Kala Patthar

Poking up to a modest 5,643 meters above sea level in the midst of the Nepalese Himalaya, Kala Patthar would be a giant were it anywhere else in the world. However, it is here, shrouded by the ice-topped summits of 7,000-meter-high Pumori and the greatest peak of them all – Mount Everest. In fact, Everest is the main reason that ascents to the top of the bald pass of Kala Patthar remain so popular with trekkers. Not only is the walk a great way to stretch the lungs and acclimatize to the throes of the Himalayas, but it also offers up some seriously eye-popping panoramas of the highest mountain on the planet and its near neighbors.

Heading up from the trekking lodges and teahouses of isolated Gorakshep with a dedicated Kala Patthar tour guide is a good way to learn all about the region and its cloud-rending mountains. You'll scramble steep, boulder-speckled slopes to reach the top where, in the company of flapping prayer flags, you can look out over the Khumbu Glacier, hulking Mount Nuptse, and the mist-gathering peaks of icy Lhotse in the distance.