Nangma Valley Trek

Drive in from Khaplu and start walking at Kanday (about 2,680 m). Cross the Hushe River on a wooden bridge below the village, then climb into the narrowing valley over two suspension bridges. Four to six hours depending on load and pace. Camp on grass at Mingulo Broq with the towers directly above.

A short morning up to the upper meadow beneath Amin Brakk and the towers, then a roughly three-hour round trip to the viewpoint for the K6 panorama. K6 is 7,282 m, the 22nd highest mountain in the world. Afternoon free on the meadow, where the climbing teams base.

Downhill and quick, often a little over two hours back to the road at Kanday. Jeep to Khaplu, then on to Skardu the same day, or overnight in Khaplu for the fort.

No. Nangma sits in an open zone, so there is no No Objection Certificate, no Alpine Club of Pakistan trekking permit, and no peak royalty below 6,000 m. We need your passport details for the checkposts, and that is all. That is a real difference from the Baltoro side, where a trek to K2 Base Camp or Concordia needs an NOC, a permit and a per-person restricted-area fee. For Nangma the only other thing we need is enough notice to arrange guides, porters and a jeep for your dates. The valley entry fee, checkpost paperwork and camp fees on the Nangma meadows are all included in our price. The highest point you reach on foot is the 4,300 m viewpoint facing K6, far below the 6,000 m line. Our guide is a local Balti from Hushe, so the arrangements in the valley are made by people who live there.

Moderate. There is no technical climbing and no glacier travel. You camp at 3,950 m and the highest point is a day walk to the 4,300 m viewpoint. You need steady uphill fitness on rough ground and to be comfortable on two suspension bridges. The first day, from Kanday at about 2,680 m to Mingulo Broq at 3,500 m, takes four to six hours depending on load and pace. Day two is a short morning to the upper meadow, then a round trip of about three hours to the viewpoint for K6. The walk out on day three is downhill and often only a little over two hours. Nights are cold, so bring warm layers. Porters carry the camp and food. If you have done any two-day trek in Hunza, this is within reach, and it suits fit walkers who are new to the Karakoram.

Three days of walking from Kanday village in the Hushe Valley, with camps at Mingulo Broq (3,500 m) and the Nangma meadows (3,950 m). Kanday is about three hours from Skardu to Khaplu on sealed road, then two hours by jeep. The village sits at about 2,680 m where Nangma opens off the eastern side of the Hushe Valley. Day one crosses the Hushe River on a wooden bridge below the village, then two suspension bridges, to reach Mingulo Broq in four to six hours. Day two climbs to the upper meadow beneath Amin Brakk and the towers, with a round trip of about three hours to the 4,300 m viewpoint facing K6. Day three drops back to Kanday, usually in a little over two hours, then a jeep to Khaplu. You can continue to Skardu the same day or stay overnight in Khaplu for the fort. The jeep between Khaplu and Kanday is included.

Late June to mid-September, with July and August the most reliable. In those two months the meadows are green, the bridges are in and the rock is dry, and you will usually share the meadow with a climbing team or two working on the walls. Late September can be beautiful and cold, with the risk that the herders have already brought their stock down. Before June there is snow on the upper meadow and the stream crossings run high with meltwater. Winter is not a trekking season here. Nights at the 3,950 m camp are cold even in summer, so bring proper warm layers whenever you go. If you are planning Nangma as an acclimatisation leg before the Baltoro, tell us your dates early and we will fit both into the same summer window from Skardu.

Amin Brakk is roughly 5,850 m, with a granite face of about 1,200 m. It was first climbed in August 1999 by Silvia Vidal, Pep Masip and Miguel Puigdomenech, after weeks on the wall. It is the tower that made Nangma's name, and it stands with the Great Tower, Grey Tower and Changi Tower around the upper meadow. The near-vertical face is among the larger big walls anywhere, which is why climbers call Nangma the Yosemite of Pakistan. As a trekker you get the same view without touching a rope: the camp on the Nangma meadows at 3,950 m sits beneath Amin Brakk and the towers. In July and August there is often a climbing team or two based on the meadow, and watching them on the wall is worth the trip even if you never leave the grass. Across the valley from the viewpoint you also see K6 at 7,282 m.

Yes. Nangma works well as an acclimatisation leg before the Baltoro, and the Gondogoro La crossing starts from the same Hushe side. Tell us your dates and we will sequence both from Skardu. The Gondogoro La route finishes on the Baltoro under K2, so the two can run back to back. Three days in Nangma, with a night at 3,950 m and a day walk to the 4,300 m viewpoint facing K6, gives your body a useful start on altitude before the bigger trek. Keep in mind that the paperwork differs. Nangma is open zone with no permit, while K2 Base Camp and Concordia need an NOC, a trekking permit and a per-person restricted-area fee. Nangma also works the other way round, as a short second trip after the Baltoro. From the meadows you come out to Khaplu and can be back in Skardu the same day.