- Into the `Throne Room of the Mountain Gods`
- Awe-inspiring views of K2 from Concordia
- Dramatic Trango Towers
- The classic Karakoram range
- Trekking in Pakistan
Trekking in the heart Pakistan's Karakoram mountain range takes you to the glacial junction known as Concordia which is dominated by huge and encircling peaks. Just 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the precipitous south face of K2 (8611m / 28245ft) and nearer still to Broad Peak (8047m / 26395ft) and the stupendous Gasherbrum IV (7925m / 25995ft), this is unquestionably one of the most spectacular camping places on earth. Following generally good trails, our week-long walk into this remote area of Pakistan leads from the village of Askole through a veritable wilderness of rugged valleys and towering peaks. The scenery becomes daily more impressive as we trace a route across the moraines of the vast Baltoro Glacier, overshadowed by the sheer granite walls of the Trango Towers to our left and the shapely summit of Masherbrum (7821m / 25650ft) to the right. Including the option to walk from our camp at Concordia to K2 Basecamp, this universally acclaimed Karakoram trek is well within the capabilities of keen hillwalkers.
Trip Guide
This almost legendary walk up to Concordia is within the capabilities of any reasonably fit person. Our trekking pace in Pakistan is dictated to a great extent by the distances that the porters are prepared to walk and this means that we will usually walk for between four and six hours each day. This equates with around 6 to 8 miles per day, as walking speed is restricted by the altitude and by the sometimes difficult terrain. In the early stages of the trek we may encounter daytime temperatures in excess of 30°C / 85°F. In these circumstances we try to get as much of the days walk as is possible done before lunch. We have a rest day at Paiju and once on the Baltoro Glacier daytime temperatures are more comfortable whilst night-time temperatures become quite cold. The terrain on the glacier is mostly rubble and moraine debris, and usually we are following an undulating man made trail where rocks and boulders have been cleared to allow the passage of horses. Occasionally we may encounter short sections of ice but here the surface will generally be granulated and grit filled and can easily be walked on with ordinary boots. The trip is given a DEMANDING grade on account of the ruggedness of the terrain and the remote location.
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