Concordia Trek

A classic, but difficult, gruelling, trek into the heart of the Karakaram range, much of it on tricky glaciers, to the great glacier junction at Concordia, under K2, the world’s second-highest peak at 8,611m. 

Some of the finest scenery anywhere – an astonishing array of vast peaks and achingly beautiful spires, seen from the vast Gondokoro and Vigne/Baltoro Glaciers. Four of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m cluster around Concordia.

Beginning at Hushe (10hrs (still?) from Skardu), the walk in to Concordia takes some 12 days (including an acclimatization climb of the walkable peak of Gondokoro mountaineering), including a tough mountaineering crossing of the ice-and-rock Gondokoro La (at 5,583m). You will want to take some days at Concordia (at a relatively mild altitude of around 4,700m) to admire the amazing surrounds.

You can retrace your steps to Hushe, or head south-west down the Baltoro Glacier to Ashoke, a 7 days-or-so descent without major altitude issues. Indeed, the Baltoro route is the quicker (13+ days) and much less altituditious approach (and with less glacier-negotiating) if you don’t fancy rock climbing on Gondokoro La.

This is a very tough trek, with significant time on lethal glaciers in high, remote mountains, on which you will have to be self-sufficient and where altitude can kill (several nights over 5,000m). Glacier experience is required. Reinhold Messner on the 5,5855m Gondokoro La: “It is a good way – but not for trekkers!”; it needs an ice-axe and crampons and ropes, and helmets are recommended as rock-fall is a risk.

Given how unstable, indeed dangerous, Pakistan can be, check the current security situation carefully before trying this trek.

When to go: June to early September.

Permits required.

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