Fairy Meadows K2 BC Concordia Trek via Gondogoro La

The temperature will vary a lot and in general the weather is becoming more unpredictable due to climate change. The first few days of the K2 trek can be very hot around 30 degrees or even more and after that it will become cooler, in the night it can be between 10 to -10. It is of course also possible that it rains or snows. Kindly find a detailed overview below:

Islamabad:

Characterized by high humidity and potential monsoon rain occurrences.
Average Temperatures: High: 35°C / 95°F, Low: 24°C / 76°F.

Skardu:

Days range from warm to hot without humidity.
The bustling bazaar road is often dusty.
Evenings provide cooler and delightful conditions.
Possibility of wind and dust storms.
July experiences the warmest weather.
High: 23°C / 73.4°F, Low: 10°C / 50°F.
Note: Due to the heightened sun exposure in the mountains, temperatures can feel warmer than they actually are.

3,000 – 3,500 Meters:

Daytime conditions: Hot, exposed, and dusty.
Nights: Cooler, but not typically freezing.
Unlikely possibility of snow at approximately 3,500 meters.
Development of cloud cover is conceivable at any elevation.

3,500 – 4,500 Meters:

Daytime warmth persists, while mornings and evenings exhibit a chill.
Night temperatures can dip below freezing beyond 4,000 meters.
Rain, snow, and cloud cover can manifest at any juncture.
Greater presence of ice on the Baltoro Glacier.

4,500 – 5,600 Meters:

Nights encounter freezing temperatures.
Days range from cool to cold, with intermittent warm sunshine.
Continuous potential for rain, snow, and cloud cover.
The trail between Concordia and Ali Camp is likely to be covered in deep snow.
Trekking on icy and snowy surfaces from Concordia to K2 Base Camp.
Gondogoro La ascent/descent could encounter a substantial snow pack.
Coldest temperatures could dip to around -10°C / 14°F.

Undertaking the K2 Base Camp Trek requires a commendable level of fitness to ensure a safe and rewarding journey. Here’s a detailed overview of what you need to consider:

Physical Preparedness: Participants are expected to be in good physical shape, capable of traversing mixed terrains for extended periods, with trekking days averaging around 5 hours and a maximum of 8 hours. It’s worth noting that we enlist the assistance of local porters and mules to carry supplies, optimizing comfort during the trek to K2.

Best Preparatory Approach: The most effective way to gear up for the K2 Base Camp Trek is no secret – it’s to engage in hiking as frequently as possible during the months leading up to the expedition.

Environmental Challenges: Although there’s no mountaineering involved, it’s imperative to be in optimal shape. The distances covered can be substantial, terrains can be demanding, and oxygen levels are lower than what you’re accustomed to. Your readiness to navigate these environmental factors is pivotal.

Physical Conditioning Essentials: Drawing parallels with preparing for other multi-day backpacking adventures, certain core aspects deserve attention:

Endurance: Building endurance is crucial to sustaining energy levels throughout the trek.

Strength: Focusing on strengthening key muscle groups such as legs, glutes, back, and joints aids in negotiating challenging terrain and minimizing injury risks.

Cardiovascular Fitness: Enhanced cardiovascular health ensures stamina for the journey.

Stability and Flexibility: Including stability exercises and post-trek stretching routines enhances agility and prevents strain.

Recommended Exercises: Incorporate a well-rounded workout routine that targets critical muscle areas.
Include exercises like squats, lunges, sled pushes, burpees, stair climbing, and step-ups. After your workouts, dedicate time to stability exercises and comprehensive stretching to enhance flexibility and alleviate muscle tension.

Conclusion: Ultimately, the extent of your fitness level will significantly influence the quality of your K2 Base Camp Trek experience. By combining endurance, strength, cardiovascular health, stability, and flexibility, you’ll be well-prepared to conquer the challenges and savor the wonders of this remarkable journey.

Breakfast: Typically includes an omelet / fried / boiled eggs, fried Pakistani bread (paratha), chappati, toast, pancakes, porridge, cereal, jam, Nutella, honey, marmalade, cheese etc + green tea / coffee / milk tea.

Lunch: unlike other trekking agencies we do not provide packed lunch instead we will have fresh lunch which includes soup, tuna fish, boiled pottatos, eggs, assorted cookies, bread, cheese, dried fruits & nuts, green tea / coffee / juice

Dinner: we start each dinner with a nice warm soup, after that there will be variation of dishes which changes each day. different vegetable dishes, varies types of meat (chicken, beef or mutton) accompanied by rice, noodles, pasta, lentils, potatoes, French fries and or chappati bread. We of course won’t forget dessert, there will be (fresh) fruit and or a type of pudding at every dinner.
Snacks: between lunch and dinner there will be a daily variation of cookies, pakora, popcorn etc. and hot beverages

Note: we will also take into account your specific dietary requirements, for example vegetarian / vegan / lactose intolerant – please don’t hesitate to contact us about the possibilities.

This will depend on your specific itinerary and your own preferences, where possible. For the standard K2 and K2 Gondogoro La and Snow Lake treks we normally schedule the flight on day 2 of your itinerary where we will fly from Islamabad to Skardu. This is a very scenic flight, if the weather is clear you will be able to get amazing mountain views including the 9th highest mountain in the world, Nanga Parbat. When the weather is bad the flight to Skardu might get cancelled, if this happens we will drive in 2 days from Islamabad to Skardu with an overnight stay halfway. There will always be a contingency day in your itinerary to cover for this delay.

Each trekking member has a 15 kg baggage allowance. This is for your main luggage that will be carried to each camp each day of the trek. You yourself are only required to carry a small daypack while trekking – here you can put anything you might need during the day like water, energybars, sunglasses, suncream, clothing etc. If your main backpack/duffle bag weighs more than 15 kg, you will need to pay for the additional weight. Cost for additional weight will be determined on the ground as prices for porters vary by the season. For the K2 treks it is possible to leave excess luggage in our office storage room or at your hotel and pick it up at the end of the trek. Please also kindly note that the baggage allowance on the domestic flights is currently 20 kg check-in and 7 kg hand-carry.

We carry solar panels (no diesel or petrol generators to avoid noise & air pollution), so that each trekking member can charge batteries, power banks, phones, etc while on the trek.

We have had many solo woman trekkers on our K2 base camp treks, our groups consist of a great variety of nationalities ranging from Europe, North and South America, Canada to China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand with around 35 to 40% being women.

It is a fair question to ask as we know that most of the news from Pakistan is not so positive, but the image which people have abroad is far from the reality. Although there have been valid reasons for people to consider Pakistan as not very safe, a lot has changed in recent years. The security situation has improved dramatically and the government has been making efforts to promote tourism and facilitate travel. When you visit you will notice immiediately that Pakistanis are very hospitable people, they are eager to get to know you and often will invite you in their home. Pakistan is a huge country, we only offer tours and treks to areas which we deem safe. We currently don’t recommend to travel to the border region with Afghanistan and certain parts of Balochistan but most other places can be visited without any problem. If you prefer to start with the safest region then we would recommend Gilgit-Baltistan in the north, the people here largely depend on tourism for their income and have been warmly welcoming foreign tourist for many years.

Yes and no, it is your own responsibility to select a trek that is suitable for you in terms of you personal fitness level as well as experience – if you book a private trek then you have all the flexibility to customize it and for example add extra days or extra supporting staff if needed. If you book a trek with an open group then we try to only let people join who have a certain experience level. Please don’t hesitate to contact us in case you would like us to help you select the best trek for you.

Yes, all the tours and treks that we offer on our website can be completely customized to your own requirements. We are also happy to design a tailor-made tour for you from scratch. Just let us know your preferences, special interests, number of days you have available etc. and we will send you our personalized itinerary suggestions.

For certain types of treks you will require a trekking visa – for example all the K2 treks. If a trekking visa is required then we will inform you accordingly during your booking, there are a lot of treks which are not in a restricted area and therefore you will only need a standard tourist visa.

If you have to apply for a standard tourist visa then 1 month in advance should be sufficient – in most cases you will receive your visa within a few days / a week – you should not apply more than 3 months in advance. If you have to apply for a trekking visa then you will need to be prepared for a longer processing time, we recommend to apply 3 to 2 months in advance.

We will provide you with a suggested packing list after you have booked your tour with us. For most treks it will be standard personal trekking gear like proper hiking boots, optional trekking poles, gaitors, sleeping bag, sleeping pad etc. For certain treks further items are advised – for example for the K2 Gondogoro La and Snow Lake treks you require crampons and a climbing belt set with carabiners and a sling so that you can clip yourself on a rope and you might want to bring a climbing helmet for sections where there can be rockfall.

Yes, it is possible to rent certain items from us or we will put you in contact with a trusted local supplier who can provide you with the things you need. Some of the standard gear which we can arrange are crampons, climbing belts, ice axes and climbing helmets.

The summer period is the main trekking season in the north of Pakistan. For most treks this would be from June to September with July and August being the best months.

On each trek your guide will be in possesion of a phone and where needed (during remote treks) a sattelite phone as well as a medical aid kit. All our guides are aware of the standard emergency protocols and will contact our headoffice staff as well as the relevant authorities when needed. Before you go on a trek with us we will require your emergency contact list as well as your travel insurance details with proper coverage for emergency (helicopter) rescue in mountainous areas. Depending on the situation we will contact your insurance company and together with them will make arrangements for your repatriation. We have many years of experience with search and rescue operations and good relations with all relevant institutions including Askari Aviation for helicopter rescue operations. If you have the right insurance coverage then we will be able to initiate a helicopter rescue immidiately – please kindly note that helicopters in Pakistan always fly in pairs and availability of the helicopters depends on them not being in use on another mission as well as the weather being suitable.

This will depend on the type of tour that you are planning. Please make sure to consult your travel insurance before your trip to make sure you have proper coverage for your tour and the activities you will undertake. Especially when you go on a trek it is important to have mountain emergency search and rescue / repatriation by helicopter included in your insurance package.

It is not needed to wear a headscarf, of course you may do so if you feel more comfortable. It will be good however to bring a scarf which you can wear when visiting a mosque or other religious site and or when going to a more conservative area.

Pakistan is an Islamic country and it is therefore advisable for women not to wear short skirts / tops or short trousers in public. A headscarf will come in handy for women when they visit a mosque / religious site or sometimes it can be a custom in more remote / conservative areas. Dress codes for men are more lenient, though shorts are uncommon – they can be worn depending on the places you visit on a certain day (for example if you visit a mosque, sacred site or very conservative area it might be better to adjust your clothes to a more modest style – feel free to ask your guide if you are not sure). If you are going on a trek you can wear shorts without any problems.

Yes, you defintely can. The south of Pakistan is actually the best to be visited in the winter as it will be way too hot in the summer. Also the north has great options, you can go skiing or make a nice winter hike. Some passes in the north will be closed due to snow which means we will have to adjust certain itineraries but there are enough places which you can visit. Please don’t hesitate to inquire about the possibilities.

For all trips to Pakistan you will require a visa, depending on the the type of tour you will either need a standard tourist visa or a trekking visa. Our sales team will provide you with all the necessary information as well as a visa invitation letter and related supporting documents after you have booked your tour with us.

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An Adventure Pakistan representative will meet you at the airport and will bring you to your hotel.

You will fly roundtrip to Islamabad, Pakistan.

Yes. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, for the K2 treks and Snow Lake trek during the main summer season we recommend it to be suitable for temperatures up to minus 10 degrees Celsius / 15 Fahrenheit. It is also advisable to bring your own sleeping pad for comfort, please kindly keep in mind that on many days you will be sleeping on rock / snow / ice. For other treks we are happy to advise you on the type of sleeping bag depending on the season and location.

Yes. You will have Wi-Fi in your hotel in Islamabad and Skardu, during the K2 trek there will be limited connectivity at Concordia. If you like we can also arrange a local SIM card for you with a mobile data package so that you can stay in touch more easily with your loved ones.

We know that you will be able to find cheaper tour options but there are big differences in some of the services being offered. Most important to us is that all our clients have a safe and the greatest trip ever but also that our staff and supporting partners are paid fairly for all their hard work and big efforts. We do not compromise on safety, this means that we only work with experienced guides / supporting staff and drivers and that all vehicles and materials which we use during our treks and tours are of high quality and kept well maintained. You will always sleep in clean & safe accommodations / have proper camping gear and we inform you in advance at which hotels or guesthouses you will be staying so that you won’t have any suprises afterwards. We pay great attention to detail while preparing your trip so that you get the best possible & most enjoyable experience taking into account any special requirements you may have or assistance you would need, you can share your specific interests, fitness and experience level, dietary requirements etc. and we take care of the rest. Our staff is our key assest, we take great pride in having an incredible team of very experienced, very kind and caring guides and other supporting staff who will provide you with the best memories. Something we are known for during our treks is the excellent food which is being prepared by our cooking team, we don’t skimp on this as we know that good, tasty and varied food is vital during a trek. You will be looking forward to your meals each day this is something we can guarantee! One of the last things we would like to highlight is our network – we have a very extensive network all over Pakistan this means that if there is any problem during your trip we are able to respond adequatly, without any delay. Besides having a good network we also have many years of experience – we know what to do and whom to contact, our team carries out emergency and rescue operations for international insurance companies each year so you can rest assured that you will be in good hands.