Lukla – Where the adventure begins
Lukla was one of the most exciting places I wanted to visit when it came to the Everest Base Camp trek. Getting here is an adventure in itself. You have to take a special STOL i.e. short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft which requires a very short distance for takeoff and landing. This flight can be boarded either from Kathmandu or Ramechhap. When you land in Lukla, and see the runway, you will realize why Tenzing-Hillary Airport of Lukla is considered the most dangerous airport in the world. One mistake by the pilot and you will land in a mountain chasm.
Lulka is located at an altitude of 9400 feet. And the weather drastically keeps on changing here. In bad weather conditions, airlines do not take chances to take off or land any flights at this airport. That is why Delays with Lukla flights are widespread. However, there is also an alternate way to reach Lukla by road. For that one has to reach Salleri from Kathmandu which will take 8-9 hours including a major part of off-roading. Then you’ll have to hike almost for a day or a day and a half. This will add 2-3 days extra (one way) to your itinerary. And this option would be very hectic as well. And yeah, you can opt for the helicopter as well to reach Lukla. But it will cost you a big pocket of 500 to 600 USD from Kathmandu.
As per our itinerary, we boarded our flight from Ramechhap. Most flights take off from Ramechhap instead of Kathmandu during the peak season due to air traffic congestion at Kathmandu Airport. A drive to Ramechhap from Kathmandu will take four to five hours. From Ramechhap to Lukla the flight time is 12-15 minutes, whereas from Kathmandu it may take 30-40 minutes. Because of the bad weather conditions at Lukla, our flight got delayed by a day. We had to stay overnight at Ramechhap. To spend some time in the evening, Mamta and I with a few more trekkers went to the river shore near Ramechhap airport. The river’s name was Tama Koshi River. It was so calming and relaxing moment for all of us.
Luckily, there was clear weather the next day, and we landed at Lukla around 8 AM. We have come closer to Mt. Everest now. The mighty snow-covered mountain peaks of the Everest region welcomed us at the airport. It seemed as if there was the smell of Everest in the air itself. Once you land at Lukla you must have to get the Trek Pass for the Everest region, without that you will not be allowed to continue your expedition. Our guide Mingmar Sherpa took care of all the permits for us.
Finally, after all the hustle-bustle we had our breakfast at our tea house and started the most awaited trial of our lives.
