Annapurna Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return, 5 Days is a 5-day trek with a helicopter flight home for trekkers who want Annapurna Base Camp without the six-hour descent and the long walk out. It reaches 4,130 m (Annapurna Base Camp) and is graded Moderate: four walking days with a 7 hour day to Deurali and a 956 m gain to base camp, then a flight down. It costs from USD 2,250 per person (Budget, couple). The price per person is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size, and it falls as the group grows.
Annapurna Base Camp with helicopter return at a glance
| Duration | 5 days from Pokhara to Pokhara: 4 days walking up, then a helicopter flight down on day 5 |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 4,130 m / 13,550 ft (Annapurna Base Camp). You sleep at 3,174 m and 4,130 m |
| Grade | Moderate. Four walking days of 2 to 7 hours. No technical skill needed |
| Best months | Mid October to mid November, then March and April |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private. Up to four guests in each helicopter |
| Starts and ends | Pokhara. Kathmandu to Pokhara is not included |
| Permits | Annapurna Conservation Area and TIMS. Included |
| Helicopter | Private, from Annapurna Base Camp to Pokhara, weather permitting. Emergency oxygen on board |
| Start dates | You choose. See the windows for 2027 below |
| From price | USD 2,250 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 2,580, Luxury USD 3,285 |
Why I built it this way
Most people who ask me about a helicopter on this trek want one thing: to see Annapurna Base Camp without the six-hour descent and the long walk out. This trip does that. You walk up for four days, the same way as our 7-day trek, and on the fifth morning a private helicopter takes you from base camp to Pokhara.
I want to be clear about what it is not. It is not a way to skip the altitude. You still walk up, and you still sleep at 3,174 m and at 4,130 m. The helicopter only replaces the descent. If you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, speak to your doctor first, and tell us before you book. Read Annapurna Base Camp in 5, 7 or 9 Days: Which Itinerary Should You Choose? to see how the days compare, and How Difficult Is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek? Honest Rating for 2026/2027 for the honest difficulty.
The price needs a word of honesty too. The helicopter is chartered for your group, up to four guests in each one, so one or two guests pay the most each. The 2 to 4 guest band is priced for two guests, so three and four guests pay the same as two, and the price per person falls again from five. If you would rather walk both ways, look at our 7-day Annapurna Base Camp trek. If you only want the view from the air, look at our one-day Pokhara to Annapurna Base Camp helicopter tour.
Hotel nights in Kathmandu and the Pokhara night after the flight are not included. Every booking helps pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum. The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Best time to go, month by month
Rain and temperature in Pokhara are 1991 to 2020 averages, and the base camp nights come from our Annapurna Base Camp month-by-month guide. Helicopters fly in clear conditions, so the months with the least rain are also the months with the most reliable flying. These are not forecasts.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Cold and clear, with snow on the upper trail. Pokhara 19.9 C by day and 7.1 C at night, 21.6 mm of rain. Deurali nights near minus 7 C and base camp near minus 14 C. | Hard, not for a first winter trek |
| February | Cold, snow can sit above 3,000 m. Pokhara 22.7 / 9.7 C, 35.1 mm. Base camp nights near minus 12 C. | Hard |
| March | Spring begins, mornings are clear. Pokhara 27.1 / 13.1 C, 63.7 mm. Base camp nights near minus 9 C. | Good |
| April | Warm, flowers on the lower trail, more afternoon cloud. Pokhara 30.0 / 16.1 C, 141.7 mm. | Good, fly in the morning |
| May | Hot low down, cloud and storms build. Pokhara 354.7 mm and 18.3 rain days. Morning flights are a gamble. | Possible with care |
| June | Monsoon: cloud, rain and slippery trails. Pokhara 648.2 mm. | No |
| July | Monsoon and the wettest month: 941 mm at Pokhara, 25.6 rain days. | No |
| August | Monsoon. Views are mostly lost and flights are unlikely: 839.4 mm at Pokhara. | No |
| September | The rains are easing but the trails are still wet: 635 mm at Pokhara. | No |
| October | Drying out and clearer each week: 159.2 mm at Pokhara. Busy around Dashain. | Best, from mid month |
| November | The clearest skies of the year: 17.2 mm at Pokhara. Cold nights at base camp. | Best |
| December | Clear and cold, 11.5 mm at Pokhara. Possible early in the month, hard from mid month. | Early December only |
Mid October to mid November is the best window, and March and April the second. Base camp is cold at night in every season. One price applies all year.
Starting dates for 2027
You choose your start date, because every trip is private. These are the windows I would pick for 2027. Festival dates for 2027 are the expected ones from public calendars, and the government confirms them each year.
| Window in 2027 | What to expect | My advice |
|---|---|---|
| March 2027 (Holi expected 22 to 23 March) | Spring starts. Clear mornings, cold nights at base camp. | Good, from mid March |
| April 2027 (Nepali New Year 14 April) | Warmer, with afternoon cloud. Plan the flight for the morning. | Good |
| Early October 2027 (Dashain expected 6 to 10 October, not yet announced) | The rain is leaving. Dashain fills the buses and some lodges close. Helicopters are also in demand, so book early. | Avoid the Dashain days |
| Mid October to mid November 2027 (Tihar expected 29 to 31 October) | The best weeks: dry and clear, cold at the top. The most reliable flying weather. | Best |
| December 2027 to February 2028 | Clear and very cold. Snow on the upper trail can close the way to base camp. Tell me your dates and I will say what our guides know. | Only with care |
Tell me your dates and I will tell you what I know for that week. If you want to go in winter, ask me first.
Permits and costs
We apply for every permit and pay for all of them. You send us your passport details early.
| Permit or fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area permit | NPR 3,000 | Included |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (NPR 1,000 SAARC) | Included, we issue it through our agency |
The price per person depends on how many guests share the helicopter, and a child pays the same as an adult. Private or group, the price per person is the same. Here is the full table. These prices hold for 2027.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 4,390 | USD 4,665 | USD 6,020 |
| 2 guests | USD 2,250 | USD 2,580 | USD 3,285 |
| 3 guests | USD 1,570 | USD 1,950 | USD 2,615 |
| 4 guests | USD 1,235 | USD 1,570 | USD 2,275 |
| 5 to 8 guests (two helicopters) | USD 1,725 | USD 2,085 | USD 2,765 |
| 9 to 12 guests (three helicopters) | USD 1,450 | USD 1,795 | USD 2,485 |
| 13 to 20 guests (four helicopters) | USD 1,365 | USD 1,705 | USD 2,400 |
Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival), Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending and any extra porter (USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge). You pay a 10% deposit to book and the balance in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros, in cash or by card, and card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge.
Getting there and getting back
The trip starts and ends in Pokhara. From Kathmandu you can take the tourist bus (seven to eight hours) or a 25 minute flight, and we can book either for you at cost. On day 1 we drive to Nayapul. On day 5 the helicopter brings you to Pokhara and we meet you there. The Pokhara to Baglung road lost about 150 m at Sahasradhara on 27 September 2026, and repairs began on 29 September (position as at 7 October 2026). Our Pokhara trailheads are on that road. We check 48 hours before departure, and if the road is not open we move your dates free of charge.
Visa on arrival is USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months. Bring your passport on the day of the flight. Read Nayapul: The Trailhead for Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and Khopra Danda for the trailhead. Keep at least one spare day before your international flight, because Pokhara flights and helicopters can be delayed by cloud.
Safety and altitude
You sleep at 3,174 m at Deurali and 4,130 m at Annapurna Base Camp. Our own guideline is not to raise your sleeping height by more than 300 to 500 m a day above 3,000 m. Two days go beyond it: Chomrong to Deurali (1,004 m) and Deurali to base camp (956 m), with no acclimatisation night. The helicopter does not change that. It only replaces the descent. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and tell your guide at once about a headache or nausea. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen level every evening with a pulse oximeter. If a reading is low or symptoms appear, we do not go higher, and if they worsen we go down.
There is emergency oxygen on the helicopter. If you have a medical condition that may need oxygen, please speak to your doctor before you book. The helicopter flies only in clear conditions, and the operator makes the final call. Buy travel insurance at home that covers trekking to 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
What to pack
- Broken-in walking boots (not trainers) and sandals for the lodge
- A down jacket or warm fleece for base camp, thermal layers and a waterproof jacket
- A warm sleeping bag rated to about -10 C, or ask us to lend one
- A warm hat, gloves, sunglasses and SPF 50 sun cream
- A head torch for the pre-dawn sunrise
- A day pack of about 25 litres for the trek
- Trekking poles for the stone steps
- Your passport for the flight
- Plasters, blister care and any personal medicines
- Our full list is in Nepal Trekking Packing List: What to Bring, What to Skip, What to Buy in Kathmandu
Budget, Standard or Luxury
All three tiers walk the same route and fly in the same helicopter on the same days. What changes is how you sleep, what you eat and who carries your bag.
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | Shared rooms in simple teahouses | Private twin rooms, attached bathroom where the lodge has one | Private deluxe rooms, ensuite where the lodge has one |
| Porter | None. You carry your own pack. An extra porter is USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge | One porter for every two trekkers, 20 kg each in total. A solo guest has no porter: the guide carries up to 10 kg | One dedicated porter for every trekker |
| Meals | Not included on the trek | Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, tea or coffee and seasonal fruit once a day | All meals, fruit and nuts, tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice and water whenever you want |
| Helicopter | Private helicopter, base camp to Pokhara | Private helicopter, base camp to Pokhara | Private helicopter, base camp to Pokhara |
| Guide | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) | Licensed guide, one per group (a second from 13 guests) |
Read before you book
- Annapurna Base Camp in 5, 7 or 9 Days: Which Itinerary Should You Choose?
- How Difficult Is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek? Honest Rating for 2026/2027
- Annapurna Base Camp Permits: ACAP and TIMS Explained
- Annapurna Base Camp Trek Best Time: Month by Month, With Rain, Sunshine and Night Lows
- Chhomrong: The Last Big Village Before the Annapurna Sanctuary
- Annapurna Base Camp Teahouses and Food: Where You Sleep Each Night
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
