At a modest height of just 2,600 meters above sea level, Phakding straddles the main trekking route between Lukla and Namche Bazaar. It's crossed by countless hikers and expedition groups on their way to Everest Base Camp during the main season around springtime, which is precisely why you'll find such a wealth of little teahouses, hostels, Nepalese curry kitchens, and eco-lodges.

The setting is sure to take your breath away. Down here on the southern slopes of the high Himalaya, on the fringes of the ice-carved Sagarmatha National Park, things take a turn for the alpine. The babbling Dudh Kosi River winds past the town on one side, wiggling through bunches of spear-like pine trees and under swinging wire bridges that herald the way to Everest on high.

Take some time to linger and enlist the help of a Phakding tour guide to discover lookout points with sweeping views over the rising ridges Khumbu. There's also a diminutive monastery with flapping prayer flags and a whitewashed pagoda, along with glimpses of traditional Sherpa life on every street corner.