Islamabad House
Hotel or lodge, twin sharing
9 days, planned by Kestrel High Routes
Nine days up the Karakoram Highway to a pass at 4,693 m on the Chinese border.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Faisal Mosque |
| Margalla Hills |
| Islamabad |
The Gilgit flight is spectacular and cancels often. The road alternative is fourteen hours, and the itinerary holds a day for exactly that.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Nanga Parbat from the air |
| Gilgit |
| Rakaposhi |
Baltit is around seven hundred years old and was restored through the nineties by the Aga Khan trust, which is why it is still standing.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Baltit Fort |
| Altit Fort |
| Rakaposhi |
| Ultar Sar |
From Duikar you see Rakaposhi, Diran and Golden Peak at once, and the light on them lasts about twenty minutes.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Eagle's Nest |
| Rakaposhi |
| Diran |
| Golden Peak |
The landslide dammed the river in 2010, drowned four villages and cut the highway for five years. The lake it left is the colour of antifreeze.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Attabad Lake |
| Passu Cones |
| Hussaini bridge |
| Batura glacier |
The pass is open roughly May to November and the border gate itself is usually shut to foot traffic. Going up and coming back is the trip.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Khunjerab Pass |
| Khunjerab National Park |
| Chinese border |
The channels are hand-cut irrigation ditches running along the valley wall, and the paths beside them are the best easy walking in Hunza.
| LANDMARKS |
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| Karakoram Highway |
| Hunza water channels |
| Karimabad |
The spare day exists here too. If the flight cancels, the road takes the night.
Islamabad connects through the Gulf to most of the world.
Day 1 · Fri, 18 Sept, 2026
Most of these can be added to your booking later — the operator confirms within a day.
Published by the operator. Nights on the ground can move with weather and permissions.
Hotel or lodge, twin sharing
Hotel or lodge, twin sharing
Hotel or lodge, twin sharing
8 breakfasts and 7 dinners across 9 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 9.
15 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
“Himalayan trekking with a fixed guide ratio and no offloading surcharge”
Started by two IMF-qualified leaders who were tired of watching groups of thirty share one guide. Ratios are written into the price and are not negotiable downward.
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Solid operator.
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Recommended.
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones. Solid operator.
Long transfer at both ends that isn't obvious from the listing. Budget a day either side. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it.
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
Gilgit-Baltistan in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. Rooms were comfortable and the locations meant we could walk most evenings. Crew were professional without being stiff about it. Worth every rupee.
The trek itself is good but the group was too large for the trail on the summit day.
Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.
Did this over 9 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Crew were professional without being stiff about it. Good value for what's included.
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Good value for what's included.
Read your own government's advisory in full. Most place Gilgit-Baltistan differently from the rest of the country, and several regions elsewhere in Pakistan carry do-not-travel warnings this itinerary does not enter. Insurance must specifically cover Pakistan and many policies exclude it by default. Both operators will tell you exactly which districts the route passes through if you ask, and you should ask.
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →