Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return
Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return from Kala Patthar completes in seven days. Yes, that’s correct. You can complete this trek in seven days instead of 12 long days. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Unlike the standard Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary, there’s no acclimatization on the short trek. You’ll trek to the base camp of Mount Everest for six days without acclimating. And, on the 7th morning, after hiking to Kala Patthar and returning to Gorak Shep, you’ll fly on a helicopter from Gorak Shep. And in just two hours of flying, you’ll reach Kathmandu with utmost luxury.
Want to Challenge yourself with this wholesome adventure in 2024?

Why short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return in 2024?
To begin with, not everyone has 12 days to complete the EBC Trek. Also, some want to challenge themselves with continuous trekking without acclimating. Moreover, walking down the same route to Lukla from Gorak Shep can be tedious. Hence, the short EBC Trek with a helicopter flyout of just six days is best. Instead of walking to Lukla, you’ll fly on a helicopter that adds a wholesome dimension to your Everest adventure.
Trek Highlights
- six wholesome days of adventure in the Everest region
- close-range viewing of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Pumori, Thamserku, and many mountains in the region
- evening hike to Kala Patthar for a sunset view over Mt. Everest, a testament to yourself for reaching 5,644 meters of altitude
- a luxurious and safe helicopter flight from Gorak Shep to Kathmandu with a bird’s eye view of elegant mountains and landscape
- exquisite experience of Sherpa culture, tradition, lifestyle, and hospitality throughout the trek
- trek along beautiful Sherpa villages like Lukla, Namche, Tengboche, and Dingboche
- thrilling and scenic flight to Lukla airport
- handpicked/tailored itineraries, seasoned trek guide, and utmost safety throughout the trek
Acclimatization for Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return
Trekking to the base camp of Mt. Everest in six days is demanding. More than physical fitness and mental preparation, you must overcome the risk of altitude sickness. Thus, you’ll need an acclimatization trek like Langtang Valley Trek or Annapurna Base Camp Trek before joining this trek.
Trekking to Langtang or Annapurna for a week provides you with adequate acclimatization. While on these treks, you’ll trek to an altitude of over 4,500 meters. Acclimatization on these treks doesn’t require acclimatization stops on Everest Base Camp Short Trek. However, you must join the Everest Short Trek shortly after completing the acclimatization trek.
Physical fitness and previous high-altitude trek experience
Without acclimatization and continuous walking, you’ll get tired. Ultimately, it becomes difficult to continue the trek with a tired body. Hence, you must be physically fit to endure the demanding walk for six days till the base camp.
We recommend you work on fitness for a few months before joining this trek. Cardio is essential training, especially to walk for six days on Everest without acclimatization. Swimming, cycling, running, and hiking are best to prepare yourself.
One or two previous high-altitude trekking would be a plus to complete a short trek to Everest Base Camp. As mentioned previously, trekking to Langtang or Annapurna is best for acclimatization.

Short Everest Base Camp Trek Cost in 2024- Including Helicopter Flight Cost
With frequent changes in fuel prices and updates from helicopter flight operators, the overall cost of this trek has changed for 2024. Also, the new helicopter guidelines since Autumn 2023 have increased the fare significantly. In the past, the helicopter used to carry 4-5 pax. However, with the new change, the chopper only carries two pax from the Gorak Shep.
Instead of just Lukla, the helicopter fare is to Kathmandu.
Pax | Starting Price (USD) | Want to Inquire? |
1 | 2150 | Inquire Now!! |
2 | 2050 | Inquire Now!! |
3 | 2000 | Inquire Now!! |
4 | 1980 | Inquire Now!! |
5 and more | 1900 | Inquire Now!! |
Short Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary- With Helicopter Flight
Day 2: Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 meters, 7.4 km/4.5 miles, 5-6 hours)
It'll be the wholesome day on your trek as you reach Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Mt. Everest.
After breakfast at a tea house in Phakding, you'll start for the trek. Don't forget to fill your drinking water bottles with lukewarm water before leaving the tea house.
Past Phakding, you'll cross a suspension bridge over the Dudh Koshi River. The 30 more minute walk from the bridge takes you to TokTok. From TokTok, you'll trek to Benkar and Monjo. Again, you'll cross a beautiful suspension bridge and walk through a serene pine forest.
Upon reaching Monjo, you'll stop for baggage check and get Everest Trek Permits. Your guide processes your trek permits at the Sagarmatha National Park entry office.
From the checkpost, you'll walk for 15 more minutes and stop at Jorsale for lunch. It's a beautiful place with ample tea houses that offer the best meals.
After lunch, you'll resume the walk to Namche Bazaar. You'll cross a suspension bridge again and walk along the shore of Dudh Koshi to Larcha Dovan. At Larcha Dovan, you'll cross Hillary Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in the region.
The route past Hillary Bridge to Namche is an uphill walk where you'll gain significant altitude. Also, you may experience some tiredness while walking this section.
Upon reaching Namche Bazaar, you'll settle in at a tea house for overnight accommodation.
Day 3: Trek from Namche Bazaar to Deboche (3,820 meters, 9.2 km/5.7 miles, 5-6 hours)
Staying at Namche would be the best experience. But unfortunately, you're on a Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return with no acclimatization stop.
After breakfast at the tea house, you'll start trekking to Tengboche. You'll trek northeast of Namche, follow a straight trail to Sanasa, and descend a few hundred meters to Pungi Thenka. From the end of Namche, you'll get a beautiful glimpse of Kongde Ri, Kusum Kanguru, and Thamserku.
You'll stop at Pungi Thenka for lunch.
After lunch, you'll cross a bridge and start ascending to Tengboche. It'll roughly take two hours to reach the top of Tengboche. You'll gain an exact 600-meter altitude from 3,250 meters at Pungi Thenka to 3,860 meters at Tengboche Monastery.
From Tengboche, you'll get a near-360-degree view of the entire region, including Kongde Ri and Khumjung to the South and Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam to the North.
It would be best to stay at Tengboche. But, with few tea houses, it's almost impossible to get tea houses for accommodation during peak Everest trekking season. Thus, instead of staying, you'll tour Tengboche Monastery and if viable, wait till evening rituals. After visiting the Tengboche Monastery, you'll trek 30 minutes further to Debuche. At Debuche, you'll settle in at Hotel GoodLuck for overnight accommodation.
Day 4: Trek from Deboche to Dingboche (4,410 meters, 9.1 km/5.6 miles, 5 hours)
Waking up at Dingboche feels surreal as you'll see a striking glimpse of Kongde Ri from your room's window.
Past breakfast, you'll start the trek. You'll trek along pine, oak, and juniper forests, ornate by the rhododendron blossom of March/April, the best time to trek to Everest Base Camp.
The 20-minute walk from the tea house takes you to a suspension bridge over the Imja River. The bridge and the view of Mt. Ama Dablam appears spectacular. On this day, till Dingboche, you'll walk alongside this mountain.
The route from the bridge to Pangboche village is best. It's more like a broad motor road, best for scenic and comfortable walks.
You'll trek past Pangboche village and stop for lunch at Somare.
With lunch at Somare, you'll resume the walk to Dingboche. From here, you'll walk two to three hours to Dingboche.
Tips: As you resume walking past Somare around 11 am-12 pm, the wind starts picking the speed. Hence, it gets cold if you don't wear gloves, beanies, sunglasses, and neck buffs.
Once you reach Dingboche, you'll settle in at the best available tea house for overnight meals and accommodation.
Day 5: Trek from Dingboche to Lobuche (4,940 meters, 8.4 km/5.2 miles, 5 hours)
To trek an 8.4 km from Dingboche to Lobuche is straightforward yet challenging. It's easy because the route is easy-grade near-flat terrain. The route is demanding because the section between Thugla-Thugla Pass can get extremely tiring.
After leaving Dingboche, you'll trek on relatively flat terrain over Pheriche. Also, you'll walk adjacent to Mt. Cholatse.
A two-hour walk from Dingboche takes you to Thugla, where you'll stop for lunch.
After lunch, you'll resume the walk, but at a very slow-steady pace. We recommend you walk steadily with frequent rehydration as most trekkers get altitude sickness on the Thugla Pass ascend.
However, upon reaching Thugla Pass, the remaining section to Lobuche is very straightforward. You'll walk over a rugged trail, somewhat touched by the Khumbu glacier moraine.
You'll settle in at a tea house like Mother House or New Everest in Lobuche.
Day 6: Trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164 meters, 4 km/2.4 miles, 3 hours). Trek to Everest Base Camp (5,364 meters, 3.3 km/2 miles, 3 hours) and return to Gorak Shep
You'll step on the base camp of Mount Everest on the sixth day of your 7 days Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return from Gorak Shep. The ecstasy of reaching the world's highest mountain base camp is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
But before that, you'll eat breakfast at Lobuche, trek along Khumbu Glacier Moraine, Gorak Shep, have lunch, and trek three hours further to EBC.
For 40 minutes, you'll walk on flat terrain till Khumbu Glacier moraine. And once you step into moraine, the trek gets demanding. However, at a steady pace, you'll reach Gorak Shep in no time.
You'll stop at a tea house at Gorak Shep for lunch. After lunch, you'll trek to Everest Base Camp for three hours. It'll be an exciting walk. However, walking over glacier moraine and glaciers won't be easy.
After visiting base camp, you'll return to the tea house in Gorak Shep for overnight accommodation.
Day 7: Trek to Kala Patthar (5,644 meters, 1.2 km/0.8 miles, 3 hours). Return to Gorak Shep. Helicopter flight to Kathmandu (1.5 hours)
At 5,644 meters, Kala Patthar is the highest place you'll reach on this trek.
Sunrise viewing over Pumori and other mountains alongside the best view of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse from Kala Patthar is the best activity. Thus, you'll wake up around 4 am and start the trek to Kala Patthar.
After viewing the sunrise from Kala Patthar, you'll return to Gorak Shep and grab breakfast.
A helicopter will arrive around 9 am to pick you up from Gorak Shep to Lukla. With the best weather, you'll get a bird's eye view of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and other beautiful mountains. Also, you'll fly over beautiful Sherpa villages like Tengboche, Namche, and Phakding.
Moreover, instead of 3 days to reach Lukla, you'll return to Lukla in just 10 minutes of flying from Gorak Shep. Furthermore, you'll reach Kathmandu airport after 45 minutes of flying on the helicopter.
After landing at Kathmandu airport, you'll get an airport-to-hotel transfer on a private vehicle.
With this, your Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return from Kala Patthar ends.
Essential Trek Info
Here are a few essential things you must know before you book this trek. For example, some essential trek information includes travel insurance, altitude sickness, meals and accommodation, best time, trekking gear, trek permits, and more.
Meals during the trek
While on a Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return, for 7 days, you’ll get 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, including a farewell dinner in Kathmandu.
Since all the tea houses in the Everest region are well-established, they provide the best hospitality. You’ll get expansive meal choices, a twin-sharing room with an attached bathroom, and other modern amenities.
Breakfast: Toast, omelet, potatoes, pies, waffles, chapati, bread with jam and butter, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, ginger lemon honey, etc.
Lunch and dinner: Nepali Dal Bhat with lentil soup and cooked vegetables, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, spaghetti, fried rice, dumplings, Tibetan bread, noodles, pasta, etc.
Accommodation during Everest Base Camp Short Trek
You’ll get the best available tea house for accommodation on the trek.
If you’re trekking solo with us, you’ll get a single room, private or twin sharing. However, You’ve to accommodate in a twin shared room with fellow trekkers upon trekking with our fixed departure group.
In most places, the tea houses offer twin-sharing rooms with attached bathrooms. However, during peak Everest trekking season, an attached bathroom at places like Lobuche and Gorak Shep is hard to get.

Consuming amenities like a hot water shower, hot drinking water, wifi cards, and battery charging costs a few hundred rupees. You’ve to pay for these additional amenities other than stated.
You can get warm electrical blankets and the best rooms at places like Namche and Dingboche. As these amenities are expensive, we don’t provide all on trek cost. However, if you wish to, we can ask for some discount.
Thus, if you want these amenities during the short EBC trek, you must inform us before leaving for the trek.
Everest Base Camp Trek Permits
During your short EBC Trek, you’ll need two essential trek permits. Since you’ll trek in Sagarmatha National Park, a national park entry permit cost USD 20 is a must. Moreover, you’re required to have a Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit at Lukla or Monjo at USD 30.
Your trek permit costs are included in the trek cost you pay to us. As these permits are available on the trek, your guide purchases them at Monjo.
Here are the documents you must bring with you to get these permits.
- Valid passport/driving license/government-issued document that identifies you
- Contact details of someone back home (for emergency contact)
Regarding the helicopter flight, you don’t need to pay for airport tax, helicopter flight permit, etc. The airline company manages everything related to flight permits and all.
Feel free to learn more about the Everest Base Camp Trek Permits on this blog.
Best time for Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return
If you’re planning for Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return in 2024, now is the best time. It’s March now, which is the best time for EBC Trek. April and May are the other beautiful months with clear weather and stable temperatures.
Snow-occupied mountains, fresh green vegetation, rhododendron blossom, and serene trails are best in March-May. Also, the temperature gets warmer in April and May in higher regions.
Autumn is another best time you can consider if planning for a short EBC Trek. Apart from rhododendron blossom, Autumn has everything that suits this trek. As summer rain deposits the snow over mountains, September and October are the right time to see snow-filled Everest. Also, you’ll find greenery everywhere at high altitudes, rejuvenated by the summer rain.
The clear weather days during these months are also best for helicopter flyouts. When you fly from Gorak Shep to Kathmandu, you’ll get a panoramic view of most mountains in the Everest region. Also, clear weather in these months makes 100% helicopter flights.
Acclimatization and Altitude sickness
Unlike 12 12-day itineraries with two acclimatization stops, there’s no acclimatization stop on the 7-day Everest Base Camp Short Trek with Helicopter Return. You’ll trek to the base camp for six days, and on the 7th day, you’ll fly back by helicopter.
Since there’s no acclimatization on this trek, we request you to trek to Langtang or Annapurna before joining this trip. At Langtang or Annapurna, you’ll reach 4,500 meters altitude, which provides adequate acclimatization.
If you don’t acclimate properly, you’ll likely get altitude sickness while on EBC Trek with Helicopter Return. Symptoms like headache, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common symptoms of altitude sickness. However, if symptoms persist, you’ll get HAPE or HACE, the extreme mountain sickness.
It’ll be almost impossible to continue trekking if you get altitude sickness. For instance, you’ll need a helicopter evacuation if you get extreme mountain sickness symptoms.
Physical fitness and trek preparations
Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return for seven days is demanding. With no acclimatization stop and rest days, trekking for six days becomes difficult if you don’t prepare well physically.
For physical fitness, you must work out on cardio and endurance training. Cycling, swimming, running, and hiking for a few months before joining the trek would be best. If possible, we recommend trekking to Langtang or Annapurna before joining Everest Base Camp Short Trek. With endurance and a short trek, you’ll acclimate well and trek easily.
For trek preparations, you must develop a positive mindset. You must purchase quality trekking gear and travel insurance with helicopter coverage.
Trek Safety on EBC Trek
You’ll be 100% safe, sound, and secured during Short Everest Base Camp Trek with a Helicopter Return from Gorak Shep. While trekking, your trek guide takes your utmost care with accommodation arrangements at the best available tea house. Also, your trek guide sets a steady pace for your walk to prevent you from getting altitude sickness. Moreover, your trek porter carries your trek gear and backpack safely throughout the trek.
Next up, a helicopter flight from Gorak Shep to Kathmandu. Helicopter flights in the Everest region are 100% safe. Nepali helicopter pilots fly regularly in the Everest region with massive flight time in the tank. Moreover, you’ll fly on Airbus helicopters, best for mountain fights. Hence, your flight to Kathmandu will be smooth, scenic, and exciting.
Trek guide and porter
While trekking with us, you’ll get seasoned trekking guides with multiple Everest trek experiences. Moreover, our guides are fluent English speakers, first aid responders, true professionals, and welcoming companions.
Trekking in the Everest region often gets tiring when you carry your backpack. Hence, we’ll provide a trekking porter to make your walk comfortable. Your trek porter carries your luggage throughout the trek. Also, they provide you with great companionship. Please make sure that your backpack doesn’t weigh more than 15 kg.
For your kind information, our trekking guides are Nepal government-licensed trek guides. Also, our trek porters are over 18 years of age. Moreover, our trekking guides and porters are fully insured.
Want to enquire?
You’re here, and we’ve guessed that you planned for Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return in 2024. Our email address is mailtoneptrek@gmail.com, just in case you want to enquire about the cost and availability of this trek.
We have WhatsApp (24/7 support) at +9779818553880. You can send a direct message on our WhatsApp. Our tour leader will get back to your inquiry.