To start your registration process, please fill out the registration form (click the green “register now and pay later” button) on this page. We will get in touch with you once you submit your form.
We can organize solo treks if your dates do not match our dates of departures or if you enjoy hiking solo (with the guide – government requirement).
Solo treks cost more than trekking in a group. However, it is important to understand that a trip to K2 is not possible without a guide and most importantly porters (even when a guest does not ask for them). Reason: According to law, guides do not carry anything. They require porters to carry tents, food supplies, equipments, gas, personal luggage etc for everyone including the porters themselves. Unlike Nepal, there are no tea-houses or any other arrangements. The supplies for 12-14 days has to be taken there.
On our fixed departures, people travel in groups but on the trail almost everyone walks alone and the guide walks behind the last person of the group. One of the assistants/porters walks in front of the group. The difference between the first and last person can go up to 1-2 hours. No one is rushed since all treks on Baltoro are very long and everyone sets his or her own pace.
We also organize treks for private groups. If you are interested to trek in a separate group with your own friends or family, please get in touch and inform us about your dates that are suitable to your group.
The cost of treks for private groups decreases as the number of people increase in a group.
It would be very reasonable to spend some time to prepare yourself before your departure. You can seek professional advice from a professional trainers or on the other hand you should follow the fundamental rules (hike, long walks and other cardio exercises that will help you build stamina) knowing the fact that your body should be healthy enough to walk for long hours, ascend for hours on rugged terrain from boulders to dirt, from snow to glacial ice.
During the trekking holiday, you will experience a variation in temperature. In Islamabad up to 45 °C in Islamabad, 30 °C in Skardu and 26 °C in Askoli. A normal day will be warms unless the clouds cover the sky, until we reach at camp at Concordia where the temperature can be as less as 10 °C or more. Towards the Gondogoro La Pass the slopes leading towards it will be snow covered until early July.
In June we might walk on the snow on higher parts of Baltoro Glacier. The snow normally melts by mid-July. Depending on the weather conditions you might experience snow fall in August and September. Karakoram Range is unpredictable when it comes to temperatures. During anytime of the trekking period temperature might fall down to -10 °C in areas between Paiju and Concordia.
Fixed Departures in the month of Septemeber can go even lower than -10 °C. Monsoon rains do not have any effect on the Karakoram Range which makes the summers the best time providing bright skies for the trek. However based on our past experiences since the weather is unpredictable, the participants must be prepared to face any unfavorable weather conditions.
It is very common that the participants at least tip the hardworking porters for their jobs that include carrying loads of supplies and luggage. If the participants are satisfied with the services of the guide kitchen crew, assistant(s)a contribution can be made consisting 95-120 Euros (or equivalent in your currency) would cover total cost of this element. Tour guide/leader will be key in helping with the tip amount for all crew and staff members of our trek. At the conclusion a “thank you’’ ceremony will be organized for participants to handover the tips. Those porters who leave early will be tipped earlier
During this trek, all three meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be served to the participants. A combination of Foreign and Pakistani meals will be included in our food plan. The ingredients for the food will be procured in Pakistan. Breakfasts will have coffee, cereal, tea, eggs, muesli/porridge, bread/chapatti included. Lunches will be consumed during lunch breaks on the trek with options include canned/tinned meals (meat, fish), pickles, crackers, chapatti, pate, cheese etc. Weather has a very important role in deciding our lunch menu for the day; the participants will begin the lunch with consuming or end it with tea or coffee, juice, soup etc.
The dinner will always be served in the mess tent and the participants will gather to eat the food freshly prepared by the cooks travelling with our group. The first few days of the trekking, fresh vegetables will be served in food as long as they are fresh and healthy. All the participants who are vegetarian, they must communicate with our office and inform us on advance basis if they need a vegetarian food plan during the trek.
During the trek, Iodized water will be available for the participants throughout the mornings, while taking breaks and camping. Everyone will be consuming spring water every time its available otherwise if we run out of options the participants may drink glacier water that possibly have silt. The kitchen containers which are very large in size are used to keep the water storage and it is also helpful in settling down the silt particles at the bottom. If any participants have any issue with odor of iodine, they may bring their own supplies of bi-carbonated soda. Traditional methods are effective and work very well for everyone there is no harm in the experimentation of new methods.
The participants on the day 1 must arrive at Islamabad International Airport, Islamabad. Our staff/guide will receive our guest at the gates of International arrivals in the airport premises. The guide/staff will escort the guest to their hotel. In case any of our guest does not require pick up from the airport he/she must inform us in advance
They must also give us the details of their flights both inbound and outbound two days prior to their arrival in Pakistan. Upon confirmation of your registration and payments, our office will send you the names and contact numbers of our office personnel.
While few nights will be spent in the capital city of Islamabad and the town of Skardu, the rest of the nights will consist of camping in tents between the magnificent mountains. The accommodation arrangement is Islamabad is of standard hotels while our hotels selected in Skardu town are among the best. Rooms at our provided hotels will be on twin sharing basis with en-suite amenities.
At the time of camping, the participants will be sharing a tent fit for two persons. If any participant is coming alone on this trek he/she will be accommodated with one of the other member for tent and room sharing. For strangers and solo trekkers, first preference will be given to same gender stays. Nevertheless, a participant can opt for separate tent of hotel rooms as he/she likes, however additional cost will be incurred for making separate arrangement. Any participants seeking separate accommodation must inform our office in advance.
During the trekking days, Our guide will wake up the participants for coffee or a warm cup of tea which we be followed by a decent breakfast inside the mess tent. There will be plenty time before the breakfast to pack the bags. After the breakfast the camps will be closed and the porters will get back to their work handling supplies and luggage ahead of the participants to reach at the lunch site and make preparation for meals. Porters will repeat the process as they will follow ‘trek earlier’ approach in order to prepare dinner for the participants. Standard trek duration before the lunch will be between 3-4 hours.
Generally one hour is required for the lunch which makes it a very good time to gain your strength back, relax, write and read etc.
Trekking after the lunch will be shorter as compared to trek before the lunch. Once you arrive at the next camp site, the camps will already be setup or in progress. Upon arrival to the camp the participants will be served a hot beverage and dinner will be served when it’s prepared. Participants can rest, read, write, socialize, film and photograph upon reaching a camp. Temperature decreases at night normally, participants can get comfortable in their sleeping bags and get a good sleep before next day.
To reach Skardu, the participants will take a flight which is subject to weather conditions as the region is surrounded by high altitude mountains and it requires a clear visibility in order to operate. Most of the times the flights operate as per schedule but there are always a chance of flight cancellation due to bad weather conditions. In that case the participants will continue their journey by road (Karakoram Highway), this will be the backup plan to reach Skardu on time as we cannot take a risk to take the flight the other day, complex airline booking for following route and high traffic flow is also a reason to continue the journey by road.
Participants must be very aware of other companieswhich offer this trek that might result in increased waiting time in hope of taking the flight; this will end up in causing you non-completion of the long-awaited trek on time.
We recommend the participants to read the necessary foreign travel information advices on their respective foreign office’s website. The travellers on EU residents can find the required information on the ‘Travel Advice’ section on the website of European Commission. Participants other than EU Nations can look up to their respective foreign office websites. Some of these websites does not allow their citizens to drive on Karakoram Highway, but most of these websites are not updated. In case of flight cancellation, kindly take note that the participants will be travelling on the Karakoram Highway then from Jaglot (Gilgit) they will be travelling on Gilgit-Skardu Road.
Travelling on Karakoram Highway is one of best experiences in Pakistan for both domestic and foreign tourist. These great highway offers one the best views and the participants will travel on this road they will find indigenous communities throughout the trip. Many of the foreign tourists have found this thrilling road trip a plus and never regretted travelling on this road. We recommend the participants must seek more information on traveling coverage from your insurance company. If your insurance company does not provide full coverage for your trekking holiday, You might want to look for other companies. For example in UK, you can consult British Mountaineering Council for good solutions.
Our professional guide will manage all the participants for the complete trekking holiday. These guides have government granted licenses which is recognized from Pakistan’s Tourism Department. During this trek our guide will be the focal person for any kind of assistance, communication, help or any kind of complaints and feedback. These guides have a background of working with foreign tourist in the past and have facilitated many of them from around the world. English is widely spoken our guides.
They are trained to have a very professional interaction with the participants, we recommend the participants to keep a very friendly relation yet professional with their respective guide. In case you are a private group with several members and a speaker of a different language like Spanish, we will try to reschedule our Spanish speaking guide (If available). Other than guide kitchen crew, assistance depending on the size of the group and porters will accompany the participants on this trekking holiday.
The porters are the locals and belong to villages around these areas and most of them are small subsistence farmers. During the trekking season they engage themselves for porter jobs while their kids take care of the farms. They are very welcoming and tourist friendly people who keep the environment healthy in these remote regions by having laughs, singing and dancing whenever they get a chance. These indigenous communities of porters and their elders have been affiliated with this industry from decades and watching the porters with such unbelievable energy is another important experience this holiday offers.
Other than your trekking holiday cost you may carry amount of 250 USD/ 240 EUR/ 1700 CNY/ 200 GBP (or equivalent amount in your local currency). This amount can be used for other expenses and tipping the supporting staff and porters. Upon arrival at the airport you can exchange your currency to Pakistani Rupee, for a good conversion you may seek help from our office.
Any tip to porters will be in Pakistani Rupees or any other shopping you want to do in Pakistan.US Dollars can be easily exchanged in most of the areas but we advise one-time exchange. For shopping in Islamabad credit cards come handy for any shopping of gifts/souvenirs or items like rugs. In Islamabad and Skardu Town Automated Teller Machines will be available to withdraw cash from credit/debit cards but you will be only able to with draw Pakistani Rupees.
All the luggage/baggage will be carried by the porters which includes equipment, supplies etc. 12.5(20 pounds) kilograms is the limit maximum for packed trekking bag. The maximum limit of load will include sleeping bag and sleep mattress. It is very important to bring only required items on the trek. Parts of your luggage can be left at the Skardu Hotel.
The maximum limit of 12.5 kilograms which is strictly followed is assigned by the organization of local porters. On this trek, the mountaineering equipment will not be included in personal baggage allowance (12.5kg). The mountaineering equipment will be collected from you in Skardu that porters will carry separately.
All our potential guests must read and know the different elevations mentioned for each trekking day above. This is a hard trek at a very high altitude. But do not worry yourself humans are gifted to become familiar to high elevations, the participants must acclimatize to our well-planned itinerary. The maximum elevations depending on your choice of trek are given below.
Gondogoro La Height/Elevation: 5,585 meters
K2 base camp height/Elevation: 5,130 meters
We provide three lists for all our k2 holidays. List 1 includes must-bring items for all our K2 adventures. List 2 is only for treks that include the Gondogoro La pass. The 3rd list contains items that you may need during your trekking holiday. Based on your past experience and judgment you may select equipment or things required from 3rd list.
List 1 - Must Bring Items:
- First Aid Pack (Diamox (Altitude), Dioralite (re-hydration salts), antiseptic cream, blister treatment, throat lozenges, plasters, Imodium (diarrhea treatment), painkillers)
- Hiking Backpack (Day Pack) 32-42 Litres
- Fleece jacket with hood or a warm jumper
- Mittens or gloves
- Gloves (Thermal)
- Headtorch with spare batteries
- Hiking boots (over the ankle boots. low cut boots not recommended)
- Sleeping bag (-16°C comfort rated)
- Sandals (sports) or old shoes (to cross rivers)
- Sun protection cream (including total block for nose, lips etc.)
- Sunglasses
- Sunhat
- Thermarest or any similar mat/pad for sleeping
- Warm hat
- Warm jacket (down)
- Water bottles 1litre (x2)
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof over-trousers
- Antibacterial hand wash
- Shirts/T-shirts
- Small towel
- Socks
- Spare laces
- Underwear (normal and thermal)
- Trekking poles (highly recommended)
- Wash-bag and toiletries
- Walking socks (2/3 pairs)
- Baselayer - leggings (Thermal)
- Trekking Trousers
- Baselayer thermal shirts (2 long sleeves, 2 short sleeves)
List 2 - Mountaineering Equipments (for Gondogoro Pass treks only):
- Crampons
- Mountaineering boots (compatible with your crampons. Minimum Grade B2. Many trekkers including the guide/porters use their hiking shoes with crampons as mountaineering boots are required on one day only. However we are not suggesting you do the same.
- Ice axe (Few people including the guide/porters don’t bring ice axe and do fine. We are not suggesting you to do the same)
- Climbing harness
- Karabiner/Carabiner (screwgate type x 2)
- Climbing helmet
- Prusik loops X two (2) - (4 meters of 6 mm cord makes up 2)
- Sling (120 cm)
List 3 - Optional:
- Buff or scarf
- Small padlock (for locking your bag)
- Camera
- Insect repellant
- Pen-knife (important: pack sharp tools in hold luggage)
- Repair kit (e.g. thread, needle, duct tape)
- Liner (for sleeping bag)
- Travel clothes
Below are a few options where you can shop online for this trek.
Yes, a few equipments (e.g. crampons, mountaineering boots, harness, climbing helmet etc) can be rented and purchased in Skardu town but it is not guaranteed that you will find the right size or the right price. The few mountain equipment stores in Skardu wait all year long to sell/rent these equipments at the best price possible. These equipments are used/second-hand equipments available in the market and not always reliable. The rents for these equipments are not fixed. If we are informed in advance, we can make arrangements.
To conduct the “Fixed departures” a registration number of six (6) participants is required. We receive several guest numbers for each of our fixed departures. We believe it is important to communicate it with our potential guest.
However you can make sure of the holiday status on our website and page. Status “available” means that we are accepting further registration from our guests while “guaranteed” means we have achieved the required number of guests and the trip will start as per the given dates. We will be in touch with our registered guests constantly. The guidance will be given step by step regarding flights reservations to Pakistan and visa applications etc.
To apply for visa to Pakistan, a passport is required with at least later than 6 months. For more updated and reliable information we advise you to contact the nearest Pakistan’s Consulate in your city or country. We believe you will responsibly carry the task of ensuring right documents required for travel. If an individual is visit non-EU nations, the individual must ensure 2 vacant pages in his/her passport (travel documents) for each country you are planning to travel.
Tourist (Visit) Visa is normally required for individuals who are visiting Pakistan for trekking, foreigners already living in Pakistan on work visas require a No-Objection-Certificate (NOC) which normally takes up to 6 week time. It taken around 200 USD for visa fee but our recommendation still stays with consulting Pakistan’s High Commission or Consulate nearby. An invitation letter from us (Apricot Tours) and at times a copy of “government trekking permit” for the group is required to apply for Pakistani Visa. We will assist you in obtaining the visa by providing you the necessary documents once you register with us. The trekking permit is not compulsory to apply for visa.
A relevant doctor of health consultant should be consulted before travelling to Pakistan. You should consult the doctors for any necessary vaccination, communicate your plan and list down every prevention measures. Our guest must be secured with the approved vaccines and boosters in your country and also consider discretionary vaccine shots for example Malaria prophylaxis. Although Malaria does not exist in parts of Islamabad. Your accommodation will be in safe and clean areas. However there are reports of Malaria and Dengue cases during rainy season in hospitals in Islamabad.
Even though there a little but chances of Malaria in Skardu and other towns of Gilgit-Baltistan. Long pants, Long sleeves and mosquito repellents eliminate the chances of getting infected by Malaria but as a best practice it is better to get the relevant vaccine to avoid any of it during the trekking holiday. Consulting a dentist is also recommended before commencing the holiday in the remote mountainous region.
After the trek, all the guests who wish to extend their stay up to 4 (four) weeks or further must know that on exit from the country, a proof of vaccinations will be required if you are coming from countries (more than 12 hours transit country also included) with serious threats of transmission of yellow fever.
For more information kindly visit this website, this will be very helpful in getting the relevant information.
Portable chargers, storage cards and extra batteries may be required during the trekking holiday. We advise you to make a relevant list of adapters, sockets and any other kind of electrical items you might require to keep your devices function as long as possible.
To find out the best portable battery chargers please visit this link.
We recommend and support all travel and safety of health campaigns by different countries around the world and there for strongly advice our guest to take out some time to read official travel advisory on their countries Foreign office’s website. The safety of our guest is our top most priority. We will only start the trips once we are satisfied with safety and security. We will be always in touch with the guest booked for Pakistan and have a bilateral communication.
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