PHOTO: Visit Mount Everest because it's there and by helicopter it's easy. (Courtesy of Fishtail Air)
Kathmandu's Fishtail Air is helping its passengers get high in the Himalayas. The company uses its fleet of four helicopters to provide intimate experiences of what is the perhaps the world's most Olympian landscape, but it also provides such essential services as high mountain rescues and medical evacuations.
Helisightseeing is only part of the program on Fishtail's tourism activities. The company also lifts hikers for high country "Heli-Trekking" experiences and provides sky-diving trips in the Himalayas. While the idea of hurtling through the sky past the highest peaks in the world may be too extreme for you, some folks just crave high octane adrenalin. Among Fishtail's many offerings are a Kathmandu Helisightseeing Tour that visits the Pashupatinath temple, Swayambunath temple, Kathmandu and more. The Discover Mount Everest gets the big guy up close and personal as well as to Mt. Langtang and Jugal himal.
Nepal has eight of the world's 10 highest summits including Everest. Nepal's 13 highest peaks are all above 23,000 feet.
The mountain beauty and ancient culture of the Himalayan kingdom earned it the 45th place on the New York Times list of 52 places to visit in 2014. In the latest figures, 803,092 visitors entered Nepal in 2012. The U.S. is Nepal's fourth most prolific market after India, China and Sri Lanka.
Before the rebellion against the Nepalese monarchy that began in 1996, Nepal was a frequent addition to the most popular tours of India, which usually included Delhi, Rajasthan and Agra, plus a visit to Kathmandu and Tiger Tops Lodge. With its mountains, seven world heritage sites and a capital, Kathmandu, which is a living museum of temple complexes, museums, craft shops and restaurants, Nepal has extremely rich tourism resources.
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