Pakistan, the land of wonders, is home to some of the largest glaciers in the world. It includes the Baltoro Glacier, one of the longest glaciers outside the polar region, Karakoram’s third largest and Pakistan’s top trekking destination site. Located in the Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan, the majestic glacier spans over 63 km (39 mi) in length.
Baltoro Glacier
The best thing about this massive river of ice is that several stunning mountain peaks lie on it, including the mighty K2 and also three other eight-thousanders. For any trekker, it is no less than a paradise!
For centuries, this icy wonder has captivated explorers like me from around the globe. This is also the ultimate way for seekers who want to conquer the world’s second-highest peak, K2, with a height of (8,611 meters).
My Expedition to Baltoro Glacier
When fortune favored me, I planned a trip to Pakistan. I spent a period of time to apply for the visa. The visa application, given the friendly ties between Turkey and Pakistan, proved to be a straightforward process. Next, what? I was ready with my backpack and to explore this fascinating icy world.
Read my wondrous trip to Baltoro Glacier, where I explored the best of this place!
The famous Baltoro glacier has always been a must-visit for me for a number of reasons. Besides being home to several spectacular high-mountain peaks, the Baltoro glacier offers breathtaking views of frozen lakes, snow-capped mountain giants, and fascinating ice shapes. And then it leads you to Concordia, the vantage point where you can witness four massive mountain peaks of the world. Thus, the place is called the “Throne Room of Mountain Gods”.
Apart from this, many tributary glaciers merge to form the Baltoro, including the Vigne Glaciers, Gasherbrum Glaciers, Yermandendu, and Godwin-Austen Glaciers.
Baltoro Glacier is accessible from Askole, the last settlement in the Shigar district, which paves the way for Pakistan’s most popular trekking destination. We reached Askole after a thrilling 7-hour jeep ride from Skardu. It was a remote village where we had to stay the night in tents.
Early in the morning, I along with my tour team, packed our luggage for the porters to carry and fastened our backpacks. I was super excited to explore the enthralling frozen world of Baltoro.
Routes to Baltoro Glacier
The trekking journey started as we moved through rugged terrains, rough landscapes, steep paths and crossed fast-flowing streams. The 7-day trek to Baltoro required us to walk for 7-8 hours daily. We had casual breaks and a must-stop for lunch during these long, tedious treks. Bringing protein bars and energy drinks was the best decision we made earlier. On long treks like this, you always need to have plenty of water and energy supplements to keep you revived.
We had several stops and passed by Joula, Paiju, and Urdukus campsites. An Army check post in the way granted permits to our group because, without a licensed guide and a permit, none can trek to Baltoro Glacier.
Upon reaching Goro I, we had our first steps on the Baltoro glacier. The average width of Baltoro is 2.1 km, which reaches up to 3.1 km at Gore I. It was Day 5 of our trekking, and we still had to walk for one more day to reach Concordia.
My body might have drained, but my soul was totally rejuvenated. The photographer in our group was brilliantly capturing these majestic mountain peaks. It was a challenging task for him to capture the numerous phenomenal sights and also keep a check on the batteries.
Mountains Rising Above the Baltoro Glacier
At the south of Baltoro, we witnessed the mighty Masherbrum, fondly known as K1, the world’s 22nd highest mountain with a height of 7821 meters, standing proudly in this aesthetic region. The staggering Biarchedi Peak was at some distance, with a height of 6,781 m. In its east, Mitre Peak (6,010 m) captivated our sight.
Along the lower Baltoro, we witnessed the spectacular Trango granite towers, a family of rock towers standing proudly as the world’s tallest cliffs with a height of 6286 m. The sheer walls of Uli Biaho Tower, with a height of 6,417 m, also sores your eyes when walking in this haven.
As we walked more towards the heart of Karakoram, I was left more wonderstruck. Throughout the route, the travelers feel like walking into a frozen heaven where mesmerizing high-altitude peaks will keep feasting the eyes.
In the Baltoro Muztagh, a sub-range of the Karakoram Mountain range lies a number of peaks over 7,000 meters (22,970 ft) in elevation and over 500 meters (1,640 ft) of topographic prominence. Concordia also dwells in this region, the only place in the world where four notable peaks over 8000 meters can be viewed. On our 7th trek day, we reached this out-of-world place and were left with our jaws dropped!
What a heavenly sight!!!
The savage K2 was right in front of us, surrounded by Broad Peak (12th highest in the world at 8,047 m), Gasherbrum I (11th highest in the world at 8,080 m), and Gasherbrum II 8,035 m – World’s 13th highest).
I just couldn’t believe our eyes. It was like being surrounded by the snow-capped giants of the world. Concordia, the Throne Room of Gods, was truly a sight to behold. It is 4,691 meters (15,390 ft) above sea level and the base camp for the trekkers looking forward to conquering K2. It is also the confluence of the main Baltoro glacier and Godwin-Austen glacier.
The journey to reach here was not easy, but this awe-inspiring sight was definitely worth it. Those who can brave the challenges can only access this intact beauty of Karakoram ranges. Reaching here, we realized why Baltoro is a mountaineer’s paradise. With massive towering peaks, the environment was magnificently ethereal!
We pitched our tents and stayed the night, stargazing while around these majestic mountains. As a nature enthusiast, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
With the first rays of dawn, K2 looked like a dream, and I felt like living in a fantasy. To this point, we had witnessed a number of gigantic peaks, but this was totally surreal. It also left an indelible mark on our hearts. Even on our journey back, I couldn’t get enough of the exceptional views of Baltoro Glacier. It gave me an unforgettable experience of a lifetime, exploring the top notable mountain peaks!
Conclusion
In a nutshell, these are the mountain peaks and cliffs we explored during our trek to Baltoro Glacier:
- K2 (8611m – World’s 2nd highest)
- Gasherbrum I (8,080 m – 11th highest)
- Broad Peak (8,047 m- 12th highest)
- Gasherbrum II (8,035 m – 13th highest)
- Gasherbrum III (7,946 m – Often considered as a subpeak of Gasherbrum II)
- Gasherbrum IV ( 7,932 m – 17th highest)
- Masherbrum or known as K1 (7,821 m – 22nd highest)
- Chogolisa (7,665 m – 36th highest)
- Muztagh Tower (7,273 m)
- Snow Dome (7,160 m)
- Biarchedi (6,781 m)
- Uli Biaho Tower (6,417 m)
- Trango Towers (6,286 m – the world’s tallest cliffs.)
- Mitre Peak (6,010 m)
(Information verified from Wikipedia)
The trek to Baltoro Glacier is indeed a paradise for mountaineers with so many landmarks. These enormous mountains hold an impressive record around the world, and thus, it captivated me to fly all over and visit this icy wonder of Pakistan!