Rush Peak — K2 viewpoint summit
Overview
A twelve-day trip to the summit of Rush Peak above Rush Lake in Nagar — a walk-up snow summit with no technical climbing, and one of the widest views in the Karakoram from the top. It is the gentlest real summit in this catalogue and the one we recommend to trekkers who want to stand on something.
A summit without climbing
Rush Peak is reached on foot and on snow, with crampons and a rope for the upper section but no pitched climbing, no fixed line and no exposure that would trouble a confident walker. That makes it a genuine first summit rather than a trekking peak in name only.
The view
Rakaposhi at 7,788 m, Spantik and the Malubiting group, the Hispar and Barpu glaciers, and on the clearest mornings K2 a long way east. The claim about K2 is made by every operator in Nagar and it is true perhaps a handful of mornings each season — we will not promise it and nor should anyone else.
How it differs from the Rush Lake trek
Same approach, same camps, one more day and one more morning. If you only want the lake and the Rush Pari viewpoint, the Rush Lake trek is the right trip and it costs less.
When it runs
June to September. The summit needs settled weather and reasonable snow, and we will turn a group round rather than push a marginal morning.
What is inside the price
Permits and fees, transport on our own vehicles, hotels in Hunza, full camp with cook and mess, a Nagar porter crew under our published porter charter, guides on our payroll with rope and group hardware for the summit day, satellite phone above the village and a written evacuation plan for every camp, with our turn-back criteria published before you pay. See the rest of Nagar and our other Karakoram expeditions.
- Duration
- 10 – 12 days
- Trek days
- 7
- Maximum altitude
- 5,098 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Hard
- Group size
- Max 8
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Gilgit / Gilgit
- Accommodation
- Hotels in Hunza, full camp on the mountain
- A genuine summit with no pitched climbing, no fixed rope and no real exposure
- Rakaposhi, Spantik and the Malubiting group from the top
- Rush Lake and the Rush Pari viewpoint on the way up
- Crampons and a rope taught properly at camp before they are needed
- Below the royalty band, so no peak royalty is charged
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 3,100 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 2,600 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 2,150 | 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 Gilgit Hotel
Met at the airport or off the highway. Briefing, SIM and cash.
02 Gilgit to Hunza Hotel · 2,400 m
Up the highway to Karimabad.
03 Hunza — acclimatisation Hotel · 2,400 m
A short walk above Karimabad. Height gained gently on purpose.
04 Karimabad to Hopar Camp
Across to Nagar and up to the Hopar glaciers. Crew and loads meet us here.
05 Hopar to Barpu Glacier camp Camp
Onto the glacier and up the ablation valley.
06 To Rush Lake Camp · 4,694 m
A long climbing day to the lake. Pulse and saturation checks tonight and every night.
07 Rope and crampon day Camp · 4,694 m
Technique at camp, a short acclimatisation walk, and an early night.
08 Rush Peak summit, and back to the lake Camp · 4,694 m
Early start on snow to the summit, and down to camp. The long morning of the trip.
09 Rush Lake to Hopar Camp
Down the way we came, on tired legs.
10 Hopar to Karimabad Hotel · 2,400 m
Out by jeep. Kit return and debrief.
11 Hunza to Gilgit Hotel
Down the valley with stops you choose.
12 Gilgit, and onward —
By air or road, and on to whatever comes next.
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
Seven walking days with a long summit morning at the end of them. Five to seven hours on steep and sometimes loose ground on the approach, then an early start and four to six hours on snow to the top and back.
No pitched climbing and no fixed rope, but you will be in crampons and on a rope, and you need to be steady walking in both. We teach the technique at camp. What we cannot teach is the fitness to do a long day at over 5,000 m after six days of camping, so arrive able to do consecutive hill days at home. If the altitude profile worries you, the Rush Lake trek reaches the same camps without the summit morning.
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
- Harness, two locking carabiners and a prusik loop
- Crampons that fit your boots, fitted before you travel
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 by a member of our team, not a driver with a sign outside it. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Gilgit
By air when the weather allows, which is the short way and the one that cancels. By road up the Karakoram Highway when it does not — long, reliable, and scenery rather than dead time.
On the ground
Our own vehicles and our own drivers from Gilgit onward.
Questions people actually ask
Can you really see K2 from the top?
On a handful of the clearest mornings each season, yes. Every operator in Nagar makes the claim and we will not promise it, because most summit mornings do not deliver it and the view is worth the trip without it.
How technical is the summit day?
Not technical. Crampons and a rope for the upper snow, but no pitched climbing, no fixed line and no exposure that would trouble a confident walker. We teach the technique at camp before it is needed.
How many days is it, and when does it run?
Twelve door to door, of which seven are walking. June to September, and the summit needs settled weather and reasonable snow — we will turn a group round rather than push a marginal morning.
How fit do I need to be?
Able to do five to seven hours on steep ground for six consecutive days, and then a long early morning on snow at over 5,000 m. That last part is what decides it.
How high is Rush Peak?
Around 5,098 m. We have one source for that figure and have not matched it against a second, so it prints with a marker until we have.
Do I need a climbing permit?
No peak royalty — Rush Peak sits well below the 6,500 m band where royalty begins. Trekking and local fees apply in Nagar 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. It costs a little more than the Rush Lake trek because of the summit day, the group hardware and a smaller maximum party. Deposit is 25 per cent.
How is this different from the Rush Lake trek?
Same approach and same camps, one more day and one more morning. If you only want the lake and the Rush Pari viewpoint, take the trek — it costs less and asks less.
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 Diran expedition
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Nagar · Day excursion Hopper glacier and Nagar
- Nagar · Trek Rush Lake and Rush Pari
- Nagar · Trek Rakaposhi Base Camp from Minapin
If this one is not right
Khosar Gang — first 6,000 m peak
Gasherbrum I expedition — Hidden Peak
Rakaposhi expedition
Very hard
Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition