Straight answers, before you ask.

A shared seat starts at about US$499 per person, and the whole five-seat helicopter at about US$3,800. The shared price puts you on a departure other travellers are already filling. The private price buys the aircraft and the choice of departure time; five shared seats cost less than the whole helicopter on this tour. Prices differ between operators on the same route, so we compare every licensed operator that flies it and book you the cheapest. These figures are a guide; your quote is final.

About four hours from take-off in Kathmandu to landing back there, of which under two hours is flying. The morning runs Kathmandu at first light, a fuel stop at Lukla of seven to fifteen minutes, breakfast at Hotel Everest View, ten to fifteen minutes on the ground at Kala Patthar (5,545 m), then back to Kathmandu. Most passengers are back between 10:00 and 11:00.

No, and no operator in Nepal does. Helicopters land at Kala Patthar, a ridge at 5,545 m about 3 km from Base Camp, because it is the highest place in the area with ground firm and level enough to take an aircraft. It is also the better view: it looks straight at the Everest south face. The Everest tour.

Yes, on most scenic routes. Sharing puts you on a flight other travellers are filling, at a fraction of the price of the whole helicopter. Restricted routes such as Upper Mustang, and all rescue work, are booked as a whole helicopter.

In the busy months, October and November and then March and April, book two to four weeks ahead for a shared seat. Leave longer if you want the whole helicopter on a set date. At quieter times a few days is usually enough. Lukla transfers and rescue flights go the same day.

Often, yes. Lukla transfers, charters between airfields and all rescue work are arranged the same day. Outside October, November, March and April a scenic seat is usually available within a day or two. A request to the desk goes to several operators at once, which is the fastest way to find out who has an aircraft free.

Not for a standard scenic flight. The operator holds the flight permissions and you need nothing beyond your passport. National park entry fees apply where the route lands inside one, such as the Sagarmatha National Park fee on Everest flights; your quote says whether they are included. Upper Mustang needs a restricted-area permit issued per aircraft, which is why it is sold as a whole-helicopter charter with several days' notice.

No. We are a booking desk. We compare every licensed Nepali operator that flies your route and book you the cheapest. The helicopter, the crew and the flying licence belong to the operator, and its name is on your booking and your invoice. How we work.

The risk is real, and it is managed by rules. Every operator the desk sends a request to holds a current Air Operator Certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, checked before the request goes out. The Airbus H125, formerly the AS350 B3e, used for high-altitude work is certified to 7,010 m. The genuine hazards are weather and weight: flights go at dawn or not at all, every passenger is weighed at check-in, and above 5,000 m the group is carried in two shuttles.

More than almost anything else. A helicopter lifts much less as it climbs, so every operator sets a weight limit for each passenger, usually 75 kg including your day bag, and you are weighed at check-in. If your group weighs more than you told us, the operator may fly you up in two trips or turn the flight down.

One small day bag per person, and it counts toward your 75 kg allowance. A helicopter has no separate hold, so everything on board is one number, and that number decides whether the aircraft can climb. Camera gear is fine; a suitcase is not. For a transfer such as Lukla to Kathmandu, tell us your total baggage weight and the price is set against it.

Yes. A child takes a seat and counts toward the weight limit at any age. Operators generally advise against high-altitude landings for children under two. Lower routes such as Annapurna and Langtang carry children routinely. Tell us the ages when you ask and we will say what operators will and will not do.

It is uncommon but possible, and it is why landings are short. You go from 1,338 m in Kathmandu to 5,545 m at Kala Patthar in about an hour. Most people feel nothing worse than breathlessness and a light head. Operators keep ten to fifteen minutes on the ground for this reason, and the aircraft carries oxygen. Move slowly at the viewpoint and tell the pilot at once if you feel unwell.

October and November are the clearest and most reliable weeks of the year, followed by March and April. December to February is cold, clear and quieter. June to September is the monsoon: flights still operate, but cancellations are common, so keep a spare day in your plans. In every month the flight leaves at first light, because Himalayan valleys build cloud and wind from mid-morning.

You are not charged for a flight that does not happen. The operator offers you the next time that works, or gives all your money back if you cannot wait. Weather in the Himalaya can close a valley with little warning, and from June to September delays are normal.

Call +977 98 6104 4994, day or night. Do not use an enquiry form or email. The national lines are Nepal Tourist Police 1144, Police 100 and Ambulance 102. How a rescue works.

Once a crew accepts, the flying from Kathmandu is about 45 minutes to Lukla and about an hour to the upper Khumbu. The wait is usually daylight, cloud and wind, and a request made in the afternoon or after dark often waits for the next flyable window. A rescue flight is never guaranteed.

Call the assistance number on your policy as soon as you can, with the casualty's location, condition and the operator's name once you have it. Many policies exclude trekking above 4,000 m or cap evacuation below the real cost, so check yours before you go.

The operator carries its own liability insurance, which covers its legal liability for the aircraft and the people it carries. That is not your travel insurance, and it does not pay your medical bills or a rescue. Buy travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation at the altitude you are going to.

Only after you accept a price, never before. You send your dates, the desk aims to come back within four hours with the cheapest certified operator that can fly them, and nothing is payable until you accept. If the price does not suit you, you pay nothing.

We are still setting up card payment in US dollars with our payment company. Until that is ready, you pay the operator directly by bank transfer or card. We send you their details as soon as they accept your booking.

No. Sending an enquiry costs nothing, the comparison costs nothing, and you pay only once you accept a quote. Operators set their own prices; where Go Heli Nepal adds a service fee, it is its own line on the quote before you accept.

If the weather closes in, the operator flying you rebooks you or refunds you in full. For every other case, the full terms are in the cancellation and refund policy.

The phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day. Written requests carry reply targets: 15 minutes for a flight inside twelve hours, 1 hour for a flight this week and 4 hours for everything else. They are targets, so if your flight is within the hour, call.

The desk does, from your flight time. A flight inside twelve hours goes to the top automatically.

No. Give us an email address and we reply to it. Every way to reach the desk.