)Cold and quiet, with the clearest skies of the year at lower altitude. High passes and very high routes are best avoided.
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