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Gorak Shep or Gorakshep ( ne, गोरकशेप) is a small settlement that sits on the edge of a frozen lakebed covered with sand in
File:Approaching Gorak Shep from the South.jpg, Approaching Gorak Shep from the South
File:Gorak Shep from Kala Patar.jpg, View of Gorak Shep from the North, half-way up
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
with the same name. It is found at an elevation of elevation, near Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
. The village is not inhabited year-round.
Even though trekking
Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...
lodges at Gorak Shep are basic, in recent times more modern amenities have become available, such as satellite high-speed internet access.
Trekking
Gorak Shep is inside theSagarmatha National Park
Sagarmāthā National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that is dominated by Mount Everest. It encompasses an area of in the Solukhumbu District and ranges in elevation from at the summit of Mount Everest. In the north, i ...
, the homeland of the Sherpa people
The Sherpa are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term ''sherpa'' or ''sherwa'' derives from the Sherpa language words ("east") ...
, famous for their skills as guides and mountaineers. It is the final stop on most common treks to Everest Base Camp
There are two base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while North Base Camp is in Tibet, China at ().
The base camps are rudimentary campsites at the base of Mount Eve ...
from Lukla
Lukla ( ne, लुक्ला ) is a small town in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality of the Solukhumbu District in the Province No. 1 of north-eastern Nepal. Situated at , it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Eve ...
, following what the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
dubbed "the steps to heaven."
This route takes trekkers from Lukla to Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar (also Namche Bazar, Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza; ne, नाम्चे बजार) is a town (formally Namche Village Development Committee) in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District of Province No. 1 o ...
, Tengboche
Tengboche (or Thyangboche) is a village in Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality in the Khumbu subregion of Province No. 1 in Nepal, located at . In the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gompa in ...
, Pangboche
Pangboche or Panboche is a village in Khumjung VDC of Solukhumbu District in Province No. 1 of Nepal at an altitude of . It is located high in the Himalaya in the Imja Khole valley, about 3 kilometres northeast of Tengboche and is a base camp fo ...
, Dingboche
Dingboche (दिङबोचे) is a Sherpa village in the Khumbu region of north eastern Nepal in the Chukhung Valley. Its population was estimated at approximately 200 in 2011. It is situated at an altitude of .
Tourism
Dingboche is a popu ...
, Lobuche
Lobuche (also spelt Lobuje) is a Nepalese mountain which lies close to the Khumbu Glacier and the settlement of Lobuche. There are two main peaks, Lobuche East and Lobuche West. A permit to climb the mountain is required from the Nepal Mounta ...
, and on to Gorak Shep. Most trekkers stay overnight there, as their trekking permits will not allow them to camp at Everest Base Camp.
Also, Gorak Shep provides the best "launching pad" for an ascent of Kala Patthar
Kala Patthar ( ne, काला पत्थर, lit=black rock) is a notable landmark located on the south ridge of Pumori in the Nepali Himalayas above Gorakshep. Although not a proper mountain, with a prominence of only , the ascent of Kala Pa ...
, which looks like a giant dune looming over the lakebed. For many trekkers, summitting Kala Patthar, with its 5,550 meters (18,209 ft), provides both the best views of Everest and the highest altitude that most will reach without a climbing permit, which must be obtained in Kathmandu
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, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
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, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
, at the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Climbing starts in the early morning, when the visibility is usually better. It takes four hours to summit and come back. Gorak Shep was the original Everest Base Camp, being used by the Swiss mountain climbers
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
*Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
*Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss International ...
in their attempt to climb the Everest in 1952. Later the camp was moved closer to the mountain, just below the Khumbu Ice Fall. Climbing time from Gorak Shep to the Everest Base Camp
There are two base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while North Base Camp is in Tibet, China at ().
The base camps are rudimentary campsites at the base of Mount Eve ...
ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on the weather, acclimatization and physical conditioning of each individual.Bradley, Mayhew; "Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya"; (2009); 9th edition; p 97 (map) and pp 120-122; Lonely Planet; .
At this altitude, few people feel comfortable and many start to suffer symptoms of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways. Sympt ...
or acute mountain sickness
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways. Sympt ...
(AMS).
Climate
The best times for trekking are in spring (March and April) and autumn (October and November), when the visibility of the mountain is ideal and the temperature is not excessively cold.Shrestha, Vinod Prasad;”Concise Geography of Nepal; 2007; Kathmandu; Mandal Publications; However, in autumn the competition for bed spaces in the lodges can be intense, though normally trekkers are allowed to sleep on the floor of the dining room lodge. During the winter, in the months from December to February, it is possible to do trekking, but the vast majority of accommodations are closed, the trails are snow-covered and the cold is very intense. Gorak Shep means "dead ravens," because of the complete lack of any kind of vegetation in this place.Kala Patthar
Kala Patthar ( ne, काला पत्थर, lit=black rock) is a notable landmark located on the south ridge of Pumori in the Nepali Himalayas above Gorakshep. Although not a proper mountain, with a prominence of only , the ascent of Kala Pa ...
File:Gorakshep.1.jpg, Looking down on Gorak Shep, Khumbu behind it
Panoramic view
See also
*La Rinconada, Peru
La Rinconada is a town in the Peruvian Andes near a gold mine. At up to above sea level, it is the highest permanent settlement in the world. Between 2001 and 2009, the population was estimated by ''National Geographic'' to have increased to 30, ...
- the highest elevation year-round human habitation in the world at 5,100 m (16,730 feet).
References
External links