12 Days Hiking 100 Miles to K2 Base Camp in Pakistan
Kraig AdamsAug 2025 · Group trip
- Days
- 12 days on foot
- Cost
- Roughly US$3,000 to US$4,500 a person all in with a Pakistani operator, plus a refundable rescue deposit (2026 estimate)
- Lodging
- Tent
Asia · Pakistan
K2 Base Camp
Karakoram, Pakistan
- Distance
- 99.9 mi160.8 km
- Days
- 12 days12 days on foot
- Elevation gain
- 11,148 ft3,398 m
- High point
- 17,936 ft5,467 m
- Season
- Summer
- Lodging
- Tent
In August 2025 I spent twelve days hiking about 100 miles through Pakistan's Karakoram range to see K2, the second highest mountain in the world. A small group of subscribers joined me, along with guides, porters, cooks, a goat, a few chickens and a caravan of pack animals carrying everything we needed. We walked from Askole, the last village, up the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, then went out over the Gondogoro La, a pass we climbed in the dark with crampons and fixed ropes, and down to the village of Hushe.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 8 mi (13 km) and 929 ft (283 m) of climbing a day over 12 days, up to 17,936 ft (5,467 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation9,751–17,930 ft99.9 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX2.8 MB · free
Each day and variant (12 files)
- Day 1: Askole to Jhola (14.6 mi / 23.5 km) 394 KB
- Day 2: Jhola to Paiju (11.7 mi / 18.9 km) 324 KB
- Day 3: Paiju to Khoburtse (8.3 mi / 13.4 km) 237 KB
- Day 4: Khoburtse to Urdukas (3.8 mi / 6.2 km) 114 KB
- Day 5: Urdukas to Goro II (7.5 mi / 12.0 km) 217 KB
- Day 6: Goro II to Concordia (8.4 mi / 13.6 km) 242 KB
- Day 7: Concordia to K2 Base Camp and Broad Peak camp (12.1 mi / 19.5 km) 353 KB
- Day 8: Broad Peak camp to Concordia (3.5 mi / 5.6 km) 104 KB
- Day 9: Concordia to Ali Camp (6.5 mi / 10.4 km) 190 KB
- Day 10: Ali Camp over the Gondogoro La to Khuispang (6.3 mi / 10.2 km; midnight start) 188 KB
- Day 11: Khuispang to Saicho (10.7 mi / 17.3 km) 299 KB
- Day 12: Saicho to Hushe (6.4 mi / 10.2 km) 175 KB
The film
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12 Days Hiking 100 Miles to K2 Base Camp in Pakistan
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Askole, where I started. Some operators now drive on to Jhola when the road is open
- Finish
- Hushe, at the end of the jeep road on the other side
- Usual difficulty
- One of the hardest things I've ever done. Short days, but high, cold, remote, and a pass with ropes
- Best time
- Summer. I walked August 18 to 29, 2025
- Permits
- A Gilgit-Baltistan trekking permit, US$150 per person from April to September, and the Central Karakoram National Park fee, US$190 per person (2026). Your operator files the permit, and the visa normally takes about 4 weeks.
- Getting there
- What I did. I flew into Islamabad through Abu Dhabi after hiking the Haute Route in the Alps. Our group met for the first time in Islamabad and spent the day exploring. We exchanged money, walked around the Shah Faisal Mosque and visited the Pakistan Monument. I did not see another tourist anywhere, and locals stopped us constantly for photos and conversation. After lunch at a tandoori restaurant we drove up to the Daman-e-Koh viewpoint and watched the sun drop and the city lights come on, with monkeys watching us.
Nearest airport: Islamabad, then a domestic flight to Skardu (or two days by road) - Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What it cost
Roughly US$3,000 to US$4,500 a person all in with a Pakistani operator, plus a refundable rescue deposit (2026 estimate)
What Kraig carried
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 55 · my tent · Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20° Quilt · Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT · Klymit Pillow X · AlpenBlow Micro Inflator · PATH Projects Pyrenees T19 Hoodie · Senchi Designs A90 Half Zip Hoodie and 29 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency numbers (September 2026). 1122 for ambulance and fire, 15 for police. Gilgit-Baltistan Tourist Police: 1422 inside the region, 05811-930055 from elsewhere in Pakistan. Rescue 1122 Skardu: 05815-1122.
Phone signal
- Bring a power bank for the rest of the day.
Insurance
- On top of that come international flights, a visa, insurance, tips and spare nights, and a helicopter rescue deposit you get back if it isn't used.
- The US advises insurance that covers medical evacuation, and the UK warns that your insurance may not be valid without the correct permits.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Askole to Jhola. Walk back down the valley to Askole, where the jeep road ends. On every day of this trek, getting off is your guide's call: see Weather and safety for rescue.
- Day 2, Jhola to Paiju. Walk back down the valley to Askole, one or two days.
- Day 3, Paiju to Khoburtse. Back down the glacier to Paiju, then down the valley to Askole.
- Day 4, Khoburtse to Urdukas. Back down the glacier to Paiju and Askole, two or three days.
- Day 5, Urdukas to Goro II. Back down the glacier the way you came, to Urdukas and Paiju.
- Day 6, Goro II to Concordia. Back down the Baltoro the way you came: four days or more to Askole on foot. See Weather and safety.
- Day 7, Concordia to K2 Base Camp and Broad Peak Camp. Back down the Godwin-Austen Glacier to Concordia, then down the Baltoro.
- Day 8, Broad Peak Camp to Concordia. This is the last easy exit. From Concordia you either go back down the Baltoro or on over the Gondogoro La. If anyone in your group is struggling with the altitude, this is the day to say so.
- Day 9, Concordia to Ali Camp. Back down the Vigne Glacier to Concordia and out down the Baltoro, the way the pack animals went. If the pass is closed or the weather is wrong, that's the way out too.
- Day 10, Ali Camp over the Gondogoro La to Khuispang. Before the pass, the only way out is back to Concordia and down the Baltoro. Once you're over, keep going down: Khuispang, Saicho and Hushe are all downhill. The pass is not something to try in bad weather or without your guide and the ropes in place.
- Day 11, Khuispang to Saicho. Keep going down to Saicho and Hushe, where the road starts.
- Day 12, Saicho to Hushe. You're walking out. The road starts at Hushe.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 12 days, tent.
12 Days Hiking 100 Miles to K2 Base Camp in Pakistan
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Typical: 12 days on foot (the hike's facts).
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for K2 Base Camp?
I walked 12 days from Askole to Hushe with no full rest day. With Islamabad, the flight to Skardu, a jeep day each way and spare days, I was in Pakistan for about 19 days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does K2 Base Camp cost?
Roughly US$3,000 to US$4,500 all in with a Pakistani operator (checked November 2026). Packages run from about US$1,500 trek-only to US$1,800-2,500 all inclusive for about 21 days, plus international flights, a visa, insurance, tips and a refundable helicopter rescue deposit. Western-run trips cost up to about US$9,500.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike K2 Base Camp?
The season is June to September. The Gondogoro La is normally crossed from late June to about the end of August, while the ropes are in place. I walked August 18 to 29, 2025.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for K2 Base Camp?
A Gilgit-Baltistan trekking permit, US$150 per person from April to September, and the Central Karakoram National Park fee, US$190 per person (2026). Your operator files the permit, and the visa normally takes about 4 weeks.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you trek to K2 Base Camp without a guide?
No. It's a restricted-zone trek. You need a trekking permit, a trekking visa sponsored by a licensed tour operator, and a licensed guide and porters (checked September 2026).
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get to the start of the K2 Base Camp trek?
Fly to Islamabad, then take a domestic flight to Skardu or drive about two days by road. From Skardu it's about 5 to 6 hours by jeep to Askole, and the same from Hushe back to Skardu at the end.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.