The Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat: the highest wall on Earth
How big the Rupal Face really is, how to walk to the foot of it from Tarashing, when to go, what it costs, and the three climbs that made its name.
Most people meet Nanga Parbat from the north, at Fairy Meadows, where the mountain rises across a valley in a wide, photogenic triangle. The Rupal side is the other mountain. You come up a green valley of shepherd villages and stone-walled fields, turn a corner, and a wall of ice and rock fills the sky from the grass at your feet to a summit nearly five kilometres above you. We run trips on both sides of this mountain, and the first hour in the Rupal valley still does something the north side does not.
Below: how big the wall actually is, how to get to the foot of it, when to go, what a trip costs, and why climbers are still arguing about it fifty years after the first ascent.
How big is the Rupal Face?
The reputation rests on one measurement. The Rupal valley floor sits at about 3,500 metres. The summit of Nanga Parbat is at 8,126 metres. The face between them gains roughly 4,600 metres of vertical relief in one continuous sweep of rock, ice and hanging glacier.
For comparison, the north face of the Eiger is about 1,800 m, and the south face of Annapurna about 3,000 m. The Rupal Face is not the steepest wall in the world and it is not the hardest single pitch of climbing; what makes it exceptional is that nowhere else does so much mountain stand above you in one unbroken piece.
| Measurement | |
|---|---|
| Summit | Nanga Parbat, 8,126 m, the world's ninth-highest mountain |
| Valley floor | About 3,500 m at the foot of the face |
| Vertical relief | About 4,600 m, base to summit |
| Range | Himalaya, not the Karakoram, which matters for permits |
| Region | Rupal valley, Astore district, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan |
| Trailhead | Tarashing village, about 2,900 m |
| Base camp | Herrligkoffer (Latobah) base camp, about 3,600 m |
Nanga Parbat has three great faces. The Rakhiot Face to the north is the one you see from Fairy Meadows. The Diamir Face to the west carries the Kinshofer route, which is the line almost every modern expedition climbs. The Rupal Face is the south side, and it is the biggest of the three by a long way. Our Nanga Parbat expedition page goes into the climbing routes in more detail.
Where the Rupal Face is, and how the valley works
The Rupal valley runs east to west along the southern foot of the mountain, in the Astore district of Gilgit-Baltistan. Four places matter:
- Astore, the district town, and where the tarmac effectively ends. Roughly four hours from Gilgit.
- Tarashing (about 2,900 m), the trailhead village at the mouth of the valley, with guesthouses and the first full view of the wall.
- Rupal village, a farming settlement an hour or so further up, stone walls and terraced barley, with the face above it the whole way.
- Herrligkoffer base camp (about 3,600 m), also called Latobah. It is a meadow on the edge of the Bazhin Glacier, directly beneath the wall. This is where expeditions camp and where trekkers turn around.
The base camp carries the name of Karl Herrligkoffer, the German doctor who organised a long series of Nanga Parbat expeditions from the 1950s onward, including the 1970 one that finally climbed the face.
How to see the Rupal Face
Seeing the wall is a walk rather than a climb. No technical skill is needed, and no rope.
Getting to Tarashing
From Islamabad, fly to Gilgit (about an hour, weather permitting) or drive the Karakoram Highway to Chilas in a long day. From Gilgit it is roughly four hours south to Astore, then a rough but scenic jeep road up the Astore valley to Tarashing. Allow a full day from Gilgit and do not plan anything else that afternoon.
Coming from Skardu, the Deosai Plains route to Astore is open roughly July to September and is one of the finest drives in Pakistan in its own right.
Tarashing to base camp
The walk in takes two days at a comfortable pace, with a night at or near Rupal village and a second at the base camp meadow. It is about 600 to 700 metres of ascent spread over that distance, on shepherd paths and moraine, with one glacier crossing that a guide will route you through. Fit walkers with no mountaineering experience manage it without difficulty. The whole round trip from Gilgit, including a rest and viewpoint day at base camp, runs six to eight days, which is how our Nanga Parbat base camp trek is built.
Give yourself the extra day at base camp. The face makes its own weather, and a cloudy afternoon can hide the whole wall until the following dawn.
Where to stay
Tarashing has simple guesthouses with beds, hot food and, on a clear evening, the best view from any lawn in Pakistan. Above Tarashing it is tents. Nothing on the Rupal side is luxurious; the compensation is that on most nights you will have the biggest wall on Earth to yourself.
When to go
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring | May–June | Green valley, snow still low on the approach, fewer people. Cold nights at base camp. |
| Summer | July–August | The main season. Warmest, longest days, all roads open. Afternoon cloud is common; mornings are usually clear. |
| Early autumn | September | The clearest air and the sharpest views of the wall. Cold at night, and the season closes quickly at the end of the month. |
| Winter | October–April | The valley empties and the jeep road becomes unreliable. Not a trekking season. |
If your priority is seeing the face rather than warm weather, September is the month.
Permits and cost
Nanga Parbat sits in the Himalaya, not the Karakoram, so the Rupal valley carries no CKNP trekking permit and none of the restricted-zone paperwork that applies to the Baltoro routes toward K2. This catches people out, because some itineraries file Nanga Parbat under Karakoram rules by mistake. For a trek to the base camp you need your Pakistan visa and nothing else; the usual checkpost registration in Astore is handled by your guide.
A climbing permit is a different matter entirely. An expedition attempting the face needs an Alpine Club of Pakistan permit and a peak royalty.
For a guided trek, budget in the region of US$1,200 to US$1,800 per person for a six-to-eight-day trip from Islamabad with transport, guide, porters, camping and meals, depending on group size. Smaller groups cost more per head. Our visa guide covers the entry side: Pakistan tourist visa 2026.
The climbing history, briefly
The Rupal Face was the last of Nanga Parbat's three great faces to be climbed, and it remains a serious objective rather than a commercial one.
1970: the Messner brothers
Reinhold and Günther Messner reached the summit by the south-south-east spur on 27 June 1970, on Herrligkoffer's expedition, making the first ascent of the face. Rather than reverse it they descended the Diamir side, crossing the mountain. Günther was killed by an avalanche low on that descent; his remains were found in 2005. The climb and the argument that followed it are among the most examined episodes in mountaineering.
2005: House and Anderson
Steve House and Vince Anderson climbed a new line directly up the central pillar of the face in alpine style between 1 and 8 September 2005: six days up, two down, no fixed ropes, no supplementary oxygen and no support above base camp. It won the Piolet d'Or and is still regarded as one of the finest Himalayan ascents ever made.
2012: the Mazeno Ridge
Sandy Allan and Rick Allen made the first complete traverse of the Mazeno Ridge, eight summits and 13 kilometres of ridge, reaching the top of Nanga Parbat after eighteen days on the mountain. It also took a Piolet d'Or.
Those three climbs are the reason the Italian, German and French mountaineering press write about the parete Rupal, the Rupalflanke and the paroi du Rupal far more often than the English-language press does.
Rupal or Fairy Meadows?
Both sides of Nanga Parbat are worth seeing and they are not substitutes for each other.
| Fairy Meadows (north) | Rupal (south) | |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Rakhiot | Rupal, the 4,600 m wall |
| Access | Jeep from Raikot Bridge plus a short walk | Jeep to Tarashing plus a two-day trek |
| Time needed | 2–3 days | 6–8 days |
| Effort | Easy | Moderate |
| Crowds | Popular, especially in summer | Quiet |
| Best for | A first look at the mountain, with a lodge and pine forest | Standing under the wall itself |
If you have a week, do the Rupal side. If you have three days, go to Fairy Meadows. Our full Nanga Parbat guide compares both routes in detail.
Photos: Ahmad Omer (CC BY-SA 4.0), Muhammad Ashar (CC BY-SA 3.0), Zunair Zahid (CC BY-SA 4.0), Maariz Ansari (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Wikimedia Commons.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Rupal Face the highest mountain face in the world?
Yes, by vertical relief in one continuous sweep: about 4,600 metres from the Rupal valley floor to the summit of Nanga Parbat. The valley floor at the foot of the wall sits at about 3,500 metres and the summit is at 8,126 metres, so almost five kilometres of rock, ice and hanging glacier stand above you in one unbroken piece. For scale, the north face of the Eiger is about 1,800 metres and the south face of Annapurna about 3,000 metres. A few walls are steeper and some Himalayan flanks are debated as rivals, but the Rupal Face is the one that is conventionally given the title. Size is the claim, not steepness or the hardest single pitch of climbing. It is the south side of Nanga Parbat and by a long way the biggest of the mountain's three great faces, ahead of the Rakhiot Face above Fairy Meadows and the Diamir Face to the west.
Can you see the Rupal Face without climbing?
Yes, and you need no mountaineering skill to stand beneath it. The wall is the view from Tarashing village, which you reach by jeep, and a two-day walk takes you to the base camp meadow directly beneath it. No technical climbing is involved. Tarashing sits at about 2,900 metres at the mouth of the Rupal valley, and its simple guesthouses look straight at the face from the lawn. The walk in follows shepherd paths and moraine past Rupal village, a farming settlement of stone walls and barley terraces, and gains about 600 to 700 metres in total. There is one glacier crossing, which your guide routes you through, and no rope is needed. Fit walkers with no climbing background manage it without difficulty. Build in a spare day at base camp, because the face makes its own weather and a cloudy afternoon can hide the wall until the next dawn.
How high is the Rupal base camp?
Roughly 3,600 metres. Herrligkoffer base camp, also called Latobah, sits on the edge of the Bazhin Glacier, in a meadow directly beneath the Rupal Face. It is where expeditions pitch their tents and where trekkers turn around. The camp takes its name from Karl Herrligkoffer, the German doctor who organised a long series of Nanga Parbat expeditions from the 1950s onward, including the 1970 expedition that first climbed the face. From Tarashing, at about 2,900 metres, the walk in gains some 600 to 700 metres over two days, a gentle enough profile for most fit walkers. That modest gain is one reason the Rupal side suits trekkers who have never been high before. Nights at base camp are cold, particularly in late spring and in September, so bring warm layers even in summer. There is no lodge above Tarashing; from there on it is tents.
How long is the trek to Rupal base camp?
Plan on six to eight days in total. The walking itself is two days in from Tarashing and two back, plus a day at base camp. Counting travel from Gilgit or Islamabad, the whole trip is six to eight days. Getting to Tarashing takes most of a day from Gilgit: roughly four hours south to Astore, then a rough jeep road up the Astore valley, so plan nothing else that afternoon. From Islamabad you either fly to Gilgit, about an hour when the weather allows, or drive the Karakoram Highway to Chilas in a long day. On the trek you spend the first night at or near Rupal village and the second at the base camp meadow. Keep the base camp day in the plan even if you feel strong, because the face often hides in afternoon cloud and clears again at dawn. Our Nanga Parbat base camp trek is built on this pattern.
Do you need a permit for the Rupal valley?
No trekking permit is needed. Nanga Parbat is in the Himalaya, not the Karakoram, so the restricted-zone rules that cover the Baltoro and K2 do not apply here. A Pakistan visa is all a trekker needs. The point catches people out, because some itineraries file Nanga Parbat under Karakoram rules by mistake and quote for a CKNP permit that has nothing to do with this valley. The one formality is the usual checkpost registration in Astore, and your guide handles it on the drive in. Climbing is a different matter entirely. An expedition attempting the face itself needs an Alpine Club of Pakistan permit and a peak royalty, which we arrange for climbing teams. For a trek to the base camp meadow, the only paperwork to sort out yourself is the tourist e-visa, applied for online before you fly. Our Pakistan tourist visa guide covers the fees, documents and processing times.
Who first climbed the Rupal Face?
Reinhold and Günther Messner, on 27 June 1970, by the south-south-east spur. Günther died on the descent of the Diamir side. The brothers were climbing on Karl Herrligkoffer's expedition, and rather than reverse the face they crossed the mountain and came down the west flank. Günther was killed by an avalanche low on that descent, and his remains were found in 2005. The climb and the argument that followed are among the most examined episodes in mountaineering. Two later climbs built the wall's reputation further. In September 2005 Steve House and Vince Anderson climbed a new line straight up the central pillar in alpine style, six days up and two down, with no fixed ropes, no supplementary oxygen and no support above base camp, and won the Piolet d'Or. In 2012 Sandy Allan and Rick Allen completed the first full traverse of the Mazeno Ridge, which took another Piolet d'Or.
What is the best time to see the Rupal Face?
September for the view, July and August for the warmest trekking. July and August are the main season, with the longest days and all roads open, though afternoon cloud is common. September gives the clearest air and the sharpest views of the wall, at the cost of cold nights, and the season closes quickly at the end of the month. May and June bring a green valley and fewer people, with snow still lying low on the approach and cold nights at base camp. From October to April the valley empties, the jeep road becomes unreliable and it is not a trekking season. Mornings are reliably clearer than afternoons in any month, so plan to be out early for photographs. If you are coming from Skardu, the Deosai Plains road to Astore is open roughly July to September and makes one of the finest drives in Pakistan on the way in.
Is the Rupal valley safe?
Yes. Astore and the Rupal valley are part of Gilgit-Baltistan, which carries no travel restriction from either the US State Department or the UK FCDO. Our region-by-region safety guide sets out the detail. The valley is farming and shepherd country, quiet even in high summer, and the hazards worth planning for are environmental: cold nights, changeable weather, one glacier crossing on the walk in and a rough jeep road from Astore to Tarashing. Your guide routes you across the ice and handles the checkpost registration in Astore. The only routing point concerns the journey north. The UK FCDO advises against the stretch of the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, so we fly to Gilgit when the weather allows, or drive over Babusar Pass in summer, which avoids that section. Make sure your travel insurance covers trekking at altitude and evacuation.
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