Dear Pakwheelers
I am planning (an ambitious) trip to snow lake in a fast track manner due to limited vacations and time.For the time being i am working on it as a single person and will be arranging porters/guide/cook myself in Skardu (without travel agency) as advised by some friends. Looking forward to someone who might ahve the same passion and interested to join in
I am open to any friendly suggestion on below itinerary. The dates and duration are not flexible, i am hoping the trip wont be longer if weather remains okay throughout the trek, insha Allah.
Initial plan is as below:
Day 01: Skardu to Askole (6 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 02: Askole to Nimla (8 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 03: Nimla to Mango (7-9 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 04: Mango to Marpogoro (7-8 hours) (Not-So-Green Campsite but plenty of water)
Day 05: Marpogoro to Snow lake. (6-7 hours) (snow Camp)
Day 06: Snow lake to Hisper pass. (7 -8 hours) (snow Camp)
Day 07: Hisper la to Gut Delum (10 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 08: Gut delum to Shiqum Baris. (7 - 8 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 09: Shaqum Baris to Dchiqan (7 - 8 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 10: Dachiqan to Hisper. (7 - 8 hours) (Green Campsite)
Day 11: Drop at Karimabad or Gilgit (4 hours) (Hotel)
Trek completed as per plan!
Actual Trek Summary
Day 01 - ISB -> Skardu (By air)
Skardu to Dasoo village on the way to Askole (3- 4 hour of jeep ride) We started at 5 from Skardu and reach there
by 9 pm
Day 02 - Dasoo -> Askole (2-3 hrs of jeep ride)
Askole to Kaiser Polo Ground (2 hrs trek)
Day 03 - Kaiser Ground -> Shafung Campsite (14hr trek)
Day 04 - Shafung -> Biantha (2 hrs trek) Rest of the day for rest :)
Day 05 - Biantha -> Karfogoro (8-10 hrs trek)
Day 06 - Karfogoro -> Hispar La (8-10 hrs trek) strennous!!!!
Day 07 - Hispar La -> Khani Basa campsite (6-8-10 hrs trek ) Changes every year and may take longer or shorter.
Day 08 - Khani Basa -> Dchigan Campsite ( 10 -12 hrs trek)
Day 09 - Dchigan -> Hispar Village (8-10 hrs trek) drags....
Day 10 - Hispar Village -> Gilgit (6-7 hr of jeep ride)
Notes:
* I would suggest to make Day 03 and 04 even. Trek from Kaiser ground/Askole to Shafung is never ending and quite exerting.
* Start very early in the morning to avoid risks due to unexpected time wastage on glacier and pass
* Drink lots and lots of water
* Take an experienced guide and check if the team has enough rope, its VERY important
* Travel on Hispar glacier after crossing the top. its beautiful and you will definitely enjo
y the trek
The trek is quite strenuous and place is totally remote. You need to exert a lot physically and mentally so be prepared if planning for this... but of course not a 'no-go' if you have passion. All the best!!
Video link is available here:
<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/78429728" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" width="500"></iframe> Snow Lake in Time Lapse - Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan from Muhammad Adeel on Vimeo.