Today you have a truly outstanding flight into Skardu; a spectacular 45-minute hop over the Indus River gorge, with phenomenal window views of Nanga Parbat (8,126m). On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. (If the flight to Skardu is cancelled due to weather, then a road transfer by the Karakoram Highway would be provided.)

Dedicated to the finalizing the mountaineering official permits with GB tourism department. Your expedition team will arrange everything; meanwhile you may spent the day strolling around the ancient Skardu Bazaar or leisurely spent time on the relaxing shores of the Upper Kachura Lake.

We’re into the deep Shigar Valley this afternoon aboard sturdy 4x4 jeeps, roaring past rivers and isolated village hamlets until we arrive at Askole-the historic starting point for all major Karakoram expeditions. Our first campsite of the trip will be pitched tonight.

Here, our foot journey truly begins. We walk along the valley of the Braldu River over an extensive terrain of sand and stone. After crossing the suspension bridge over Dumordo River we will reach our set-up campsite along the river bank at Jhola.

We walk up an easy, but consistent incline as the true magnitude of the mountains becomes apparent. The dry desert landscape slowly gives way to a welcome, somewhat unique, grove of willow trees at Paiju. We see for the first time, from the campsite, the immense Baltoro Glacier snout.

A required and properly timed rest day is vital to enable your body to adapt to altitude. The high altitude rations will be packed and weighed by our climbing team. The local Balti porters may put on an evening of songs and dances to get everyone in the mood for the trip.

We are now standing on the giant moraine of the Baltoro Glacier, clambering over ice and rocks on a very active trail offering fantastic views of the Trango Towers and the Cathedral Spire. We are making camp tonight on the lateral moraine at Khoburtse.

After negotiating the steep, treacherous glacial ridges to reach it, the trek culminates in the stunning, but often grueling, Urdukas campsite on a grass terrace at the edge of the cliff, overlooking an imposing amphitheater of granite peaks.

We push straight up the centre spine of the glacier, leaving the ice sails towering above us and leaving the world vegetation behind and enter into an alien land of rock and ice. Tonight we sleep at the top of Goro II.

A highlight of the trip. We march into Concordia where the two largest glaciers of Karakoram meet - the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen. Called the "Throne Room of the Mountain Gods", it's the only place in the world you can step from your tent and see all of the five highest mountains in the world. You can even gaze at K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums in one go.

From this central point, we then venture up the Uper Abruzzi Glacier until the Gasherbrum massif itself appears before us. By early afternoon, our advance camp is in place on this staging post for our attempt on both of these giants of the eighth thousand, starting with G II (8,035m).

All three days are allocated to our base camp setup high up at the altitude, fine-tuning of our remote high-altitude comm systems, and of course, gear check for all technical climbing equipment. Team climbers will have rest walk to keep them energized, do checks of their portable oxygen setups and perform a classic safety Puja ceremony together with our high-altitude guides.

During this challenging 25 day mountaineering expedition, our select team of climbers conduct a high altitude rotation. The team will setup, supply and sleep at Camps 1, 2, 3, and 4. The team will travel across difficult mixed ice and snow slopes, building acclimatisation while our expert guides analyse weather patterns and identify the optimum summit window to begin a bid to the 8,080 meter summit.

Essential Karakoram Itinerary Buffer Day, Essential Karakoram itinerary This contingency day allows the team to wait out high winds or deep snow should the weather decide not to cooperate during this critical, protected phase of the expedition.

Essential Karakoram Itinerary Buffer Day, Essential Karakoram itinerary This contingency day allows the team to wait out high winds or deep snow should the weather decide not to cooperate during this critical, protected phase of the expedition.

As lighter backpacks have allowed us to shed the weight and with a body now breathing perfectly accustomed to the altitude, we can start moving faster down the spine of the glacier. The trail now comes with a feeling of great lightness, and with K2 receding above us.

The cross central traverse of the ice-lanes ends, and we arrive at Urdukas, and back to terraces and welcome rock, and stories and recovery.

Leaving the glacier snout, we return to our accustomed oxygenated valley. Tonight, we toast our expedition at our Paiju campsite with our hardy Balti team.

We follow the well-beaten, downward tracks down to the Braldu Riverbed. We walk briskly back to our old riverside camp at Jhola.

The last of our days on the trekking path. We are back into the mountain hub of Askole and we prepare to take all our amazing porters, cooks and kitchen crew that work at altitude out for an extra special meal to give them a bit of tip money!

Your own 4x4 private Jeeps meet us in the dawn and we have an adventure overland trip up towards Skardu. We aim to get you into your first proper hot shower for weeks in the afternoon and finish up with a celebration meal in our Skardu hotel.

After breakfast, we will transfer to the Skardu airport to catch a delightful flight for Islamabad (domestic travel). Once you arrive in Islamabad, we transfer you to your selected hotel for an executive evening of pampering ( overland travel via KKH in case of any flight delay).

Following breakfast at the hotel, you’ll receive private transfers to the airport to connect with your international outbound flight. You have completed the ultimate 50-day Gasherbrum I expedition!