# K2 and the Baltoro Glacier, Gilgit-Baltistan

> The trek along the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and K2 Base Camp is one of the great walks of the world, through a landscape of granite towers and ice.

- **Page:** https://hunzaexplorer.com/destinations/gilgit-baltistan/k2-baltoro
- **Type:** Mountain
- **Province or region:** Gilgit-Baltistan
- **Best season:** June to August
- **Altitude:** 8,611 m

K2 is 8,611 metres high, the second-highest mountain in the world and, to many climbers, the hardest. Trekkers do not have to climb it. From Askole the Baltoro trail follows the glacier for about eight days to Concordia, where K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum IV rise at the same junction, and on to K2 Base Camp.

This is a serious trek that needs a fit group, porters and a guide who knows the glacier. It is made under permit rules for the Central Karakoram National Park, and we arrange those. Most groups go from late June to August.

## Highlights

- Concordia, where several great glaciers meet
- Views of K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum IV
- The Trango Towers
- The Gondogoro La loop, around 5,600 metres

## Tours to K2 and the Baltoro Glacier

- [Great Karakoram Traverse Trek](https://hunzaexplorer.com/tour/great-karakoram-traverse-trek.md): 36 days, Trekking
- [K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La Trek](https://hunzaexplorer.com/tour/k2-base-camp-gondogoro-la-trek.md): 23 days, Trekking
- [K2 Expedition (8611m)](https://hunzaexplorer.com/tour/k2-expedition.md): 60 days, Expeditions
- [Broad Peak Expedition (8047M)](https://hunzaexplorer.com/tour/broad-peak-expedition.md): 52 days, Expeditions
- [K2 Base Camp Trek](https://hunzaexplorer.com/tour/k2-base-camp-trek.md): 21 days, Trekking

## Seasons in Gilgit-Baltistan

- **Spring (March to April):** Apricot and cherry blossom in the lower valleys, mostly in April. The higher villages are still cold and the high passes are closed.
- **Summer (May to September):** The main season. Every valley is open, and this is the time for trekking, Deosai, the Khunjerab Pass and the K2 approach.
- **Autumn (October to November):** Golden leaves in the orchards and the clearest light of the year. Nights are cold and the first snow reaches the high valleys in November.
- **Winter (December to February):** Cold and quiet. Hunza and Gilgit stay reachable by road, but the high valleys and passes are closed.