The mountain ranges of Pakistan offer breathtaking, action-packed trekking routes. Pakistan hosts Hindukush, Pamirs, Himalayas and Karakoram, they contain the world's densest concentration of high peaks (five out of 14 highest). There are limitless possibilities for trekking, mountaineering, skiing, and river rafting. Within this alluring arena, the Baltistan region, occupy the central place, with special points of interest for the trekker.
In almost every part of Pakistan, there is a variety of trekking adventure options awaiting the trekker, some soft, others not so. In this vast wonderland, trekking itineraries from one to four weeks or more provide endless opportunities for discovery for the trekker.
In Pakistan Trekking enthusiast can also explore the rugged beauty of the lofty mountains romancing the sparkling waterfalls. One can experience the thrill of sheer adventure on countless trekking tracks in Pakistan.
The Northern Areas of Pakistan are called Roof of the World . Nowhere in the world is such a great concentration of high mountains, peaks, glaciers, and passes except in Pakistan. Of the 14 over 8,000 meters high peaks on our earth planet, four occupy an amphitheatre at the head of Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram Range: K-2 (8,611 meters, originally called Chogo-ri which in Balti language means 'king of the mountains,' of all the world's mountains second only to Mount Everest), Gashabrum-I (8,068 meters), Broad Peak (8,047 meters) and Gashabrum-II (8,035 meters).
There is yet another, which is equally great, Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters), located at the western most corner of the Himalayas. There are 42 other peaks which are higher than all the highest peaks of the other continents. In addition to that, there are 160 peaks over 7,000 meters and 700 others over 6,000 meters.
The Northern Pakistan is also home to some of the longest glaciers outside Polar region; Siachen (72 kilometers), Hispar (61 kilometers), Biafo (60 kilometers), Baltoro (60 kilometers) and Batura (64 kilometers). Besides the high mountains, Northern Areas' longest glaciers including the Godwin Austin, Abruzzin and Baltoro which meet at Concordia forms the largest glacial lake at a height of 4720 meters.
The enchanting valleys of Hunza, Shigar, Khaplu, Ishkuman, Naltar, Gilgit, Skardu, Chitral, Dir and the glacial lakes like Kachura, Satpara, Lalusar, and Saiful Muluk add unmatched grandeur to the beauty of the rugged mountains. The Northern Areas with its flora and fauna; the wildlife which can be seen in the form of snow leopards, ibexes and urials; and the variety of people who live in these areas with their diverse cultural heritage and millennia-old civilizations form a paradise for the tourists, trekkers, and mountaineers from all around the world.
The mountaineering & trekking season in Pakistan roughly runs between April and November, but some routes are only open for a couple of months, each year.
