Gorak Shep

Gorak Shep, at 5,164 meters, is the last inhabited settlement on the Everest trek — a handful of lodges on a dried-up glacial lakebed — and the base for reaching Base Camp and climbing Kala Patthar, the most accessible viewpoint for seeing Everest's summit up close. Trekkers spend one or two nights here, with short but brutal days because of the altitude. It's only reachable on foot from Lukla, after 7-8 days of gradual ascent, almost always between March-May or September-November. It's the most expensive and most basic stage of the entire route.