Overview
This is the trek mountaineers dream about. From Skardu we drive to the roadhead at Askole, then walk for days up the Braldu gorge and onto the 62-kilometre Baltoro Glacier — a river of ice flanked by Trango Towers, Masherbrum and Gasherbrum. At Concordia, four glaciers meet beneath a 360° amphitheatre of giants, and K2 — 8,611 metres of pure pyramid — fills the sky.
Fully supported: experienced Balti guides, porters, cook crew, dining tents and all permits. You carry only a daypack. We pace the route conservatively for acclimatisation, with a contingency day built in for weather.
Itinerary — day by day
Day1 Arrive Islamabad — welcome briefing ▾
Airport pickup, hotel check-in, gear check and trek briefing over dinner. Permits verified.
🏨 Hotel🍽 D
Day2 Fly to Skardu (or scenic KKH drive) ▾
One-hour mountain flight past Nanga Parbat. Weather backup: two-day drive on the Karakoram Highway.
🏨 Hotel🍽 B·L·D📏 2,230m
Day3 Skardu — permits & Shigar Fort visit ▾
Final permit formalities, last supply run, afternoon at 17th-century Shigar Fort.
🏨 Hotel🍽 B·L·D
Day4 Jeep to Askole — trek to Jhola ▾
Spectacular 4×4 ride up the Braldu gorge to the last village, then first hike to Jhola camp.
⛺ Camp🥾 5–6 hrs📏 3,200m
Day5 Jhola → Paiju ▾
Long river-valley day with first views of the Trango Towers and the Baltoro snout.
⛺ Camp🥾 6–7 hrs📏 3,450m
Day6 Paiju — acclimatisation day ▾
Rest day in the last trees for a week. Porters prepare bread; short acclimatisation walks.
⛺ Camp📏 3,450m
Day7 Paiju → Khoburtse — onto the Baltoro ▾
Step onto the glacier. Cathedral Spires and the Trango group tower a vertical mile above camp.
⛺ Camp🥾 6 hrs📏 3,930m
Day8 Khoburtse → Urdukas ▾
Short day to the most beautiful campsite on the Baltoro — grassy ledges facing the Trango Towers.
⛺ Camp🥾 3–4 hrs📏 4,050m
Day9 Urdukas → Goro II ▾
Walk the glacier’s medial moraine. Masherbrum (7,821m) dominates the south; first Gasherbrum views.
⛺ Camp🥾 6 hrs📏 4,250m
Day10 Goro II → Concordia — K2 revealed ▾
The day everything is for. Round Gasherbrum IV’s marble wall and K2 appears, filling the head of the glacier.
⛺ Camp🥾 5–6 hrs📏 4,600m
Day11 Concordia → K2 Base Camp & back ▾
Long out-and-back to K2 Base Camp (5,150m) and the Gilkey Memorial. Stand beneath the Abruzzi Spur.
⛺ Camp🥾 8–9 hrs📏 5,150m
Day12 Contingency / explore Concordia ▾
Built-in weather day. If unused: photography morning at Concordia, then begin descent to Goro II.
⛺ Camp
Day13 Fast descent → Paiju → jeep to Skardu ▾
Down-glacier to Paiju, jeeps from Askole, hot shower in Skardu.
🏨 Hotel🥾 7–8 hrs
Day14 Fly to Islamabad — depart ▾
Morning flight, farewell lunch, certificates, airport transfers for evening departures.
🍽 B·L
What’s included / not included
Included
- All trekking permits, CKNP fees & bridge tolls
- Licensed English-speaking guide + cook crew + porters
- All meals on trek (fresh-baked bread, hot dinners)
- Quality tents, dining tent, mattresses
- Hotels in Islamabad & Skardu (twin share, B&B)
- Domestic flights / KKH transport + jeeps to Askole
- Visa invitation letter & airport transfers
- Satellite phone, first-aid kit, gamow bag
Not included
- International flights & Pakistan visa fee
- Travel & high-altitude rescue insurance (mandatory)
- Personal trekking gear & sleeping bag
- Lunches/dinners in cities
- Tips for guide & porter team (≈ $120)
- Single-room supplement ($240)
Traveller reviews
★★★★★
“Concordia at dawn is the single greatest thing I’ve seen in 30 years of trekking. Crew was world-class.”
James WhitfieldJuly 2025 · Australia
★★★★★
“14 days, zero logistics worries. Food on the glacier better than my hotel in Islamabad.”
Lena HoffmannAugust 2025 · Germany