Nepal Helicopter Expeditions with Responsible Adventures Nepal
At Responsible Adventures, Nepal Raj Tamang and his team are always looking to delight their clients and the people that travel to Nepal and the Himalayas by innovating new and unique experiences and special touches to their services.
Raj at Responsible Adventures Nepal is working on different Himalaya helicopter expedition ideas to take VIP clients to see the Himalayas of Ladakh, India, Bhutan and Nepal by helicopter. Clients can just do one section of the trip or piece together several sections to make a longer expedition.
These programs can be combined with private jets into Ladakh, Paro and Kathmandu and you can work with Raj to add on further cultural, wildlife and hiking adventures across Nepal, Bhutan and India. (Where he also operates.)
Whilst using helicopters and private planes is not a low-impact way to travel, Responsible Adventures ensures that all trips are fully (if not over) carbon offset, and that maximum care is taken on how the trips are operated to reduce impact and profits made on these trips help support Responsible Adventures’ work with minorities, remote communities and other community and environmental programs.
In this article, we outline an example of a VIP luxury aerial tour by helicopter of all eight peaks above 8,000 meters in Nepal, including Everest, Kalapathar, Mount Lhotse and Mount Cho Oyu. The trip also takes clients on a flight to view Mount Shishapangma in Tibet from the Nepal side. This is an exhilarating adventure that few get to experience. An opportunity of a lifetime to experience Nepal’s gigantic Himalayan peaks up close and personal.
Contact us at becky@travelkinship.com for a detailed itinerary.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TRIP
There are 14 peaks in the world over 8,000 m and 8 are in Nepal – you will get to see them all plus one in Tibet. (Viewed from Nepal)
A possible stop of 5 minutes at Kalapathar is 5400 meters (local authorities permitting). You will be looking down at Everest Base Camp from this spot as it is higher than Everest Base Camp.
Fly through Kali Gandaki Gorge which by some definitions is the deepest ravine in the world. It is five times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
You will be flown close to Mount Lhotse and Everest and overlook the Tibetan Plateau.
See the largest sheer ice face in the world at Mount Dhaulagiri.
Champagne breakfasts and unique special touches.
Possibility to meet award-winning Sanobabu Sunuwar or Lakpa Tshiri Sherpa who paraglided from Everest's summit and then took a nearly 500-mile kayaking trip on the Ganges River to the Indian Ocean.
Possibility to meet role model women like the first female paraglider in Nepal and a woman who hiked all the way to Everest base camp from her home in Kathmandu. Women leading the way for a new age of women explorers and adventurers.
We include a fee to offset the carbon emissions of the trip and provide full details.
Contact us at becky@travelkinship.com for a detailed itinerary.
We can of course tailor-make this itinerary for your clients as required but below is a summary of an example 3-day module that we can build into a longer trip to Nepal for your clients. We only fly in the mornings as it is when the visibility is at its best so guests have afternoons free and we can work with you to create and include additional activities and experiences at those times.
DAY 1
From Kathmandu fly to the Eastern edge of Nepal past Mount Kanchenjunga (3rd highest peak in the world at 8586 meters) and on past Mount Makalu (5th highest peak in the world at 8,481 meters.) Land at Namche Bazaar, the biggest Sherpa village on the Everest Base Camp trail, where guests will have the rest of the day free to relax or take part in additional activities and experiences with us. Meet local people to get a sense of what it is like to trek to Everest base camp and hear stories of famous ascents of Everest. Meet Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa who is a conservation activist, a photographer and who runs the Sherpa Cultural Museum and Everest Documentation Centre.
DAY 2
Fly to see world-famous Mount Everest – the highest mountain in the world. The China-Nepal border runs across its summit and its elevation (snow height) was most recently established in 2020 at 8,848 meters. Continue on past Mount Lhotse (At 8,502 meters this is the 4th highest peak in the world). If the local authorities allow it, we will land at Kalapathar viewpoint for a few minutes to take a few photos, look down at Everest Base camp. Next, we fly into the Gokyo Valley over its stunning lakes to the Ngozumba glacier which stretches an impressive 36 km down from the sixth highest peak, Mount Cho Oyu (At 8201 meters this is the 6th highest in the world.) Land for a Champagne breakfast at the Everest View Hotel. Fly on to Gorkha passing close enough, whilst remaining on the Nepal side, to see Mount Shishapangma over in Tibet. (At 8013 m this is the smallest of the 8000-meter peaks and 14th highest Peak in the world). Gorkha is a historically important place in Nepal. This is where the last dynasty of Nepal originated. Your guide will tell you stories of how the throne was obtained by deceit and non-Hindus became the Kings and incarnation of a Hindu God. This is also where the name of the world-renowned Gurkha name came from. Finally, we fly the last short leg to Pokhara for our overnight stop. Guests can relax at a peaceful deluxe resort, perhaps indulge in a massage before cocktails followed by a lovely dinner.
DAY 3
Today we fly into the Budi Gandaki valley to view Mount Manaslu. (At 8163 meters this is the 8th highest peak in the world.) The flight will bring us close to Himal Chuli, Ngadi Chuli and numerous other “smaller” 6000 and 7000-meter mountains. Once in the Budi Gandaki valley, we continue to fly west towards the Annapurna range to fly past Mount Annapurna (10th highest peak in the world at 8,091 m) Finally, we will fly into the Kali Gandaki valley via either Mesokanto or Thorung La pass. The pilots will bring the helicopter to fly around Mount Dhaulagiri (The 7th highest peak in the world at 8167 meters.) The south face of Dhaulagiri is the largest sheer ice face in the world. Next we fly from Mount Dhaulagiri to Mount Annapurna through the famous Kali Gandaki gorge – cited by many as the deepest ravine in the world - five times deeper than the Grand Canyon. The gorge is also famous for being the passageway used by Guru Padmasambhava who introduced Buddhism to Tibet. We land for breakfast at Thasang Lodge above Naurikot village. Here we can arrange to have a Buddhist prayer ceremony for guests. Finally, we return to Pokhara from where guests can continue on their journey around Nepal.
Click HERE to engage with a map of the trip detailing all key locations and hotels.
Contact us at becky@travelkinship.com for a detailed itinerary.
HELICOPTER SAFETY
Safety is our priority. We have handpicked the safest and most professional helicopter companies with the newest helicopters. Owner Raj Tamang has known their directors personally for 15-25 years. Some of these helicopter companies and pilots have set world records for high altitude rescue above 7000 meters and are extremely experienced and professional, as well as having amazing stories to share. Typically we use Euro Copter B3 or H125.
For an enhanced experience, our pilots fly the helicopters at an altitude of around 7,000 meters in order to get you as close as possible to the peaks of these colossal 8,000-meter mountains. We therefore only allow two passengers per aircraft to achieve this altitude. If there are three passengers the helicopter will fly guests at 6,500 meters which is still an incredible altitude for passenger flights.
All passengers will get nasal oxygen apparatus on the flight
All passengers will get headsets to interact and talk with the guide & pilot as they guide the flight.
A FULL LIST OF ALL PEAKS SEEN.
Everest (1st highest peak in the world at 8,848 m)
Kanchenjunga (3rd highest peak in the world at 8,586 m)
Mount Lhotse (4th highest peak in the world at 8,502 m)
Makalu (5th highest peak in the world at 8,481 m)
Cho Oyu (6th highest in the world at 8,201 m)
Dhaulagiri (7th highest peak in the world at 8,167 m)
Manaslu. (8th highest peak in the world at 8,163 m)
Annapurna (10th highest peak in the world at 8,091 m)
Shishapangma in Tibet. (14th highest peak in the world at 8,013 m)
At Responsible Adventures Nepal, they can then build this VIP helicopter expedition into a longer trip to see other highlights and off-the-beaten-track areas of Nepal as per individual clients’ interests and requirements. Some other areas and experiences we can tailor-make for your clients include:
Chitwan National Park - Wildlife and Eco Lodges
Bardia National Park - Wildlife, Unique Mobile Glamping
Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha
Take part in a lodge-based or Camping Trek
More time in Kathmandu
FURTHER RESOURCES
Please contact us for more example itineraries and access to copyright-free images and videos. You can also connect with Responsible Adventures on www.Squirrel-Fish.com for access to images, videos and other resources. If you don’t yet have your free account on SquirrelFish please email becky@squirrel-fish.com so we can set it up for you.
We hope you find this information of interest and of use and we look forward to being in contact in the future.