K2 BASE CAMP TREK
This is one of the greatest treks in the world, unbeatable in terms of close-up mountain views and proximity to many of the world’s highest peaks. However this is a tough but rewarding trek, with many days being spent on the rugged, tumbled glacier as you head up to ‘Concordia’ where the Baltoro and the Godwin-Austen glaciers converge in a beauty and simplicity of ice and rock. Many trekking operators only include a trek up to BC on a day return but Summit Karakoram takes you on up past Broad Peak to K2 Base Camp where we spend a night, allowing you time to absorb the unique atmosphere and environment surrounding this unforgettable mountain.
K2 basecamp is located on the upper Baltoro Glacier, home to the 4 most concentrated 8000-meter peaks on earth. K2 (8611m), Broad Peak (8051m), Gasherbrum I (8080m), Gasherbrum II (8035m). This region of Pakistan is known as Baltistan and is uniquely independent with shades of its old Tibetan roots.
The K2 base camp trek takes 18 days in total (up and down) including from home to home, need to add more 2/3 days and starts in the village of Askole. Once away from this small green oasis, the mighty Karakoram doesn't take long to reveal its beauty. Serrated summits and towering cliffs rear up either side of the wide valleys.
K2 Base Camp is the base camp for climbers of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. You can find K2 in the northwestern Karakoram Range in Pakistan, partly in the Kashmir Region at an altitude of 5,117 m or 16,785 ft.
K2 Base Camp is a level 7 expedition. This means you can expect… “An average of 6 to 8 hours per day at altitudes not usually exceeding 6,500 metres. Typically, it will involve one long day of 10 to 15 hours to reach a summit.
a main encampment providing supplies, shelter, and communications for persons engaged in wide-ranging activities, as exploring, reconnaissance, hunting, or mountain climbing.
Temperatures on the expedition may vary from 0 to 30 degrees during the day and -10 to 10 degrees at night. It's best to be prepared for lower temperatures due to wind chill or the weather turning bad. Usually the days are hot and the nights are cold