Sagarmatha National Park lies about 140 km east-north-east of Kathmandu as the crow flies, but there is no road within a long day’s walk of its gate. Almost everyone arrives via Lukla (2,860 m), either by a short flight or by a combination of jeep and trail, and then walks north for a day and a half to the entrance at Monjo.
The options at a glance
| Route | Time to Lukla | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Kathmandu – Lukla | About 30–35 minutes | Operates mainly outside the peak months; weather-dependent |
| Drive to Ramechhap + flight Manthali – Lukla | 4–5 hours’ drive, then about 20 minutes | Used for most flights in spring and autumn peaks |
| Jeep to Salleri/Phaplu and beyond, then walk | 1–2 days’ drive, then 1–3 days on foot | Cheapest; long and rough; not weather-proof in the monsoon |
| Walk in from Jiri / Shivalaya | 6–8 days on foot | The route of the early expeditions; excellent acclimatisation |
| Helicopter Kathmandu – Lukla | About 45 minutes | Expensive; shared seats sometimes available |
Flying to Lukla
Tenzing-Hillary Airport has a single runway about 500 m long, tilted steeply uphill, with a mountainside at one end and a drop to the valley at the other. Only small twin-engine aircraft and helicopters use it, flying by sight in the calm air of early morning. That makes the service safe to operate only in good visibility — and prone to delay.
- Kathmandu or Ramechhap? To ease congestion at Kathmandu airport, most Lukla flights in the busiest months (roughly March–May and October–November) operate from Manthali airport in Ramechhap, some 130 km and four to five hours by road from the capital. Travellers leave Kathmandu around 1–2 am for the first flights, or sleep near Manthali the night before. In quieter months flights usually run from Kathmandu. Arrangements change — confirm with your airline or agency.
- Baggage: the allowance is small, commonly about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg in the cabin. Excess is charged and may follow on a later flight.
- Seats: on the way up, the left side generally has the mountain views.
- Delays: cloud at either end stops everything. Early flights are the most likely to go. Keep at least one, preferably two, spare days before any international connection.
- Fares: foreigners pay a fixed dollar fare, typically in the range of US$180–220 each way from Kathmandu and somewhat less from Ramechhap; check current prices.
By road and trail via Salleri and Phaplu
A road now runs from Kathmandu to Salleri and Phaplu, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu, in eight to ten hours by shared jeep. Rough tracks continue north, and in the dry season jeeps have been reaching villages such as Kharikhola, Bupsa or Thamdanda, from where Lukla or the main trail at Chheplung is one to two days’ walk. How far vehicles get varies with the season and with landslides, so ask locally.
This route costs a fraction of the flight and adds useful acclimatisation, at the price of two hard days on the road. Phaplu also has a small airport with occasional flights from Kathmandu, which can be an alternative when Lukla is closed.
The classic walk-in from Jiri
Before Lukla’s airstrip existed, every expedition walked in from the Kathmandu valley. The modern version starts with a day’s drive to Jiri, Shivalaya or Bhandar and takes six to eight days across the grain of the country — over the Lamjura La (about 3,530 m), through Junbesi and Nunthala — to join the main trail below Lukla. It is strenuous, quiet and culturally rich, and it delivers you to the park fit and partly acclimatised.
By helicopter
Helicopters fly from Kathmandu to Lukla in about 45 minutes, and on to Syangboche above Namche or higher for sightseeing tours. A private charter costs several thousand dollars; when planes are grounded, agencies often organise shared flights at a per-seat price. Helicopters can fly in somewhat worse visibility than the planes, but not in cloud. Remember that flying straight to Syangboche (3,780 m) or Hotel Everest View skips acclimatisation.
From Lukla to the park gate
From the airstrip the trail descends to the Dudh Koshi and follows it north. Most people sleep at Phakding (2,610 m, three hours) or continue to Monjo (2,835 m, five hours). The municipality fee is paid at a counter in Lukla; the national park permit is checked — and can be bought — at the Monjo entry post. Beyond the gate the trail drops to Jorsalle, crosses the high suspension bridge and climbs to Namche Bazaar. Full details are on our Lukla, Phakding and Monjo page.
Getting to Kathmandu
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is Nepal’s main international gateway, with connections through Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and several Chinese cities among others. Most nationalities can obtain a tourist visa on arrival; check the current requirements for your passport. The domestic terminal for Lukla flights is next door to the international one.
Planning tips
- Book Lukla flights early for October–November and April–May.
- Put your spare days at the end of the trip, not the beginning.
- Carry valuables, medicines and one warm layer in your cabin bag in case your duffel is delayed.
- If you are short of time and the planes are not flying, decide early whether to pay for a helicopter seat — queues build quickly.
- A package from Kathmandu normally includes flights and the Ramechhap transfer; check before buying them separately.
