K2 Base Camp Trek in Pakistan
Dates: June 21—July 15, 2022
Lead Guide: Dan Mazur (USA) who has summited both Everest and K2
Trek Cost: $5150 USD (Full-service)
Email for more details: info@himalayajourney.com
Call us at (+1) 253 289 9166 in the US/Canada, (+44) 20 3239 2917 in the UK, (+61) 2 8003 5630 in Australia
K2 is the second highest peak on the planet and is located in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan. The trek to K2 Base Camp is considered one of the best treks on the planet! This adventure will start in the capital city of Islamabad, where you will stay for 2 nights. From there, you will depart to the scenic town of Skardu and on to the village of Askole, where the real adventure begins!
From Askole, you will begin the epic K2 Base Camp Trek. You will trek the next 8 or 9 days through scenic valleys and villages to both Concordia and to base camp. Along the way, you will get fantastic views of Broad Peak, Mitre Peak before arriving at the foot of the mighty K2. After a couple of nights at K2 Base Camp, you will continue on to Upper Baltoro Glacier and then to Gondogoro Glacier. From there, you will trek back to Skardu going thru Saitcho Village and Hushe Village. From Skardu, you will fly back to Islamabad. While trekking, you will be camping with all meals being prepared for you.
Serving as the lead guide on this trek is Dan Mazur, who has summited K2, Everest and several other 8000 meter peaks in Asia. Dan has been leading high quality climbing expeditions and treks in the Himalaya Karakoram ranges for 20 years. Dan and his team assisted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall at the 8700 meter mark on Mt Everest in 2006.
For more information on this trek, contact us at: info@himalayajourney.com
K2 Base Camp Trek Itinerary
For more details or to join this journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu, contact us at: info@himalayajourney.com or call us at (+1) 253 289 9166 in the US/Canada, (+44) 20 3239 2917 in the UK and (+61) 2 8003 5630 in Australia.
June 21: Arrive Islamabad. Transfer to hotel for overnight.
June 22: Free day at Islamabad (508 metres / 1667 feet)
June 23: Skardu / Chilas. Fly to Skardu (Flight is subject to weather). Upon arrival transfer to hotel. In case of cancellation of flight, then drive to Chilas on the Karakoram Highway and stay in a hotel. (1265 meters / 4150 feet)
June 24: Chilas / Skardu —free day at Skardu. Hotel this night. (2230 metres / 7316 feet)
June 25: Skardu - Briefing at Tourism Department of Gilgit Baltistan. Final preparation at Skardu. Hotel this night.
June 26: Drive by Jeep to Askole. Camp. (3039 metres / 9972 feets)
June 27: Trek to Jhola. (3170 metres / 10,400 feet)
June 28: Trek to Paiyu. (3666 metres / 12,024 feet)
June 29: Rest Day in Paiyu
June 30: Trek to Khuburtse. (3800 metres / 12,460 feet)
July 1: Trek to Urdukas. (3950 metres / 12,960 feet)
July 2: Trek to Goro II. (4300 metres / 14,100 feet)
July 3: Trek to Concordia. (4550 metres / 14,925 feet)
July 4: K2 Base Camp (5650 metres/18,645 feet)
July 5: Explore K2 Base Camp
July 6: Follow the Upper Baltoro Glacier to Ali Camp (4800 metres/15,750 feet.);
July 7: Cross the Gondogoro La (5585 metres / 18,320 feet) to Huisprung;
July 8: Trek down the Gondogoro Glacier to Dalsan (4150 metres / 13,600 feet);
July 9: Trek down the Gondogoro Valley to Saitcho (3350 metres / 11,000 feet);
July 10: Last day of trekking to Hushe Village (3050 metres / 10,000 feet);
July 11: Drive beside the Hushe River and follow the Shyock and Indus rivers to Skardu (2230 metres / 7316 feet);
July 12: De-briefing at Tourism Department. Showers, laundry, shopping. Hotel this night.
July 13: Islamabad / Chilas. Hotel this night.
July 14: Final paperwork, shopping, farewell dinner in Islamabad. Hotel. In case of driving, complete road journey from Chilas to Islamabad. Hotel this night.
July 15: Depart Islamabad
Concordia and K2 Base Camp Trek
Dates: June 21—July 15, 2022
The cost per person is $5150 USD. Participants are responsible for their own international airfare to/from Islamabad, Pakistan, but we will take care of just about everything else after that! Send us an email at: info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this journey.
Included in the price
- Expert Leader Dan Mazur (summited K2 and Everest)
- Expert Guide Dan O'Brien (5 summits of Mt Everest)
- Expert and experienced local support staff
- All internal flights to/from Skardu
- All ground transportation
- Porters (clients can bring up to 25k of personal baggage)
- Three meals per day on trek, in basecamp, and on the mountain
- All permit fees and liaison officer costs
- Group emergency equipment including satellite phone
- All tents
- All hotels in Islamabad
Not included in the price
- International flight to/from Islamabad, Pakistan
- Trekking rescue and travel insurance
- Personal climbing and trekking equipment or clothing
- Pakistan Visa
- Souvenirs or personal items such as laundry, excess baggage fees, snacks, etc
- Travel vaccinations
- Gratuities to porters and local staff
Each participant will be sent a list of required and recommended clothing and gear for the trek that they will be responsible for as will information on how to obtain a Pakistan Visa.
Take a moment to read more about us and why ethical tourism in the Himalaya is so important to us: Why Use Us?
K2 Expedition Leader
Dan Mazur has summited Everest, K2 and several other 8000 meter peaks in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. He has been leading climbing expeditions and treks in the world's highest mountains for more than 20 years.
Dan is from the US and has lived in England, Asia, and North America. He spends more and more of his time lecturing and raising funds for the Mount Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal and Tibet, building hospitals, schools, and environmental projects with the low-income families who live around Mt. Everest, in both Nepal and Tibet. In 1993, ‘Climbing’ Magazine named Dan the "most successful to ever launch an expedition". As an articulate but humble Himalayan explorer and scholar, he has been active in climbing the highest peaks of the Himalaya for many years. His personal link with the region and its peoples began in 1986 when he traveled, trekked, and climbed throughout Tibet and Nepal with friends. Since then, he has been personally leading and organizing successful overland, trekking, and mountaineering expeditions for 18 years.
When he is not climbing Everest and Himalayan Peaks, or traveling the world giving slideshows to raise money for charities such as www.MountEverestFoundation.org, he resides in Olympia, Washington in the US. He is a member of the Alpine Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a member of the American Alpine Club, a fellow of the Explorers Club, a member of the Mountaineers Club, holds a certification in Diesel Mechanics, and a PhD in Social Policy Analysis from the Heller School at Brandeis University.
I joined the 3 week group tour from Lhasa to Mt Kailash via Everest in June 2018 and had the most amazing journey. Jamin and Phurphu made sure that every day was an adventure filled with everything from small spontaneous hikes to visits to local Tibetan houses and restaurants to close-up meetings with nomads and yaks. Our wishes and needs were always heard and the program was altered and customized during the trip itself to accommodate for preferences and weather. This flexibility together with both Jamin and Phurphu's knowledge and passion for Tibet and its people shared through stories on the road or over a cup of butter tea made the trip a very memorable and special experience. And for a mountain lover like me all the impressive peaks we got to see! I will definitely travel with Himalaya Journey again and would highly recommend them to everyone who really wants to not only see but truly experience the Himalaya region. Camilla—Sweden—June 2019
Our trip to Tibet & Nepal was possibly the most amazing trip of our lives. These are parts of the world you need to be introduced to, you don’t end up visiting as a casual tourist and you’ll certainly need a guide. When we researched our trip it seemed that “all the roads lead to Jamin” and to Himalaya Journey - and rightly so.
Jamin is incredibly experienced and charismatic. He leads from the heart and speaks from his own, very unique, personal experience. It was important for us to know that our visit was going to benefit the people of Tibet and we were delighted to find out that Jamin cares about that very much. Jamin’s guides, Nyima Dolma and Jamyung in Tibet and Ashok in Kathmandu were also so knowledgable and simply amazing with their kindness and attentiveness. We feel so happy and honoured to have met them.
There were many highlights on this trip, from experiencing the holy city of Lhasa to finally seeing Everest (I’m obsessed with all things Everest) but mostly we loved experiencing people’s kindness and hospitality. I truly can’t wait to travel with Himalaya Journey once again and would recommend travelling with them in a heartbeat.
We miss you Jamin & everyone at Himalaya Journey! Lucia—Italy—April 2019
I had an amazing trip with Himalaya Journey! Tibet is such a special place! All the crew was very knowledgeable and sweet and the service was impeccable. Claudia—Malta—April 2019
Almost without exception, travels have both an objective and certain expectations that need be met for the outcome to be judged successful. For me a ‘journey’ implies somewhat more than this….there is a sense of challenging the unknown, including one’s own inner self. And then if you add to ‘journey’ the word ‘Himalaya’, one of the world’s most majestic and inspiring regions with landscapes that are often beyond belief, then you have something very, very special indeed.
Prior to October 2016 I had travelled solo, with a guide and transportation, on all my journeys, including the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), giving me the flexibility and freedom to stop at will, modify plans and so on. But having vowed to go back to the far west of the TAR (Ngari) to do the kora of Mount Kailash and visit the Guge Kingdom I was faced with exorbitant costs if travelling alone. I knew I had to find an alternative, and that alternative proved to be Himalaya Journey.
I had been in touch with Jamin York, Himalaya Journey’s Owner and Lead Guide, several times previously with general questions about travelling in ‘Greater Tibet’ and so it somehow seemed natural to approach him regarding making my Kailash dream materialize. One thing led to another and by the time 2015 melted into 2016 I was committed to joining Jamin’s small (10 person) group embarking on a 23-day journey in October which would take us across the TAR from Lhasa slowly westwards via Everest and Shishapangma Base Camps to Lake Manasarovar, Mount Kailash and the Guge Kingdom, and then back…a total land journey of around 4,000km.
My initial concerns about being in a group and having to keep to a strict schedule proved groundless. Jamin was only too willing to stop for sudden photo ops—the appearance of a Tibetan fox, a glorious view, a nomad encampment and so on. He also actively encouraged us to explore on our own when the itinerary permitted: in my case that meant spending special moments wandering through the Barkor in Lhasa and watching sunrise on the shore of Manasarovar. Only once were we ‘chivvied’ in any sense, and that was during the Kailash kora on top of the Drolma-la. Jamin, with his vast experience of the mountains, was aware not only of the time constraints that day but more importantly that staying too long at that altitude (5,630m/ around 18,400’) was not to be recommended.
From a practical standpoint, everything throughout the journey was seamlessly arranged: we travelled in a small bus which gave us space to spread out and with a driver whose skills made going over 5,000m+ high passes again and again seem effortless! The hotels and guest houses, especially once we got beyond Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse, were always the best available: I had paid a single room supplement, fully expecting to have to share in these remote areas, so I was delighted that there were only two nights on which I could not have some much appreciated privacy. The meals were generally of a high standard, and even in Ngari Jamin managed to rustle something tasty up for us or produce snack bars and packets of instant oatmeal out of his proverbial hat.
What also emerged strongly throughout our journey was Jamin’s love for and commitment to Tibet and its people, not to mention his in-depth knowledge. His assistant on our journey, Nordrup, was himself Tibetan; we frequented Tibetan-owned restaurants, hotels and guesthouses whenever possible; and Jamin, fluent in Tibetan as well as Mandarin, regaled us while we were on the road with both incidents from Tibetan history and his own personal experiences of living there.
It was an unforgettable journey…indeed, although I left Tibet many weeks ago now, my journey is still on-going as I look back at my photos and notebook and try to weave it all into a story on my laptop.
I have the greatest respect and admiration for Jamin both as a person and journey-leader and have no reservations at all in recommending him and his company. Indeed, I hope to join him again in the future on a journey to Ladakh, ‘Little Tibet’: I believe that is the strongest recommendation of all. Lesley—UK—October 2016
The trip far exceeded my expectations and I will definitely use Himalaya Journey again. I highly recommend Himalaya Journey to others who want to experience this hauntingly beautiful place called Tibet! Sue—USA—October 2016
I’d have to use a ridiculous number of superlatives to honestly describe the quality of my recent journey with Jamin York and Himalaya Journey. In the interest of being believable, I’ll try to rein it in, but it will be a task I’m not sure I can manage! For me, this was a journey that I (and a couple friends) have spent many years and two failed attempts trying to accomplish. The permits were just not to be had, and we were beginning to feel that the idea must be abandoned. Then we discovered Jamin’s excellent website and, after a number of emails with him, began to feel confident that it could become a reality. I just completed a 23-day journey, led by Jamin and his wonderful guide Ngodup, that not only fulfilled my hope to complete the kora of Mt. Kailash and a visit to the lost Guge Kingdom, but took us across the length of the Tibetan Himalaya from Everest Base Camp to nearly the Indian border in far west Tibet. He even threw in Shishapangma Base Camp at the request of our group.
Each day, every step of the way, revealed such wondrous gifts, some expected and others a complete surprise. This journey, and the itinerary designed by Jamin and Ngodup, had it all, from monasteries and lost citadels, to landscapes beyond imagination: mountains, badlands, sand dunes, vast plateaus, and sacred lakes. And then there were our “Tibet 101” talks: Jamin and Ngodup each have a deep and personal knowledge which was shared each day as we traveled or walked; they taught us so much about the culture, geology, and history of Tibet and its people; and each shared many personal stories as well. Jamin has a heartfelt love for the Tibetan people that was evident in every way. Jamin cares genuinely and deeply about the quality of the experience his journeys provide, and he makes it his responsibility to see that both the physical and emotional needs of his travelers are met. His attention to detail in all matters was clear to see. I have never before joined a group that was not organized by myself, and I have to say that this was a pleasant surprise. I never felt that we were being herded around and there was, for the most part, enough flexibility in the days and the schedule to allow personal time and space.
I imagine that every traveler in our group felt “heard” and “seen” and that his or her unique expectations for this journey had been fulfilled. I can say that for me, the experience was transcendent. I would recommend Jamin’s Himalaya Journey without reservation to anyone wanting to travel in Tibet – or anywhere he offers to travel! Karla—USA—October 2016
Jamin York leads a fantastic trip beyond the usual (and including!) sites of Lhasa. He takes great pains to preview routes, lodging and restaurants in person and is careful to limit his group to a comfortable ten. His attention to detail has him preparing contingency plans for any circumstance he can think of. His knowledge of the Chinese and Tibetan languages eased our way through the expected and unexpected. Nothing is sugar-coated as the journey can be rough and uncomfortable at times, but if there was comfort in the area, we had it! Jamin also has the uncanny ability to arrange for perfect weather and the tastiest of Tibetan cuisine.
On advance request he added a side trip to Shishapangma Base Camp which ended up being a popular highlight on a stunning day. The extension to the lost citadel of the Guge Kingdom was the holy grail of photographic opportunities. On second thought, most of the trip was like this!
Even though it can be close to impossible to deviate from “The Plan” due to restrictions, Jamin and Nordrup facilitated spontaneous interactions with Tibetans along the way, from the barley harvesters and millers to the nomads and their yaks. Nancy—USA—October 2016
