The Baltoro Glacier. Concordia. Four 8,000m peaks in a single view. The greatest wilderness walk on Earth.
The K2 Base Camp trek is not a hike. It is an expedition on foot through one of the most remote and spectacular landscapes on the planet. The Baltoro Glacier — 63km long, the longest glacier outside the polar regions — is your path. Along it, you walk past Trango Towers, Cathedral Peaks, Lobsang Spire, and Masherbrum before arriving at Concordia, where four 8,000m peaks converge in a single visual field: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II.
K2 (8,611m) is Earth's second highest mountain, but in the view from its base camp it feels like the highest — it is dramatically steeper and more pyramidal than Everest, rising from glacier to summit without the false summits and rounded ridges that make Everest feel approachable from a distance.
I haven't done the full K2 BC trek — I'll be honest about that. But I've spoken to dozens of people who have, arranged logistics for groups going in, and know the Skardu end of this operation well. What follows is accurate to the best of my knowledge and contacts.
| Start/end point | Askole village, 3 hours from Skardu by jeep |
| Total distance | ~120km roundtrip (Askole → K2 BC → Askole) |
| Duration | 16–21 days depending on rest days and itinerary |
| Max altitude | K2 BC: 5,150m. Concordia: 4,600m. |
| Best months | June, July, August (in that order of quality) |
| Permits | Baltoro Restricted Zone permit required. Rs.4,000 Pakistanis / USD 50 foreigners. |
| Porters | Mandatory above Concordia for foreign trekkers. Hire in Askole or pre-arrange in Skardu. |
| Guide | Optional but strongly recommended. Hire from Skardu. |
| Self-organised cost (Pakistani) | Rs.150,000–250,000 all-in (permit, jeep, porters, food, camping) |
| Agency cost | Rs.400,000–800,000 depending on service level |
Skardu → Askole (Day 0): 3-hour jeep drive from Skardu to Askole (3,015m) — the last village with any infrastructure. Buy final supplies here. Meet porters. Permits checked.
Askole → Jhola → Paiju (Days 1–3): The first stretch follows the Braldu River gorge. Rocky paths, river crossings, increasingly dramatic canyon walls. Paiju (3,400m) is the last vegetation before the glacier — rest day here is important for acclimatisation.
Paiju → Baltoro Glacier Entry → Urdukas (Days 4–6): The glacier begins at Khoburtse. The walk on ice is morainal — rocky debris on top makes it feel like hiking on rough ground rather than ice, but the glacier is always there. Urdukas (4,050m) has epic views.
Urdukas → Concordia (Days 7–9): The route deepens into the glacier. Trango Towers appear. Cathedral Group appears. You are now in the middle of the greatest concentration of high peaks on Earth. Concordia (4,600m) is the junction of three glaciers — K2 is directly ahead.
Concordia → K2 BC (Day 10): 15km across glacier to K2 BC (5,150m). The mountain grows with every step. At base camp, you are at the foot of a mountain whose summit is 3,461m directly above you.
Agencies in Lahore and Islamabad sell "K2 Base Camp treks" for Rs.800,000–1,500,000 per person. The experience inside those packages is essentially identical to what you can arrange yourself for Rs.150,000–250,000. What you're paying for is Islamabad-based project management, which costs you Rs.600,000 in margin.
| Permit (Pakistani) | Rs.4,000 (Baltoro Restricted Zone) |
| Permit (foreign) | USD 50 (~Rs.14,000) |
| Jeep Skardu → Askole return | Rs.15,000–22,000 (full jeep, 6 people) |
| Porter (per person per day) | Rs.2,000–2,500 plus food and equipment |
| Guide (from Skardu) | Rs.3,000–5,000/day |
| Camp cook | Rs.2,000–2,500/day |
| Food (self-catered) | Rs.1,500–2,500/day depending on camp food choices |
| Emergency evacuation insurance | Mandatory for foreigners; strongly recommended for Pakistanis. Rs.15,000–30,000 for the trip. |
The K2 BC trek has several topics that deserve dedicated pages:
Also worth reading: Concordia trek guide (14 days, turns back at Concordia instead of K2 BC) and Gondogoro La traverse (crosses from Hushe Valley to Concordia for a one-way circuit).