#Nepal
#Luxury
#KIAL
#BIAL
#Mangaluru
#Bengaluru
#Kathmandu
#TIA
#TribhuvanInternationalAirport
#EverestExperience
#MountainFlight
#Buddha Air
#FundasticFeelings
#Travelogue

I was on a luxury trip of Nepal from November 05, 2024 to November 19, 2024 along with my friend for 5 decades, Bantwal Ganesh Baliga settled in Bengaluru.

We started our journey from Bengaluru to Kathmandu by Nepal Airlines, visited most of the important places in Nepal and returned by Nepal Airlines from Kathmandu to Bengaluru.

This is the fifth part of my journey, The Everest experience Mountain Flight by Buddha Air, the No.1 airline in Nepal.

November 06, 2024

Having lost 19 hours and one day because of flight delay, we had nothing else to do in Kathmandu on the first day.

So we just walked up the road almost until Thamel, and returned to our hotel without exploring Thamel.

For dinner we had Chicken Chowmein with Fried Chicken, and took rest for the night.

Our host Mr. Thapa offered me a swifg of Marpha Apple Brandy which reminded me of my trekking trip of Nepal in 1997.

November 7, 2024

We had a cup of green tea in our room and got ready for the Everest Experience Flight by Buddha Air.

Our cab driver Nuchhe picked us up as early as at 5:00AM and dropped us at the TIA Domestic Departure terminal.

Our Everest Experience flight was scheduled for 6:15AM, but they advanced the timing and put us in an earlier flight.

I had coffee with Croissant at the Airport, which was good. Baliga had just a cup of coffee.

We rushed to the shuttle bus which took us to the ATR aicraft, boarded the aircraft and occupied our seats.

They provide window seats to all. Hence the pricing is a bit steep for a one hour flight at Indian Rupees 9000/-.

Once we boarded the aircraft, the air hostess confused us with redistribution of seats to balance the weight of the aircraft.

As the aircraft took off at 6:00AM, we could see the aerial view of Kathmandu city, then the plane slowly cruised towards the Himalayan range covering the peaks from a distance.

The important peaks visible from the plane are:
Ganesh Himal
Manaslu
Annapurna
Dhaulagiri
Lang Tang
Shisha Pangma
Dorjet Lakpa
Purbi Ghyachu
Chhoba Bhamare
Gauri Shankar
Melungtse
Chugimago
Pigferago
Numbur
Karyolung
Cho-Oyo
Ghyachungkang
Pumori
Nuptse
Sagarmata(Mt. Everest)
Lhotse
Ama Dablim
Chamlang

Buddha Air provides a panoramic chart of Himalayan peaks to all the passengers, which can be used as a reference while viewing the mountains. The Captain as well as the cabin crew announce the names of important peaks as we pass by them.

However, the view from the window was partly blocked by the propeller and the engine. Windows were also not clean, causing the camera to go out of focus at times.

Flight experience was not as expected, and the aircraft went through turbulence at places, causing a jitter in our video coverage.

In spite of carrying a DSLR camera with me, I struggled to catch a steady frame, and you may see the results in the video as well as stills. Baliga caught some awesome shots with his Google Pixel Mobile Camera.

The flight duration was for about 30 minutes during which the plane makes a U turn after crossing Mt. Everest and returns to Kathmandu.

At this point, if you are lucky to get the seats on the right hand side, apart from the Himalayan peaks, you may capture the rivers, lakes and the valley as well. On a clear day we can see the valley of Kodari, Road to Tibet and Namche Bazar.

The flight returned to TIA Kathmandu after 7:00AM and we walked over to the parking area where the cab driver Nuchhe picked us up and took us back to Hotel Family Ties for breakfast.

All said and done, Everest Experience is a must for those who love the Himalayas, and one should make it at least once in a lifetime.

Video and Stills input from:
Bantwal Ganesh Baliga - From timecode 16:09 to 20:46

Background Audio Credits:
YouTube Royalty Free
Alexander Nakarada

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