Snow Lake and Biafo–Hispar
Overview
Snow Lake and the Biafo–Hispar traverse is a 24-day crossing of two of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions, over the Hispar La at about 5,150 m. You walk in from Askole and out at Hispar village in Nagar — a true traverse, not an out-and-back. Graded very hard, July and August only.
What makes this different from the Baltoro
The Baltoro gives you the famous peaks. Biafo–Hispar gives you space. Snow Lake — Lukpe Lawo — is one of the largest non-polar glacial basins on earth, and for several days there is nothing in any direction but ice and the mountains ringing it. Most people who have done both say this is the one they think about afterwards.
It is also the more serious undertaking. Once you are past Baintha there is no quick exit; the shortest way off the glacier is forward, over the Hispar La. Every decision we make about weather and health on this trek is shaped by that single fact.
Roped travel, and what it is actually like
Much of the upper Biafo and the whole Snow Lake basin is crevassed under snow cover, which means roped travel for days at a time. You walk in a line, a fixed distance apart, at the group’s pace rather than your own. Most people find that discipline harder than the terrain.
We teach and practise crevasse rescue at Baintha before the roped sections begin, with every member, and we practise it again if the guide is not satisfied. You need to be able to hold a fall and be hauled out. You do not need to have done it before.
How hard is it?
Six to eight hours a day for the better part of three weeks, on snow and ice rather than path, carrying a daypack. Previous multi-day trekking at altitude is close to essential — less for the terrain than for the remoteness. The Hispar La at 5,150 m is the high point and it wants a good day, which is why there is a rest-and-weather day built in at Snow Lake rather than a fixed crossing date.
When it runs
July and August. Earlier and the lower Biafo is a river of meltwater; later and the snow bridges over the crevasses are gone, which on this trek is not an inconvenience but the whole safety case.
What is inside the price
Permits and park fees for both ends of the traverse, which is more paperwork than an out-and-back and all of it ours to handle. Transport from Skardu to Askole and from Hispar to Karimabad on our own vehicles. Full camp and kitchen, crews from both valleys under our published charter, group rope and crevasse-rescue hardware, satellite phone, oxygen, and a stage-by-stage evacuation plan that names the drive-out from both sides.
- Duration
- 21 – 25 days
- Maximum altitude
- 5,150 m
- Grade
- Very hard
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- July – August
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Islamabad
- One of the longest glacier traverses outside the poles.
- Roped travel on most days, and a crew that has crossed it before.
Fixed departures
These prices are per person on a fixed departure, and they are the price — we do not discount a published figure. Deposit is 25%; the payment schedule and cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote. For your own dates, see the private pricing below.
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 5,600 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 4,500 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 3,700 | 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 — gear check and buffer Hotel · 540 m
Full kit inspection. Harness and crampons fitted.
03 Fly to Skardu, or drive Hotel · 2,230 m
Weather-dependent flight, or the road.
04 Skardu — permits, loads, crew briefing Hotel · 2,230 m
Loads weighed and split; permits completed.
05 Skardu to Askole Camp · 3,050 m
Rough road to the roadhead.
06 Askole to Namla Camp
Onto the Biafo. Rope and crevasse briefing in camp tonight.
07 Namla to Mango Camp
Glacier walking, ablation valley where it exists.
08 Mango to Baintha Camp
The last grass for a long time. Rest and wash here.
09 Baintha — acclimatisation and rope practice Camp
Scheduled rest day. Crevasse-rescue drill, every member, until it is automatic.
10 Baintha to Marpogo Camp
Roped travel begins properly. Spacing and discipline matter from here.
11 Marpogo to Karpogo Camp
Snow cover increases and the crevasses go out of sight.
12 Karpogo to Snow Lake Camp
Into the basin. Open white in every direction.
13 Snow Lake — rest and weather day Camp
Held deliberately. The Hispar La goes on a good day, not on a schedule.
14 Snow Lake to Hispar La Camp · 5,128 m
The high point of the traverse and the watershed between the two glaciers.
15 Hispar La to Khani Basa Camp
Down onto the Hispar. The ground changes character within a day.
16 Khani Basa to Jutmaru Camp
Long glacier day, side valleys opening north.
17 Jutmaru to Shikam Barishe Camp
Off the worst of the ice.
18 Shikam Barishe to Hispar village Camp
Green again, and people.
19 Hispar to Karimabad Hotel
Jeep out to Nagar and up to Karimabad. A bed and a shower.
20 Karimabad to Gilgit, or the Karakoram Highway Hotel
Down the valley. Buffer against road conditions.
21 To Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
By air from Gilgit, or by road.
22 Buffer day Hotel · 540 m
Held against weather. Used for Islamabad if it is not needed.
23 Islamabad, and home —
Airport transfer.
24 Reserve —
Held in the quoted length against a weather day earlier in the traverse.
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
- 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
[WRITE THE HONEST FITNESS NOTE FOR THIS ROUTE BEFORE PUBLISHING.]
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 by a member of our team, not a driver with a sign outside it. Briefing the same evening, local SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Skardu
A short flight that is weather-dependent, or a long road that is not. We build a buffer day either way and quote both.
On the ground
Our own 4x4s and our own drivers from Skardu onward.
Questions people actually ask
How fit do I need to be?
This is three weeks of glacier walking, much of it roped. Six to eight hours a day. You should have trekked at altitude before — it is not a first big trip, mostly because there is no easy way to leave once you are on it.
Do I need crevasse-rescue skills?
You need to be able to hold a fall and to be hauled out. We teach and practise it at Baintha before the roped sections, with every member, and we practise it again if the guide is not satisfied.
What does “roped travel” actually mean day to day?
You walk in a line, a fixed distance apart, at the group's pace rather than your own, for hours. Most people find the discipline harder than the terrain.
How remote is it really?
Once past Baintha there is no quick exit. The shortest way off is forward over the Hispar La. That shapes every decision we make about weather and health on this trip.
Is there any signal?
None. Satellite phone with the group and a messenger on the lead guide, with a message home each evening.
What is the weather likely to do?
Snow at any point on the upper glacier, even in midsummer. We carry a rest-and-weather day at Snow Lake because the Hispar La wants a good day and will not always give you one.
How heavy is my pack?
A daypack. Porters carry your kit between camps up to the limit published in our porter charter.
Can I do this instead of K2 Base Camp?
They are different trips. K2 Base Camp is the famous view; Snow Lake is the remote traverse. If you want the peaks in your photographs, go to Concordia. If you want days where nothing is in sight but glacier, come here.
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The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
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You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
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