21 days
Strenuous
K2 Base Camp and Concordia Trek
Three weeks from Islamabad to the foot of K2: up the Baltoro Glacier from Askole to Concordia, with permit, guide and camp crew arranged.
Quoted in USD on request
View itineraryTour for international travellers
Nanga Parbat Base Camp and Fairy Meadows Trek
Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) is the ninth-highest mountain in the world, and its northern Raikot face rises straight above the pine forest and pasture of Fairy Meadows. This short trek takes you from Islamabad over the Babusar Pass to Fairy Meadows, on to Beyal Camp and up to the trekkers' base camp below the face, sleeping in simple cabins rather than tents.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Starts and ends
- Islamabad
- Best months
- Mid-June to late September
- Effort
- Moderate: short walks on good paths, with one hard day of seven to eight hours to base camp
- Highest point
- About 4,000 m at Nanga Parbat Base Camp (published figures range from 3,850 to 4,100 m)
- Price
- Quoted in USD
The route
Day by day
- The Raikot face of Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) from Fairy Meadows at about 3,300 m
- A walk through pine forest to Beyal Camp and on to base camp at about 4,000 m
- The local jeep track from Raikot Bridge up to Tato
- The road over the Babusar Pass at 4,173 m
- No trekking permit needed: this is an open zone
This is a private tour. Dates, pace and hotels are set for your group and confirmed in writing with your quote.
Travel advice, October 2026: As of October 2026 the UK Foreign Office (advice updated 22 September 2026) does not advise against travel to Gilgit-Baltistan or on the Babusar (N15) road, and this itinerary joins the Karakoram Highway east of Chilas, beyond the Mansehra to Chilas section it advises against. When the Babusar Pass is closed we use the Gilgit flight and drive south to Raikot Bridge, never the highway through Besham and Dasu. Other governments word their advice differently, so check your own and ask your insurer to confirm cover for trekking to 4,000 m. Check your own government's current advice before you book.
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Day 1
Arrive in Islamabad
Your guide meets you at Islamabad International Airport and drives you about 33 km, roughly 45 minutes, to your hotel. The day is free for rest. In the evening the guide explains the route and checks your walking kit.
Overnight: Islamabad
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Day 2
Drive Islamabad to Naran
About 245 km and six to seven hours, by motorway to Mansehra and then up the Kaghan valley on the N15 road. Naran stands at about 2,400 m, so this is your first night at altitude and a useful step before the pass tomorrow.
Overnight: Naran
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Day 3
Over the Babusar Pass to Fairy Meadows
A long day with a start at first light. You drive about 156 km in around five hours over the Babusar Pass (4,173 m) and along the Indus to Raikot Bridge, joining the Karakoram Highway east of Chilas. From the bridge only local jeeps may use the 15 km track to Tato, which takes about an hour and a half, and from the road end it is a walk of about 5 km, two to four hours depending on pace, up to Fairy Meadows at about 3,300 m.
Overnight: Fairy Meadows
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Day 4
Fairy Meadows to Beyal Camp
After a slow morning in front of the Raikot face you walk through pine forest to Beyal Camp, at about 3,500 m, in an hour and a half to two hours. In the afternoon there is an optional half-hour climb to a viewpoint at about 3,670 m for a closer look at the mountain. The short day helps you acclimatise for tomorrow.
Overnight: Beyal Camp
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Day 5
Nanga Parbat Base Camp and back to Fairy Meadows
The hardest day. From Beyal the path is rougher and steeper, and takes about three hours up to the trekkers' base camp at about 4,000 m, below the ice of the Raikot face. There is nowhere to stay at base camp, so you return to Beyal for a late lunch and continue down to Fairy Meadows, seven to eight hours of walking in all.
Overnight: Fairy Meadows
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Day 6
Fairy Meadows to Naran
You walk down to the road end in about two hours, take the jeep back to Raikot Bridge and rejoin your vehicle. The drive back over the Babusar Pass to Naran is about 156 km and five hours, so this is another full day.
Overnight: Naran
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Day 7
Drive Naran to Islamabad
About 245 km and six to seven hours back down the Kaghan valley to Islamabad. The evening is free.
Overnight: Islamabad
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Day 8
Departure
Your driver takes you to Islamabad International Airport, about 45 minutes from the city, for your flight home. This itinerary has no reserve day, so if your dates allow, add a spare night here in case the pass was closed on the way back.
The detail
What your quote covers
What is included
- Airport pickup and drop-off in Pakistan
- Private vehicle with an experienced driver for the whole route
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Accommodation on a twin-share basis with breakfast
- Entry tickets, park fees and permits named in the itinerary
- Visa support letter for your Pakistan e-visa
- Local jeep between Raikot Bridge and Tato, both ways
- Licensed guide for the trek and a porter or pack animal for one overnight bag each
- Three nights in simple cabins at Fairy Meadows and Beyal Camp
- All meals at Fairy Meadows and Beyal Camp
What is not
- International flights
- Pakistan visa fee
- Travel insurance, which every traveller must carry
- Lunches and dinners unless stated
- Domestic flights, quoted separately with your itinerary
- Tips and personal expenses
- Personal walking gear: boots, warm layers and waterproofs
- Rescue and evacuation costs, which your insurance must cover
- Extra nights, meals or transport caused by road closures or flight cancellations
Good to know before you book
How do I get there and back?
By road from Islamabad over the Babusar Pass, with a night in Naran each way, then by local jeep and on foot from Raikot Bridge. The Babusar road joins the Karakoram Highway east of Chilas, so you travel only the section between that junction and Raikot Bridge. Private vehicles are not allowed on the track to Tato; local drivers run the jeeps and yours comes back for you at an agreed time.
How fit do I need to be, and is altitude a problem?
The walks to Fairy Meadows and Beyal are short and on clear paths, and anyone used to hill walking can manage them. The base camp day is harder: seven to eight hours in all, on a rough path that reaches about 4,000 m. You sleep at 3,300 to 3,500 m after one night at 2,400 m, so mild headaches are common; tell your guide early, and anyone who is unwell can stay at Fairy Meadows on day 5.
What are the accommodation and food like?
In Islamabad and Naran you stay in comfortable hotels. At Fairy Meadows and Beyal Camp the accommodation is simple wooden cabins with basic washing facilities, and the nights are cold even in August. Meals on the mountain are plain, freshly cooked local food and are included.
Do I need a permit?
No trekking permit is needed, because Fairy Meadows and this side of Nanga Parbat are in an open zone. You do need a Pakistan visa, which you must apply for online before you travel, and we send the invitation letter for it. All foreign nationals must register with the local authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, and your passport is checked at police posts on the road; your guide handles this, so carry your passport and a few photocopies. The local police may send an escort with foreign visitors.
What happens if the Babusar Pass is closed?
The pass is usually open from late May or June until October or November, and floods can close it for days in the monsoon, as happened in early August 2026. If it is shut we offer the weather-dependent flight from Islamabad to Gilgit and drive about 77 km south to Raikot Bridge, or we move your dates. We do not take foreign clients up the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Dasu, because the UK government advises against that stretch and insurance may not cover it.
Is the Nanga Parbat area safe?
The UK government does not advise against travel to Gilgit-Baltistan or to this route. You should know that in June 2013 gunmen killed 11 people at a climbers' base camp below the Diamir face, which is on the western side of the mountain in a different valley from Fairy Meadows. Foreign visitors are registered by the police on the way in, and we follow police instructions on the day.
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