The Best Mountain Flight in the World? Probably.
Written: Sep 16 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stunning experience, every seat a window, reliable
Cons: Not long enough!
The Bottom Line: Everest. Wow.
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| vodkaboy's Full Review: Buddha Air |
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have a short trip to Kathmandu, Nepal.
I was travelling on business, with not very much spare time, but I had heard about the sightseeing flights that are available along the Himalayas and I decided that, while I was there, this was a must. This meant getting up early, but for once I didn't mind.
Booking
There are a number of domestic airlines offering mountain flights, all with beautifully exotic names: Cosmic Air, Yeti Airways, Gurkha Air and Buddha Air. Most of these also operate scheduled domestic flights and Cosmic Air have international flights too. I stopped into a travel agency, the day before I was going to do the unthinkable and rise before the sun, and told them of my plan.
They recommended Buddha Air for reliability and because of the aircraft they use which have just one seat each side of the aisle, meaning that everyone has a window seat. This struck me as being very important - imagine going on a sightseeing flight and being stuck two seats away from the window! Not good! They also told me that the flights are very dependent on the weather - there is, after all, not much point going on a sightseeing flight in fog or mist. They cautioned me that the morning weather had not been the best lately.
I paid my fare and got the ticket. It told me that the flight would leave at 06.30 am. I wondered.
Check In
I arrived at the airport at the hideous time of 6am, praying for good weather. However, the signs were not good - there was low cloud and drizzle.
The domestic terminal is set back and could easily be missed - from the car park you walk along a small path, open at the sides but with a metal roof, around a corner and into a small, nondescript building. Here was a bit of confusion - there are check in desks over to the right, but a number of people were going straight ahead to the security check. So - do we have to check in or not? I took the safe option and went to the check in desk, form where I was promptly sent to pay my departure tax of NRs169, about $2.00.
I passed through the very strict security and into the departures hall. There was a kiosk in the middle selling tea, coffee, biscuits etc and another to one side offering magazines, books and postcards. I grabbed a coffee and sat down to wait.
There were two mountain flights due to depart, one of Yeti Airways and my Buddha Air flight. However, 06.30 came and went, so did 07.00. There were no announcements. However, one of the regular domestic flights did depart and a few of us asked about the mountain flight. He told us that it was delayed because of the weather and they would let us know soon.
Around 07.15 another Buddha Air flight was called but it turned out to be one of the scheduled domestic flights. However, I asked the Gate Agent when we would know about the mountain flight. He told me that the pilots of this flight would radio in to let them know what the visibility was like and, if the visibility outside Kathmandu Valley was better, then we would go.
At last, off we go.
Sure enough, at about 7.45 the boarding announcement for Buddha Air came. The others, Yeti Airlines, were left waiting while we went out the to bus and were driven to the aircraft.
Buddha Air operate a fleet of Beech 1900 aircraft. There were three of their planes parked close together and all looked clean and well cared for.
The Beech 1900 is a modern, 19-seater turboprop. There were about 12 people on my flight so it was about 2/3 full.
On Board
We were welcomed by B.Rai, our hostess, who was elegant and charming. Seats had been allocated and I was in row 2 on the right hand side. Good thing I was no further forward - the seat in row 1 didn't have a window! My window looked out onto the engine but visibility was otherwise good.
As we taxied out for take off, Ms Rai distributed cotton balls, to use as ear plugs. I took them gratefully - I've learned that, on turboprop planes, the further forward you are, the noisier it is.
We were also given a leaflet with an outline drawing of the mountain range from Kathmandu to Mount Makalu (4 peaks after Everest) which served both as a route map and also for identifying the various mountains.
Then we were rolling down the runway and up into the sky.
The Mount Flight Experience
As I watched the Kathmandu Valley fall away beneath me, I was struck how green it was. That lasted just a few minutes, though, then we were into the cloud that had been holding us up for the past 45 minutes.
Soon after, we burst through the top and I looked out onto a scene that resembled white cotton balls, with teeth. This was the tops of the clouds, with the various peaks poking through.
We headed towards the peaks, and gradually the clouds disappeared and there we were, less than ten minutes after take-off, gazing out onto the Himalayas. The stewardess, Ms Rai, stopped to show each of us where we were on the map, then beckoned me forward to the cockpit. I crouched between the pilots to look through the windshield, onto a scene of pure rock and ice. The captain named one or two peaks near us then pointed ahead: "In front, that one, is Everest".
There is something magical about that moment you first see Mount Everest, or Sagarmatha to use its Nepalese name. It is awe inspiring, even though it doesn't appear much higher than the surrounding mountains. The history, the stories, the legends, they all sit on this one, glittering peak like an invisible aura, and I found myself gazing in a misty-eyed trance.
The pilot had obviously seen dozens like me and quickly asked me to send the next person up, so I retreated to my seat. Ms Rai then sent the next passenger forward. Over the next half hour she circulated through the cabin, stopping with each person to point out which mountain we were passing, and which we were approaching, helping everyone to find it on their map and inviting everybody, one at a time, up to the cockpit to look ahead. This personal attention really made the flight so much more of an experience and each of us got to visit the cockpit twice as well as having her point out various sights.
The flight from Kathmandu to Everest takes you past more than half of the ten highest mountains in the world. From Kathmandu we passed fourteen peaks before we got to Everest; of these the tallest are Dorje Lapka (22,854 ft), the solitary Gauri Shanka (23,405 ft), the flat topped Melungtse (23,560 ft), Numbur (22,825 ft), Cho-Oyo (26,906 ft), Gyachungkang (26,089 ft), Nuptse (25,771 ft) then the mother of all mountains, Sagarmatha or Everest, at 29,028 ft. Just behind Everest, Lhotse stands at 27,940 ft but them we were turning and heading back to Kathmandu.
As we approached Kathmandu, Ms Rai brought out T-shirts for sale, which had an image of the Buddha Air plane against a backdrop of Everest, with the line "I did not climb Everest, but I touched it with my heart". I resisted, but some others did buy one.
Suddenly the black and white vista gave way to green and soon after we landed, the morning cloud well and truly dispersed. As we disembarked, we were each given a souvenir flight certificate signed by the Captain. Then the bus took us back to the terminal.
Service
There is no in-flight meal or drinks service. However, the personal service given by Ms Rai, as a commentator and tourist guide, more than made up for not getting a drink.
On their regular, scheduled domestic services Buddha Air also don't give any food or drinks, but with an average flight time of about 40 minutes it is not a major shortcoming.
Scheduled Services
Buddha Air operates seven domestic routes within Nepal, as well as the mountain flights. These are between Kathmandu and Pokhara six times daily, Nepalgunj three times daily, Bhairahawa four times daily, Simara six times, Janakpur five times, Biratnagar six times and Bhadrapur four times.
Buddha Air has a frequent flyer programme, "Royal Club",
Final Thoughts
There are two mountain flights offered by Buddha Air, one departing between 06.45 and 07.00, depending on the day, and another an hour later. The regular cost of the mountain flight is US$111, or the equivalent in Nepalese Rupees.
If you are planning a mountain flight, I can thoroughly recommend Buddha Air. Everyone has a window seat; their morning scheduled domestic flights mean that they get up to date weather reports, so can go while other airlines are waiting; and their aircraft appeared to be cared for and well maintained.
Overall - one of the best and most memorable flights I have every taken. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
Recommended:
Yes
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vodkaboy
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