K2 Gondogoro La Trek
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K2 Base Camp Trek — Skardu to Skardu
A 15-day, trek-only walk from Skardu up the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and K2 Base Camp and back, on the same route as our 20-day trek but with fewer spare days.
- 15 Days
- Challenging
- 5,150 m (K2 Base Camp)
- June – September
At a glance
Duration15 Days
GradeChallenging
Max altitude5,150 m (K2 Base Camp)
Group size2–14
Best seasonJune – September
Start / endSkardu
TypeTrekking
RegionSkardu
Group pricing
Per person in USD, full-board — the larger your group, the lower the per-person cost. We confirm your exact all-in figure in writing before any deposit.
| Group size | Per person |
|---|---|
| 7–10 people | $1,750 |
| 4–6 people | $2,050 |
| 1–3 people | $2,550 |
Excludes international flights, Pakistan visa, insurance, personal equipment and tips.
Fixed 2027 departures
Guaranteed small-group dates for the 2027 season. Prefer your own dates? Every trip can also run privately inside its season window.
| 20 Jun 2027 → 4 Jul 2027 | Book this date |
|---|---|
| 5 Jul 2027 → 19 Jul 2027 | Book this date |
| 20 Jul 2027 → 3 Aug 2027 | Book this date |
| 5 Aug 2027 → 19 Aug 2027 | Book this date |
| 18 Aug 2027 → 1 Sept 2027 | Book this date |
Trip highlights
- K2 Base Camp at about 5,150 m, at the foot of K2 (8,611 m)
- Two nights at Concordia, where the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers meet
- Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum peaks in view from Concordia
- The Trango Towers and Uli Biaho from Urdukas
- Paiju, the last green camp before the glacier
- Non-technical: no ropes or crampons, and no pass to cross
- Trek-only, Skardu to Skardu, in 15 days
Overview
This 15-day trek follows the Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan's Karakoram to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, starting and ending in Skardu. It is the trek-only version of our full K2 Base Camp Trek and suits fit walkers who are used to long days on rough ground and nights above 4,000 m.
From Skardu a jeep takes us to Askole, the last village in the Braldu valley. We then walk via Jhola to Paiju and onto the Baltoro Glacier, following it through Khoburtse, Urdukas and Goro II to Concordia (about 4,600 m), where the Baltoro meets the Godwin-Austen Glacier. A day trip from Concordia reaches K2 Base Camp (about 5,150 m) at the foot of K2 (8,611 m), with Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum peaks in view. The return follows the same route back to Askole and Skardu.
Compared with our 20-day K2 Base Camp Trek, which runs Islamabad to Islamabad, this version begins and ends in Skardu, covers the trek only and builds in fewer spare days. You arrange your own flights between Islamabad and Skardu. That is what makes it shorter and lower in price; the route to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, and the mountains around it, are the same.
The trek is non-technical. It needs no ropes, crampons or climbing skills, and it does not include the Gondogoro La pass. It is still demanding: days of five to ten hours on foot over loose moraine and glacier, nights at Concordia that fall well below freezing even in summer, and a compressed schedule with little time for slow acclimatisation. Previous multi-day trekking, ideally with some time above 4,000 m, is a real advantage.
When to come
The Baltoro is walked from June to September, and the month you choose changes the trek. With so little slack in the plan, it is worth choosing the window carefully.
- June: early season, colder, with more snow lying on the glacier and at the higher camps.
- July to August: the core of the season, with generally more stable weather and more people at Concordia, as expeditions for K2 and Broad Peak are on the mountains.
- September: cooler and often clear, with shorter days and a greater chance of early snow as the season closes.
- October to May: outside the season; snow and cold make the Baltoro impractical for trekking.
Itinerary
15 stages over 15 days, starting and finishing in Skardu. Routes can be shortened, extended or privately dated.
Meet your guide in Skardu (about 2,230 m) for a trek briefing, a check of your kit and a last chance to buy anything you need. We handle the registration and paperwork for the trek. Keep the day easy; Kharpocho Fort above the town is a short, gentle walk if you want to stretch your legs.
A jeep drive of five to seven hours takes us up the Shigar valley and along the narrowing Braldu valley to Askole (about 3,000 m), the last village before the glacier. The track is rough in places and the landscape turns barer as the valley closes in. We camp at Askole, where the porters join the team.
The trek begins on the path beside the Braldu River, crossing side streams on the way to Jhola, where we camp. A jeep track now follows part of this valley, so how much of the stretch is walked depends on its condition.
We continue up the Braldu valley as the walls steepen and the vegetation thins, to Paiju (about 3,400 m), the last place on the route with trees and grass. Camp at Paiju.
This is the one rest day in the plan, used for acclimatisation, washing and sorting kit, and as our margin if an earlier day has run late. A short walk to a viewpoint for the Trango Towers is the usual outing. The crew prepares loads and supplies for the glacier.
A short walk from Paiju brings us to the snout of the Baltoro Glacier, where the route climbs onto the moraine and stays on or beside the ice all the way to Concordia. The walking is over loose rock and rolling ridges, with the Trango Towers and Uli Biaho in view. We camp at Khoburtse on the edge of the glacier.
A shorter day along the glacier to Urdukas, a camp on a ledge above the ice and the last before the camps on the glacier itself. Across the Baltoro stand the granite spires of the Trango Towers, Uli Biaho and the Cathedral Towers, and Gasherbrum IV can appear in clear weather.
A long day over rough moraine and ice, keeping to the middle of the glacier. Masherbrum comes into view, and the first distant sight of Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum peaks appears ahead. Goro II is a cold, often windy camp on the glacier.
Five to six hours of walking through open glacier country bring us to Concordia (about 4,600 m), where the Baltoro meets the Godwin-Austen Glacier. K2 comes into view if the weather allows, with Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum peaks also in sight. We camp here for two nights, and temperatures drop well below freezing even in summer.
A long day out and back from Concordia up the Godwin-Austen Glacier to K2 Base Camp (about 5,150 m), at the foot of K2 (8,611 m). The route is non-technical but rough underfoot, over moraine and glacial streams, and the camp has memorials to climbers who have died on the mountain, among them the Gilkey Memorial. We return to Concordia for the night, which keeps our sleeping altitude lower.
What’s included
Included
- All ground transport in Pakistan as per itinerary
- Experienced native English-speaking guide
- Hotel accommodation on the road sections
- Full camping equipment and kitchen crew on trek
- All meals during the trekking / climbing period
- Porters for group and personal equipment (within weight limit)
- Trekking / climbing permits and national park fees
- Government liaison officer where required
Not included
- International flights to and from Pakistan
- Pakistan visa fee
- Personal travel and high-altitude rescue insurance
- Personal climbing and trekking equipment
- Tips for guides, cooks and porters
- Any expenses of a personal nature
These are the standard inclusions for our trekking programmes and are confirmed in writing on your final itinerary before any payment is taken.
Questions about this trip
Both follow the Baltoro route to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, so it is the same mountain experience. This 15-day version starts and ends in Skardu, covers the trek only and has fewer spare days, which is why it is shorter and lower in price. The 20-day trek runs Islamabad to Islamabad and builds the flights to and from Skardu, an extra day in Skardu, more time around Concordia and a contingency day into the itinerary.
No. The route to Concordia and K2 Base Camp is a non-technical walk on moraine and glacier, with no fixed ropes, and this itinerary does not cross the Gondogoro La. What it asks for is fitness and stamina for long days on rough ground at altitude.
Flights are not included; you arrange your own between Islamabad and Skardu. They are often delayed or cancelled when cloud sits on the mountains, so we recommend flying to Skardu a day before Day 1 if you can, and leaving a few days' margin before your flight home, as the plan has no spare day.
Concordia is at about 4,600 m and K2 Base Camp at about 5,150 m. The ascent is gradual, with a rest day at Paiju and two nights at Concordia before the visit to base camp, but the schedule is compressed and people react to altitude unpredictably, so earlier experience above 4,000 m helps.
This is graded challenging. You should be comfortable walking for several hours a day, on rough ground, across 15 Days. Porters carry the main loads; you carry a light daypack. If you tell us your recent hill days we will give you an honest answer.
The reliable window is June – September. Outside that, conditions on the route make it either unsafe or not worth the money. We can run private departures on any dates inside that window.
2–14. Smaller and private groups are available and often cost less per head than you would expect — ask us for a quote on your own dates.
The headline is the per-person rate for a standard group of 7–10; smaller groups pay a little more per head because fixed costs — guide, permits, liaison officer and transport — are shared across fewer people. Prices are full-board, and we confirm your exact all-in total in writing before any deposit.
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