Flights to Nepal and to Every Trekking Trailhead

We wrote this because our guests ask the same questions every season: Which airport do I fly into? Do I need a connecting flight? Is the Lukla flight really from Kathmandu, or somewhere else entirely? What happens if my flight is cancelled? Places Nepal handles flight coordination and airport transfers for every trek we run, so this is operational knowledge, not theory.

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Quick Answer: How Do I Get to Nepal and My Trek?

All international travelers fly into Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu — Nepal's only fully functioning international gateway. From there, depending on your trek, you'll either:

• Drive to your trailhead (Annapurna region via Pokhara, Langtang, Manaslu foothills), or
• Take a short domestic flight to a mountain airstrip (Lukla for Everest, Jomsom for Upper Mustang, Simikot for Humla, Suketar for Kanchenjunga), or
• Fly to Pokhara first, then drive or fly again to reach the trailhead.

Places Nepal arranges airport pickup and drop-off for every trek package, along with all necessary domestic flight bookings, so this part of the trip is never left for you to solve alone.

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Part One: International Flights to Nepal

Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) — Nepal's Main Gateway

Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is Nepal's only international airport with regular scheduled long-haul service. Nearly every foreign trekker who comes to Nepal lands here first, regardless of which region they're headed to afterward.

Airlines that fly into Kathmandu (major routes):

There are no direct flights from North America, Australia, or most of Europe. If you're traveling from the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, expect one or two connections — commonly through Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Bangkok, or Istanbul. Build in at least a 2–3 hour buffer for your connection, since Kathmandu-bound flights sometimes depart from smaller gates with slower boarding.

On arrival at Kathmandu:

• Visa on arrival is available for most nationalities at dedicated kiosks — bring a passport photo and US dollars cash, since card payment at the visa counter is unreliable.
• Immigration and baggage claim can take 45–90 minutes during peak season (September–November, March–May), so don't panic if your guide and driver is waiting a while.
• Our team meets every guest at the arrivals gate with a name board, regardless of what time your flight lands. Airport pickup is included in every Places Nepal trek package — you will never need to arrange your own taxi into Thamel or your hotel.

Gautam Buddha International Airport (Bhairahawa) — Nepal's Second Gateway

Located near Lumbini in southern Nepal, Gautam Buddha International Airport was built primarily to serve pilgrims visiting the Buddha's birthplace. It currently handles a limited set of international routes, mostly to Indian cities, and is not a practical entry point for trekkers heading to the Himalaya — it sits far from every major trekking region. Most travelers only use it if they're combining a Lumbini pilgrimage with their Nepal trip.

Pokhara International Airport — Domestic Hub, International Gateway in Progress

Pokhara International Airport opened in January 2023 as Nepal's third international airport, built to eventually take pressure off Kathmandu and connect the Annapurna region directly to the world. For its first three years, it functioned almost entirely as a domestic airport — a brief scheduled Pokhara–Lhasa route by Himalaya Airlines ran from March 2025 but was suspended within a year due to low demand.

That's changing. flydubai has confirmed daily direct flights between Dubai and Pokhara starting September 23, 2026, operating in codeshare with Emirates — meaning travelers from Europe, the Americas, and Australia will eventually be able to connect through Dubai directly into Pokhara on a single ticket, skipping Kathmandu entirely for Annapurna-region treks. The service begins as a provisional one-month trial, and whether it continues depends on passenger demand during that window.

Until that route is proven out and other carriers follow, plan to fly into Kathmandu and reach Pokhara by a short 25-minute domestic flight or a scenic 6–7 hour drive. We'll flag it clearly on our trek pages if and when direct Pokhara international service becomes reliable enough to recommend.

A Practical Note on Booking International Flights

• Book 2–4 months ahead for autumn (September–November) and spring (March–May) departures — these are peak trekking seasons and Kathmandu flights fill up alongside domestic Lukla and Pokhara capacity.
• Keep your return date flexible if possible. Mountain flight delays (covered below) occasionally push trekkers back a day or two, and a rigid international return can turn a normal weather delay into a missed flight home.
• Carry a printed and digital copy of your flight itinerary — Nepali immigration and hotel check-in still sometimes ask for it.
• ATMs at Kathmandu airport exist but queues are long and machines run out of cash during peak arrival hours. Change a small amount of currency at the airport counter for your first day, then use city ATMs once settled.

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Part Two: Domestic Flights to Trekking Trailheads

This is the part most travel guides skip, and it's the part that actually determines how your trek begins. Below is every major trailhead flight route in Nepal.

Flights to Lukla (Everest Region) — Everest Base Camp, Gokyo, Three Passes

Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport sits at 2,845m and is the starting point for the Everest Base Camp Trek, Gokyo Lakes, Three Passes, and most other Khumbu routes. It's also the single most misunderstood flight in Nepal trekking, so read this section carefully.

The Ramechhap (Manthali) diversion — this is not a scam, it's standard operating procedure:

During peak trekking season (roughly March–May and September–November), the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal moves all Lukla-bound flights from Kathmandu to Manthali Airport in Ramechhap district, about 132km east of Kathmandu. Outside these windows — winter and monsoon — flights typically operate directly from Kathmandu's domestic terminal.

Why the switch happens: Kathmandu's single runway handles both international jets and domestic mountain flights, and Lukla flights only have a narrow morning weather window before wind and cloud make the route unsafe. During peak season, congestion at Kathmandu makes it impossible to get all Lukla flights out in that window. Ramechhap has no international traffic and sits at a lower elevation (474m) with a longer, cleaner flying window, so airlines can run more rotations with fewer delays.

What this means for your trip, practically:

If your trek dates fall in spring or autumn, expect a very early, uncomfortable overnight drive to Ramechhap before your flight — this is normal, not a sign of a problem with your booking. Places Nepal builds this drive directly into your itinerary and handles the transfer, so you won't be scrambling to find transport at 1 AM in Thamel.

Airlines operating the route: Tara Air, Summit Air, and Sita Air. All operate small STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft — Twin Otter DHC-6, Dornier 228, or Let L-410 — purpose-built for Lukla's short, sloped runway.

Baggage allowance: 10kg checked, 5kg hand-carry per passenger. This is enforced strictly; excess baggage fees apply on the spot. Pack your duffel to this limit and keep valuables in your daypack.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled: This is common, not rare — Lukla flights operate under visual flight rules, so poor visibility or high wind halts operations until conditions clear. A short weather hold of a few hours is routine. Full-day cancellations happen a few times each season, usually during unstable weather patches. This is exactly why we build buffer days into every Everest itinerary, and why we never recommend booking a same-day onward international flight after an Everest trek.

Helicopter alternative: Private and shared helicopter charters from Kathmandu to Lukla run when fixed-wing flights are grounded, or for travelers who want to skip Ramechhap entirely and fly direct. This costs significantly more than a fixed-wing ticket but can save a day if weather has backed up the schedule.

Flights to Jomsom (Upper Mustang, Annapurna Circuit)

Jomsom's airstrip serves the Upper Mustang region and the upper Annapurna Circuit. Flights operate from Pokhara's old domestic airport (STOL operations to Jomsom continue from here even though most other Pokhara flights have shifted to the new international terminal), not from Kathmandu directly — so you'll always connect through Pokhara first.

The flight itself is short, around 20 minutes, and follows the Kali Gandaki Gorge — the world's deepest gorge — with close-up mountain views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri. Like Lukla, this route is wind-dependent: mornings are calm, and flights typically stop by mid-morning once valley winds pick up. Tara Air and Summit Air are the main operators.

Flights to Simikot (Humla, Limi Valley, Mount Kailash overland route)

Simikot is Nepal's most remote trekking gateway, serving Humla district, the Limi Valley, and the overland route toward Mount Kailash in Tibet. Getting there takes two legs: a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj (a lowland city near the Indian border), followed by a smaller connecting flight from Nepalgunj to Simikot. Weather and aircraft availability make this route among the least predictable in Nepal, so travelers heading to Humla should build in extra contingency days.

Flights to Suketar/Taplejung (Kanchenjunga Region)

The Kanchenjunga Circuit and Kanchenjunga Base Camp treks are reached via Suketar Airport near Taplejung, or increasingly via Bhadrapur Airport in the eastern Terai followed by a long road journey. Flight frequency here is low, and many operators now favor the Bhadrapur-plus-drive combination for reliability over the Suketar flight, which is often suspended.

Flights to Tumlingtar (Makalu Region)

Tumlingtar Airport connects Kathmandu to the Makalu Barun region, serving trekkers heading toward Makalu Base Camp and the Arun Valley. It's a more reliable route than Simikot or Suketar, generally, since it sits at a lower, more sheltered elevation.

Flights to Bharatpur (Chitwan National Park)

Not a trekking trailhead, but frequently combined with trekking itineraries — Bharatpur Airport serves Chitwan National Park, a common add-on after a mountain trek for travelers who want jungle safari and wildlife viewing before flying home from Kathmandu.

Manaslu, Langtang, and Annapurna Base Camp: No Flight Required

If you're trekking Manaslu Circuit, Langtang Valley, Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, or Ghorepani-Poonhill, you do not need a domestic flight at all. These trailheads are reached entirely by road:

• Manaslu Circuit starts with a drive from Kathmandu to Soti Khola or Machha Khola (7–9 hours), following the correction to the restricted-area permit rules effective March 22, 2026, which removed the two-trekker minimum group requirement (a licensed guide is still mandatory).
• Langtang Valley starts with a drive from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi (7–8 hours).
• Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, and Ghorepani-Poonhill start from Pokhara, reached by a 25-minute domestic flight or a 6–7 hour scenic drive from Kathmandu, then a short local drive to the trailhead village.

This is worth knowing before you book: several of Nepal's most popular treks involve zero mountain flights, which removes an entire layer of weather risk from your trip planning.

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Domestic Flight Cost Snapshot (One-Way, Foreign Nationals)

Prices shift with season, fuel surcharges, and demand — always confirm current fares at booking rather than relying on any published figure, including this one. Nepali and Indian nationals generally pay a separate, lower fare bracket on all domestic routes.

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How Places Nepal Handles Your Flights

Every trek we run includes:

• Airport pickup on arrival and drop-off on departure in Kathmandu, for every guest, on every trek, regardless of what time your international flight lands or leaves.
• Domestic flight booking to your trailhead — Lukla, Pokhara, Jomsom, or wherever your specific trek requires — booked under our operational relationships with Tara Air, Summit Air, Sita Air, and Buddha Air.
• Ramechhap transfer coordination during peak season Everest departures, including the overnight drive, so you're not left arranging a 1 AM taxi yourself.
• Buffer planning in every itinerary that includes a mountain flight, so a weather delay doesn't turn into a missed connection home.
• Real-time rebooking if your flight is delayed or cancelled — our team in Kathmandu monitors weather and airline updates directly and rebooks on your behalf.

We also manage all permit logistics as part of this — handled by our team — but every flight, transfer, and pickup connected to getting you from your home airport to the start of the trail is built into your package from day one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I fly directly into Lukla from my home country? No. Lukla has no international service. You fly internationally into Kathmandu, then take a short domestic flight (or a drive-and-fly combination via Ramechhap during peak season) to reach Lukla.

Why did my Lukla flight get moved to Ramechhap without me booking it that way? This is a seasonal decision by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, not an error in your booking. During spring and autumn, all Lukla flights operate from Ramechhap (Manthali) instead of Kathmandu to reduce congestion and improve reliability. It applies to every trekker and every operator on the route during those months.

Can I fly directly to Pokhara from outside Nepal? Not yet, on a reliable basis. flydubai has confirmed daily Dubai–Pokhara flights starting September 23, 2026, as a provisional one-month trial. Until that route (or another) proves stable, plan to connect through Kathmandu.

What happens if my mountain flight is cancelled? Weather holds and same-day delays are common and usually resolve within hours. Full-day cancellations happen occasionally during unstable weather. This is why we build buffer days into every itinerary involving a mountain flight, and why we recommend against booking a same-day international departure right after a trek that ends with a Lukla, Jomsom, or Simikot flight.

Do I need a domestic flight for every trek? No. Manaslu Circuit, Langtang Valley, Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, and Ghorepani-Poonhill are all reached entirely by road from Kathmandu or Pokhara — no mountain flight required.

Is airport pickup included in my trek package? Yes. Places Nepal includes airport pickup and drop-off for every guest on every trek we operate, along with all domestic flight bookings your specific route requires.

Should I book my domestic flights myself, or let Places Nepal handle it? We strongly recommend letting us handle it. Domestic mountain routes have limited daily capacity, seasonal operational shifts (like the Ramechhap diversion), and weather-driven rebooking needs that are far easier to manage through an operator with daily contact with the airlines than through an independent online booking.

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Planning a trek and want your flights, transfers, and permits handled from the moment you land? Get in touch with our team and we'll build your full itinerary — international arrival to trailhead and back — around your dates.