The Himalayas and Karakoram

Nanga Parabat & Rakaposhi

 

Tour Highlights

An introduction to the culture and high peaks of Pakistan, this trek brings together two of the world’s highest mountain ranges, the Himalayas and the Karakoram in two accessible basecamp treks. Nanga Parbat is the western most high peak of the Himalayan range. Nanga Parbat, the 9th highest in the world, is a colossal and magnificent mountain, in mountaineering circles it is known as King of the mountains for its size and magnificent profile. The Karakoram Range, in contrast, has the greatest concentration of high peaks along with the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Amongst these is Rakaposhi, the 27th highest peak in the world. Rakaposhi is well recognized for its beauty than its rank might suggest.  

 

13 DAYS FROM

Physical Rating 4

Best time to visit: June to September


  • The morning is free to recover from your journey. In the afternoon

    and we offer an optional walk to the Margalla hills surrounding the

    capital. Later in the afternoon, the trek leaders will give a full trip

    briefing. We will conclude our evening with a group dinner, this will

    be an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other

  • We will take an early morning flight to Gilgit The flight is about an

    hour and on the way you will see the foot hills of the Himalayas,

    leading to Nanga Parbat. We will have lunch in Gilgit and continue to

    Fairy Meadows. At Raikot bridge we take Jeeps over a 17km steep

    and narrow dirt road to Tattu village, where the hiking trail to Fairy

    Meadows begins. This is a well established trail and we walk through

    the forest on a gentle climb for about 2-3 hours.

  • The trail to basecamp passes through pine and fir forest along a

    stream, for about 5km. The vista finally opens up as we reach the

    small settlement of Beyal, there are great views of the Indus Valley

    and Rakaposhi. From Beyal we continue on a trail with views in all

    directions. The trail leads up to the moraine where a ruble covered

    track leads us to Nanga Parbat basecamp. The incredible peaks of

    Nanga Parbat form a sweeping panorama. After dinner we have time

    to enjoy the mountain, we turn off all lights watch the unbelievable

    star filled sky.

  • In the morning there is an option to trek to camp1 and return. The

    trek to camp1 is on a steep trail above the great moraine and takes

    about two hours, all along the trek the views are spectacular. Those

    who decide to stay will enjoy a leisurely morning enjoying the

    panoramic views, and can explore the area.

    Later we retrace our steps, taking an easy descending path back to

    Fairy Meadows where we will spend the night.

  • We retrace our steps, taking an easy descending path back to Fairy

    Meadows and then on to Jhel where we continue the drive to Raikot

    bridge.

    We stop in Gulmet for views of our next trek Rakaposhi, have a

    traditional chai and then continue on to Nagar where we spend the

    night.

  • This is a long day of hiking. We start early taking our transport to a

    bridge on the snout of Minapin glacier. The trail is very steep, initially

    rising 183m on switch backs and then easing but continuing the

    ascent until we reach the summer settlement of Hapakun, where we

    will rest for a couple hours and have lunch.

    We continue through forests and pastures until we get to the

    moraine which has been hidden from the view until this moment. You

    are rewarded with a panoramic view of the ridge connecting Diran

    and Rakaposhi peaks. We spend the night in camps.

  • We will visit the 1100 years old Altit fort, the original seat of the Hunza

    state and the oldest monument in Gilgit-Baltistan. Our next stop is the

    700 year old Baltit Fort where the Mir (title of the Hunza ruler) resided

    until the 1950s. For those interested there will an option to take a

    cooking class in Pakistani cuisine.There is also an opportunity to hike

    behind the fort along an irrigation channel with views of Hunza Valley,

    the surrounding peaks and terraced fields with views of daily life.

  • We retrace our steps back to Minapin, stopping at Rakaposhi view point

    along the way. The path is an easy decent, we will stop for lunch and

    then continue on to Minapin where we will take the transport to

    Hunza.

  • We head to “Passu Cones” also known as Cathedral Ridge a series of

    pointed 6,000 m peaks that are located next to the Karakoram Highway.

    We will enjoy some gentle trekking on the Batura Glacier after which

    we will hike across a suspension bridge.

    We then visit Attabad Lake. A massive landslide in 2010 blocked the

    flow of Hunza River for 5 months, and created this 12mile long lake. The

    village of Attabad is now under water and over 6000 people were

    displaced. We will take a short boat ride across the lake and relax at our

    lake side hotel.

  • We enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lake; later where we will take our

    transport and drive towards Gilgit. Here we will have the chance to visit

    the famous Kargah Buddha, a 7th century carving of a large standing

    Buddha. The day is free to relax.

  • This is an additional day for sightseeing and our trip leader will arrange a

    group tour to see some of the local sights. We will have a group dinner

    with some entertainment.

    This is an important contingency day; incase of flight cancellation we will

    be arriving in Islamabad this afternoon so you should not be planning to

    fly out on this day

  • We will take the early morning flight to Islamabad, if unable to fly we will

    drive the Silk Road back to Islamabad

    Our private bus will be waiting at the airport to transfer us to the hotel

    and once we have settled in it will be time to take lunch. After lunch the

    rest of the day is free for independent sightseeing, shopping or to relax

    at the hotel.

  • This morning transfer to Islamabad airport where your tour ends

Is this Trip for you

All our tours feature a physical rating to help select the right vacation. Every one of tours require the ability to walk around sights unaided, while more active tours include longer walks or multi-day treks.

Level 1: A reasonable level of fitness is required but its more about spending time on your feet than covering large distances. You will be getting on and off vehicles, walking around sites and climbing steps.

Level 2: The typical day is busier and involves more steps or multiple sites visits every day. The trip might involve day hikes of 2-3 hours.

Level 3: You should enjoy hiking and feel comfortable hiking 3–6 miles with elevation with elevation gains/losses of up to 300m(1000 ft) per day. We suggest beginning a regular exercise regimen at least 2–3 months prior to departure.

Level 4: You should be comfortable with hiking 5-8 hours each day, up to 18km (11 miles) with as much as 3,000’elevation gain and loss or high altitude.

Level 5: Challenging for fit hikers with experience in multi-day treks in high altitude. These tours are not appropriate for novice hikers or even for experienced but unfit hikers.

If you have any questions, please reach us at info@thewander.travel

 

At a glance

Group size 2-12
All lodging and Meals
Local flights included

What’s Included

✓ Support for Pakistan Visa

✓ All guiding services

✓ Best available accommodations

✓ All activities

✓ All domestic transport

 

What’s not Included

  • Travel Insurance

  • Visa

  • International flights

  • Lunch and Dinner during hotel stays

  • Airport departure tax

  • Miscellaneous expenses

  • Tips