Khare is the highest permanently inhabited settlement in the Hinku valley and the primary base camp village for Mera Peak expeditions, sitting at approximately 5,045 metres at the point where the upper Hinku valley trail meets the glacial approaches to Mera La and the high terrain above. It is the last place with lodge accommodation before the glacier, the staging point for final equipment checks and high-altitude acclimatisation rotations, and the settlement from which virtually every successful Mera Peak summit attempt begins its final push. For climbing teams targeting Mera Peak — at 6,476 metres the highest trekking peak in Nepal — Khare is not merely a waypoint. It is the operational heart of the expedition.
The Kathmandu to Khare Helicopter Shuttle with Himalayan Helicopter flies directly from Kathmandu, via a technical stop at Lukla, to land at Khare in a single morning. The standard approach to Khare from Lukla involves crossing high passes, traversing the full length of the Hinku valley through Kothe and Thangnak, and several days of demanding walking in genuinely remote terrain well away from the main Khumbu trekking infrastructure. The helicopter shuttle removes every one of these approach days, placing climbing teams directly at their base camp village and operational headquarters with the maximum possible time remaining for acclimatisation, summit preparation, and the climb itself.
At 5,045 metres, Khare is the highest landing in the Hinku valley series and among the most demanding high-altitude helicopter operations Himalayan Helicopter conducts anywhere in eastern Nepal. The altitude transition from Kathmandu to Khare in a single morning is extreme, and we treat the safety responsibilities associated with this flight with complete seriousness. Every guest on this route receives the most thorough pre-departure altitude guidance we provide, and our team engages with every climbing team's expedition medical officer and team leader before departure to ensure arrival plans are as safe and well-considered as possible.
Both private charter and shared seat bookings are available, with private charter strongly recommended for expedition teams travelling with climbing equipment, multiple team members, and the scheduling flexibility that high-altitude acclimatisation demands.
At 5,045 metres, Khare is the highest regularly served helicopter landing in the Hinku valley series — higher than Thangnak, higher than Kothe, and positioned directly at the base of the glacial terrain leading to Mera Peak. No other helicopter landing in the Hinku valley places climbing teams closer to the high-altitude objectives above. Flying to Khare positions expedition teams at their operational base immediately upon arrival, with the glacier, Mera La, and the summit route all directly accessible from this point.
Khare is not simply a transit point — it is the primary operational base for Mera Peak expeditions, the village where acclimatisation rotations are planned and executed, equipment is sorted and packed for the high camp, weather windows are monitored, and the climbing team prepares both physically and logistically for the summit push. The lodges at Khare, basic by lower-altitude standards but genuinely warm and welcoming given the extreme environment, provide the last real shelter and food service before the glacier above. Arriving here by helicopter means arriving already at expedition headquarters, ready to begin the acclimatisation and preparation work immediately without the physical toll of the multi-day approach.
The standard approach to Khare from Lukla is the longest and most demanding of any village in the Hinku series, involving multiple high passes, the full traverse of the valley through Kothe and Thangnak, and several days of sustained walking in remote conditions. Flying directly from Kathmandu removes all of these approach days entirely. For climbing teams on a fixed permit window — where every day lost to approach walking is a day removed from the acclimatisation schedule and the available summit weather windows — this time saving is not merely convenient. It is often operationally critical.
Mera Peak climbing permits are issued for fixed periods, and the competition between approach days, acclimatisation rotations, weather windows, and the summit push itself means that every day saved on the approach translates directly into a better-resourced and more realistic summit attempt. Teams that fly to Khare rather than walking the full approach arrive with more days available for proper acclimatisation — including the important rotations to higher camps and back to Khare — and a more comfortable buffer against weather delays in the days leading up to the summit window.
Khare's extreme altitude and extreme remoteness make it one of the most isolated settlements served by regular helicopter traffic in Nepal. The small community of lodge operators, herders, and support staff who maintain a presence here depend on helicopter connectivity for access to medical care, essential supplies, and connection to the outside world in ways that no ground transport can provide. Himalayan Helicopter's commitment to this route reflects our understanding of and respect for the genuine regional need this service fulfils alongside its expedition logistics role.
At 5,045 metres, the Kathmandu to Khare helicopter shuttle involves the most severe altitude transition of any flight in the Hinku valley series, and one of the most demanding of any service Himalayan Helicopter operates. Flying from Kathmandu at approximately 1,400 metres to Khare at 5,045 metres in a single morning bypasses the entire gradual acclimatisation that the standard multi-day approach provides, arriving at an altitude where acute mountain sickness is a near-certainty for guests without prior recent high-altitude exposure, and where high-altitude pulmonary oedema and high-altitude cerebral oedema represent genuine life-threatening risks.
For Mera Peak climbing teams, this altitude is familiar territory and the expedition medical protocols should already account for the arrival plan. For all other guests, we require without exception that every person booking this flight consults a physician specifically about this itinerary before travel, obtains and carries appropriate altitude medication including acetazolamide for prophylaxis and dexamethasone for emergency use, arrives with a detailed and physician-approved plan for the days following landing, and understands that immediate descent is the only effective response to serious altitude symptoms — not rest, not waiting, not hoping. Our team engages with every guest and every expedition team leader before departure on this route, and this conversation is a condition of every booking.
This flight is available as a private charter — strongly recommended for expedition teams — or as a shared seat booking for individual trekkers and local residents. Given the altitude and the specific logistical demands of Mera Peak expeditions, private charter is the overwhelmingly preferred option for the majority of guests on this route.
Note: Group joining Date may vary on weather condition and number of people joined.
Maximum: 5 People/Helicopter
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