Lukla Weight Limits

Trekking in the Everest region of the Himalaya and reaching Everest Base Camp is a dream trip and can be a life changing experience. For EverTrekkers, that dream will start with a flight to the famous Tenzing–Hillary Airport, but you will probably know it as Lukla!

Lukla Airport is a mountaintop runway sitting at 2860m, built under the supervision of Sir Edmond Hillary, and named in honour of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. 

Your flight to Lukla will start early in the morning and depart from either Kathmandu Airport or Ramechhap Airport, all the tickets and boarding requirements will be handled by your guide, and they will be with you for the entire flight. 

The most important part that you have to manage is the weight limit of your luggage and this will require some careful packing and sacrifice.

Getting your bags packed to meet this weight limit is your first real challenge of the trip, but rest assured, it can be done!

The limit for both your duffel bag and day pack combined is 15KG and below are some top tips I’ve gained from multiple trips to Lukla to help you with packing:

1. Be ruthless, I always have to leave something behind in Kathmandu that I would have loved to take with me, but this is not always possible. 
2. Buy snacks once you reach Lukla. I always have snacks brought from home or in Kathmandu but most of my snacks I get In Lukla or Namche.  
3. Keep the heaviest items on your person. Wear your heaviest clothes and boots, always keep bulky cameras and power banks on you or in pockets. 
4. Drink all of your water or empty it out before the flight, a litre of water weighs 1kg.
5. Think of the Porters’ backs. They have to carry the bags so we should all try and make their trip as easy as possible.

If you have tried everything and you’re still a couple of kilos over the weight limit then don’t panic, let your guide know and they will make sure that your bag gets on the plane. 

Please be aware that if your bag is very heavy it does run the risk of being removed from the flight. The weight limit is for safety purposes and if the plane exceeds its safest weight limit, then the heaviest bags will be removed without warning. Your bag should be loaded onto a later flight and will catch up to you, but arriving at Lukla and not receiving your bag is a stress that you definitely want to avoid!

Packing stress aside, the Lukla flight is a highlight of the trip, the views on the flight are stunning and the thrill of landing at one of the worlds highest and remotest landing strips is a big tick off the bucket list!

You can find more information about what gear & equipment you need for a trek such as Everest Base Camp, here. Or, to hear more about our experience & advice on packing for a trek, check out our popular Tuesday Tune In Episode: 'Packing Secrets - The Dos and Don'ts of Packing for High Altitude' over on YouTube.  

As always, if you have any questions about packing, equipment or anything trekking related, you can get in touch with Yetis by email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone - 02920 003216.

Alternatively, join us for a future Tuesday Tune In, our live Q&A every Tuesday at [12:30] GMT over on Facebook.  You can submit questions live, or in advance here.