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
Passu and the Patundas Trek
Patundas is a summer pasture on the ridge between the Passu and Batura glaciers in upper Hunza, with the Passu Cones and a ring of 7,000 m peaks around it. The trek to it is short and needs no permit, but it crosses the Passu Glacier, so it is done with a local guide; this trip adds walks to the Batura Glacier viewpoints and time in Karimabad.
- Duration
- 9 days
- Starts and ends
- Islamabad
- Best months
- Mid-June to mid-September
- Effort
- Moderate: three days of trekking, five to seven hours a day, with a guided glacier crossing
- Highest point
- About 4,200 m at the Patundas meadows (the ridge above rises to about 4,570 m)
- Price
- Quoted in USD
The route
Day by day
- A night at Patundas, about 4,200 m, between the Passu and Batura glaciers
- A guided crossing of the Passu Glacier
- A walk through the Yunz valley to a viewpoint over the 57 km Batura Glacier
- The Passu Cones (6,106 m) and the Hussaini suspension bridge
- Baltit Fort in Karimabad and the drive past Attabad Lake
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 or Hunza, including Passu. It does advise against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, so this trip uses the Islamabad to Gilgit flight, with the Babusar Pass road as the only road alternative. Other governments word their advice differently, so check your own and ask your insurer to confirm cover for trekking to 4,600 m, including a roped glacier crossing. 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
Fly to Gilgit and drive to Karimabad
The flight to Gilgit is a turboprop service of under an hour that operates only in good visibility; if it is cancelled we go by road over the Babusar Pass (see Good to know). From Gilgit you drive about 100 km, two to three hours, up the Karakoram Highway to Karimabad at about 2,400 m. Late in the afternoon you visit Baltit Fort, the home of the rulers of Hunza until 1945 and now a museum.
Overnight: Karimabad
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Day 3
Drive to Passu and walk to the Batura Glacier viewpoint
You drive about 50 km, an hour to an hour and a half, past Attabad Lake, formed by a landslide in 2010, and through the tunnels that opened in 2015. From Passu you walk for several hours on a rough path marked by cairns, past the lake below the Passu Glacier and through the Yunz valley to a viewpoint over the Batura Glacier, 57 km long. The walk is a first step in acclimatisation and can be shortened to suit the group.
Overnight: Passu
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Day 4
Trek Borith Lake to Luzhdur across the Passu Glacier
A short drive by way of Hussaini brings you to Borith Lake at about 2,600 m, where the trek starts. You climb beside the Passu Glacier to the pasture at Passu Ghar, then cross the glacier with the local guide, who chooses the line and ropes the party where it is needed. Camp is on the far side at Luzhdur, at roughly 3,500 to 3,650 m, after five to seven hours of walking.
Overnight: Luzhdur (camp)
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Day 5
Trek Luzhdur to Patundas
A steep climb of several hours leads to the open pasture of Patundas at about 4,200 m, on the ridge between the two glaciers. The Passu Glacier lies below on one side and the Batura on the other, with the Passu Cones, Shispare and the Passu and Batura peaks around you. Those with energy can walk higher along the ridge in the afternoon.
Overnight: Patundas (camp)
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Day 6
Trek Patundas to Passu
After sunrise on the peaks you go back down to Luzhdur, recross the Passu Glacier with the guide and descend to the road, a drop of about 1,600 m that takes five to seven hours. Your vehicle meets you for the short drive to the guesthouse in Passu.
Overnight: Passu
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Day 7
Hussaini bridge and drive to Gilgit
An easy morning: a walk to the Hussaini suspension bridge over the Hunza River, or a short walk from the highway north of Passu towards the snout of the Batura Glacier. After lunch you drive about 145 km, three and a half to four hours, down the Karakoram Highway to Gilgit. This day also gives the trek some slack if the weather has held you up.
Overnight: Gilgit
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Day 8
Fly Gilgit to Islamabad
The morning flight returns you to Islamabad, weather permitting, and the afternoon is free. If the flight is cancelled you leave by road instead, over the Babusar Pass to Naran, about 236 km and seven to eight hours.
Overnight: Islamabad (or Naran if travelling by road)
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Day 9
Departure
Your driver takes you to Islamabad International Airport for your flight home. If you came back by road, today starts with the drive from Naran to Islamabad, about 245 km and six to seven hours, so book an evening departure or keep a spare day.
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
- Licensed guide for the trek and a local guide for the Passu Glacier crossing, plus cook and camp staff
- Camping equipment: two-person tents, mattresses, mess tent and kitchen
- All meals on trek, from lunch on day 4 to lunch on day 6
- Porters for group equipment and one personal kit bag each
- Rope and group safety equipment for the glacier crossing
- Entry to Baltit Fort
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 trekking gear: sturdy boots, sleeping bag, warm layers and waterproofs
- Rescue and evacuation costs, which your insurance must cover
- Extra nights, meals or transport caused by flight cancellations or road closures
Good to know before you book
How do I get there and back?
You fly from Islamabad to Gilgit, then drive up the Karakoram Highway: about 100 km to Karimabad and a further 50 km to Passu, which is about 145 km from Gilgit. Pakistan International Airlines flies the Gilgit route with ATR turboprops, and the flight needs good visibility. None of the driving on this trip is on the section of highway that the UK government advises against.
How hard is the trek, and do we really need a guide for the glacier?
Yes, you do. The walking is moderate, five to seven hours a day on steep but clear paths, except for the Passu Glacier, which you cross twice. The ice has deep crevasses and the safe line changes during the season, so the crossing is always led by a local guide who knows it, and the party is roped where needed. No previous glacier experience is required, but you need good balance, proper boots and a head for uneven ground.
Is altitude a problem?
You sleep at about 4,200 m on the fifth night after arriving in Pakistan, which is quick, so the first days are planned to help: nights in Karimabad and Passu at about 2,400 to 2,500 m, an acclimatisation walk at Passu, and a night at Luzhdur on the way up. If anyone is unwell at Luzhdur they stay there with staff and the others visit Patundas as a day walk. The trek can be stretched to four days, with a second night at Luzhdur, if you add a day to the trip.
What are the accommodation and food like?
In Islamabad, Karimabad, Passu and Gilgit you stay in comfortable hotels and guesthouses, the best available in the smaller places. On trek you sleep two nights in two-person tents and a cook prepares all meals. Nights at Patundas are often close to or below freezing, so bring a warm sleeping bag.
Do I need a permit?
No trekking permit is needed, because Patundas is 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, which your guide handles at the check posts on the highway; carry your passport and a few photocopies.
What happens if the Gilgit flight is cancelled?
Cancellations are common, so we always hold a road plan. Going north, we drive from Islamabad to Naran, about 245 km and six to seven hours, and next day over the Babusar Pass (4,173 m) to Karimabad, about 323 km and nine to eleven hours, which uses up day 3; the Batura viewpoint walk then moves to day 7. The Babusar road is usually open from late May or June until October or November and can be closed by floods in the monsoon. If both the flight and the pass are closed we wait or move your dates rather than drive the highway through Besham and Dasu, which the UK government advises against.
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