Baltoro Glacier – K2 BC & Gondogoro La Trek -2023

“A mountain of stunning dimensions. It seems to rise like a perfect cone, but incredibly tall.” With these words, in 1887, the Englishman Sir Francis Younghusband described K2. He was the first westerner to see the mountain from close up. From then on, with reference to the second highest mountain on earth, descriptions of this sort have been used by generations of travellers, scientists, and mountaineers. Very few mountains come close to perfection, in terms of shape and proportion of K2. Such enormous beauty cannot be conquered without equally enormous effort.

 Baltoro, K2 base camp trek is a  world-wide favorite and a ‘must do’ on the wish list of many trekking enthusiasts, the trek up the Baltoro Glacier is an awe inspiring venture into the inner sanctum of the Karakoram Himalaya.

The western end of the Himalayan Range is geologically the youngest, subsequently there are few surrounding foothills, and the dominant skyline feature consists of untold hundreds of jagged peaks ranging from spectacular rock spires soaring thousands of feet into the sky, to the reality defying 8,000m giants at the Concordia confluence.

Unlike the approaches to most 8,000m Nepalese base-camps, there are no major foothills to negotiate, with most of the hiking either on, or to the side of the valleys and glaciers.

As a result you are constantly surrounded by, and enjoy an unfettered view of, the most stunning array of high peaks on the planet. As you proceed up the route, each hour and day brings with it new vistas to marvel at. 

Treks to K2 start with a breath taking flight past Nanga Parbat 8,125m and down into Skardu city 2,228m, located on the mighty Indus river, that main city of Baltistan (known as Little Tibet in history) home of the impressive Manthal Buddha Rocks, the 8th century Kharpocho Fort above Skardu town; the K2 Museum, a gem city, downstream from some of the largest glaciers and highest peaks in the world. Followed by a Jeep ride to the confluence of the Indus and Shigar rivers and then through the beautiful Shigar River valley to Askoli, 3,000m.

The next morning we begin the spectacular trek to K2 Base Camp, up the Biaho Lungma river trail and the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and beyond. As we climb over moraines, pick our way through glaciers and trek through gorges up the Baltoro Glacier we will be struck by the endless beauty of the granite towers, multitudes of cathedral peaks, needle spires, the snow capped domes and icy glaciated mountains that line our trek.

To Concordia is the most popular trek in Pakistan for good reason. It is stunning scenery. You will be amongst some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world where eight of the world’s 30 highest mountains are clustered in the heart of the Karakoram Mountain range.