General Questions
If you choose to not apply for your visa online using the E-visa scheme, (Apply here: https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/mountaineering-trekking/ ) then physical visas can only be arranged in the country your passport is from so if, for example, you have a British passport you must sort your visa in the UK. If you are traveling long-term out of your home country, we recommend posting your passport back to your home country and getting a friend, family member, or visa service to help you submit your visa application.
You can also usually get a visa in another country if you have a residency visa there. You will need a letter of invitation for your visa application and we will provide this, as well as tips on how to make the visa application as stress-free as possible, once your spot is confirmed.
Please note your LOIs, which you need for your visa applications, are included in the cost of this tour and will be sent out to you approximately three months before the start of the tour.
While MouhimJo can not apply/guarantee your visa to Pakistan, we will help and guide you at every stage of the visa application process. We will provide you with all the supporting documents including Letter of Invitation. Recently, the new E-visa regime has made it quite easy to apply for your Pakistani visa using the new E-visa scheme. The whole process can take few days to several weeks, but MouhimJo has never had one of our guests be denied a visa.
On trek, the food is a mixture of local and Western, dishes using ingredients mostly purchased in Pakistan and cooked by our highly trained trek cooks.
Breakfasts consist of cereal, muesli or porridge, eggs, bread or chapatti, tea and coffee.
Lunch is a picnic from a choice of canned fish, tinned meats, cheese, pickles, pate, and crackers or chapattis, sometimes accompanied by hot soup and noodles, and finished off with tea or coffee.
Dinner taken in a group ‘mess’ tent, is a three course meal. We do routinely cater for vegetarians but you must discuss with us if you wish your diet to be exclusively vegetarian.
There will ALWAYS be some decent vegetarian and non-spicy items, but you also need to have realistic expectations regarding Pakistani cuisine, which can be meat-heavy, and SPICY.
It is not recommended to drink untreated water from the taps. If you are on a trekking or cycling holiday, water is supplied to fill up your individual bottles. This will be boiled, filtered or provided in large jerry cans or 5 litre bottles. Additionally you should take purification tablets or a filter bottle (such as a Water-To-Go bottle) to treat your water when in towns or where water is not supplied. We do not encourage the purchasing of single use plastic bottles.
Whilst we can cater for vegetarians, albeit sometimes with a more limited choice, we cannot provide special diets. Due to the nature of the trips that we operate, it can be very hard (and sometimes impossible) to cater for a wide range of dietary choices and you may have to supplement your diet with food/snacks from home. If you have specific dietary requirements please speak to us so that we will be able to advise you whether or not we can offer your specific choice. Please note that we are unable to provide separate menus and cannot accept liability for any problems arising from special dietary requirements or intolerances.
If you have a severe allergy please inform MouhimJo team before you travel. We will do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment on our trips. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your adrenaline pen.
Tour-related Queries
This holiday involves going to very high altitude. During the course of your trip you will be spending at least one night above 4000 metres and/or trekking to 5000 metres or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatize successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should get in shape. Unless you have previous experience of trekking above 4000 metres you should consult us before embarking on this holiday.
No,you do not. Crossing the pass at Gondogoro La is the most serious aspect of this trek in terms of difficulty. Rock fall, ice, and poor route conditions are all assessed by our team prior to ascending/descending the pass. You will be clipped into a fixed rope from the top of the Gondogoro La for safety/security reasons. Crampons are very rarely needed for this section, but we believe it is always best to have them just in case.
It is NOT neccessary to cross Gondogoro La. At Concordia our group will be divided into two parties; First party will cross the Gondogoro La, reaching Hushe and then Skardu, and the second party will trek back on the same route to Askole. Both parties will be accompanied by guides, cooks and ground staff. Both parteis will be later reunited again in Skardu.
The group will be led by an experienced english-speeaking MouhimJo leader, Umair Abdullah, founder MouhimJo. During the trek the group will be accompanied by a full support crew, including a very experienced & skilled local guide, trained cooks and kitchen crew, as well as porters to carry all equipment and personal trek bags. Meet our tribe here: https://www.mouhimjo.com/our-tribe
Skardu is a weather-dependent airport. Since the valley is completely surrounded by high mountains, planes can only land here in good visibility and this means flights to and from Skardu are never guaranteed. The planes do fly more often than not, but cancellations can and do occur, and in these circumstances we will travel by road. If we did not do this, groups would risk being stranded in Islamabad, and this may mean you have no possibility of trekking.
Approximately £200 (or equivalent in US dollars, Euros etc.) changed into local currency should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses, including porter and trek crew tips.
Note that money for tips should be changed into local currency (denominations of 500 rupees or smaller only) before you leave Islamabad. It is not necessary to purchase local currency (Pakistan rupees) before your trip. Money can be changed at a reasonable rate at the airport or at authorized money changers in Islamabad. Since you will be changing the majority of your spending money into local currency soon after your arrival, we recommend that you take it in cash. US dollars will give you more flexibility to exchange in smaller towns or in an emergency. Credit cards can be used to purchase many goods in Islamabad or Skardu and are particularly useful for more expensive items such as carpets. It is possible to withdraw cash (rupees only) from cash machines in Islamabad and Skardu using credit and debit cards.
It is usual to tip the members of your trek crew, including your local guide, if you are happy with the services provided. We estimate that £150 - £200 (in local currency equivalent) will cover this aspect of your trip expenditure. Towards the end of the trek, the trip leader will help the group to determine an appropriate level of tipping for each crew member, (you can always tip more if you are happy with the crew), and this is most usually done as a group ‘thank-you’ with a ceremony on the final day of trekking.
For this holiday you should take one piece of luggage, which should be a soft and sturdy duffel bag and a daypack. Your baggage on trek will be carried by porters. The packed weight of your bag whilst trekking including your sleeping bag and camping mattress should be no more than 12 kgs. (26.5 pounds). It is possible to leave items not required on trek at the group hotel in Islamabad and also in Skardu.
Note: this allowance does not include your mountaineering equipment which will be collected from you in Skardu and carried separately in communal bags.
The following checklist should help you with your packing. You do not need to spend a fortune on this equipment. As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum. The packed weight of your trek bag whilst trekking including your sleeping bag and mattress should be no more than 12 kgs. This limit which is set by the porters is strictly enforced and bags will be weighed prior to setting off on trek. Anything not required on the trek can be left at the group hotel in Islamabad. Please note that your mountaineering equipment will be packed into additional, communal kit bags at the start of the trekking and this equipment will NOT be part of your personal 12 kgs weight limit.
YOU MUST BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
Sleeping bag (comfort rated -15°C)
Thermarest or similar sleeping mat
Daypack 30 to 40 litres
Hiking boots
Mountaineering boots (see ‘Mountaineering equipment’ below)
Trainers or sandals for river crossings and camp use
Socks
Walking socks (2 or 3 pairs)
Spare laces
Trekking trousers
Lightweight waterproof overtrousers
Underwear
Thermal baselayer - leggings
Thermal baselayer shirts (2 short sleeve, 2 long sleeve)
Shirts or T-shirts
Fleece jacket or warm jumper
Waterproof jacket
Warm jacket (down)
Sunhat
Warm hat
Sunglasses
Thermal gloves
Warmer and waterproof gloves or mittens
Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)
Water bottles 1 litre (x2) (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)
Water purification tablets
Trekking poles
Headtorch and spare batteries
Washbag and toiletries
Antibacterial handwash
Small towel
Basic First Aid Kit including: antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), altitude (Diamox), painkillers, plasters, blister treatment, insect repellent, and re-hydration salts (Dioralite). Glucose tablets and multi-vitamin tablets. Our MouhimJo guide will also have the Medkit for everyone.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE OPTIONAL:
Insect repellant – (DEET)
Scarf or buff
Sleeping bag liner
Travel clothes
Pen-knife (note: always pack sharp objects in hold baggage)
Repair kit – (eg. needle, thread, duct tape)
Small padlock (to lock your trek bag)
Camera
Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)
MOUNTAINEERING EQUIPMENT - Only if you intend to cross GondoGoroLa. Not required for just K2 Basecamp.
Insulated and rigid mountaineering boots which can be securely fitted with crampons. (B2 grade minimum).
Ice axe
Crampons
Climbing harness
Karabiners (2 x screwgate)
Sling (120cm)
Prussik loops X 2 (4m of 6mm cord makes 2)
Climbing helmet (Can be rented from Skardu)
While it is advisable to bring your equipment with you, the equipment can be rented from Skardu; however, the quality of equipment can not be assured beforehand.
It makes a lot of sense to spend some time before coming on a trekking trip getting some additional exercise. The fitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find the experience. For this trip you need to be aerobically fit and also comfortable with walking up to 10 hours on some days. We would suggest that you adopt a weekly exercise regime leading up to your trip. Regular hiking in the hill country is the best training but running, tennis and swimming are also good for developing cardiovascular fitness and stamina. Before departure, we suggest that you try to fit in a number of long walks in hilly country.
From mid June to August, we can expect to encounter temperatures as high as 30°C at Skardu and 25°C at Hushe and Askole. In June and early July there will be a good covering of snow on the slopes leading to and from the Gondoro la and we may also encounter snow on the upper part of the Baltoro. Above 4000 metres snow can fall at any time of the year. At any time of the season the night-time temperature above 4000 metres are likely to drop to freezing or below and at our highest camps may reach minus 10 or 15°C. The weather is generally good throughout the summer season, with clear skies and little rain or snow. However, weather in mountainous areas is difficult to predict, and short-lived storms can occur at any time of the year.
TerraQuest: Karakoram. 1 : 175,000
Available from Stanfords - stanfords.co.uk - £14.99
This is the best map, covering the central part of the Karakoram Range on a waterproof and tear-resistant, double-sided map, with coverage extending from Gilgit and the Karakoram Highway to the peaks of K2 and Gasherbrum. The map is presented in a special format, handy for conveniently viewing just small sections of it at one time.
You can not do K2 Basecamp trek on your own because the Central Karakoram National Park crosses some restricted military zones (within the park are natural boundaries with China and India), you must have a guide and obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which only tour companies can issue for this region. MouhimJo Experiences sorts out all of your permits well in advance of the trip. We check in with park police when we enter Central Karakoram National Park. Trekkers without an organized guide will not be allowed into the park to attempt the trek.
Once we leave Islamabad, WiFi is basically non-existent. Recently, a SCOM network tower was installed at K2 Base Camp which means you can have wifi at the basecamp (however, it’s very slow ). Whilst there may be small amounts of phone coverage on the trip, you should view this adventure as a chance to unplug. In the mountains, there is zero phone signal so there is no point in buying a SIM card as it will only work in a few places. There is wifi in the hotels in Skardu, but it hardly works and there are often power outages.
We will be using nice guesthouses/hotels that offer very comfortable facilities. Rooms in Islamabad are very nice, air-conditioned, twin-sharing and equipped with WiFi. In Skardu the rooms are cozy and comfortable, but not air-conditioned because the weather is always pleasant in shade.
Once we arrive in Askole to start the trek, our accommodation will be in tents until we return back to Skardu. The tents are high quality, waterproof, and comfortable, and will be twin-sharing.
If you’d like to have your own tent for the duration of the trek we can arrange it at cost. The single supplement cost is $350; as we will need to pay for it to be portered for nearly two weeks. If you would like your own hotel room in Skardu and Islamabad, the extra cost is $200.
Yes, our guides are equipped with industry-standard satellite phones for use during emergencies and for communication with our supply team. The guides also carry two way satellite messengers with GPS technology so that in case of emergency, we can give response teams the exact location.At times, the satellite phone is available for guests to use at a minimal price.
We do everything in our power to ensure things run smoothly. When it comes to flights, weather, road construction, etc, these factors are out of our control. However, it is important to remember that adventure travel is all about the journey, and so even the unexpected situations we may face should be treated as part of the overall experience. If we encounter issues we will get them sorted to the best of our ability.
We have factored in buffer days in case of delay so that we still have enough time to do the whole planned itinerary, even if we are unable to fly to Skardu due to poor weather conditions.
You need to arrive at Islamabad, Pakistan, and be at the hotel/meeting spot by the morning of day 1. Ideally you will arrive a day early to rest and gear up for the start of our adventure. You will be picked up from the airport by a member of our team providing you arrive within 24 hours of midday on day 1. If you arrive outside of those days, you’ll need to sort your own transfer – advice will be provided
Once you have secured your spot, we will arrange a call so that we can have a short trip debriefing and interview. The interview is a chance for your tour leader to get to know you better before the start of the tour. If we don’t think you’re quite right, we will refund 100% of your money.
Potential guests looking to join us on this trek need to have prior experience trekking in the mountains, to have decent fitness as mentioned above, and a positive attitude to join an awesome group of people from around the world.