Hi,
I will be arriving in Nepal the day before the tour starts. I am would like to do a mountain flight and i'm wondering how much they are, who should I go with and most importantly should I book in advance and through whom.If anyone can shed some light on this that would be great.
Regards
Everest Flight
Re: Everest Flight
Hi,
By all means do the Everest flight. We did it and it was great.
The flights cost around 120USD and last for around 45-60 minutes.
We used Buddha Air and their planes are modern. We chose them because everyone is promised a window seat but all the planes we saw seemed to be the same size. Their web site claims they get closer to the mountains than anyone else at 5km, but they don't fly that close anymore. We're not sure why. Being around 20km isn't a huge problem given the mountains are so huge. You also get to got to the flight deck and the view from their is spectacular.
Hope this helps.
Russell
Re: Everest Flight
Hello Jarhead,
Yes the usual asking price for these flights is around $110USD-$130USD and can be arranged locally. As you arriving only one day before then it might be advisable to book this in advance though you might have time for this on day one of the tour. Have a look at the following [url=http://www.buddhaair.com/mountainflight.php]web page[/url] and take it from there.
Thanks Russell for your post.
Re: Everest Flight
Yes, the Everest flight is well worth it, provided you haven't done it before. I went on it in November 2004, and really enjoyed it. We used Buddha Air, but although they promise that everyone gets a window seat, be VERY wary. A girl on our tour took the flight a week before most of us did, and she warned us that one of her fellow passengers got a seat at the back of the plane, between two others. This is the only seat on the plane that isn't next to a window, so the last thing you want is to get that one. If memory serves, it's seat 9B or 9C. I can't remember which. Ask at the desk when you check in if it's a window seat, and request to go on a later flight if it isn't. It really isn't worth the trip if you can't get a window seat, as you'll see almost nothing.
You do get invited up to the cockpit during the flight, which is quite interesting. Also, there's a stewardess on board who points out the various different mountains, telling you which is which (handy for explaining your photos when you get home). You even get a little plastic sheet with a picture of the range and the names of each mountain on, and a rather cheap looking certificate saying something like "I did not climb Mount Everest, but I touched it with my soul", which provoked some good-natured laughter when we were presented with them on return to Kathmandu airport.
It's a bit steeply priced for what it is, I suppose - that said, short of doing the Everest Base Camp tour, it'll probably be as close as you get. Everyone should go on it once - I just can't see that you'd rush to do it again![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)