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Gorak Shep, also spelled Gorakshep (Nepali: गोरकशेप, गोरक्षेप), is a settlement nestled on the periphery of a frozen lakebed blanketed with sand in Nepal, sharing its name with the locale. Situated at an elevation of 5,164 meters (16,942 feet) near
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
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
, it remains uninhabited for most of the year, reopening only for the Mount Everest trekking season.
Trekking
Gorak Shep is inside theSagarmatha National Park
Sagarmāthā National Park is a national park in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that was established in 1976 and encompasses an area of in the Solukhumbu District. It ranges in elevation from and includes Mount Everest. In the north, it shares ...
, the homeland of the Sherpa people
The Sherpa people () are one of the Nepalese ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, India, and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.
The majority of Sherpas live in the eastern regions of Nepal, namely the Solukhum ...
, 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 camp#Shelter, base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: #South Base Camp in Nepal, South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while #North Base Camp in Tibet, North Base Camp is in Tibet at ().
...
from Lukla
Lukla ( ) is a small town in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality of the Solukhumbu District in the Koshi Province of northeastern Nepal. Situated at above sea level, it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Everest ...
, following what the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
dubbed "the steps to heaven."
This route takes trekkers from Lukla to Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar (also Namche Bazar, Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza; ) is a town (formally Namche Village Development Committee) in ward no 5 Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District of Koshi Province in northeastern Nepal. I ...
, Tengboche
Tengboche (or Thyangboche) is a village in Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality in the Khumbu subregion of Province No. 1 in Nepal, located at . Within the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gomp ...
, Pangboche
Pangboche or Panboche is a village in Khumjung Village Development Committee of Solukhumbu District in Province No. 1 of Nepal at an altitude of . It is located high in the Himalayas in the Imja Khole valley, about 3 kilometres northeast of Ten ...
, Dingboche
Dingboche is a Sherpa village at an elevation of in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal. Its population was estimated at approximately 200 in 2011.
Transport
Coming from Namche Bazaar or Tengboche, Dingboche is the better alternative tha ...
, 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 Mount ...
, and on to Gorak Shep. Most trekkers stay overnight there, as their trekking permits will not allow them to camp at Everest Base Camp. Gorak Shep is the last village with accommodation on the Everest base camp trek.
Gorak Shep was the original Everest Base Camp, being used by the Swiss mountain climbers
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
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 camp#Shelter, base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: #South Base Camp in Nepal, South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while #North Base Camp in Tibet, North Base Camp is in Tibet at ().
...
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 a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different wa ...
or acute mountain sickness
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different wa ...
(AMS).
Gorak Shep also provides a base for ascent of Kala Patthar
Kala Patthar () 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 Patthar is very popular with trekkers in the re ...
, 5,550 meters (18,209 ft) which provides both views of Everest and the highest altitude that most will reach without a climbing permit from the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Climate
The best times for trekking are in spring (March and April) and autumn (October and November), when Everest visibility is ideal and the temperature is not excessively cold.Shrestha, Vinod Prasad;”Concise Geography of Nepal; 2007; Kathmandu; Mandal Publications; In autumn, competition for bed spaces in the lodges can be intense and some trekkers may need 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 the area.Kala Patthar
Kala Patthar () 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 Patthar is very popular with trekkers in the re ...
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 3 ...
- the highest elevation year-round human habitation in the world at 5,100 m (16,730 feet).
References
External links