Spantik Base Camp
Overview
A fifteen-day trek from Arandu up the Chogo Lungma glacier to Spantik Base Camp, beneath the north-west face known as the Golden Pillar. Moderate walking on a long glacier, with one of the most celebrated hard lines in the range standing over the last camp.
The Golden Pillar
Spantik is 7,027 m and the usual first seven-thousander in the Karakoram, climbed by a straightforward snow ridge on its south-east side. Its north-west face is something else entirely — a granite and ice pillar that turns gold in evening light and has one of the hardest ascent histories in the Karakoram. You walk to the foot of it without any obligation to look up for long.
The glacier
The Chogo Lungma is long, flat and far less broken than the Baltoro, which is why this trek is graded moderate when its length suggests harder. Most of the walking is on ablation valley and glacier side, with the altitude gained gradually enough that it is rarely the problem.
Who it suits
Anyone wanting a long Karakoram glacier trek without the difficulty or the price of the Baltoro, and anyone planning a Spantik expedition who wants to see the approach first. It is also the quietest long glacier trek we run.
When it runs
June to September, with July and August the most settled.
What is inside the price
Permits and fees, jeeps and drivers on our own plates from Skardu to Arandu, full camp with cook and mess, a porter crew under our published porter charter with loads weighed in front of you, guides on our payroll, satellite comms above Arandu and a written evacuation plan for every camp. For a longer glacier with more commitment, see Hispar La. The rest of Nagar and our other Karakoram treks are on the same crew list.
- Duration
- 12 – 15 days
- Trek days
- 8
- Maximum altitude
- 4,500 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Moderate
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Skardu / Skardu
- Accommodation
- Hotels either side, full camp on the glacier
- The Golden Pillar — Spantik's north-west face, and one of the great hard lines in the Karakoram
- A long glacier trek without the difficulty or the price of the Baltoro
- The Chogo Lungma, flat and far less broken than the Baltoro glaciers
- Gradual height gain, which is why a long trek grades Moderate
- The quietest long glacier walk we run
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 3,150 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 2,650 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 2,200 | 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 Arandu Camp
Up the Shigar and Basha valleys by jeep. Crew and loads meet us at the village.
05 Arandu to Chogo Brangsa Camp
Onto the Chogo Lungma. The glacier starts wide and stays wide.
06 Chogo Brangsa to Bolocho Camp
Up the ablation valley with the glacier on one side all day.
07 Bolocho to Spantik Base Camp Camp
To the base camp under the Golden Pillar. The last of the height.
08 At Spantik Base Camp Camp
A day at the face. Walk higher onto the moraine if the weather holds.
09 Base camp to Bolocho Camp
Back down the glacier, faster than the way up.
10 Bolocho to Chogo Brangsa Camp
Down the ablation valley.
11 Chogo Brangsa to Arandu Camp
Out to the village. Crew settlement and the end of the walking.
12 Arandu to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
Back down by jeep. Kit return and debrief.
13 Skardu — buffer day Hotel · 2,230 m
Held against the flight.
14 Skardu to Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
By air if the weather allows, by road if not.
15 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
Eight walking days, five to seven hours on the longer ones, on ablation valley and glacier side. The ground is easier than the Baltoro and the height is gained gradually, which is why a trek of this length grades Moderate rather than Hard.
What it asks for instead is stamina over days rather than a hard single day. There is no rope, no technical ground and no steep climbing. If you have done one multi-day trek and want a longer one without stepping up in difficulty, this is the right next trip — it is the gentlest way to spend a week on a Karakoram glacier.
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
A short flight that is weather-dependent, or a long road that is not. We build a buffer day either way.
On the ground
Our own 4x4s and our own drivers from Skardu onward.
Questions people actually ask
Why is a long trek only graded Moderate?
Because the Chogo Lungma is flat and far less broken than the Baltoro, and the height is gained gradually. The demand is stamina over days rather than any single hard one.
How many days is it, and when does it run?
Fifteen door to door, of which eight are walking. Operators sell it at fifteen and sixteen and both fit. June to September, with July and August the most settled — earlier and the upper glacier holds more snow than the walking is worth.
How fit do I need to be?
Five to seven hours a day on glacier side and ablation valley, repeated for eight days. No rope and no technical ground. A good second multi-day trek.
How high does it get?
Around 4,500 m at base camp. We have no source for that which is not copied between operators, so it prints with a marker until we have one. Altitude is rarely the problem on this trek.
What is the Golden Pillar?
Spantik's north-west face — a granite and ice pillar that turns gold in evening light, with one of the hardest ascent histories in the Karakoram. You walk to the foot of it; climbing it is a different kind of trip altogether.
Do I need a permit?
No restricted-zone permit and no liaison officer for the trek — this is an open 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 long here because the glacier is. Markedly cheaper than any Baltoro trek of comparable length. Deposit is 25 per cent.
Is this useful before a Spantik expedition?
Yes, and people use it that way. It is the same approach, so you arrive at a future expedition knowing the glacier and the walk-in rather than meeting both on day one.
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.
- Nagar · Day excursion Hopper glacier and Nagar
- Nagar · Expedition Rush Peak — K2 viewpoint summit
- Nagar · Expedition Diran expedition