Nangma valley — Pakistan’s Yosemite
Overview
A twelve-day trip to the Nangma valley above Kanday, a granite amphitheatre that climbers have been calling Pakistan’s Yosemite since the first big-wall routes went up here. Five walking days, no glacier crossing, and the gentlest real trek in the Hushe region.
The valley
Nangma is short, steep-sided and closed at the head by walls — Shingu Charpa, Amin Brakk, the Zang Brakk towers. It is the kind of place that was obviously going to attract climbers and did, and it has a meadow at the head of it that is one of the pleasantest camps in Baltistan.
The Yosemite comparison is a climbers’ nickname rather than ours, and it is about the granite rather than the scale. Nobody should arrive expecting El Capitan.
Why it suits people the other Hushe treks do not
There is no glacier to cross and the altitude stays moderate, so this is the one trek in the valley we will take a first-time trekker on. The walking is still real — five to six hours on steep ground — but the two things that make the Charakusa and Masherbrum hard are absent.
When it runs
June to September. It is lower than its neighbours, so June is reliably green and September is comfortable.
What is inside the price
Permits and fees, jeeps and drivers on our own plates from Skardu through Khaplu to Kanday, full camp with cook and mess, a porter crew from Kanday under our published porter charter with loads weighed in front of you, guides on our payroll, satellite comms above the village and a written evacuation plan for every camp. See the rest of Hushe and the Charakusa and our other Karakoram treks.
- Duration
- 9 – 12 days
- Trek days
- 5
- Maximum altitude
- 4,200 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Moderate
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Islamabad
- Accommodation
- Hotels either side, full camp in the valley
- A granite amphitheatre climbers nicknamed Pakistan's Yosemite
- Shingu Charpa, Amin Brakk and the Zang Brakk towers closing the head of the valley
- No glacier crossing and moderate altitude — the one Hushe trek for a first-timer
- A meadow camp that is among the pleasantest in Baltistan
- Five walking days, and a season that opens early
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 2,650 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 2,250 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 1,850 | Second guide joins at six |
Deposit is 25% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Arrive Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Met inside the terminal. Briefing, SIM and cash.
02 Islamabad to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
By air when the weather allows. Buffer held if not.
03 Skardu — permits and kit check Hotel · 2,230 m
Paperwork, loads weighed, kit inspection.
04 Skardu to Kanday Camp
Through Khaplu to the village at the mouth of the valley. Crew and loads meet us here.
05 Kanday to Nangma meadow Camp
Steeply up into the valley to the meadow at its head. Short day, most of it uphill.
06 At Nangma — the head of the valley Camp
Up to the walls at the top of the valley and back. Shingu Charpa and Amin Brakk above you all day.
07 At Nangma — the side valleys Camp
A second day from the meadow, or a rest day if the weather has other ideas.
08 Nangma to Kanday Camp
Back down to the village. Crew settlement.
09 Kanday to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
Down the valley by jeep. Kit return and debrief.
10 Skardu — buffer day Hotel · 2,230 m
Held against the flight.
11 Skardu to Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
By air if the weather allows, by road if not.
12 Islamabad, and home —
Airport transfer.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Certified guides and insured crew
- Camp equipment, cook and all meals on trek
- Porter crew under our published charter, loads weighed
- Medical kit, oxygen where the route calls for it
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering evacuation and repatriation
- Personal equipment
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
Five walking days, five to six hours on the longer ones, on steep but good ground. No glacier, no rope, no technical sections, and the altitude stays moderate throughout.
This is the Hushe trek we will take a first-time trekker on, and the only one. It is still a real trek — you are camping, carrying a daypack and walking uphill for several hours a day — but the two things that make the Charakusa and Masherbrum hard, glacier travel and altitude, are not here. If you can manage a long hill day at home and repeat it, you will manage this.
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- Sleeping, mess, kitchen and toilet tents
- Group first aid and the medical kit
- Satellite phone and messenger
- All cooking and camp equipment
Personal — yours
- Sleeping bag rated to −15 °C or better
- Insulated jacket and waterproof shell
- Walking boots, worn in before you arrive
- Trekking poles
- Sun hat, glacier glasses and high-factor sunscreen
- Headtorch with spare batteries
- Water bottles or bladder, two litres minimum
- Personal medication and a declared medical history
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad
Met inside the terminal. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Skardu
By air when the weather allows, or by road when it does not. A buffer day either way.
Skardu to Kanday
Around six hours by jeep through Khaplu, on our own vehicles.
From Kanday
On foot, with a porter crew from the village.
Questions people actually ask
Why is it called Pakistan's Yosemite?
It is a climbers' nickname, about the granite rather than the scale. Big-wall routes have been going up on Shingu Charpa and Amin Brakk for decades. Do not arrive expecting El Capitan.
How many days is it, and when does the season run?
Twelve door to door, of which five are walking — the shortest trek in the Hushe region. June to September, and because Nangma sits lower than its neighbours, June is reliably green here and September is comfortable rather than cold.
How fit do I need to be?
Five to six hours a day on steep but good ground, on consecutive days. No glacier, no rope, no technical sections. If you can manage a long hill day at home and repeat it, you will manage this.
Is this suitable as a first trek in Pakistan?
Yes, and it is the only Hushe trek we say that about. No glacier crossing and moderate altitude, which are the two things that make the Charakusa and Masherbrum hard.
How high does it get?
Around 4,200 m at the head of the valley, which we are still confirming against a second source and which prints with a marker until we have. Low enough that altitude is rarely the problem.
Do I need a permit?
No restricted-zone permit and no liaison officer — this is an open trekking zone. Trekking and local fees apply and we pay them. Your Pakistan visa is the paperwork that matters.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size, then porter stages, which are the shortest of any trek we sell in Baltistan. This is the cheapest real trek in the catalogue. Deposit is 25 per cent.
Can I climb here rather than walk?
Yes, and people do. If you are coming for the walls rather than the meadow, tell us at enquiry — the permits, the stay and the crew are all different.
If this one is not quite right
The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
- A step harder Charakusa valley and K6/K7 Base Camp
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition Gondogoro Peak expedition
- Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition Laila Peak expedition
- Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition Hushe valley first ascent — unnamed 6,000 m objectives