When to go
Nepal has two clear windows and one that closes almost entirely. October to early December is the clearest air of the year, because the monsoon has just washed the haze out of the sky. March and April is the second window. June to September is the monsoon, and most mornings do not fly at all.
Quick answer
October and November are the best months for an Everest flight tour: the monsoon has cleared the air and the winter cloud has not arrived. March and April are the second window, with Base Camp occupied and visible from the helicopters. December to February gives cold, sharp mornings and empty aircraft. June to September is the monsoon and cancellations are the norm. Whatever the month, take the first rotation of the day.
Month by month
Four windows, and what each one costs you.
Oct – Nov
The monsoon has just ended and taken the haze with it, and the winter fronts have not started. The air over the range is at its clearest of the year and the flights run on schedule. It is also the peak of Nepal’s season, so book several weeks out.
Mar & Apr
The second window. The air is good, the days are lengthening, and Base Camp is occupied with the spring expeditions — which matters on the helicopter listings, because the tents are what you see. Haze builds through April as the plains warm.
Dec – Feb
Winter mornings in Kathmandu are often crystalline, and the aircraft are half empty. The trade is occasional cold fronts that close the range for several days, and a very cold pickup at five in the morning.
Jun – Sep
The range is in cloud most mornings and cancellations are the norm rather than the exception. Flights do run when a window opens, but you need several spare days to catch one, and we would not plan a trip around it.
Why the time of day matters more than the month
The first rotation, every time.
The physics is simple and the consequence is absolute. The plains south of the Himalaya heat up after sunrise, the air rises, and cloud builds against the foothills. Within three hours or so the peaks are behind it from the south side, whatever the sky over Kathmandu is doing.
So every Everest flight tour is scheduled into the first hours of light, and operators fly repeat rotations until the window shuts. The first rotation flies nearly every day in the good months. The fourth is a gamble even in October.
If a listing offers you a choice of departure, take the earliest one on offer. If it offers only a late slot, consider a different listing.
Book direct
The cheapest, our top pick, the Kalapatthar landing and the most reviewed operator.
★ 4.6 · 268 reviews
★ 4.8 · 101 reviews
★ 4.9 · 30 reviews
★ 4.5 · 202 reviews
Five timing mistakes
Most people make at least one.
A cancelled Everest flight tour is rescheduled. If you are flying home, there is nowhere to reschedule it to.
The range clouds over as the morning goes on. An extra hour in bed is a real reduction in the chance of flying.
June to September cancels most mornings. If those are your dates, budget several spare days and treat the flight as a bonus.
It is not. Winter mornings are often the clearest of all; the risk is a front that lasts days rather than haze.
Cloud against the range is local and hourly. The operator’s call at first light is better than anything you can read.
Runs all year, 268 reviews at 4.6, and hotel transfers included.
Check dates for the cheapest flight→In short
October to November, and the first rotation.
October and November are the clearest months for an Everest flight tour, and March and April are the second window.
June to September is the monsoon, and most mornings do not fly. December to February is cold, quiet and often beautifully clear.
Whatever the month, book the first rotation. The range is clear for about three hours a day, and an Everest flight tour scheduled for mid-morning is competing with the cloud rather than the calendar.
Common questions
October and November — the monsoon has cleared the air and the winter fronts have not started.
Sometimes, when a window opens. Most mornings between June and September are cancelled.
The first rotation, from about half past six. The range clouds over as the plains warm up.
No. Winter mornings are often the clearest of the year; the risk is a front that lasts several days.
Barely. What changes is whether they go.
One spare morning in the clear months, and several days in the monsoon.
What the season does not change
Worth knowing, because a lot of seasonal advice about an Everest flight tour is invented.
Every one-hour Everest flight tour flies the same line past the same seven peaks all year. Nobody adds a mountain in October.
Fares barely move between seasons. What moves is availability, and whether the aircraft goes at all.
Departures start about half past six in every month, because the reason is physics rather than season: the plains warm up and cloud builds against the range.
October and November are clear because the monsoon has just washed the haze out. By late spring the plains are hazy and the range is softer even on a flying day.
Which is the only seasonal question that actually matters when booking an Everest flight tour.
In short
October to November, and the first rotation.
October and November are the clearest months, and March and April are the second window.
June to September is the monsoon, and most Everest flight tour departures are cancelled. December to February is cold, quiet and often beautifully clear.
Whatever the month, take the first rotation: the range is clear for about three hours a day, and an Everest flight tour scheduled for mid-morning is competing with cloud rather than the calendar.
Three months nobody recommends, and what they are actually like
The monsoon gets one line in most guides. Here is the longer version.
Not all of them. Windows open, usually for an hour or two just after first light, and operators fly into them.
Possibly twice. If your trip has one free morning, expect a refund rather than a flight.
Washed clean by rain, with no haze at all. The very best flying mornings of the year happen in the monsoon; they are simply rare.
Which surprises people. Fares are set by the route, not by the month.
Go deeper
From $100 for an hour, and what the helicopter landings add.
The verdictTwelve listings, and the four worth your money.
Fly or trekOne hour against twelve days to the same mountain.
Plane or heliWhat each one can do that the other cannot.
LandingsBase Camp, Kalapatthar and what standing there is like.
BookingDeparture times, transfers and what sells out.
Kathmandu: 1-Hour Mount Everest Flight with Private Transfer
★ 4.8 · 101 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h