Thalle La
Overview
An eleven-day trek over the Thalle La from the Thalle valley above Khaplu into Shigar, finishing at the Shigar Fort. It is a crossing rather than an out-and-back, there is no glacier anywhere on it, and it is the trek we recommend most often to people who want a pass without the commitment of a glacier route.
A pass without a glacier
Almost every pass trek in the Karakoram involves ice. The Thalle La does not: it is a grass and scree crossing between two inhabited valleys, used by local people as a route long before anyone sold it as a trek. That changes everything about the kit, the grade and the season.
Two valleys
You start above Khaplu in the Thalle valley and come down into Shigar, which means the trek connects two of the best parts of Baltistan rather than returning you to where you started. Finishing at the Shigar Fort, which can be slept in, is the obvious way to end it.
The walking
Four to five days on the trail. The pass day is long and the climb to it is sustained, but the ground is good throughout and there is no rope, no crampons and no crevasse risk. Villages and summer pastures most of the way.
When it runs
June to September. Earlier and the pass holds snow; later and the high camp is cold without much to show for it.
What is inside the price
Permits and fees, jeeps and drivers on our own plates at both ends, 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 the villages and a written evacuation plan for every camp. It starts above Khaplu where the Hushe treks do, and finishes near the Sarfaranga cold desert. See the rest of Khaplu and Ghanche and our other Karakoram treks.
- Duration
- 9 – 11 days
- Trek days
- 5
- Maximum altitude
- 4,600 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Moderate
- Group size
- Max 12
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Skardu / Skardu
- Accommodation
- Hotels either side, full camp on the crossing
- A genuine pass crossing with no glacier, no rope and no crampons
- Khaplu to Shigar on foot, connecting two of the best parts of Baltistan
- Villages and summer pastures most of the way rather than empty moraine
- Finishing at the Shigar Fort, which you can sleep in
- The gentlest way to cross a Karakoram pass, and a good first pass trek
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 2,750 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 2,300 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 1,900 | 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 to the Thalle valley Camp
Through Khaplu and up the valley by jeep. Crew and loads meet us at the village.
04 Into the upper Thalle valley Camp
Up through villages and pasture. A gentle first day.
05 To the pass camp Camp
Out of the settled valley to the last camp below the La.
06 Over the Thalle La Camp · 4,600 m
The long day. Up to the pass on grass and scree, and a long descent into the Shigar side.
07 Down toward Shigar Camp
Through pasture and into the upper Shigar valley.
08 Out to Shigar village Hotel
The last walking, and the fort at the end of it. Crew settlement.
09 Shigar to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
Short drive down the valley. Kit return and debrief.
10 Skardu — buffer day Hotel · 2,230 m
Held against the flight. Yours if it is not needed.
11 Skardu, 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
Five walking days, four to six hours on most and seven to eight on the pass day, which is the one that decides it. The climb to the La is sustained but the ground is good throughout — grass and scree rather than moraine.
No rope, no crampons, no crevasse risk and no glacier at any point, which makes this a good first pass trek and a good first multi-day trek generally. The descent into Shigar is long and knees notice it more than lungs do. If you want a pass crossing without the commitment of a glacier route, this is the one.
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 the Thalle valley
Through Khaplu and up the valley by jeep, on our own vehicles.
Out at Shigar
The trek finishes in the Shigar valley, a short drive from Skardu.
Questions people actually ask
Is there really no glacier on this trek?
None. The Thalle La is a grass and scree crossing between two inhabited valleys, used as a local route long before anyone sold it as a trek. No rope, no crampons, no crevasse risk.
How many days is it, and when does it run?
Eleven door to door, of which five are walking. June to September — earlier and the pass holds snow, later and the high camp is cold without much to show for it.
How fit do I need to be?
Four to six hours a day, and seven to eight on the pass day. The ground is good throughout. A reasonable first multi-day trek and a good first pass.
How high is the Thalle La?
Around 4,600 m. We have one source for that figure, converted from feet, and have not matched it against a second — so it prints with a marker until we have.
Where does it start and finish?
It starts above Khaplu in the Thalle valley and finishes in Shigar, so it is a crossing rather than an out-and-back. Ending at the Shigar Fort, which you can sleep in, is the obvious way to finish.
Do I need a permit?
No restricted-zone permit — both valleys are open trekking zones. Local fees apply and we pay them. Your Pakistan visa is the paperwork that matters and we send a sponsor letter for it.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size, then porter stages, which are short. A crossing means repositioning a vehicle, which is in the price rather than a surcharge. Among the cheaper treks we sell. Deposit is 25 per cent.
Can I combine it with anything?
Easily, and it is designed to be. It finishes in Shigar, where the cold desert and the road to Askole begin, and it starts above Khaplu, where the Hushe valley treks do.
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.
- Shigar & Braldu · Jeep safari Sarfaranga cold desert
- Shigar & Braldu · Jeep safari Shigar valley
- Shigar & Braldu · Jeep safari Skardu to Askole — the Braldu road