Shimshal to Askole

Fly or drive to Gilgit, continue up the Karakoram Highway to Passu, then the 56 km jeep road into Shimshal (3,113 m). A rest and packing day in the village while porters are hired.

Ghar Sar, Wuch Furzeen and Arbob Purian to Shujerab, then up to the Shimshal Pass and the Pamir at 4,735 m, with a full day there to acclimatise among the Wakhi yak camps.

Descend east from the Pamir to the Braldu river and follow it to the snout of the Braldu glacier, the last grass for a fortnight.

Several days on the ice, roped through crevasse fields, to high camps below the pass. Spare days here absorb bad weather.

An early start to cross the pass onto the Sim Gang glacier and descend to Snow Lake at about 4,800 m. On the Tilman Pass variant you cross at about 5,500 m onto the Nobande Sobande instead.

Walk out down the Biafo glacier, about 67 km of ice, to Askole (about 3,000 m). The Tilman variant descends the Nobande Sobande and Panmah glaciers to Jhola.

A 6 to 8 hour jeep ride down the Braldu gorge to Skardu, then a celebration night and the flight or drive back to Islamabad.

Spare days for weather on the passes and for cancelled Skardu flights. Unused days can be spent in Skardu or Hunza.

Lukpe La is the most established of the three and the one we recommend for most experienced trekkers. At 5,695 m it links the Braldu glacier with the Sim Gang glacier and drops into Snow Lake, then walks out down the Biafo glacier to Askole, a line that small parties have crossed regularly since Eric Shipton walked the Braldu side in 1937. Tilman Pass, at about 5,500 m, is lower but far less travelled and poorly documented, so the route is found on the ground and the risk of turning back is higher. Khurdopin Pass, at about 5,800 m, is the highest and approaches over a glacier that surged around 2017 and keeps changing, which suits climbers more than trekkers. All three need crampons, an ice axe, a harness and roped glacier travel, so none of them is easy in any normal sense.

Plan on 26 to 30 days from Islamabad and back. That covers a few days to reach Shimshal by air or road through Gilgit and Hunza, including the 56 km jeep road from Passu, about a week climbing the Shimshal gorge and acclimatising on the Pamir at 4,735 m, ten to fourteen days on the glaciers and the pass itself, and two or three days from Askole by jeep to Skardu and back to Islamabad. Lukpe La trips usually run 26 to 28 days, Khurdopin 26 to 29, and Tilman Pass about 30 because the descent via the Nobande Sobande and Panmah glaciers is longer. Build in at least two spare days for weather on the passes and for cancelled flights between Skardu and Islamabad. The walking alone is roughly three weeks, with no village or road between Shimshal and the Askole side.

You need previous multi-day glacier trekking and confidence on crampons, but not technical climbing skills. On all three passes you travel roped through crevasse fields for days at a time, and on the pass itself you use an ice axe, harness and helmet, with fixed rope on steeper sections. You will spend nights between 4,500 m and 5,800 m, so earlier experience above 5,000 m is a real advantage, and the first week on the Shimshal Pamir at 4,735 m is built in to acclimatise. Fitness matters more than technique: expect 8 to 10 hour days with a light pack on consecutive days, and no road or village to retreat to for two to three weeks. If you have not done a glacier trek before, the Snow Lake and Hispar La trek or the K2 Base Camp trek is the right first step.

Yes. The Shimshal to Snow Lake, Lukpo La and Panmah glacier treks are on NADRA's official list of treks, so foreign trekkers need Pakistan's Mountaineering and Trekking visa rather than an ordinary tourist visa. You apply online at visa.nadra.gov.pk with your passport, a photo, the trekking application form and a sponsor letter from a tour operator authorised by the Department of Tourist Services, and processing takes about four weeks, so apply early. After the visa is granted, the Gilgit-Baltistan trekking fee is US$150 per person in summer, paid in Pakistan. You also pay the Shimshal Nature Trust fee for the Shimshal side and the Central Karakoram National Park fee for the Snow Lake and Biafo side, and you must travel with a licensed guide. A good operator arranges all of this before you land.