A scenic mountain flight fromIslamabadin the morning provides one of the most stunning views in the world of the Himalayas and the Karakoram, dominated by the iconic massif of Nanga Parbat (8126 m). On landing atIslamabad, a Black Yak Adventure representative meets you in the arrivals terminal to accompany you to our collaborating hotel inIslamabadwith private transport. Rest and acclimatisation for the afternoon; guests may either take a rest or embark on an organised tour of the oldIslamabadBazaar and out skirts of the city.

Skardu, a town on the river, will be our altitude starting base point – a historic mountain town at the foot of the Karakoram range along the banks of the Indus River. We will be having an acclimatization hike to historic Kharpocho Fort this morning after our breakfast; at few hundred meters above the Skardu Bazaar, this historical fortress holds commanding views over the river Indus and Skardu valley, and the surroundings.

Today we start our 5 to 7 hour journey via Jeep to Askoli Village from Skardu. Soon after the start, we descend into the lush green Shigar Valley, leading to the world’s second highest mountain. As we drive down, you will witness verdant fields alongside the flowing river and eventually drive down the narrow terrain onto the tracks that hug the banks of the mighty Braldu River.

Askoli is the last outpost of permanent settlements before we trek onto the world famous Baltoro Glacier.

Here, our experienced professional high altitude porters join the expedition with your equipment and belongings. Once we reach our base, our team from Black Yak Adventures will set up your tents for you. Hot drinks are served with tea, after which a traditional Balti style dinner will be prepared in the mess tent. We end the day with an overnight stay in our serviced and fully organized tent city.

Continuing the drive we move to Jhula Camp where based on our arrival time we will either have a ready made lunch or push to higher camps. At Jhula, we will get our first proper Himalayan view of the famous valley of Bakhoradas Peak – guarding the valley and first huge peak encountered on K2 circuit.

Our final stretch of driving passes along roaring Baltoro river where we encounter seasonal streams and old trails before reaching our final destination Paju Camp in less than two hours. Here under shadow of granite peaks we make our first overnigh camp to commence trek.

Traditionally our expedition route to K2 would start with several days of trek from Askole. But thanks to recently developed infrastructure, Black Yak Adventure can now take our guests up to almost Paju Camp on a specially created Jeep track to conserve their energy for the intense high altitude glacial trekking we’ve yet to encounter. Our trip starts with a relaxing 1 hour journey to the historically significant crossing of the Korofon Camp where the Biafo River and the Biafo Glacier meet; one of the entry points to Snow Lake and the Hispar La traverse. After spending some time here and enjoying the views, we continue on our journey by road to Jhula Camp.

Crucial day off for everyone in the expedition and all of our amazing Balti porters. Our cooking team is making high-energy food while our guides conduct their safety reviews, equipment checks and health checks of all team members ahead of the ice.

Today we tread upon the colossal Baltoro Glacier. Along a trail etched in a dramatic canvas of moraine, rock and ice, spectacular views of the Trango Towers and Cathedral Peak reveal themselves. We set up our camp at Khoburtse, at the rim of the glacier.

After a more restricted, albeit steeper hike up some lateral moraines, we arrive at Urdukas. Sitting on a wide cliff-top shelf above the glacier, the camp provides a fantastic view directly out over the granite needles of the Karakoram.

We hike right up the middle of the glacier, walking by huge sails of ice. We are entering into a new and monochromatic land of rock and ice, and the air becomes even thinner as we go. We will camp out tonight right on the ice in Goro II.

It was a classic and legendary day on the K2 trail. We hike on to the famous crossing point of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers, Concordia. A legendary place, “the throne room of the mountain gods”, and one of the rare places in the world that you can have all four of the world’s 8000m plus peaks (and of course the “savage mountain”, K2), within reach of your tent.

We move off the central junction up the Godwin-Austen glacier to beyond Broad Peak BC. By afternoon we are at our primary staging post at the base of K2 (8,611m).

A full 2 days are spent in making our base camp a meticulously organized high altitude village. Teams of rope-fixers work on segregating large amounts of climbing hardware as our climbers get accustomed to 5,150m elevation, perform technical fixed line climbing drills and offer a traditional Puja prayer for the safe expedition.

The mountaineering event of a lifetime awaits. Within this time span, the handpicked members of the team make rotations up the Abruzzi Spur and establish Camp 1, 2, 3 and 4. Climbers can prepare themselves by ascending challenging technical sections, House’s Chimney and the Black Pyramid while simultaneously making their ways through to the perfect weather for the historical summit of the Bottleneck.

A crucial rest day that is designed in our schedule. Our climbing itinerary include this as buffer day, so that in case of unforeseen delay due to prevailing Karakoram weather conditions the group may remain comfortable to rest during excessive winds, until favorable condition is there to launch attempt for peak.

The climbing phase is now over. We dismantle our base camp, making sure we leave not a single piece of trash behind us. We descend the Godwin-Austen glacier and settle in for one last night at the spectacular amphitheatre of Concordia.

Our trek back down the Baltoro Glacier’s spine is steep and swift, but the descent is aided by less gear and much better adaptation, as the great mountains recede.

Retracing our steps along the shifting moraine we make our way back down towards the green-tinted cliffs of Urdukas and a relaxing well earned evening of respite.

Once we’re back on hard ground, sliding down from the vast glacial plateau, we commemorate the turning of the mountain with a jovial celebration over dinner back at the Paiju basecamp.

The easy going onward progress toward camp – and we seem to have climbed significantly to be enjoying warmth and denser, sweeter, more oxygenated air here at our riverside site at Jhola.

Our last day on the trek. The trek takes us on the final part of the circuit into the village of Askole in the mountains. We will have our farewell dinner with our local Balti porters that have carried our expedition for us, so strong!

Board into our rugged 4x4 jeeps for a thrilling drive back through the deep valleys of Baltistan, by evening we are in a luxury hotel Skardu for hot shower a cozy bed and internet facility.

Domestic flight to Islamabad After checking out from your hotel in Skardu we take a beautiful 45 minute domestic flight to the capital city Islamabad. Here, from air you get a bird-eye view of the second largest mountain on earth- Nanga Parbat as we fly over the river Indus, with a bird eye’s view of the dramatic land scape below. (In case of delay in flights, the route will be by private coaster by KKH).

After a satisfying breakfast at the hotel, private airport transfers are provided by Black Yak Adventure for your onward international flights to your home destination. Your unforgettable K2 Adventure is coming to an end.