Both formats fly from Kathmandu into the Khumbu. They differ in who sits next to you, how the price is counted and how much a listing tells you before you book.
The short answer
Take a shared seat if you travel alone or as a couple and are happy with a fixed itinerary: most Everest helicopter listings work this way, with up to five or six passengers and a pilot, and they carry the most traveller reviews. Take a private helicopter if your group wants the aircraft to itself; the private group tours here list a landing at Kala Patthar, and you check on the booking page if the price is per person or for the whole helicopter. Kala Patthar is not reserved for private flights, since several shared listings include it. In both formats the flight goes only when the weather allows it.
Pick a day, or the first and last day you are in Kathmandu. We check the booking calendar of every flight in this section and show which ones still have seats. Keep a spare day: Everest flights wait for clear weather.
Seat: Shared helicopter
Seat: Small-group helicopter
Seat: Shared helicopter
Seat: Shared helicopter
Seat: Shared helicopter
Seat: Private helicopter
Seat: Private helicopter
Every helicopter flight on this site leaves from Kathmandu, and most itineraries list Lukla on the way up. The first real choice: buy a seat in a shared helicopter, or book a private group tour for your party.
Each flight with the same facts. Open a card for the details from the listing.
Shared helicopter with five passengers and a pilot. Stops at Lukla, Pheriche and Syangboche below the hotel.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Small-group helicopter tour with Lukla, Kala Patthar and Hotel Everest View, hotel pickup included.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Shared helicopter for up to five passengers with Kala Patthar, Everest Base Camp and Hotel Everest View on the itinerary.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Shared charter helicopter for up to five passengers. Breakfast at Hotel Everest View is named on the listing.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Shared helicopter with five or six passengers, Pheriche and a stop at Hotel Everest View.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Private chartered helicopter, guaranteed landing at Kala Patthar. Permits and breakfast are not included.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Private group tour with a landing at Kala Patthar or Base Camp, flying over Namche Bazaar and Tengboche.
Taken from the operator's listing on the booking platform.
Seat type, landings, breakfast stop, fees on the day and weight limit, taken from the listings. Where a listing says nothing, the table says so.
| Flight | Seat | Landings | Breakfast at Hotel Everest View | Fees on the day | Weight limit per passenger | Whole trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared seat via Pheriche and Hotel Everest View | Shared helicopter | Lukla, Pheriche, Syangboche (Hotel Everest View) | At extra cost | National park USD 26, airport tax USD 8, Khumbu fee | 221 lbs (100 kg) | 4–6 h |
| Small-group flight with Kala Patthar landing | Small-group helicopter | Lukla, Kala Patthar, Hotel Everest View | Not stated | National park fees if applicable, USD 28 | 265 lbs (120 kg) | 5 h |
| Shared seat with Kala Patthar and Base Camp | Shared helicopter | Lukla, Kala Patthar, Base Camp, Hotel Everest View | Not stated | Not stated | 243 lbs (110 kg) | 4–5 h |
| Shared flight to Kala Patthar and Base Camp | Shared helicopter | Kala Patthar, Base Camp, Syangboche, Hotel Everest View | Named on the listing | National park and Khumbu municipality entry fees | 198 lbs (90 kg) | 4–6 h |
| Shared seat with a stop at Hotel Everest View | Shared helicopter | Pheriche, Hotel Everest View | Not stated | Not stated | 221 lbs (100 kg) | 4–6 h |
| Private helicopter with guaranteed Kala Patthar landing | Private helicopter | Kala Patthar (guaranteed landing), Hotel Everest View; fuel stop in Lukla | At extra cost | Government taxes and permits, 7,000 rupees | Not stated | 6 h |
| Private helicopter to Kala Patthar or Base Camp | Private helicopter | Kala Patthar or Base Camp, Hotel Everest View | At extra cost | Government taxes and permits (not included) | Not stated | 6 h |
From the Viator listings, checked in November 2026. Fees and weight limits are given as the listing states them; kilograms are converted. The length of the whole trip is the operator's figure.
Read the listings closely and the pattern is clear. Flights titled “Everest Base Camp helicopter tour” are in most cases a seat in a shared or small-group helicopter: one listing speaks of a joining group with five passengers and a pilot, another of five or six, a third of a shared charter helicopter for up to five. These are also the listings with years of traveller reviews. A private charter is the exception, and the two private group tours on this site have few reviews or none so far.
In a shared helicopter you pay for one seat. The price shown for a shared seat is the price per person, and every person in your party needs a seat. The private group tours show a starting price on the booking page, but the listing text does not say if it covers one person or the whole helicopter. Open the options before you compare a private flight with a shared seat, and count the seats your group needs.
On top of the online price, many listings name fees that you pay in Nepal on the day: a national park fee, sometimes an airport tax and a Khumbu fee. One private listing names government taxes and permits as not included. Breakfast at Hotel Everest View costs extra on several flights, shared and private. The fact sheet on this page lists what each listing says.
The shared listings set a limit per passenger, from 198 lbs (90 kg) to 265 lbs (120 kg) depending on the flight. The private group tours do not state one. Weigh yourself with the clothes you will fly in, and if someone in your group is close to a limit, ask before you book.
The listing title rarely tells you where the helicopter lands. Among the shared flights, one stops at Lukla, Pheriche and Syangboche below Hotel Everest View, another at Pheriche and the hotel, and others list Kala Patthar, Everest Base Camp and the hotel. Of the private group tours, one names a guaranteed landing at Kala Patthar and a fuel stop in Lukla, the other a landing at Kala Patthar or Base Camp. If a landing at Kala Patthar matters most, check the landing points in the fact sheet before you look at the seat type.
In a shared helicopter the stops and their order are set for everyone on board. The private listings say nothing about changing the order of the stops or staying longer at one of them, so ask the operator before you book if that matters to you. In both formats the weather has the last word: flights into the Khumbu go only when it allows, departures can move by hours or to another day, and a spare day in Kathmandu keeps your plan intact.
The shared listings on this site name groups of up to five or six passengers plus a pilot. Some listings do not state the group size, so check the booking page if it matters to you.
Yes, on several shared flights. Some shared listings here include Kala Patthar and Everest Base Camp; others stop lower, at Pheriche or below Hotel Everest View. The fact sheet on this page shows the landing points of each flight.
The private group tours on this site have few reviews or none on the booking platform so far. Most Everest helicopter listings with a long review history are shared or small-group flights.
Not on the flights compared here: shared and private flights can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before departure. When the operator cancels or moves a flight because of the weather, the terms on the booking page apply.
The listings do not say. The helicopter flies only your group, but the starting price on the booking page can be per person or for the whole helicopter. Open the options before you book and count the seats your group needs.
Every shared and private helicopter flight in one table.
See the comparison