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 King of KarakoramsTrekking – K2 Base Camp with Ghondoghoro LaNo. of days : 17 Out of the 14 eight thousand meter high peaks in the world, 5 are situated in Pakistan. Nanga Parbat is the only Himalayan Peak situated apart from the other 4 in Karakorams, clustered around Concordia, the famous place on Baltoro Glacier. Concordia trek is one of the most demanding but rewarding trekking routes in the world. Serving as the basic point for the 4 giants of Karakorams i.e. Gasherbrum II ( 8035m ), Broad Peak ( 8047m ) and Hidden Peak or Gasherbrum I ( 8068m ) dominated by the king of the mountains, K-2 ( 8611m ), Concordia is the junction of Baltoro and Godwin Austin Glaciers with several other tributaries.
We drive from Skardu to Askole, the last permanent village at the head of jeep road at Askole and start walking for Concordia & K2 base camp, walking mostly on Baltoro Glacier. Later on we cross the Ghondoghoro Pass ( 5650m ) and descend to Hushe, last permanent village in Hushe Valley. Driving back to Skardu via Khaplu is fun and relaxing. This trip is an adventure beyond your imagination. ITINERARYDay 01 Islamabad - Chilas
Day 02 Chilas - Skardu We keep on following the course of River Indus, and make a brief stop at Chilas rocks carvings. Our next stop is at Nanga Parbat viewpoint which offers breathtaking views of the huge massif of Nanga Parbat. Before entering into the narrow gorge of River Indus, we make another stop at the unique point where three mountain ranges, Karakoram, Himalayas and Hindu Kush meet near the confluence of Indus and Gilgit Rivers. Our onwards journey is through the narrow and barren gorge of Indus and the scenery changes at Kachura, a picturesque lake of Baltistan, where we make a brief stop and later drive on to Skardu town to stay for overnight. Day 03 Day free at Skardu This is a free day at Skardu to make an optional trip to Satpara, another vast and picturesque lake of Baltistan. Our staff will make arrangements for porters and make last minute shopping for the expedition. Day 04 Skardu - Askole We depart by jeeps from Skardu and enter into Shigar Valley across River Indus. From Shigar, we continue our drive along Shigar and Braldu Rivers to the legendary village, Askole, a kick point for expeditions and trekking parties for most of the famous mountains in Baltistan. Day 05 Askole - Jhola We start our trekking from Askole and making a stop at Korofon, a green campsite and crossing Domurdo River we arrive at campsite of Jhola. A full day's walk mostly on flat ground helps us to acclimatize. Day 06 Jhola - Paiyu Another full day's walk with tough portion of crossing river by Jhola, the flying fox. Later on we arrive at Paiyu for overnight. Day 07 Paiyu - Day Free Paiyu is a traditional rest spot before climbing on Baltoro Glacier and the last place to find trees of the region. Our campsite is under the Paiyu Peak which is not visible from campsite. In local language Paiyu stands for salt. Porters enjoy a feast here as we provide them with meat. They prepare their food for next few days and enjoy a bonfire with dancing and beating drums. A memorable night in the far flung place, deep in the mountains. Day 08 Paiyu - Khaburse We start our trekking on the glacier and make a traverse on Baltoro Glacier, the source of Braldu River to arrive at Liligo campsite. Walking onwards along the glacier, we arrive at campsite of Khaburse for overnight. Day 09 Khaburse - Goro I Our onwards walk, stay and everything is on the glacier for next few days. We cross Urdukas, the last place to grow grass and alpine flowers, en route and view of Paiyu Peak and Uli Biaho tower behind. Walking in the heart of glacier, Gasherbrum IV - 7929m is visible in her full glory. We pass by the Masherbrum Peak ( K-1 ) - 7821m and view Cathedrals across the glacier. Today our camp will be on the debris of Baltoro Glacier so be prepared for a chilly cold night. Day 10 Goro I - Concordia We are walking in a gorge of high mountains i.e. Gasherbrum, Masherbrum, Cathedrals and Mustagh etc. Mustagh Tower is an eye catching peak on the route. We finally arrive at Concordia and camp under Mitre Peak. Day 11 Day Free at Concordia Enjoy the superb panorama of surrounding peaks at Concordia as one can see K-2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-IV, Baltoro Kangri, Mitre, Crystal, Marble and Angel Peaks. Reaching at Concordia is rewarding as the first phase of the trek is complete. We can make a trip to the base camp of K-2, crossing Broad Peak base camp en route. The walk is through heavily crevassed glacier but trekking is safe. After photography and having cold picnic lunch at base camp, we start walking back to Concordia, our campsite. Day 12 Concordia - Ali Camp We depart from Concordia campsite and leave Baltoro Glacier and start walking on Vigne Glacier to arrive at Ali Camp, a famous campsite serving as the base camp for Ghondoghoro La. Day 13 Ali Camp - Ghondoghoro La - Kheuspang A very early start to cross Ghondoghoro La at 5650m, our main challenge of the trek where we fix ropes to cross the crevassed slopes on both sides of the Pass. Once on the top of the pass, a clear day reveals superb panorama of the peaks all around. The Gasherbrums, Broad Peak and K-2 are visible superbly. We start descending down to our campsite and enjoy a relief as the hardest portion of the trek is finished and onwards is an easy walk down to Hushe. Day 14 Kheuspang – Dalsangpa – Saistcho It is an easy and short walk to Dalsangpa, meaning a field of flowers. Superb views of towering Masherbrum and other peaks from the campsite. After a short from Dalsangpa, finally we are out from savage glaciers and start walking on dry ground. We descend down to Saistcho, a campsite along riverside with trees and greenery, where we enjoy our last night intents. Day 15 Saistcho – Hushe – Khaplu Our walk finishes at green and fertile village Hushe, the first permanent village after leaving Askole. We will drive by jeeps to Khaplu, a major division of Baltistan and known for its delicious fruits. Its other attractions include a Raja's Palace and an old mosque. Day 16 Khaplu – Skardu – Chilas – Besham After staying in constructed buildings and enjoying a shower after a long time, we make an early departure for Skardu and keep on driving to Chilas. From Chilas, after taking some rest, we drive on to Besham and stay for overnight after a long drive. Day 17 Besham - Islamabad Making an early departure for Islamabad, we arrive at Taxila, the famous capital of Buddhists. At Taxila, we will visit Jaulian Monastery and Archaeological Museum and resume drive to Islamabad and drop at a designated place. This trip is a combination of soft and adventure tours. We visit Kachura and Satpara, two picturesque lakes in the vicinity of Skardu, the capital town of Baltistan. Then we climb up Deo-Sai Plains, a treeless wilderness filled with rolling grasslands with lovely flowers. Deo-Sai is also a home of Himalayan Brown Bear and during our camp; we will make an attempt to watch the wild beasts in their natural habitat. Shoesar Lake is another lovely place on high plateau before descending down to Astore Valley and we further cross Babusar Pass and enter in Kaghan Valley to touch Lulusar and Saif-ul-Muluk, the heart capturing lakes of Kaghan. End of the Tour
Natural North | Fantasy Fairy Meadows | Shandaar Shandur | Kool Kashmir & Kaghan | Hitch Hike Himalayas | King of Karakorams |
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We depart from Islamabad and arrive at Besham crossing the famous towns of Abbottabad and Mansehra. Later on following the upstream course of River Indus, we will make photo stops at Shatial rocks with ancient graffiti's on it. After a long day aboard, we arrive at Chilas and transfer to hotel for overnight. 
