Rakaposhi Base Camp

Rakaposhi rises to 7,788 metres almost directly from the Hunza river, one of the greatest uninterrupted mountain rises anywhere, and the walk to its base camp is the most accessible serious viewpoint trek in the region. The trail starts in Minapin, a village of orchards just off the Karakoram Highway, and climbs through woods and pasture to Hapakun and then the base camp meadow at Tagaphari, around 3,300 metres, in four to six hours of steady walking. From the meadow the north face fills the sky, with the Minapin glacier pouring down beside it and the ice cliffs calving audibly through the day. Many walkers continue twenty minutes to the glacier viewpoint ridge. It can be done as a long day hike, but staying the night at the seasonal campsites and catching the face at dawn is the better plan.

What you actually see

• The north face of Rakaposhi - a wall of ice and rock from meadow to summit.
• Minapin glacier - crevassed ice with regular audible calving.
• Tagaphari meadow - the base camp grazing ground with seasonal camps.
• Minapin village - orchards and channels at the trailhead.

When to go

May to October; the trail is snowbound outside that. June and July have the best mix of clear mornings and green pasture. Afternoons cloud up, so views are a morning business. Seasonal tea camps at the meadow operate midsummer only.

Honest expectations

The climb is unrelenting for around 1,300 metres and the day-hike version defeats a fair number of visitors; camping halfway or at the top is easier. The trail is rough and exposed to sun. Facilities at the meadow are tents and simple food in season, nothing outside it. Altitude is enough to notice.

Nearby

Hunza's Karimabad is up the highway; Hopar glacier lies across the valley in Nagar.