15-Day Nanga Parbat Trek from Islamabad via Mazeno Pass

• Start from your homeland to reach Islamabad and connect with your tour representative.

• Transfer to your hotel to freshen up. Board a minibus to start the tour by driving towards Chilas. You will travel on the Grand Trunk Road, which leads straight to Afghanistan. After an hour's drive on G.T. Road, turn north onto the Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway is a joint effort of the Pakistan Army and Chinese engineers.

• Lunch at Besham. Afterwards, continue the drive through the deep Indus gorge.

• Arrive at Chilas on the bank of the Indus.

• Transfer to a hotel for an overnight stay.

• Drive early in the morning to Jaglot on the KKH. From Jaglot, board 4x4 jeeps and drive to the trek head.

• Take a halt at Astore, 56 km from Jaglot. Astore is an important place, as many treks and jeep roads towards Deosai and Kashmir start here. The beginning of Rupal Valley is 30 km away from Astore. Most of the population here is Kashmiri- and Shina-speaking. In Trashing, the camping staff will welcome you.

Overnight camping in Trashing.

• The first half-hour of the trek is steep, climbing up to the lateral moraine of Trashing Glacier. Then, it takes another half an hour to cross the glacier. On the other side of the glacier lies the lower Rupal Valley, with two large summer settlements and big wheat fields. From the lower Rupal Valley, the trail is green and gradually ascending.

• After about a three-hour walk from here, you will reach Bazin, just under the solid ice wall of the east face of Nanga Parbat.

Camp overnight.

• Today, start by walking on the Bazin Glacier, which takes about two hours.

• After crossing the glacier, the trek goes through Juniper and Willow trees. The trail continues up the Rupal River. An hour's walk brings you to a place called Herligkoffer Base Camp. He was a famous climber and led eight expeditions to Nanga Parbat. Herligkoffer was also the leader of the Nanga Parbat Expedition in 1953, when Herman Buhl climbed it for the first time.

• After a short stay here, walk further for about an hour and reach a place called Second Base Camp, another summer settlement. The campsite at Shaigiri is not very far from here. Usually, porters ask for a goat to slaughter and arrange a campfire with local songs and dances. Enjoy the beautiful views of the South Face.

• Follow the lateral moraine of Rupal Glacier. You will see Nanga Parbat, Rupal Peak, and Laila Peak behind you. The campsite is at 4200 m altitude, with a few Juniper trees and a small water stream.

• The trek is comparatively steep, ascending to the Mazeno Glacier, which comes straight from Mazeno Pass. The campsite is no longer green because of the height. Water is available. The high base camp is at 4724 meters.

• Start early in the morning before sunrise. Climbing up to the pass is not very difficult, but the other side is steep and requires a rope, ice axe, seat harness, and crampons. The steep section is about 250 m in length.

• After crossing the pass, the Loiba Glacier begins. Camp here at Upper Loiba at a height of 4300 m.

• Today, trek down from Upper Loiba to Lower Loiba, called Loiba Meadows. It is a comfortable walk through lush green meadows and trees. The campsite consists of many shepherd houses at 4000 m.

• Today, enjoy beautiful views of Nanga Parbat. The trek is very easy through pine and birch trees.

• Enter the Kachal summer settlement at the base of Kachal Pass, 4400 m.

Camp at 3000 m.

• From Kachal, four trek trails intersect. One goes to Kachal Pass, the second goes to Zangot, the third goes back to Loiba, and the fourth goes to Diamer Base Camp. Take the Diamer Base Camp trek.

• En route, take a short stay in Kigali.

• Reach Diamer Face Base Camp. The world's most famous mountaineer, Reinhold Messner, climbed Nanga Parbat from this side in 1979 and lost his brother on the way back. Take a short stay here for exploration and photography.

• Walk back by the same route and camp at Zangot, 4200 m.

• Start a steep trek down to the Diamer River to reach Dimroi.

• From Dimroi, take 4x4 jeeps and continue towards Gilgit, the capital of the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

• Reach Gilgit and transfer to your hotel.

• Start with an early morning drive on the Karakoram Highway along the Indus River to Besham and catch exciting views of Nanga Parbat again from the Karakoram Highway.

• Arrive at Besham, on the bank of the Indus.

Overnight in a motel.

• Continue driving on the greener part of the Karakoram Highway to Islamabad. If time permits, you may stop at Taxila, the archaeological site of the Gandhara Buddhist civilization.

• Arrive at Rawalpindi / Islamabad.

• Transfer to a hotel for an overnight stay.

• In the morning, transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

End of tour.