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Beyond Pakistan

Treks

Multi-day routes in the Karakoram, around Nanga Parbat and through Hunza. Each one with an honest read on difficulty, altitude and what a day on the ground actually costs.

DifficultyDifficulty
DurationDuration
RegionRegion
K2 seen from Concordia, with the glacier in the foreground
21 days

K2 Base Camp and Concordia

Three weeks up the Baltoro Glacier to the foot of the second-highest mountain on earth. The trek every other trek gets measured against.

Difficulty
Expedition
Highest point
5,150 m
Budget on the ground
90–160 € / per day
View from the Gondogoro La across glaciated Karakoram peaks
18 days

Gondogoro La

Up the Baltoro, over a glaciated 5,585-metre pass and down into the Hushe valley. No walking back the way you came, but you will need crampons and fixed ropes.

Difficulty
Expedition
Highest point
5,585 m
Budget on the ground
100–170 € / per day
Snow Lake, the glacial basin between the Biafo and Hispar glaciers
19 days

Snow Lake and the Biafo–Hispar traverse

Two of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions, joined by an ice basin at 4,900 metres. The loneliest of the great Karakoram routes.

Difficulty
Expedition
Highest point
5,151 m
Budget on the ground
110–180 € / per day
Rakaposhi with its glaciated north face above the Hunza valley
5 days

Rakaposhi Base Camp

Five days, a seven-thousander directly in front of you, and a meadow full of yaks at 3,500 metres. The best introduction to the Karakoram I know.

Difficulty
Moderate
Highest point
3,500 m
Budget on the ground
45–80 € / per day
Nanga Parbat above the meadows at Fairy Meadows
8 days

Fairy Meadows and Nanga Parbat Base Camp

Eight days beneath the ninth-highest mountain on earth, with a meadow in front of it that genuinely earns its saccharine name. Pakistan’s most accessible big trek.

Difficulty
Moderate
Highest point
4,200 m
Budget on the ground
40–75 € / per day
The Rupal face of Nanga Parbat above base camp
9 days

Rupal valley and the highest wall on earth

The south side of Nanga Parbat: 4,600 metres of rock and ice in one unbroken face, the biggest mountain wall in the world. And in front of it, a green valley almost nobody walks.

Difficulty
Demanding
Highest point
3,600 m
Budget on the ground
50–90 € / per day