K2 Base Camp Trek

Quick Review: Fantastic company and I totally recommend them. Unless you are extremely picky, you will not be disappointed. (Indeed if you are really picky is a trek to K2 really for you?) Long Review: I have trekked before in Nepal and elsewhere, but this was my first visit to Pakistan and it was specifically to trek to K2 Base Camp and traverse the Gondogora La. PLANNING: I researched several companies - both local and Europe based. Like others have commented, why pay a foreign company 2 or 3 times the price of a 'local company' who will sub-contracted the trek anyway so you end up using the same local companies? That's not to say I had concerns that there would be cost cutting, especially as you only pay the bulk of the trek on arrival. I was very wrong! Initial contact with Trango was very positive and reassuring. Emails were answered quickly and I spoke at length with the UK rep (Shahid) who allayed my concerns. Paperwork for the visa was issued with clear instructions, etc. Aside my visa, airfare to Pakistan and tips, he said everything was included and literally from being picked up at Islamabad to being dropped off for my return it was! I had planned to cross the GG La, but due to an injury before travelling decided against this and there was no problem reverting to 'just' the K2 Base Camp Trek. GETTING TO & FROM ASKOLE: This involves an interesting 5-6hr drive on a dirt track. The road had been recently washed out in a few places requiring us to carry our kit between 4x4s. It is fair to say that the most dangerous part of the whole trip is this drive. But in fairness, the drivers are excellent and well used to the conditions. I never felt in danger, but clearly there is potential. My advice is simply, relax, go with it and trust in Allah. THE TREK: I didn't find it overly demanding, but am aged 60 and have been walking for some 45yrs or so and in any case was very fit after completing a long distance walk a week before arriving in Islamabad. There were 3 of us trekking and the guide was able to split us up with other experienced staff so we could walk at our own pace. The scenery is stunning and aside the last day we had great weather - blue skies and bearable day and night temperatures. Early starts (6'ish) are in order and we were all in camp by about 3pm each day. The careful pace and selection of campsites ensured no-one had issues with acclimatisation. Hot water was readily available for washing and a couple of showers, and there was always boiled water for drink bottles. THE EQUIPMENT: This was basically our tents and a mattress. They were not new, but they were in satisfactory condition, very spacious and kept us warm and dry on the one night at Concordia when we had snow and rain. The mess tent, with table and chairs, was perfect for our group. The generator was great for charging up camera batteries, etc. I would recommend hiring another mattress from Trango and use my own inflatable mattress to make it more comfortable. THE FOOD: How the cook and his assistant produced food in the conditions and with what they have is impressive! Yes of course there is a certain recurring theme, but it is still impressive. I ate vegetarian on the trip and never went hungry. The cook even managed pizza one night and cooked a delicious cake from scratch. FINALLY THE STAFF: I have left this to the end as they are the most critical part of a trek like this. From Zahid our guide, Hadar and Ziah our kitchen team and Hassan, the lead muleteer through to the porters and mule handlers, everyone was simply amazing. They could not do enough for us and invariably when we arrived at each campsite, our tents were up and food and drink was ready. They were always friendly and encouraging when needed. At one camp there was an impromptu song and dance session by the staff. This was spontaneous and definitely not 'put on' for us. But we were made to feel very welcome and joined in. A shout out to Zahid who spoke sufficient English to tell us about the mountains around us and provide guidance and suggestions to make our trek special. IN CONCLUSION... I highly recommend Trango Adventures who clearly have a very slick operation in place. Everything worked seamlessly and there was enough time to change plans - specifically an extra day at Concordia to delay by 24 hrs a trip to K2 Base Camp to ensure we were there with the best weather. I plan to return to do another trek (Snow Lake) and will have no hesitation in using Trango Adventures again.

An honest review based on my experiences doing other guided trips over the last 20 years. While the company was great to deal with, the guiding staff were lacking in experience. - porters were engaging and friendly. Always there to cheer us on. Unfortunately, there was a language barrier so very little interaction - head porter was friendly and was quick when setting up the campsite. Always had a smile and friendly greeting for us. - assistant cooks treated us very well and were very courteous. We enjoyed their company. - cook never left us wanting more food as it was plentiful but the meals were very repetitive - lots of rice, fried eggs and chicken almost every day on the trail with the odd change here and there. We became tired of the selection after the first few days. - now unfortunately, we had issues with the guides. Head guide was much too young for us older age group (average age of 68) and most of us would have preferred someone older and more understanding. We had to promote one person to assistant guide from photographer as head guide never showed up on the first 2 days and when he did, he was way in front so at times, we could not see him. The last few days, he marched in front of us with the two other assistant guides and never had anyone behind us. He was not proactive in showing and/or pointing out the mountains and history. Communication skills were lacking and he never checked on our well being nor was he friendly in the mornings (he liked to sleep in). We had to demand a hand washing station that we could use before eating, we had to ask where water sources were along the day's hike, he never 'paced' us properly when gaining elevation - he just took off in front of us. And most of us felt the guide/assistant guide didn't like guiding us older and slower people. I would rate this crew as 3 of out 5 stars as the guides are the most important component of the crew.

K2 basecamp, july/August 2025. It’s always hard choosing from a variety of different companies who essentially are providing an identical trip. I was very sceptical about why other companies who were offering the exact same trip were usually 2 to 3 times more expensive. That’s a heck of a lot more money, so my question was, is Trango a real budget version where it ends up being a bit of an unenjoyable trip because of cost cutting. But after such good reviews, I just couldn’t see why I would pay 3 times the amount for the same trip. So how did it go? Trango was always exceptional in responding to questions, and you will have lots of questions. From arriving in islamabad, everything went smoothly. Islamabad hotel was great, Skardu hotel was great. The whole trip was fantastic. Throughout the trip, I watched the other expensive companies set up and tried to work out why they cost so much more. Everyone has to stay at the same campsites, everyone has to sleep on the same ground and everyone has to walk the exact same trail. Certainly the more expensive companies had plastic roses set up in the food tent, and maybe instead of a plastic chair they had a canvas deck chair. But the food looked the same and they didn’t look any happier than our Trango group. The only noticeable difference is you may have a higher end tent, but it’s still the same ground, and you aren’t carrying the tent so does that really matter? So the trekking, it’s fantastic. As a kiwi who has hiked in our mountains all his life, it’s not overly hard, but you are on extremely unstable rocks on ice, so whilst the distances each day may seem minimal, it’s very slow going, and at 5000mts its definitely harder and as you get higher, each little hill is not like the hill back home at near sea level! The scenery is just stunning. It’s isolated, it’s raw and it’s just a real adventure. I will add, the drive to Askoli from Skardu is an adventure in itself. Our food was fantastic, I do not know how the cook made all those amazing meals each day, but you will not go hungry. It is very carbohydrate heavy simply because of the limitations of what they can bring, but the food was fantastic. A chicken will disappear each day and you will have fresh chicken, you will have fantastic omelettes, pasta, soup and stews. Our guides were exceptional, they seemed to know every other guide on the trail, and everything ran smoothly as much as it can up there. So the question still remains, why pay 3 times as much for the same trip, only to be using a foreign company who is using a local company and making you pay for the privilege of that. Trango is local, so none of your money goes to someone in an office in the states or Europe or wherever. Tipping. Don’t be stingy. The porters work damn hard, harder than anything you have likely done. They are very poor, this is their only cash income job. Allow around US$150-200 to put into the tipping pool. Bring this with you, in rupees if possible. This makes a huge difference to them and their families. If you can afford more, give more. Changing money. I had huge issues with ATMs in islamabad and skardu not accepting my card, use a money changer, you will find one if you ask around. Expect the unexpected. There is every chance a bridge on the road to askoli will be down, or the road has gone, or something will break down. Plans will likely have to change, go with the flow. And after the floods in the region this year, things will change. You likely will at some stage get a bit sick. Just expect it, it will pass quickly, it’s part of the experience, different food and water, but you will carry on, no one in our group got so sick they couldn’t, they just had a slower day or 2. Bring a good inflatable mattress. When you are sleeping on the glacier you will feel the cold. And the ground is rocky and hard, but that’s the joy of this trip, it’s a real genuine trek with real camping, no glamour camping. Talk to any mountaineering people from expeditions you will meet, it’s fantastic meeting up with these people who have attempted K2 or other peaks. If you have time when in islamabad, go to the bazaar in Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi is a wonderful chaotic city and compared to India, felt so much more relaxing with absolutely no hassle. The Pakistani people are extremely welcoming, although you will unlikely have the opportunity to talk to many women. It’s safe, and it’s a fantastic way to experience the real Pakistan. Use sunscreen….and reapply and reapply. The sun at altitude is fierce up there, it will cook you. So, use trango, save lots and lots of money and get exactly the same trip. Unless you want plastic roses on your table at dinner time, but that’s not what it’s about is it!!!