Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan
Skardu is the staging town for every Karakoram expedition, but it is a superb destination in its own right: alpine lakes, cold deserts, ancient forts and the road to the Deosai Plains.
Most trekkers pass through Skardu on the way to K2. This tour slows down and explores it properly: the lakes at Shangrila and Kachura, the restored Shigar and Khaplu forts, and the surreal cold desert at Katpana.
With more time you can add the Deosai Plains, the second-highest plateau in the world, alive with wildflowers and marmots in summer. It is a comfortable, road-based trip with big Baltistan scenery.
Day 1
Pickup and overnight; briefing for the trip.
Day 2
Scenic flight past Nanga Parbat, or the two-day Karakoram Highway drive.
Day 3
Shangrila, Upper Kachura and the Katpana cold desert.
Day 4
Restored forts and the Shigar valley heritage sites.
Day 5
Drive up to the Deosai plateau (4,114 m) for wildflowers and wildlife.
Day 6
Manthal Buddha, the bazaar and sunset from Kharpocho.
Day 7 to 9
Fly or drive back with a buffer day for weather.
Comfortable Skardu hotels with mountain or lake views, chosen for quality and location.
Balti and traveller-friendly cuisine; apricot and local specialities in season.
Easy. Road-based with short walks only. Deosai involves a long but non-strenuous drive to high altitude.
Pakistan tourist visa required; Deosai National Park fees included. No trekking permit needed for this itinerary.
Skardu and Baltistan are calm and welcoming. Flights are weather-dependent, so we build in buffer days and a road alternative.
Read our altitude and safety guide and is Pakistan safe for foreign trekkers.
Yes. Domestic flights connect Islamabad and Skardu with spectacular Nanga Parbat views, though they depend on weather. We always keep a road option as backup.
Skardu is the gateway to K2 and the Baltoro, and is known for alpine lakes, cold deserts, historic forts and the nearby Deosai Plains.
Yes. Baltistan is one of the safest parts of Pakistan for visitors, with a long history of welcoming trekkers and climbers.
Yes. Deosai (4,114 m), the world's second-highest plateau, is a popular day trip from Skardu in summer, included as an option on this tour.
Seven to nine days from Islamabad covers the lakes, forts and Deosai comfortably, with buffer time for the weather-dependent flight.
The K2 Base Camp trek walks the length of the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and the foot of K2 (8,611 m). It is the classic Karakoram adventure and the trip most foreign trekkers ask us about first.
The Baltoro Glacier is the approach route to K2, Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums. Trekking its length to Concordia is one of the world's classic high-mountain journeys.
