The most exciting excursion during our two weeks of travel was visiting the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal (also known as South Base Camp). South Base Camp sits at an altitude of 5,354 meters (17,598 ft) and is a 5-6 day journey by foot from Lukla Airport – the closest and also the world’s most dangerous airport. Mount Everest, by comparison, stands at 8,848 meters (29,029 ft). Roughly 40,000 people trek from Lukla to South Base Camp each year.
The journey began at the Kathmandu airport where, after being weighed in and subsequently waiting several hours, our group of six was shuttled to the helicopter pads and boarded an Airbus H125 helicopter (also known as the AS350). Our flight path took us north, over residential parts of Kathmandu and then high above the mountains and their numerous communities, farms, and temples. Dirt roads were prominent as were sculpted hillsides meant for growing crops in the semi-barren region.
After a brief refueling stop at Lukla Airport, we continued north – eventually landing at the Hotel Everest View which sits atop a mountain at an altitude of 3,880 meters (12,729 feet). Our earlier delay at the airport meant that we only had 30 minutes to enjoy the view and a fantastic breakfast. This was our first stop where the high altitude was obvious as we all became out of breadth while walking up the hill to the hotel.
When our helicopter returned, we once again boarded – this time headed for a small outpost situated along the river south of base camp. This outpost was nothing more than a few concrete buildings, a herd of oxes, and an open field on which the helicopter landed. Scanning the horizon, you could see hikers on their way up the mountain as well as down the mountain. This outpost was at roughly 3657 meters (12,000 feet) and because of the low air pressure, the helicopter could only carry three people at a time to base camp. So three of our group members exited the craft and the remaining three of us continued on our journey.
In the span of five minutes, our helicopter climbed from 12,000 feet to approximately 19,000 feet (5,791 meters). According to the pilot, they rarely make this flight so quickly and thus he continually inquired if we were feeling okay. Luckily we all had been prescribed altitude sickness medication – a must for traveling in elevations this high. We landed on a hill overlooking base camp, at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5486 meters), and were given approximately five minutes to exit the aircraft, take in the scenery, take pictures, and get back on board – any longer at that altitude would not have been good for our health. Also, helicopters are not pressurized after all, and our pilot was the only one in the aircraft with oxygen, for obvious reasons.
The view was majestic, inspiring, and humbling at the same time. Even with the background hum of the rotor blades continuing to spin, the experience was serene and peaceful and yet there was an energy and a crispness in the air that was palpable. And it actually wasn’t terribly cold (somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 F or -1 C).
When we were done, we were shuttled back into the valley of the outpost and the remainder of our group was taken up to base camp. While they were gone, we explored the fields, the river, and the wildlife from afar. Once they returned, we were off again – headed back to Lukla for refueling and then on to Kathmandu.
The trip back was to be uneventful – but issues almost arose… Our pilot was almost selected to perform an emergency evacuation of a sick hiker (which would have left our group stranded). Then, at Lukla, it started raining pretty hard and fog started rolling in (these pilots only fly using visual flight rules) so instead of waiting another 20 minutes for a refueling chopper to bring us fuel, our pilot negotiated fuel from another helicopter company. Finally, all the way back to Kathmandu, he kept the engine speed maxed out – turns out the Kathmandu airport does not allow helicopters to land after dark and we were about 30 minutes away from that happening!