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
Rakaposhi Base Camp Trek and Hunza
Rakaposhi (7,788 m) rises almost 6,000 m above the Hunza River, and its base camp at Tagaphari is among the easier base camps in the Karakoram to reach on foot. This trip pairs a three-day camping trek from the village of Minapin in Nagar with two nights in Karimabad, the old capital of Hunza, flying in and out of Gilgit.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Starts and ends
- Islamabad
- Best months
- June to September
- Effort
- Moderate: three days of walking on a clear path, with one steep morning
- Highest point
- About 3,500 m on the ridge above Tagaphari (published figures for the base camp range from 3,260 to 3,500 m)
- Price
- Quoted in USD
The route
Day by day
- Camp at Tagaphari beside the Minapin Glacier, facing Rakaposhi (7,788 m) and Diran (7,266 m)
- A short ridge walk above base camp with views north to the Batura, Passu and Ultar peaks
- Baltit Fort and Altit Fort in Karimabad
- The Rakaposhi viewpoint at Ghulmet on the Karakoram Highway
- 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, Hunza or Nagar. 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 3,500 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
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. On the way you stop at Ghulmet, the closest roadside view of Rakaposhi's north face.
Overnight: Karimabad
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Day 3
Karimabad
A day on foot at 2,400 m to acclimatise. You visit Baltit Fort, the home of the rulers of Hunza until 1945 and now a museum, and the older Altit Fort nearby. Late in the afternoon you drive 15 to 20 minutes up to the viewpoint at Duikar for the evening light on the valley.
Overnight: Karimabad
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Day 4
Drive to Minapin and trek to Hapakun
You drive about 32 km, roughly an hour, back down the highway to Minapin in Nagar, on the south side of the Hunza River at about 2,000 m, where the porters load up. The path climbs steadily for about 6 km, three to five hours depending on pace, to the pasture at Hapakun at about 2,800 m. Camp is set up when you arrive.
Overnight: Hapakun (camp)
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Day 5
Trek Hapakun to Tagaphari, Rakaposhi Base Camp
A short, steep morning of about 3 km and two to three hours brings you to Tagaphari, the grassy base camp beside the Minapin Glacier. In the afternoon a half-hour climb to the ridge above camp gives a wide view of Rakaposhi, Diran and the glacier, and north to the Batura, Passu and Ultar peaks. You do not cross the glacier on this trek.
Overnight: Tagaphari (camp)
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Day 6
Trek down to Minapin and drive to Gilgit
After sunrise on the mountain you walk back down to Minapin in about four hours. Your vehicle meets you there for the drive of about 75 km, one and a half to two hours, to Gilgit, where you have a hotel room and a hot shower.
Overnight: Gilgit
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Day 7
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 8
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, 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 or pack animals for group equipment and one personal kit bag each
- Local entry fee on the Minapin trail and entry to Baltit Fort and Altit 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: 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 about 100 km up the Karakoram Highway to Karimabad; Minapin is about 75 km from Gilgit, just off the highway. 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 fit do I need to be, and is altitude a problem?
This is a good first trek in the Karakoram. The path is clear and you walk three to five hours a day, but it climbs about 1,300 to 1,500 m from Minapin to base camp, and the second morning is steep. Splitting the climb at Hapakun, after two nights in Karimabad at 2,400 m, keeps the height gain gentle. Strong walkers who are short of time can do the trek in two days with one night at Tagaphari.
What are the accommodation and food like?
In Islamabad, Karimabad 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 base camp can be close to freezing at either end of the season, so bring a warm sleeping bag.
Do I need a permit or a guide?
No trekking permit is needed, because the route is in an open zone, and the path to base camp is clear. 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. Crossing the Minapin Glacier towards Diran Base Camp or Kacheli Lake is a different matter: it has large crevasses and needs a local guide, and it is not part of this itinerary.
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 on day 2, about 245 km and six to seven hours, and from Naran over the Babusar Pass (4,173 m) to Karimabad on day 3, about 323 km and nine to eleven hours; the Karimabad sightseeing is then fitted in around the trek. 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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