Gorakshep
Encyclopedia
Gorak Shep or Gorakshep is a frozen lakebed covered with sand and also the name of small village that sits on its border at 5,164m (approximately 17,000 vertical feet), near Mount Everest
.
Even though trekking lodges at Gorakshep are basic, in recent times more modern amenities have become available such as satellite high speed internet access. There is ample flat open space for the pitching of tents at Gorak Shep.
, the homeland of the Sherpas people, who become famous for their skills as guides and mountaineers and it is the final acclimatization
stop on most common treks to Everest Base Camp
from Lukla
, following what the Dalai Lama
dubbed "the steps to heaven."
This route takes trekkers from Lukla to Namche Bazaar
, Tengboche
, Pangboche, Dingboche
, Lobuche
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
, which looks like a giant dune looming over the lakebed. For many trekkers, summitting Kala Patthar, with its 5643 meters, 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, in the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Climbing started in the early morning, when the visibility is usually better. It is take four hours to summit and coming back.
Gorak Shep was the original Everest Base Camp, being used by the Switzerland Mountain climbers in their attempt to climb the Everest in 1952. Later the camp was moved close to the mountain, just below the Khumbu Ice Fall. Climbing time from Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp
ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on weather, acclimatization and physical conditioning of each individual.
In this altitude few people few comfortable and many start to suffer symptoms of Altitude sickness
or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).
However in Autumn the competition for bed spaces in lodges can be intense, but normally trekkers are allowed to sleep in the floor of dinning room lodge.
During winter, in the months of December to February, it is possible 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 the completely lack of any kind of vegetation in this place.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
.
Even though trekking lodges at Gorakshep are basic, in recent times more modern amenities have become available such as satellite high speed internet access. There is ample flat open space for the pitching of tents at Gorak Shep.
Trekking
Gorak Shep is inside the Sagarmatha National ParkSagarmatha National Park
Sagarmāthā National Park is a protected area in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal containing the southern half of Mount Everest. The park was created on July 19, 1976 and was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site in 1979...
, the homeland of the Sherpas people, who become famous for their skills as guides and mountaineers and it is the final acclimatization
Acclimatization
Acclimatisation or acclimation is the process of an individual organism adjusting to a gradual change in its environment, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions...
stop on most common treks to Everest Base Camp
Everest Base Camp
There are two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of , and North Base Camp is in Tibet at ). These camps are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent...
from Lukla
Lukla
Lukla is a town in the Khumbu area of the Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha Zone of north-eastern Nepal. Situated at , it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Everest to arrive...
, following what the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
dubbed "the steps to heaven."
This route takes trekkers from Lukla to Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar is a village and Village Development Committee in Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha Zone of north-eastern Nepal. It is located within the Khumbu area at , populating the sides of a hill...
, Tengboche
Tengboche
Tengboche is a village in Khumjung in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal, located at . In the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region. The structure was built in 1923. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake but...
, Pangboche, Dingboche
Dingboche
Dingboche is a village in the Khumbu region of north eastern Nepal in the Chukhung Valley. Its populations was estimated at approximately 200 in 2011. Situated at an altitude of about 4,530 metres .-Tourism:...
, Lobuche
Lobuche, Nepal
Lobuche is a small settlement at elevation, near Mount Everest in Nepal. It is one of the last overnight stops with lodging on the "trail to base camp"—a hike that climbers make on their way to Everest Base Camp when attempting an ascent of Everest via the standard southeast route. It is also a...
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
Kala Patthar, meaning 'black rock' in Nepali and Hindi, is a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas. It appears as a big brown bump below the impressive south face of Pumori . Many trekkers in the region of Mount Everest will attempt to summit Kala Patthar, since it provides the most accessible point...
, which looks like a giant dune looming over the lakebed. For many trekkers, summitting Kala Patthar, with its 5643 meters, 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, in the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Climbing started in the early morning, when the visibility is usually better. It is take four hours to summit and coming back.
Gorak Shep was the original Everest Base Camp, being used by the Switzerland Mountain climbers in their attempt to climb the Everest in 1952. Later the camp was moved close to the mountain, just below the Khumbu Ice Fall. Climbing time from Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp
Everest Base Camp
There are two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of , and North Base Camp is in Tibet at ). These camps are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent...
ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on weather, acclimatization and physical conditioning of each individual.
In this altitude few people few comfortable and many start to suffer symptoms of Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
or Acute Mountain Sickness (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.However in Autumn the competition for bed spaces in lodges can be intense, but normally trekkers are allowed to sleep in the floor of dinning room lodge.
During winter, in the months of December to February, it is possible 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 the completely lack of any kind of vegetation in this place.