Seeing the Annapurnas from the air by ultralight, mountain flight or helicopter
Three very different ways to get level with an eight-thousander, at three very different prices, and what each one shows you.
By the Lakeshore team · 6 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Not everyone has two weeks to walk to a mountain, and not everyone wants to. Pokhara is unusual because it gives you three separate ways to get up in the air in front of the Annapurna range. They cost anything from about the price of a nice dinner to about the price of a week's trekking.
They're very different trips, and people book the wrong one all the time. The usual mistake is paying for the shortest ultralight flight and expecting the high peaks.
We'll take them one at a time.
Ultralight, the one that's about the mountains
It's a small open-cockpit aircraft flying from Pokhara airport, with the pilot in front and you behind. Flights last from about fifteen minutes to an hour, and the length decides where you go, which matters more than the extra minutes.
The short flight circles Phewa Lake and the valley. It's pleasant and cheap, but the mountains stay on the horizon. The longer flights climb north toward the Annapurna wall and put you level with big terrain, close enough to make out glaciers and ridgelines clearly.
If you're flying for the Himalaya, book the long one or don't bother. The fifteen-minute flight gives you a nice look at Pokhara, and people often come back disappointed because they expected something else.
Mountain flights
The classic Nepali mountain flight is the Everest run out of Kathmandu. A fixed-wing aircraft flies a line along the Himalaya so every passenger gets a window and a look at Everest, and everyone takes a turn in the cockpit.
From Pokhara the equivalent is more limited, and the ultralight usually does the job better because it flies lower, slower and closer. If you want Everest in particular, that one goes from Kathmandu. Both depend entirely on the weather and both cancel routinely in poor visibility, which is what you want them to do.
Helicopters, and whether they're worth it
For a substantial sum, a helicopter tour from Pokhara can land you at places you'd otherwise walk for days to reach, Annapurna Base Camp among them.
From the air it's an extraordinary sight, but it's a different thing entirely from arriving on foot. Landing at ABC after twenty minutes in the air, standing in the amphitheatre for fifteen minutes and flying home makes a remarkable morning, and it isn't trekking. People who have done both don't confuse them.
It earns its place for people who can't walk that far, for anyone on a tight schedule, and for trekkers who want to see ground they already know from the air. We'll arrange it, and we'll tell you plainly what it does and doesn't give you.
Which to pick
For the feeling of flying, cheaply, paraglide tandem off Sarangkot, which is the best value in Nepal.
To look at the Annapurnas from their own altitude, take the long ultralight flight.
If you want to stand in the mountains without walking there, and price isn't a problem, take the helicopter.
With a spare morning and a normal budget, most people should paraglide. If you came for the mountains, take the long ultralight. Very few people need all three, and we'll tell you so instead of selling you a package. Send us your dates and we'll book it.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Which gives the best photos?
The long ultralight. It's an open cockpit with no window glass, flying low and slow. Paragliding photos are better of you than of the mountains, and helicopter windows reflect badly.
When do flights run?
Almost always early in the morning, because that's when the air is calm and the mountains are clear. Expect a dawn start, and expect cancellations when visibility is poor.
Is the ultralight safe?
It's a licensed commercial operation with experienced pilots, and it has flown in Pokhara for years. As with any small aircraft, what matters is discipline about the weather. An operator willing to cancel is the operator you want.
Can I combine flying with a trek?
Often that's the best plan. Trek first, then fly at the end and look down on everything you walked. It makes a good last morning before you fly home.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether Ultralight Flight to the Peaks is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830