Skardu, capital of Baltistan is perched 2438 meters above sea level in the backdrop of the great peaks of the Karakoram mountain range. Baltistan is known as the “Tibet -e- Khurd” or little Tibet since its life style reflects that of the roof of the world and land of Lamas.It borders on the Chinese province of Sinkiang and Indian occupied Kashmir. The tourist season is from April to October. The maximum temperature is 27oC and the minimum is 8oC. Apart from its incomparable cluster of mountain peaks and Glaciers Baltistan’s five valleys Shigar, Skardu, Khaplu, Rondu and Kharmang are noted for their Luscious peaches, apricots, apples and pears. Shigar valley, 32 kms by jeep from Skardu is the gateway to the mountain peaks of the Karakoram. Skardu has a historic fort known as Kharpocho Fort. It was constructed by Ali Sher Khan Anchan who ruled from Ladakh to Chitral till the end of the 16th century. The two lakes – Kachura lake 29 kms. and Sadpara lake 8 kms. from Skardu 

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The Northern Areas of Pakistan comprises of the most rugged mountain terrain in the world.
Situated at the meeting point of the three greatest mountain ranges in the world ( The Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakorams ) this region covers an area greater than the Austria and Switzerland together.
Nestled between Afghanistan, China, Ladakh and India this is the remotest and most inaccessible mountain region in the world.
With over 460 mountains higher than 6000m, and five of the world’s fourteen highest peaks this rugged region offers a sanctury to some of the rare and most prized species of wildlife.  The list of species found in this great wilderness is very long.
There are several species of ibex found all over this vast mountain region. With the strict control on hunting some of them reaching phenomenal sizes offering rewarding trophies to the daring hunters who venture in this great wilderness.
Any hunting trip in this inaccessible area needs careful planning. A number of permits from the local and federal authorities, special import and re-export licenses for the firearms as well as permits to carry and use these inside the country are required. These often take several weeks to process and must be obtained before the arrival of hunting party in the country.

Due to non availability of food and shelter as well as scarecity of fuel and strict control on logging everything needs to be acquired in advance and transported on difficult mountain trails by porters to the base camp.  This makes professional planning of the hunting expedition a necessity.
Special camping equipment, tents, mess tent, utencils, kitchen, food and fuel is carefully selected by professionals to withstand extreme climatic conditions and to last the duration of the hunting expedition.

Experienced mountain guides, hunting scouts, cooks and bearers accompany the expedition to ensure a smooth and efficient operation as well as maximum comfort of the hunters even in the most remote locations.
From the base camp hunting scouts and mountain guides assist the hunters in making hunting plans and to establish advance camps closer to the ibex habitat from where scouting and stalking of the trophy animals is done.
Ibex hunting is a very demanding venture and due to the ruggedness of the terrain and remoteness of this region huters must be in top form. However in the event of an accident or illness helicopters can be acquired for evacuation of casuality.
All this requires advance prepration. The hunt organizers must know that there altogather twenty hunting permits are issued each year for the entire Northern Pakistan. The organizers must contact us well in advance with details of their party so that the required number of permits could be acquired in advance.

REGIONS FOR IBEX HUNTING:
Ibex is found all over the Northern Areas of Pakistan in small scattered groups. The hunting of ibex is allowed only in the areas where community based trophy hunting projects have been based.

HUNTING SEASON AND CLIMATE: 
The hunting is permitted only during the period between 15th November till 31st March.

 HUNTING PERMISSIONS: 
The permission for trophy hunting involves several fees and contribution towards the local community looking after the game reserve. The current costs for permission to hunt for ibex in the northern Pakistan include:

Permit Cost:
The current cost of obtaining hunting permits from the government is currently US$4000  for each ibex. This permit allowsone hunter to shoot one ibex during the winter hunting season starting from 15th November each year. This amount is deposited much before arrival of the hunter in the country so that all the paperwork could be completed in advance.
This fee is neither refundable in case of no kill nor is it transferable.

Local Community Fee:  
The local community in-charge of the area where hunt is conducted is authorized to charge a fee from US$4000 to US$6000 per hunter to allow access to their hunting grounds.

Local Hunting Scouts:

The local communities provide scouts who will guide the hunting party to the various animals in the region. They possess intimate knowledge of the area and the best hunting location at that time. These scouts are carefully selected by Adventure Travel considering their past performance. The hunter is expected to provide a full out door kit to each scout and guide or pay them an appropriate amount in lieu of the kit.

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This unique photo safari will take you to the beautiful valley of Baltistan at the time of the year when it looks its best. Autumn is a time, when the landscape of Baltistan looks like a painting, the trees throughout the valley seem to be on fire as their leaves turn gold, red orange and bronze, contrasting sharply with the barren mountains, their tops covered with snow and emerald green waters of the river snaking through the valley, it is a photographic dream come true. Beginning the journey from Skardu on four-wheel drive jeeps, you will pass through the beautiful valleys of Shiger, Khaplu and Hushe. During the day, trek and visit local villages to study and observe the lifestyle of the Balti people.

Skardu is the best place for tourism and trekking, it is in the hub of Northern areas. It is also known as mountainous terrain that has 4 mountains which are 8,000 meters above. Because of this it’s attract the attention of most tourists, trekkers and mountaineers all around the world. If you want to explore the culture of Skardu the best months for this tourism is from April to October, because there is snow and freezing in the winter weather.

To know more about culture tour to Skardu, kindly contact us and we will help you with all your questions.

Baltistan, ‘the land of apricots’ beautifully paints by the colors of spring blossoms in contrast of snowy mountains after a long critical winter.

Baltistan, the hub of mighty peaks including the second highest mount K-2, is alluring number of tourists from all over the globe. Besides, its majestic mountains, the valleys are also filled with the carefully terraced fields, fruit laden orchards, crystal clear streams, hot and cool springs, gleaming lakes, and a hospitable culture are few charms to mention.

This 16 days jeep safari is tailored to give a full-fledge display of Baltistan. Starting from Skardu and visiting through the enchanting valleys of Shigar and Khaplu, dominating by 7821m Masherbrum peak, we will end up at Islamabad after having a spectacular mountain flight from Skardu.

Great Trango Tower is one of the most spectacular granite towers in the world; Nameless and Trango Tower are among the largest vertical faces of the world. Nameless Tower was ascended for the first time by a strong British team on their second attempt in 1975. Great Trango Tower’s was first climbed in 1977 by Galen Rowell, There are no possibilities of free climbing; This is a fascinating and mesmerizing place with huge granite rock towers reaching thousands of feet high, dropping down to the churning moraine of the Dunge and Trango glaciers. The route is mixture of snow and ice and the accent is of moderate grade, with some lower angle rock sections, this is an amazing way to reach the summit of Great Trango and Nameless.

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Hushe Valley offers various exciting trekking routes in the central Karakoram where we have carefully included the 7821m Masherbrum base camp, 5650m Gondogoro La and Saraksa valleys to give maximum exposure in minimum time.

The first phase of this trek will lead straight to the base camp of Masherbrum, the 24th highest in the world.

The Gondogoro Valley will be our next destination to have excellent views of central Karakoram peaks including K-2, Broad Peak, dagger up 6400m Laila Peak and Concordia from the dramatic Gondogoro Pass at 5650m height. Finally, we will visit feet of 6934m K-7 , and 7281m K-6 before return to Hushe Village. DSC 0314 WinCE

Unspoiled environment, close-up mountain panorama and picturesque summer pastures are the few major attractions of this tour

Day 20     Flight to destination

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K2 (Chogori) 8611m the second highest mountain on earth. Chogori means the king of mountains in Balti language. This name is little known in the outside world. K2 is a rocky mountain up to 6,000m, beyond which it becomes an ocean of snow. K2 is situated on the Pak-China border in the mighty Karakorams. The traditional route to K2’s base camp goes from Skardu, which is linked with Islamabad by a good road. From Skardu the route goes via Shigar-Dassu-Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro glacier. It was in 1887 the 1st British surveyor came to this region from Kashmir via Brogil Pass, Goodwin Austen discovered peaks and glaciers in this area. It was 1st Expedtion. It was 1st expedition in 1902 led by Oscar-J-L Eckevstien, who attempt K-2 but because of harsh weather they couldn’t get on the summit, they collected information for next expedition. In 1909 an Italian expedition led by Duke of Abruzi the grand son of King victor emomuel 2nd of Italy attempted K-2, they couldn’t succeed, the climbing route Abruzi ridge from South east face are on his name and after him many expeditions from different countries tried without success. Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni reached the summit and became the first K-2 climbers in the world, after his success; there are many climbers who K2 (Chogori) 8611m the second highest mountain on earth. Chogori means the king of mountains in Balti language. This name is little known in the outside world. K2 is a rocky mountain up to 6,000m, beyond which it becomes an ocean of snow. K2 is situated on the Pak-China border in the mighty Karakorams. The traditional route to K2’s base camp goes from Skardu, which is linked with Islamabad by a good road. From Skardu the route goes via Shigar-Dassu-Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro glacier. It was in 1887 the 1st British surveyor came to this region from Kashmir via Brogil Pass, Goodwin Austen discovered peaks and glaciers in this area. It was 1st Expedtion. It was 1st expedition in 1902 led by Oscar-J-L Eckevstien, who attempt K-2 but because of harsh weather they couldn’t get on the summit, they collected information for next expedition. In 1909 an Italian expedition led by Duke of Abruzi the grand son of King victor emomuel 2nd of Italy attempted K-2, they couldn’t succeed, the climbing route Abruzi ridge from South east face are on his name and after him many expeditions from different countries tried without success. Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni reached the summit and became the first K-2 climbers in the world, after his success; there are many climbers who climbed K-2 one by one on different faces. K2 lies in the northwestern Karakoram Range. The Tarim sedimentary basin borders the range on the north and the Lesser Himalayas on the south. Melt waters from vast glaciers, such as those south and east of K2, feed agriculture in the valleys and contribute significantly to the regional fresh-water supply. The Karakoram Range lies along the southern edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate and is made up of ancient sedimentary rocks (more than 390 million years old). Those strata were folded and thrust-faulted, and granite masses were intruded, when the Indian plate collided with Eurasia, beginning more than 100 million years ago. K2 is only ranked 22nd by topographic prominence, a measure of a mountain’s independent stature, because it is part of the same extended area of uplift (including the Karakoram, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Himalaya) as Mount Everest, in that it is possible to follow a path from K2 to Everest that goes no lower than 4,594 metres (15,072 ft), at Mustang Lo. Many other peaks which are far lower than K2 are more independent in this sense. K2 is notable for its local relief as well as its total height. It stands over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above much of the glacial valley bottoms at its base. It is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping quickly in almost all directions. The north side is the steepest: there it rises over 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) above the K2 (Qogir) Glacier in only 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) of horizontal distance. In most directions, it achieves over 2,800 metres (9,200 ft) of vertical relief in less than 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).climbed K-2 one by one on different faces.